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 April 2026)
Get all free genealogy resources for your state, organized and ready to use — The Research Library
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 Dakota Historical Archives
- Access Genealogy – South Dakota
- Allen County Public Library Genealogy Center
- American History & Genealogy Project – South Dakota
- Ancestry Free Index Collections
- Augustana College Digital Collections
- Augustana University – Center for Western Studies
- Black Hills State University Digital Collections
- Chronicling America – South Dakota
- Civil War Soldiers and Sailors Database
- Codington County Heritage Museum
- Cyndi’s List – South Dakota
- Dakota Wesleyan University Digital Collections
- David Rumsey’s Historical Maps
- Dead Fred
- Deadwood History Adams Museum & Archives
- Death Indexes – South Dakota
- Digital Commons Collections
- Digital Library of South Dakota
- Digital Public Library of America – South Dakota
- FamilySearch
- FamilySearch – South Dakota Online Genealogy Records
- FamilySearch Catalog
- FamilySearch Wiki – South Dakota
- FindAGrave
- Genealogy Trails – South Dakota
- Google Books – South Dakota
- HathiTrust – South Dakota
- Huron Public Library Digital Archives
- I Dream of Genealogy
- Interment.net – South Dakota
- Internet Archive – South Dakota
- LDS Genealogy – South Dakota
- Library of Congress – South Dakota Local History Guide
- Library of Congress Digital Collections
- Linkpendium – South Dakota
- Madison Public Library
- National Archives and Records Administration
- National Archives at Denver
- National Archives at Kansas City
- National Archives Online Exhibits
- National Archives Resources for Genealogists
- Nationwide Gravesite Locator
- New Horizons Genealogy – South Dakota
- Northern State University Digital Collections
- PastPerfectOnline Collections
- Rapid City Public Library – Local History
- Rapid City Society for Genealogical Research
- Sanborn Maps – South Dakota
- Sioux Valley Genealogical Society
- Siouxland Libraries – Local History & Genealogy
- Siouxland Museums
- Smithsonian Digital Library
- South Dakota Agricultural Heritage Museum (SDSU)
- South Dakota Codified Laws & Historical Records (State Portal)
- South Dakota Department of Health – Vital Records
- South Dakota Digital Archives
- South Dakota Railroad Museum Archives
- South Dakota School of Mines & Technology Digital Collections
- South Dakota State Archives
- South Dakota State Historical Society
- South Dakota State Library
- South Dakota State University – Open Prairie
- South Dakota State University Digital Collections
- Sturgis Public Library
- The Official Land Records Site
- United States Social Security Death Index
- University of Sioux Falls Digital Archives
- University of South Dakota Digital Collections
- US GenWeb – South Dakota
- US GenWeb Archives – South Dakota
Good Luck and Happy Hunting!