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:
Rhode Island Archives
- Access Genealogy – Rhode Island
- Allen County Public Library Genealogy Center
- American History & Genealogy Project – Rhode Island
- American-French Genealogical Society
- Ancestry Free Index Collections
- Brown University Digital Collections
- Brown University Library Collections
- Chronicling America – Rhode Island
- Civil War Soldiers and Sailors Database
- Cyndi’s List – Rhode Island
- David Rumsey’s Historical Maps
- Dead Fred
- Death Indexes – Rhode Island
- Digital Commons Collections
- Digital Public Library of America – Rhode Island
- East Providence Public Library
- FamilySearch
- FamilySearch – Rhode Island Online Genealogy Records
- FamilySearch Catalog
- FamilySearch Wiki – Rhode Island
- FindAGrave
- Genealogy Trails – Rhode Island
- Google Books – Rhode Island
- HathiTrust – Rhode Island
- I Dream of Genealogy
- Interment.net – Rhode Island
- Internet Archive – Rhode Island
- Johnson & Wales University Digital Collections
- LDS Genealogy – Rhode Island
- Library of Congress Digital Collections
- Linkpendium – Rhode Island
- National Archives and Records Administration
- National Archives at Boston
- National Archives Online Exhibits
- National Archives Resources for Genealogists
- Nationwide Gravesite Locator
- New England Historic Genealogical Society
- New Horizons Genealogy – Rhode Island
- Newport Historical Society
- PastPerfectOnline Collections
- Patriot and Grave Registry
- Pawtucket Public Library
- Providence City Archives
- Providence College Digital Collections
- Providence Public Library Digital Collections
- Rhode Island College Digital Collections
- Rhode Island Genealogical Society
- Rhode Island Historical Society
- Rhode Island Jewish Historical Association
- Rhode Island School of Design Digital Collections
- Rhode Island State Digital Archives
- Rhode Island State Library
- Roger Williams University Digital Collections
- Salve Regina University Digital Collections
- Sanborn Maps – Rhode Island
- Smithsonian Digital Library
- The Official Land Records Site
- United States Social Security Death Index
- University of Rhode Island Digital Collections
- US GenWeb – Rhode Island
- US GenWeb Archives – Rhode Island
- Warwick Public Library
- Westerly Library Special Collections
- Woonsocket Harris Public Library
Good Luck and Happy Hunting!