Take the time to explore every one of these websites that covers a state (or territory) where your ancestors lived.
All summaries written by Rick Crume
Each year, we scan the field to find the best genealogy websites for your US-based research. State libraries, archives and historical societies are digitizing their holdings and turning those digital images and indexes into searchable databases. (Meanwhile, our picks for the best sites for New Hampshire, Michigan and US territories include fruits of the labors of some ambitious individuals.)
Truly a bonanza for genealogists, these collections include everything from diaries, Civil War letters and handwritten family histories to oral histories, prison records and records of the enslaved.
All of these sites are free. Sites new to this year’s list are marked with a star (★). Many of them are updated often (even daily), so it’s worth checking them regularly for new material.
Look for advanced and customized search forms for individual record collections. Search on just an uncommon last name, or combine a common last name with another term (such as a town name). Put quotation marks around a name to search on it as a phrase, and try different forms of the name (such as both with and without a middle initial).
Expand your searches on these sites beyond personal names to other topics (such as places, schools, churches, wars, occupations and ethnic groups), and you’ll find lots of digitized material that may provide insights into your ancestors’ lives.
For more award-winners in other categories, check out our annual list of the 101 Best Genealogy Websites. To learn more about researching genealogy in a specific state, head to the Explore Genealogy by State map to access our online state research guides.
Alabama Department of Archives & History
https://digital.archives.alabama.govThe archives’ digital collections include slave bills of sale (under Textual Materials > Slavery), voter registration books from 1867 and 1875, WWI service records, and “Active Military Service Reports” (records of military service between 1940 and 1966). You’ll also find incarceration records from 1841 to 1979 and 1983 to the present.
AlabamaMosaic
http://alabamamosaic.orgDigitized records from archives and libraries include family histories, school yearbooks, naturalization records, photos and Civil War diaries and letters.
Alaska State Archives: Genealogy
http://archives.alaska.gov/genealogy/genealogy.htmlThese indexes cover naturalization records (1888–1972); probate records (1883–1960); birth, marriage and death records (1816–1998); and records of WWI veterans.
American Samoa Genealogy
https://usgenealogyresearch.atwebpages.com/AmericanSamoa/Created by researcher Bob Jenkins, this website has a few records and yearbooks, plus links to key resources and collections for researching Samoan ancestry.
Arizona Memory Project
https://azmemory.azlibrary.govArchives, libraries and museums contributed newspapers, oral histories, land-ownership maps, city and telephone directories, school yearbooks and much more for this collection.
Arkansas Digital Archives
https://digitalheritage.arkansas.gov/In the search box, select the option for “in this repository” to find items on this website, including an index to death records from 1812 to 2006, state land records from 1822 to 1986, WWI discharge records and Confederate veterans records.
Calisphere
http://www.calisphere.orgSearch more than two million images, texts and recordings from California libraries, archives and museums. You’ll find photographs, county jail registers, letters, diaries and more.
Online Archive of California
http://www.oac.cdlib.orgThis site describes collections of diaries, letters, photographs and other items from more than 300 organizations across the Golden State. You can view more than 240,000 digital images and documents.
Denver Public Library Digital Collections
https://digital.denverlibrary.org/Highlights of this huge collection include Civil War records, city directories and school yearbooks, plus indexes to marriage, cemetery, mortuary, naturalization, obituary, draft and pioneer records.
Connecticut Collections ★
https://www.ctcollections.org/Museums and historical societies across Connecticut have contributed to this collection, which includes manuscript genealogies, military records, photographs, high school yearbooks and church records.
Connecticut Digital Archive
https://s.uconn.edu/newctdaDrawing on digitized materials from libraries, historical societies and museums, this collection includes many genealogy files, diaries and family Bibles
Delaware Public Archives
http://archives.delaware.govSelect Digital Archives from the Research tab to access Civil War records, naturalization records, slavery papers and more. Select Collections Gateway to search indexes of various collections, including Bible records, manuscript genealogies and apprentice indentures.
DigDC
http://digdc.dclibrary.orgThe DC Public Library created this digital collection of maps, photos, oral histories, plat books and historical newspapers.
University of Florida Digital Collections
https://ufdc.ufl.edu/This site’s 476 digital collections include many manuscript genealogies, diaries, oral histories and old newspapers.
Digital Library of Georgia
http://dlg.usg.eduArchives, libraries and museums have contributed books, photographs and newspapers—plus collections of manuscript genealogies and diaries—to this impressive database. You’ll also find some records naming the enslaved.
Georgia Archives
https://www.georgiaarchives.org/The Virtual Vault section has records from 1733 to the present, including Colonial wills, Confederate pension applications, marriage records, death certificates (mostly from 1914 to 1927) and the General Name File compiled from various records by archives staff.
Guam Genealogy
https://usgenealogyresearch.atwebpages.com/Guam/Bob Jenkins created this website to gather records and links to resources useful for researching Guam ancestry.
Hawai’i State Archives
http://ags.hawaii.gov/archivesFrom the Genealogy Research Guide
Idaho State Historical Society
http://history.idaho.gov/searchable-indexesSearch for your ancestor in indexes to naturalization records, Civil War veterans, pension records, an inmate catalog and the Idaho Biographical Index (compiled from various sources).
Illinois Digital Archives
http://www.idaillinois.orgSearch oral histories, local histories, Civil War diaries, letters, prison records, naturalization records, photographs and newspapers from across Illinois.