Free Online Michigan 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

Michigan Archives

• Allen County Public Library Genealogy Center
• Andrews University Digital Collections
• Archives of Michigan
• Central Michigan University Digital Collections
• Davenport University Digital Collections
• Detroit Public Library Digital Collections
• Detroit Society for Genealogical Research
• Eastern Michigan University Digital Collections
• FamilySearch – Michigan Online Genealogy Records
• Ferris State University Digital Collections
• Grand Rapids History Center
• Grand Valley State University Digital Collections
• Historical Society of Michigan
• Hope College Digital Collections
• Lake Superior State University Digital Collections
• Library of Michigan
• Michigan County Histories and Atlases
• Michigan History Center
• Michigan State University Digital Collections
• Michigan Technological University Digital Collections
• Michiganology
• National Archives at Chicago
• Northern Michigan University Digital Collections
• Oakland University Digital Collections
• Saginaw Valley State University Digital Collections
• Spring Arbor University Digital Collections
• The Making of Ann Arbor
• The Making of Modern Michigan
• 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
• Virtual Motor City
• Wayne State University Digital Collections
• Western Michigan Genealogical Society
• Western Michigan University Digital Collections