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 October 2024)
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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:
Michigan Archives
- Access Genealogy – Michigan
- Allen County Public Library Genealogy Center
- American History & Genealogy Project – Michigan
- Ancestry Free Index Collections
- Andrews University Digital Collections
- Archives of Michigan
- Bay County Library System
- Bloomfield Township Public Library
- Brighton District Library
- Capital Area District Libraries
- Central Michigan University Digital Collections
- Chippewa River District Library
- Chronicling America – Michigan
- Civil War Soldiers and Sailors Database
- Cyndi’s List – Michigan
- Davenport University Digital Collections
- David Rumsey’s Historical Maps
- Dead Fred
- Death Indexes – Michigan
- Detroit Public Library Digital Collections
- Detroit Society for Genealogical Research
- Digital Commons Collections
- Digital Michigan Newspaper Portal
- Digital Public Library of America – Michigan
- Eastern Michigan University Digital Collections
- FamilySearch
- FamilySearch – Michigan Online Genealogy Records
- FamilySearch Catalog
- FamilySearch Wiki – Michigan
- Ferris State University Digital Collections
- FindAGrave
- Genealogy Trails – Michigan
- Google Books – Michigan
- Grand Rapids History Center
- Grand Valley State University Digital Collections
- Hackley Public Library
- Hastings Public Library
- HathiTrust – Michigan
- Herrick District Library
- Historical Society of Michigan
- Hope College Digital Collections
- I Dream of Genealogy
- Interment.net – Michigan
- Internet Archive – Michigan
- Lake Superior State University Digital Collections
- LDS Genealogy – Michigan
- Library of Congress Digital Collections
- Library of Michigan
- Linkpendium – Michigan
- Michigan County Histories and Atlases
- Michigan History Center
- Michigan State University Digital Collections
- Michigan Technological University Digital Collections
- Michiganology
- Mount Clemens Public Library
- National Archives and Records Administration
- National Archives at Chicago
- National Archives Online Exhibits
- National Archives Resources for Genealogists
- Nationwide Gravesite Locator
- New Horizons Genealogy – Michigan
- Northern Michigan University Digital Collections
- Oakland University Digital Collections
- PastPerfectOnline Collections
- Pioneering the Upper Midwest: Books from Michigan, Minnesota, and Wisconsin, ca. 1820-1910
- Public Libraries of Saginaw
- Saginaw Valley State University Digital Collections
- Sanborn Maps – Michigan
- Smithsonian Digital Library
- Spring Arbor University Digital Collections
- St. Clair County Library System
- The Making of Ann Arbor
- The Making of Modern Michigan
- The Official Land Records Site
- Three Rivers Public Library
- United States Social Security Death Index
- University of Detroit Mercy Special Collections
- University of Michigan – Ann Arbor Digital Collections
- University of Michigan – Dearborn Digital Collections
- University of Michigan – Flint Digital Collections
- University of Michigan Bentley Historical Library
- US GenWeb – Michigan
- US GenWeb Archives – Michigan
- Virtual Motor City
- Waterford Township Library
- Wayne State University Digital Collections
- Western Michigan Genealogical Society
- Western Michigan University Digital Collections
Good Luck and Happy Hunting!