The Ancestor Hunt regularly adds and updates new collection links, as well as searches for and fixes broken links.
(This page's most recent update is December 2025)
Want to improve your newspaper research skills? Use the resources of the Newspaper Research Academy at Academy
Was your ancestor an inventor? Did they apply for and receive a patent? There are several databases you can search. Google Patents is the most well-known, but there are four others you might want to try out. All are free to search.
I knew that my Dad had several patents and that his grandfather possibly held one or two. So a few years ago I started searching and found two additional ancestors that had filed for and gotten approved for a few more patents. I would suggest that you search these five free databases that have patent documents from all over the world. You just might be surprised!
Download the Quicksheet PDF
To obtain the one-page Quick Sheet pdf for easy reference of where to search for patent documents, you can download it by clicking on the Download button below:
For all the previously published Quick Reference Guides, click on QuickSheets.
Genealogy QuickSheets – Frequently Asked Questions
- 100 Best Free Online Genealogy Websites
- Beyond the Search Engine: Using Google Databases for Genealogy Research
- 64 Genealogy Items to Collect from Your Home
- United States Genealogical and Historical Societies
- 24 Places Where You Can Find Your Ancestors Occupation
- 13 Types of Genealogical Information You Can Find in Old Yearbooks
- 16 Places Where You Can Find Genealogy and Family History Books
- Easy Cousin Relationship Chart