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
- A Digital Collection Celebrating the Founding of the Historically Black College and University (HBCU)
- Digital Commons Collections
- Digital Library of Appalachia
- Digital Public Library of America
- Documenting the American South
- Library of Congress Digital Collections
- National Archives Online Exhibits
- PastPerfectOnline Collections
- Smithsonian Digital Library
Virginia Archives
- A Digital Collection Celebrating the Founding of the Historically Black College and University (HBCU)
- Access Genealogy – Virginia
- Allen County Public Library Genealogy Center
- American History & Genealogy Project – Virginia
- Ancestry Free Index Collections
- Bristol Public Library
- Christopher Newport University Digital Collections
- Chronicling America – Virginia
- Civil War Soldiers and Sailors Database
- College of William and Mary Digital Collections
- Cyndi’s List – Virginia
- David Rumsey’s Historical Maps
- Dead Fred
- Death Indexes – Virginia
- Digital Commons Collections
- Digital Library of Appalachia
- Digital Public Library of America – Virginia
- Documenting the American South
- Encyclopedia Virginia
- FamilySearch
- FamilySearch – Virginia Online Genealogy Records
- FamilySearch Catalog
- FamilySearch Wiki – Virginia
- FindAGrave
- Freedmen’s Bureau Online – Virginia
- Genealogy Trails – Virginia
- George Mason University Digital Collections
- Google Books – Virginia
- Hampton University Digital Collections
- Handley Regional Library
- HathiTrust – Virginia
- Hollins University Digital Collections
- I Dream of Genealogy
- Interment.net – Virginia
- Internet Archive – Virginia
- James Madison University Digital Collections
- John D. Rockefeller Jr. Library at Colonial Williamsburg
- Jones Memorial Library
- LDS Genealogy – Virginia
- Liberty University Digital Collections
- Library of Congress Digital Collections
- Linkpendium – Virginia
- Longwood University Digital Collections
- Marymount University Digital Collections
- National Archives and Records Administration
- National Archives and Records Administration (Archives I)
- National Archives at College Park, Maryland (Archives II)
- National Archives at Philadelphia
- National Archives Online Exhibits
- National Archives Resources for Genealogists
- National Genealogical Society
- Nationwide Gravesite Locator
- New Horizons Genealogy – Virginia
- Old Dominion University Digital Collections
- Old Dominion University Libraries Digital Collections
- PastPerfectOnline Collections
- Patriot and Grave Registry
- Portsmouth Public Library
- Radford University Digital Collections
- Regent University Digital Collections
- Roanoke County Public Library
- RootsWeb.com
- Sanborn Maps – Virginia
- Smithsonian Digital Library
- The Library of Virginia
- The Official Land Records Site
- University of Mary Washington Digital Collections
- University of Richmond Digital Collections
- University of Virginia Digital Collections
- US GenWeb – Virginia
- US GenWeb Archives – Virginia
- Virginia Commonwealth University Digital Collections
- Virginia Historical Society, Collections and Resources
- Virginia Memory
- Virginia Military Institute Digital Collections
- Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University Digital Collections
- Virginia State University Digital Collections
- Virginia Tech Image Base
- Virginia Theological Seminary Archives
- Virginia Union University Digital Collections
- Virtual Jamestown
- VMI Digital Collections
- Washington & Lee University Digital Collections
- Washington National Records Center
Good Luck and Happy Hunting!