The Ancestor Hunt has been cataloging and listing links to free online genealogy collections in over 24 different record categories since 2014. These are available for you to view and use via the Resources tab above.
There is a massive amount of genealogy and historical material that can help us researchers as we discover who belongs in our family tree, and more importantly, what is their life story. But much of this genealogical and historical material doesn’t fit nicely into a specific genealogy record category.
As researchers, we should avail ourselves of the types of materials listed below. They definitely will help us in our genealogy and family history research These online resources are available generally at state libraries and archives, larger public libraries, and college and university digital collections. Hence the creation of these lists of links to free online digital archives for the state. I hope they prove useful to you in your pursuit.
Types of Information Available in Digital Archives
- Scrapbooks
- Diaries
- Family Papers, Biographies, and Other Collections
- Letters
- Oral Histories
- Maps
- Bulletins and Newsletters
- Corporate Collections
- Local Community and County Histories
- Photographs and Postcards
- Rare Books and Manuscripts
- Government Publications and Documents
- and Yes, Genealogy Record Collections and Indexes
(Updated November 2023)
The Free Online Digital Archives for the state are listed below, preceded by Archives that are available for the region or the country:
Multistate Archives
- American Indians of the Pacific Northwest
- Columbia River Basin Ethnic History Archive
- Digital Commons Collections
- Digital Public Library of America
- Library of Congress Digital Collections
- Mountain West Digital Library
- National Archives Online Exhibits
- Northwest Digital Heritage
- PastPerfectOnline Collections
- Plains to Peak Collective
- Smithsonian Digital Library
- Western Waters Digital Library
Colorado Archives
- Access Genealogy – Colorado
- Adams State University Digital Collections
- Allen County Public Library Genealogy Center
- American History & Genealogy Project – Colorado
- American Indians of the Pacific Northwest
- Ancestry Free Index Collections
- Chronicling America – Colorado
- Colorado Christian University Digital Collections
- Colorado College Digital Collections
- Colorado Encyclopedia Digital Collections
- Colorado Genealogical Society
- Colorado Mesa University Digital Collections
- Colorado School of Mines Digital Collections
- Colorado State Archives
- Colorado State University Digital Collections
- Colorado State University Pueblo Digital Collections
- Colorado Virtual Library
- Columbia River Basin Ethnic History Archive
- Cyndi’s List – Colorado
- David Rumsey’s Historical Maps
- Dead Fred
- Death Indexes – Colorado
- Denver Public Library Digital Collections
- Digital Commons Collections
- Digital Public Library of America – Colorado
- FamilySearch
- FamilySearch – Colorado Online Genealogy Records
- FamilySearch Catalog
- FamilySearch Wiki – Colorado
- FindAGrave
- Fort Lewis College Digital Collections
- Genealogy Trails – Colorado
- Google Books – Colorado
- HathiTrust – Colorado
- History Colorado Archives
- I Dream of Genealogy
- Interment.net – Colorado
- Internet Archive – Colorado
- LDS Genealogy – Colorado
- Library of Congress Digital Collections
- Linkpendium – Colorado
- Mountain West Digital Library
- Naropa University Digital Collections
- National Archives and Records Administration
- National Archives at Denver
- National Archives Online Exhibits
- National Archives Resources for Genealogists
- Nationwide Gravesite Locator
- New Horizons Genealogy – Colorado
- Northwest Digital Heritage
- PastPerfectOnline Collections
- Plains to Peak Collective
- Regis University Digital Collections
- RootsWeb.com
- Sanborn Maps – Colorado
- Smithsonian Digital Library
- The Official Land Records Site
- University of Colorado – Boulder Digital Collections
- University of Colorado – Colorado Springs Digital Collections
- University of Colorado – Health Sciences Center Digital Collections
- University of Denver Digital Collections
- University of Northern Colorado Digital Collections
- US GenWeb – Colorado
- US GenWeb Archives – Colorado
- Western Colorado University Digital Collections
- Western Waters Digital Library
Good Luck and Happy Hunting!