Research & Archival Resources

---

Please note: The Danbury Museum will not be accommodating onsite research in March of 2020 due to the Covid-19 pandemic. If you wish to email us a research request, please know that it is unlikely we can answer your query while we are closed. Once you have paid the research fee, your request will be handled on a first come, first served basis when we are back. 

 The Danbury Museum is open for on-site research Tuesday through Saturday from 10 am till 4 pm. If you have an in-depth research request, we ask that you make a research appointment so we can pull together all related materials in advance of your visit. There is a research appointment request at the bottom of this page.

If you are unable to visit DMHS for on-site research, we are happy to assist you. Our research fee is $25 per hour (this fee includes 25 photocopies), and the first hour must be paid for in advance—via check by mail, or using the PayPal link below. Each obituary or other research inquiry is treated as a separate request and subject to the $25 charge. If research cannot be completed within the first hour, we will contact you before proceeding further. Please scroll down for a downloadable request form.

Our extensive photo collection offers a rare look at everything from historic buildings and prominent people to precious class photos, early business and industry, clubs, and organizations.

Photo reproduction rights are subject to licensing agreements and usage fees. Download a copy of the fee schedule, reproduction and usage agreement, permission and order forms at the bottom of this page. Volunteers are busy indexing the collection of images from the Shea Photography Studio in Danbury. A searchable database will be ready soon. Perhaps you'll find yourself or a family member in the archives.

Please note: The Danbury Museum will not be accommodating onsite research in March of 2020 due to the Covid-19 pandemic and we do not have remote access to the microfilm. We will resume research requests that involve microfilm when we return. We apologize for any inconvenience.

Researchers are welcome Tuesday through Saturday from 10 am to 4 pm for microfilm use and the readers are available on a first come, first served basis. The Danbury News-Times as well as other resources are available on microfilm. Download a list of all resources on microfilm at the bottom of this page.  You may use your phone or digital camera to photograph microfilm articles. Printed microfilm pages using our copier are .25¢ each. 

 A few of the items available to genealogists, historians, students, educators, authors, film & television productions and anyone interested in local history include: 

• Danbury newspapers on microfilm
• Annual Reports of the City
• Minutes of The Common Council
• Early City Directories
• Family Surname Files
• Vital Statistics and Census Information
• Grand Tax Lists
• Cemetery and Burial Records
• Military Service Records
• School Yearbooks
• Journals, Diaries, Letters, and Scrapbooks
• Business Ledgers
• Early Deeds and Land Records

Memorabilia and artifacts of all kinds are part of our archival collections.  We look forward to welcoming you to the archives of the Danbury Museum and kindly request advance notice so that we may prepare for your visit! 

You'll find a full and ever-growing list of archive subject files at the bottom of this page.