Free Online Illinois Digital Archives

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

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

• Digital Commons Collections
• Digital Public Library of America
• Library of Congress Digital Collections
• National Archives Online Exhibits
• PastPerfectOnline Collections
• Smithsonian Digital Library

Illinois Archives

• Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library and Museum
• Arlington Heights Memorial Library
• Augustana College Digital Collections
• Bradley University Digital Collections
• CARLI Digital Collections
• Chicago History Museum
• Chicago Public Library Digital Collections
• College of DuPage Digital Collections
• DePaul University Digital Collections
• Eastern Illinois University Digital Collections
• Encyclopedia of Chicago
• FamilySearch – Illinois Online Genealogy Records
• Homicide in Chicago 1870-1930 (Northwestern University)
• Illinois College Digital Collections
• Illinois Digital Archives
• Illinois Institute of Technology Digital Collections
• Illinois Periodicals Online
• Illinois Regional Archives Depository (IRAD) System
• Illinois State Archives Databases
• Illinois State Genealogical Society
• Illinois State Historical Society
• Illinois State Library
• Illinois State University Digital Collections
• Illinois Wesleyan University Digital Collections
• John A. Logan College Library Archives
• Knox College Digital Collections
• Lewis University Digital Collections
• Lincoln Library – Sangamon Valley Collection
• Loyola University Chicago Digital Collections
• National Archives at Chicago
• National Louis University Digital Collections
• Newberry Library
• North Central College Digital Collections
• Northeastern Illinois University Archives and Special Collections
• Northern Illinois University Digital Collections
• Northwestern University Digital Collections
• Peoria Public Library
• Pritzker Military Museum and Library
• School of the Art Institute of Chicago Digital Collections
• South Suburban Genealogical and Historical Society
• Southern Illinois University – Carbondale Digital Collections
• Southern Illinois University – Edwardsville Digital Collections
• Swenson Swedish Immigration Research Center
• University of Chicago Digital Collections
• University of Illinois – Chicago Digital Collections
• University of Illinois – Springfield Digital Collections
• University of Illinois – Urbana-Champaign Digital Collections
• Urbana Free Library
• Western Illinois University Digital Collections
• Wheaton College Digital Collections