Free Online Wisconsin Digital Archives

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, 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

Wisconsin Archives

• Beloit College Digital Collections
• Beloit Public Library
• Brown County Library
• Carroll University Digital Collections
• Carthage College Digital Collections
• Concordia University-Wisconsin Digital Collections
• Dictionary of Wisconsin History
• Edgewood College Digital Collections
• FamilySearch – Wisconsin Online Genealogy Records
• Kenosha Public Library
• Marquette University Digital Collections
• Medical College of Wisconsin Digital Collections
• Milwaukee County Historical Society
• Milwaukee Public Library
• Mount Mary University Digital Collections
• National Archives at Chicago
• Norwegian American Genealogical Center and Naeseth Library
• Online Collections at the Wisconsin Historical Society
• Oshkosh Public Library
• Racine Heritage Museum Research Center
• Recollection Wisconsin
• Ripon College Digital Collections
• St Norbert College Digital Collections
• Superior Public Library
• The State of Wisconsin Collection
• University of Wisconsin – Eau Claire Digital Collections
• University of Wisconsin – Green Bay Digital Collections
• University of Wisconsin – LaCrosse Digital Collections
• University of Wisconsin – Madison Digital Collections
• University of Wisconsin – Milwaukee Digital Collections
• University of Wisconsin – Oshkosh Digital Collections
• University of Wisconsin – Parkside Digital Collections
• University of Wisconsin – Platteville Digital Collections
• University of Wisconsin – River Falls Digital Collections
• University of Wisconsin – Stevens Point Digital Collections
• University of Wisconsin – Stout Digital Collections
• University of Wisconsin – Superior Digital Collections
• University of Wisconsin – Whitewater Digital Collections
• Viterbo University Digital Collections
• Wisconsin Electronic Reader
• Wisconsin Local History and Biography Articles
• Wisconsin Pioneer Experience
• Wisconsin State Genealogical Society