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 May 2026)
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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:
South Carolina Historical Archives
- A Digital Collection Celebrating the Founding of the Historically Black College and University (HBCU)
- Access Genealogy – South Carolina
- Allen County Public Library Genealogy Center
- American History & Genealogy Project – South Carolina
- Ancestry Free Index Collections
- Anderson County Library System
- Charleston County Public Library
- Charleston Library Society
- Charleston Museum Archives
- Chronicling America – South Carolina
- Civil War Soldiers and Sailors Database
- Clemson University – Research
- Clemson University – Special Collections & Archives
- Clemson University Digital Collections
- Coastal Carolina University Digital Collections
- College of Charleston Digital Collections
- Columbia, Richland Library
- Confederate Relic Room & Military Museum Archives
- Cyndi’s List – South Carolina
- David Rumsey’s Historical Maps
- Dead Fred
- Death Indexes – South Carolina
- Digital Commons Collections
- Digital Library of Appalachia
- Digital Public Library of America – South Carolina
- Documenting the American South
- Erskine College Digital Collections
- FamilySearch
- FamilySearch – South Carolina Online Genealogy Records
- FamilySearch Catalog
- FamilySearch Wiki – South Carolina
- FindAGrave
- Freedmen’s Bureau Online – South Carolina
- Furman University – Special Collections & Archives
- Furman University Digital Collections
- Genealogy Trails – South Carolina
- Georgetown County Digital Library
- Google Books – South Carolina
- Greenville County Library System
- Greenwood County Library System
- HathiTrust – South Carolina
- I Dream of Genealogy
- Interment.net – South Carolina
- Internet Archive – South Carolina
- Lander University Digital Collections
- LDS Genealogy – South Carolina
- Lexington County Public Library
- Library of Congress – South Carolina Local History Guide
- Library of Congress Digital Collections
- Linkpendium – South Carolina
- Lowcountry Africana
- Lowcountry Digital Library
- Medical University of South Carolina Digital Collections
- Myrtle Beach, Chapin Memorial Library
- National Archives and Records Administration
- National Archives at Atlanta
- National Archives Online Exhibits
- National Archives Resources for Genealogists
- Nationwide Gravesite Locator
- New Horizons Genealogy – South Carolina
- PastPerfectOnline Collections
- Patriot and Grave Registry
- Penn Center (Gullah/Geechee archives)
- Presbyterian College Digital Collections
- Sanborn Maps – South Carolina
- SCIWAY
- Smithsonian Digital Library
- South Carolina Department of Archives and History Digital Collections
- South Carolina Department of Archives and History, Archives
- South Carolina Department of Archives and History, Online Research
- South Carolina Digital Library
- South Carolina Encyclopedia
- South Carolina Genealogical Society
- South Carolina Historical Society
- South Carolina State Library
- South Carolina State Library – Genealogy Resources
- South Carolina State University Digital Collections
- Spartanburg County Public Libraries
- Sumter County Genealogical Center
- The Citadel Digital Collections
- The Official Land Records Site
- United States Social Security Death Index
- University of South Carolina – Aiken Digital Collections
- University of South Carolina – Beaufort Digital Collections
- University of South Carolina – Columbia Digital Collections
- University of South Carolina – Upstate Digital Collections
- University of South Carolina Digital Collections
- US GenWeb – South Carolina
- US GenWeb Archives – South Carolina
- Winthrop University Digital Collections
- Wofford College Digital Collections
- York County Culture & Heritage Museums