Historical Research Links

This is a recent addition to the page. I am always adding to this. If you know some great research sites, please email me at tombstonesproject@gmail.com. Most are primary sources, however, a few are not. 

A

African American History collection at National Archives

Alabama Department of Archives and History (.gov)

Alaska State Library Genealogy Resource Guide (They have a great deal of information but you have to dig a bit. Some passenger ship lists and more in digital form)

Albany Archives, M.E. Granander Department of Special Collections and Archives M. Watt Espy Papers, National Death Penalty Archives. Includes summaries of execution, list of witnesses etc. Not all have been digitized, but there is an excellent collection. 

Ancestry A good resource but expensive. There are many errors but a good place to start unravelling ancient mysteries and finding family connections through DNA.

Archives West (Pioneer Diaries), excellent collections In Wyoming. Few online

Arizona Memory Project Archives (This is actually not an archive, rather it provides descriptions and locations of various archival collections that are available in Arizona). 

B

Black Past Archives: African American History Archives

BYU Western States Index

C

California Online Archive

Census Records (.gov)

Cite Case Law Has a good catalogue of 100 plus year old Legal cases

Colorado Historical Society

Colorado State Archives 

University of California Oral Histories Project

D

Denver Public Library Digital Collections

E

Eastern State Mental Hospital Records (Virginia)

F

Family Search Excellent place to begin family research. There are many informational errors but the resource is part of the Genealogy library at Provo, Utah. Oh and it’s FREE.

Finnish American Historical Archive: Finlandia University (.edu)

G

Atlanta National Archives (Mostly Legal Records Covering 8 States in the Southern Region)

Georgia Historical Society 

Georgia State University Digital Archives

Office of the Historian: (.gov) Foreign policy history

H

Hathitrust.com (Digital Book collection)

Hispanic History and Culture (Huntington) (Huntington’s search engine is very basic, a variety of collections but it is not organized very well. Mostly scholarly articles, primary sources)

History of the Willamette Valley 1877-1939, Robert Carlton-Clark

I

Idaho Historical Society

Idaho State Archives

Immigration History: Links to various archives of cultural and historical interest. (.org)

University of Idaho Special Collections

J

K

Kentucky Historical Society

Kentucky State Archives

UOK Special Collections Research Library

L

Library of Congress

LOC Chronicling America Newspaper Archive

Long, Herbert,  History of The Willamette Valley (Full Text)

Louisiana Digital Library

Louisiana State Archives

M

Maine State Archives

Mississippi Department of Archives and History (.gov)

Mississippi Department of Archives and History (.org)  Digital Library at Jackson

Mississippi Collection of Historical Maps (Paul Davis Maps 1800s)

Michigan Archives (.gov)

Minnesota Archives (,org)

Michigan’s Hidden Past. This is a collaborative between libraries. A lot of great stuff here.

Missouri Historical Society

Missouri State Archives

N

National Archives (.gov)

National Archives Foundation: Federal Papers

National Archives: San Francisco

Naval History Archives (.mil)

New Jersey State Archives (.gov)

Newspapers Can be had with ancestry account (not Free)

Newspapers List from Oregon Historical Society (PDF)

New York State Archives (.gov)

O

Oregon: Amity Library

Northern Ohio: Western Reserve Historical Society: ( I did not see a digital collection here. Focuses on African American collections. Looks extensive, although I have not explored this deeply)

Oregon Historical Society

Oregon State Archival records Oregon state archives dates back to early 1800’s

Oregon State Genealogy Records

Oregon Territory and its Pioneers (Extensive award winning research on Oregon Pioneers beginning from the earliest settlers and the great migration of 1843)

University of Oregon Newspaper Archive  (Free)

University of Oregon Special Collections Library

P

PDX Social History Guide: This is an excellent source of Information about Portland’s places, Immigrants, black history, and more. (Secondary)

Pennsylvania State Archives (Primary)

Portland, Oregon: City Historical Archives (Primary)

Q

R

Rhode Island State Digital Archives

S

San Francisco Public Library Digital Archives

Smithsonian: National Museum of American History 

Spanish American War (National Archives)

T

Texas Historical Society

UOT Historical Archives and Collections

U

State of Utah: Digital Collections (.gov)

U.S. Census Bureau

V

Virginia DHR Department of Historic Resources

Virginia State Archives and Library

W

Wiki Links list of US Archives

Wyoming Archives (.gov)

X

Y

Yamhill County Court Records

Yamhill County Historical Society Research Library Good source although dates are limited

Z