Recommended Resources for Historical Research

ArchiveGrid includes over 7 million records describing archival materials, bringing together information about historical documents, personal papers, family histories, and more. With over 1,400 archival institutions represented, ArchiveGrid helps researchers looking for primary source materials held in archives, libraries, museums and historical societies.

Archives Portal Europe provides you a single access to find, browse and discover information on archives about Europe held by thousands of cultural heritage institutions from more than 30 countries. Type in your keywords and discover over 650,000 archival collections including hundreds of millions of documents, the persons and organizations that created and used these documents, and the institutions holding the archival material today.

The Online Archive of California (OAC) provides free public access to detailed descriptions of primary resource collections maintained by more than 300 contributing institutions including libraries, special collections, archives, historical societies, and museums throughout California and collections maintained by the 10 University of California (UC) campuses.

The Germans from Russia Heritage Collection (GRHC) at the NDSU Libraries was established in July 1978, which was first housed with the North Dakota Institute for Regional Studies. As a land-grant university, there was interest in establishing a collection of materials about Germans from Russia ancestry, which includes a large population of North Dakota.

At the Institute’s core is the Gilder Lehrman Collection, one of the great archives in American history. More than 85,000 items cover five hundred years of American history, from Columbus’s 1493 letter describing the New World through the end of the twentieth century

The pamphlets in Samuel J. May's Anti-Slavery library have been digitized and their texts are searchable online. The collection was digitized in 1999 with $331,000 in funding provided by a grant from the "Save America's Treasures" initiative, a public-private partnership between the White House Millennium Council and National Trust for Historic Preservation, administered by the National Endowment for the Humanities.

The Seward Family Digital Archive provides one of the most comprehensive records of the life and times of an extended family in nineteenth-century America. The archive consists of letters, bound volumes, photographs and other miscellaneous material.

Here, you may explore the lives of people swept up in the great American dramas of slavery, war, and emancipation. The two communities, one in the North and one in the South, experienced every national challenge from secession through Reconstruction.

This collection comprises camp equipment, weaponry and uniforms used on the homefront and the battlefield, with a focus on the Illinois experience.

Search the digital archives of the Episcopal Church, including diocesan records and denominational canonical texts.

Founded as a Freewill Baptist educational institution, Bates College possesses one of the most important and comprehensive collections of archival and library material related to this denomination in the country. The collection includes a variety of records and manuscripts, as well as most of the published primary sources.

The David Rumsey Map Collection was started over 35 years ago and contains more than 150,000 maps. The collection focuses on rare 16th through 21st century maps of North and South America, as well as maps of the World, Asia, Africa, Europe, and Oceania. The collection includes atlases, globes, wall maps, school geographies, pocket maps, books of exploration, maritime charts, and a variety of cartographic materials including pocket, wall, children's, and manuscript maps. Items range in date from around 1550 to the present.

The Norman B. Leventhal Map & Education Center at the Boston Public Library, created in 2004, is a nonprofit organization established as a public-private partnership between the Library and philanthropist Norman Leventhal. Its mission is to use the collection of 200,000 maps and 5,000 atlases for the enjoyment and education of all through exhibitions, educational programs, and a website that includes more than 10,000 digitized maps at collections.leventhalmap.org.

The Division of Rare and Manuscript Collections is Cornell’s principal repository of rare books, manuscripts and archival materials in history, literature, music, the arts, science, natural history, and technology.

The Europeana website provides cultural heritage enthusiasts, professionals, teachers, and researchers with access to Europe's digital cultural heritage. Why? To inspire and inform fresh perspectives and open conversations about our history and culture. To share and enjoy our rich cultural heritage. To use it to create new things. Europeana gives you access to millions of items from providing institutions across Europe. Discover artworks, books, music, and videos on art, newspapers, archaeology, fashion, science, sport, and much more.

Explore 862,669 items digitized from The New York Public Library's collections. This site is a living database with new materials added every day, featuring prints, photographs, maps, manuscripts, streaming video, and more.

Discovery holds more than 32 million descriptions of records held by The National Archives and more than 2,500 archives across the country. Over 9 million records are available for download.

Gallica is the digital library of the Bibliothèque nationale de France and its partners. Online since 1997, it is enriched every week with thousands of novelties and now offers access to several million documents.

Search for digital copies of newspapers, Government Gazettes, maps, magazines and newsletters. Or books, pictures, photographs, archived websites, music and interviews. Even information about famous Australians, including copies of letters, diaries and personal archives. All this and more in our digital collections – available to view on Trove or Trove Partner websites.

Founded in 1845, the New England Historic Genealogical Society (NEHGS) is the country’s leading resource for family history research. We help genealogists of all skill levels improve their knowledge and understanding of their family and its place in history. We provide our award-winning website, AmericanAncestors.org, as the online repository for more than 1.4 billion searchable names from America and beyond. Although our name says New England, we provide expertise and research across American family history.

Here you will find multiple digital resources (collections, exhibits, and selected collections) from the California State Archives' holdings. While just a portion of the State Archives' collection will be available online, our goal is to digitize more material and share it with the people of California and the world. Amazing photographs, colorful trademark specimens, and other original documents reveal past events

The Canadiana organization provides digitization, preservation, and access to Canadian heritage content.

Documenting the American South (DocSouth) is a digital publishing initiative that provides Internet access to texts, images, and audio files related to southern history, literature, and culture. Currently DocSouth includes sixteen thematic collections of books, diaries, posters, artifacts, letters, oral history interviews, and songs.

The Digital Library of Georgia is a GALILEO initiative based at the University of Georgia Libraries that collaborates with Georgia's Libraries, archives, museums, and other institutions of education and culture to provide access to key information resources on Georgia history, culture, and life. This primary mission is accomplished through the ongoing development, maintenance, and preservation of digital collections and online digital library resources.

With more than 125,000 objects and 1.5 million archival materials, Historic New England’s collection tells the most complete story of how New Englanders lived from the seventeenth century to today.

This page provides access to both free and members-only databases of Indiana State history material, including college, county, military, and other state records.

The DigitalMaine Repository is a partnership of the Maine State Library, Maine State Archives and community institutions around the state. Together, we are committed to providing access to Maine history, ensuring transparency in government, and sharing the stories of the people and places of the Pine Tree State.

This searchable image repository offers over 13,000 partial and fully digitized items from the Boston Athenæum's collections of rare books, prints, photographs, maps, archives, etc. It is a dynamic database with new materials added frequently. The Digital Programs, Conservation, and Technical Services Departments of the Boston Athenæum are responsible for ensuring the physical preservation of the Athenæum's historic collection and expanding scholarly access to the collection through digitization.

This site provides access to photographs, manuscripts, books, audio recordings, and other materials of historical interest that have been digitized and made available by members of Digital Commonwealth, a statewide consortium of libraries, museums, archives, and historical societies from across Massachusetts.

Our digital collections are sets of digitized items which have been organized either around a common topic, such as the American Revolution, or to highlight a specific collection, such as the papers of Thomas Jefferson.

The Historical Society of Michigan connects Michigan's stories to students, educators, historical organizations, and the public.

Browse full content and metadata for Mississippi historical collections.

More than 9 million records can be accessed through Missouri Digital Heritage, including the collections of the Missouri State Archives, the Missouri State Library and other institutions from across the state.

Homepage for the Mary King Research Library, which includes research request forms and instructions for visiting. There are no digitized collections.

The Rochester Public Library works to digitize all of the existing Rochester City Directories for the years 1827–1946. If a year is not listed on this page, no directory exists for that year.

New York Heritage is a portal for learning more about the people, places and events that contributed to the making of New York State.

The Ohio Memory repository of digitized collections can be browsed by place, subject, or time period. The site is a collaborative program of the Ohio History Connection and the State Library of Ohio.

The Gateway is an online repository of Oklahoma history, brought to you by the Oklahoma Historical Society (OHS). Visitors can search, view, and download thousands of historic newspapers, publications, photographs, maps, and documents.

The State Archives preserves and makes Rhode Island’s historic records accessible to the public. Our holdings date back to 1638 and include Rhode Island’s copies of the Declaration of Independence and Bill of Rights. The Rhode Island Digital Archives provides access to digitized and born digital records in the State Archives’ holdings.

The Portal to Texas History provides a gateway to rare, historical, and primary source materials from or about Texas, drawn from 478 partners across the state.

Digitized collections from the Waterbury, Vermont Historical Society.

The Jones Memorial Genealogy and History Library in Lynchburg, Virginia, makes some of their collections available online, such as funeral home records and a photograph database.

Visit the "Records" tab to access cemetery records, including Civil War burials and removals.