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
- Digital Commons Collections
- Digital Public Library of America
- Library of Congress Digital Collections
- National Archives Online Exhibits
- PastPerfectOnline Collections
- Smithsonian Digital Library
New Jersey Archives
- Access Genealogy – New Jersey
- Allen County Public Library Genealogy Center
- American History & Genealogy Project – New Jersey
- Ancestry Free Index Collections
- Camden County Historical Society
- Castle Garden
- Chronicling America – New Jersey
- Civil War Soldiers and Sailors Database
- Cyndi’s List – New Jersey
- David Rumsey’s Historical Maps
- Dead Fred
- Death Indexes – New Jersey
- Digital Commons Collections
- Digital Public Library of America – New Jersey
- Drew University Digital Collections
- Ellis Island
- Fairleigh Dickinson University Digital Collections
- FamilySearch
- FamilySearch – New Jersey Online Genealogy Records
- FamilySearch Catalog
- FamilySearch Wiki – New Jersey
- Felician University Digital Collections
- FindAGrave
- Genealogical Society of New Jersey
- Genealogy Trails – New Jersey
- Georgian Court University Digital Collections
- Gloucester County Historical Society Library
- Google Books – New Jersey
- HathiTrust – New Jersey
- I Dream of Genealogy
- Interment.net – New Jersey
- Internet Archive – New Jersey
- Jewish Gen
- Jewish Historical Society of Central Jersey
- Kean University Digital Collections
- LDS Genealogy – New Jersey
- Library of Congress Digital Collections
- Linkpendium – New Jersey
- Monmouth University Digital Collections
- Montclair State University Digital Collections
- National Archives and Records Administration
- National Archives at New York City
- National Archives at Philadelphia
- National Archives Online Exhibits
- National Archives Resources for Genealogists
- Nationwide Gravesite Locator
- New Horizons Genealogy – New Jersey
- New Jersey Digital Highway
- New Jersey Historical Society
- New Jersey Institute of Technology Digital Collections
- New Jersey State Archives Collections
- New Jersey State Library – Genealogy and Local History
- New Jersey State Library Digital Collections
- New York Public Library Research
- Newark Public Library Digital Collections
- North Jersey History and Genealogy Center
- PastPerfectOnline Collections
- Patriot and Grave Registry
- Princeton University Digital Collections
- Princeton University Library – Digital Collections and Initiatives
- Ramapo College Digital Collections
- Rider University Digital Collections
- RootsWeb.com
- Rowan University Digital Collections
- Rutgers University – New Brunswick Digital Collections
- Rutgers University Archives & Special Collections
- Sanborn Maps – New Jersey
- Seton Hall University Digital Collections
- Smithsonian Digital Library
- Stevens Institute of Technology Digital Collections
- Stockton University Digital Collections
- The College of New Jersey Digital Collections
- The Official Land Records Site
- The Rutgers Oral History Archives
- US GenWeb – New Jersey
- US GenWeb Archives – New Jersey
- West Jersey History Project
- William Paterson University Digital Collections
Good Luck and Happy Hunting!