Helpful Links
The internet sites listed below are maintained by organizations outside the California State Library. These sites can be convenient sources of information that supplement the main collections of the State Library and further its mission to serve the information needs of all California citizens. In determining whether a website should be included as a link, we consider the following factors: availability of free and current content, accuracy, authority, unique information offerings, clarity, unbiased writing, and representation of many / multiple areas of interest. The California State Library bears no responsibility for the accuracy or the content of external sites. Please contact the external site’s administrator for any questions regarding these sites.By Culture or Region
- Africa Map (Harvard University)
- African American Cemeteries
- African American Griots Project (Rootsweb)
- African Americans in Ohio (Ohio Historical Society)
- AfriGeneas
- Afro-Louisiana History and Genealogy
- Amistad Research Center
- Atlantic Slave Trade and Slave Life in the Americas
- BlackPast — Online Reference Guide
- California Slavery Era Insurance Registry
- Caribbean Surname Index (CarSurDex)
- Digital Library on American Slavery (UNC Greensboro)
- Free African Americans
- Free People of Color in Louisiana (Louisiana State University)
- Freedom Suits Case Files — St. Louis Circuit Court Historical Records Project
- Freedmen’s Bureau Online
- Mapping the Freedmen’s Bureau
- Discover Freedmen (FamilySearch)
- Freedom’s Journal — First African American owned newspaper
- Advertisement Database — Geography of Slavery
- Gilder Lehrman Center
- Gilder Lehrman Center for the Study of Slavery, Resistance, and Abolition
- Illinois Servitude and Emancipation
- Illinois Slavery Insurance Database
- Lowcountry Africana (SC, FL, GA)
- National Afro-American Museum and Cultural Center
- National Museum of African American History and Culture
- National Underground Railroad Freedom Center
- Network to Freedom — Underground Rail Road (National Park Service)
- Patriots of Color — Revolutionary War Veterans
- Pinterest — African American Genealogy
- Pratt Library — African American Collection (Baltimore)
- Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture
- Slave Records Bibliography (State Library of North Carolina)
- South Carolina — African American Resources
- Trans-Atlantic Slave Trade Database
- Texas — African American Cemeteries Database
- U.S. Colored Troops in Civil War
- Unknown No Longer — Virginia Slave Names
- Virginia Runaways
- Virginia — African American History Sites
- Angel Island Immigration Station Foundation
- Anglo-Burmese Library
- Asian American Studies Collection (UC Berkeley)
- Bangladesh Directorate of Archives and Libraries
- British Association for Cemeteries in South Asia
- Burmese Collection (National Library of Australia)
- Cambodian Collection (National Library of Australia)
- Center for Indigenous Family History Studies (Australia)
- Chinese Centre Library — Oxford University
- Chinese Family History Group
- Chinese Historical Society
- Chinese Research Helps
- CrossAsia
- Digital Himalaya Maps — Nepal
- East Asian Digital Library (Princeton)
- East Asian Library (UC Berkeley)
- Families in British India Society
- Filipinas Heritage Museum (Ayala Museum)
- Filipino American National Historical Society
- Filipinos WWI Military Service
- Finding Your Aboriginal History (Government of South Australia)
- Global Gazetteer (Find a town)
- Hirasaki National Resource Center
- India Civil Registration (French National Archives)
- India Office Family History Search
- Indian Cemeteries
- Japanese American Archival Collection
- Japanese American Case Files
- Japanese American National Museum
- Japanese American Relocation Digital Archives
- Japanese Genealogy Blog
- Japanese Genealogy Research Overview (Carolyn Brady)
- Japanese Immigration (Utah — Idaho)
- Japanese Immigration Teaching Tool (Library of Congress)
- Japanese Relocation
- Japanese Relocation — National Archives
- Japanese Relocation Center — Manzanar — Ansel Adams Photos
- Korean Genealogy
- Koseki Family Registration System
- National Archives (NARA) — San Bruno
- National Archives of Australia
- National Archives of India
- National Archives of Japan
- National Archives of Korea
- National Archive of the Philippines
- National Library of Laos
- National Library of the Philippines
- National Library of Thailand
- National University of Laos Library
- Nepal Map with Administrative Divisions
- New Zealand Gold Miners
- New Zealand WWI Personnel Files
- Online Burma Library
- Pacific Citizen (Newspaper)
- Philippine Army Records
- South Korean Gen Web Project
- Vietnam Vital Records (French National Archives)
- World GenWeb Project
- Archives Portal Europe
- Ask About Ireland — Griffith’s Valuation
- Austrian National Library — Historic Newspapers
- Austrian Society for Genealogy and History
- Azores – Parish Registers and Passports
- Cemeteries in Norway
- Danish National Archives
- Digital Library of Slovenia
- England’s Immigrants Database
- French Legion of Honor
- Gallica – BNF Digital Collection (National Library of France)
- Geneva Canton – Church and Civil Records (Switzerland)
- GenTeam
- GenWiki – German Genealogy Portal
- German National Library
- Greek State Archives
- Historical Directories of England & Wales (University of Leicester)
- Irish Catholic Parish Registers
- Irish Emigration Database
- IrishGenealogy
- Italian Genealogical Group
- Jon Bilbao Basque Library (UNR)
- Liechtenstein Land Records
- National Archives – Finland
- National Archives – Finland
- National Archives – Ireland
- National Archives – Portugal
- National Archives – United Kingdom
- National Library of Scotland
- Norway Heritage
- Norway Digital Archives
- Norwegian Historical Data Centre
- OpenArchives (Dutch and Belgian)
- Polish Genealogy Society Service
- Portuguese Parish Registers
- Public Records Office of Northern Ireland
- Roots Ireland
- Scotland’s People
- Scottish Registrars – Vital Records since 1855
- State Archives in Belgium
- Swedish Family Reunification Federation
- Trinity College Library (Ireland)
- Archivo Nacional de la Nacion — Uruguay
- Biblioteca Jose Marti — Cuba
- Brazilian Wills and Probates (Museu Republicano de Itu)
- British Guiana Colonists
- British Presence in Southern Patagonia
- Chilean Genealogy Compilation (A to Z)
- CubaGenWeb
- Daughters of the Republic of Texas Library
- El Salvador National Library
- Familias Argentinas
- FamilySearch (Search by state or country name)
- Genealogia Dominicana
- Genealogies (Brazil)
- Genealogy Association of Haiti
- Genealogical Society of Hispanic America
- Germans to Brazil
- Hispanic American Historical Review (JSTOR)
- Hispanic Genealogical Research Center of New Mexico
- Hispanic Society of America
- National Library of Argentina
- National University of Mexico Library
- Diario Oficial of the Government of Mexico
- Mexican Legislation Archive
- New Mexico State Records Center and Archives
- New York State Archives
- Panama National Library
- Portal to Texas History
- Portuguese Genealogical Word List
- Puerto Rican Roots — Hispanic Genealogical Society of New York
- Spanish Genealogical Word Li
- American Jewish Archives
- American Jewish Historical Society
- Avotaynu Online
- Gesher Galicia Database
- Hohenems Genealogy
- Jewish Gen
- Jewish Genealogical Society of Great Britain
- Jewish Los Angeles (UCLA Library)
- Jewish Museum & Archives of British Columbia
- Jewish Records Indexing (Poland)
- Leo Baeck Institute
- Lithuanian-Jewish Special Interest Group
- Montefiore Censuses
- Routes to Roots Foundation
- Scottish Jewish Archives Centre
- Sephardic Ancestry
- Southern Jewish Historical Society
- Synagogue Scribes
- U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum
- Upper Midwest Jewish Archives (University of Minnesota)
- Washington State Jewish Archives
- Yad Vasham Archives
- YIVO Institute for Jewish Research
- Czestochowa-Radomsko Area Research Group (Poland)
- Australian Institute of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Studies
- American Indian Genealogy (Family Search)
- American Indian Records in the National Archives
- Bureau of Catholic Indian Missions (Marquette University)
- California Indian Culture and Heritage (State Parks)
- California Indians Pre-contact Tribal Territories map
- Calisphere
- Cherokee Heritage Documentation Center
- Cherokee Nation (Language Resources)
- Doris Duke Collection of American Indian Oral History (University of Oklahoma)
- Great Lakes Inter-Tribal Council (Tribal Map)
- Guide to Tracing Native American Heritage (NARA)
- Indian Land Tenure Foundation
- Makali’I – Finding Your Roots
- National Indian Child Welfare Association (NICWA) – Tracing Native Ancestry
- Native Hawaiian Genealogy Site
- Native American Cemeteries
- Native American Medal of Honor Recipients (U.S. Army)
- Native American Studies Collection (UC Berkeley)
- Native Hawaiian Information Sources
- Native Languages of the Americas
- National Archives — Fort Worth, TX
- New Mexico Commission of Public Records
- Oklahoma Historical Society
- Seminole Nation
- Smithsonian Institution Research Information System
- Southeastern Native American Documents (Digital Library of Georgia)
- Tracing Native American Family Roots (National Indian Law Library)
- Treaties between the United States and Native Americans (Yale University)
- Wyandot Tribal Roll (1867)
Small selection of state-specific sites with digital content. Be sure to explore the subject, region, and general search links as well.
United States
Canada
By Subject or Type
- Automotive Hall of Fame
- Bay Area Sports Hall of Fame
- California Sports Hall of Fame
- International Olympic Committee
- International Tennis Hall of Fame
- Ladies Professional Golf Association (PGA) Hall of Fame
- Major League Baseball (MLB) Player Database
- Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame (NBA)
- National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA)
- National Football League (NFL) Player Database
- National Hockey League (NHL)
- Sacramento Sports Hall of Fame
- Wikipedia List of Halls of Fame
- African Roots
- Ancestry Academy
- BYU Family History Library Channel
- Densho: Japanese American Oral History Project
- Eastman’s Online Genealogy Newsletter
- Extreme Genes
- FamilySearch Webinars
- French Genealogy Blog
- GeneaWebinars
- Genealogy Gems
- Genealogy Guys
- The Legal Genealogist
- NARA: “Narations”
- NARA: Webinars — Virtual Genealogy Fair
- National Archives (United Kingdom)
- OliveTree Genealogy
- RootsTech Video Archive
- African Burial Ground National Monument
- American Battle Monuments Commission
- American-French Genealogical Society
- Arlington National Cemetery
- Billion Graves
- British Columbia Cemetery Finding Aid
- Cemetery Scribes
- Commonwealth War Graves Commission
- Find-a-Grave
- Forgotten Ashes
- German War Casualties Abroad
- Indian Cemeteries (India)
- Interment.net
- Jewish Gen Online Worldwide Burial Registry
- Names in Stone
- National Cemetery Administration
- National Park Service Cemeteries
- National Veteran’s Gravesite Locator
- Prisoner of War Cemeteries within the U.S.
- Rohwer Relocation Center Cemetery
- Tombstone Transcription Project
- A Very Grave Matter
- Cleveland Jewish Cemetery database
- Age Calculator (Cornell University)
- Atlas of Historical County Boundaries (Newberry Library)
- Birth Calculator (Ancestor Search)
- Evernote (Cross-platform note taking)
- Foreign Alphabets (Steve Morse One-Step)
- Foreign Languages: Translations and Translators
- Genealogy Research Forms (FamilySearch)
- How to Get Started Guide (NARA)
- Interactive Map of U.S. State Formation History
- Local History and Genealogy Reference Service (Library of Congress)
- Map Warper (NY Public Library)
- Name Thesaurus (Image Partners Limited — UK)
- Paleography: Reading Old Handwriting (UK National Archives)
- Perpetual Calendar (One-Step by Stephen Morse)
- Research Wiki (FamilySearch)
- Soundex Calculator (One-Step by Stephen Morse)
- U.S. Newspaper Directory (Library of Congress)
- WorldCat
- American Historical Society of Germans from Russia
- Bremen, Germany Passenger Lists
- California – Panama Passenger Lists
- CubaGen Passengers Database
- Ellis Island
- Entrada de Pasajeros / Argentina Passenger Lists
- Le Havre, France Passenger Lists
- Gjenvick Archives
- Hawaii Passenger Lists
- Immigrant Ship Transcribers Guild
- Immigration to the U.S. (Harvard)
- Indianola, Texas Immigrant Database
- International Ship Passenger Lists
- Italian Immigrants
- Maine Passenger Lists
- Maritime Heritage Project
- Nanaimo Family History Society (Canada)
- National Archives (NARA) Immigration Databases
- New Orleans Immigration
- Olive Tree Genealogy
- Orleans, Louisiana Parish Passenger Lists
- Passenger and Immigrant Databases (One-Step by Steve Morse)
- The Ships List
- Transatlantic Slave Trade Database
- U.S. Ports of Arrival & Passenger Lists
- International Committee of the Red Cross
- International Tracing Service (Victims of Nazi Persecution)
- International War Crimes Tribunals
- NATO Archives
- Organization of American States
- United Nations
- UNESCO Memory of the World
- UNESCO World Heritage Sites Map
- U.S. Office of the Historian Diplomatic Archives
- World Bank Archives
- Atlas of Historical County Boundaries
- Bureau of Land Management/GLO
- California Patents (Vredenburgh.org)
- California State Genealogical Alliance – Land records
- David Rumsey Map Collection
- Geographic Name Search
- Glen McLaughlin Collection (Stanford University)
- Global Gazetteer
- Historic MapWorks
- History Geo
- Library of Congress – Digitized Maps
- Library of Congress – Map Room
- Old Maps Online
- Perry Castañeda Collection (University of Texas)
- Sanborn Fire Insurance Maps
- Side-by-Side Map (National Library of Scotland)
- Vision of Britain through Time
- World Map (Harvard University)
- Allen County Public Library
- Ancient Faces
- Archive Grid
- Bancroft Library (UC Berkeley)
- Beinecke Rare Book & Manuscript Library
- Books We Own
- Cincinnati Public Library — Digital Collections
- Digital Public Library
- Digital Scriptorium (UC Berkeley)
- E-History (Ohio State University)
- Family Search (Search>Books)
- Godfrey Memorial Library
- Google Books
- Harvard University — Open Collections
- Hathitrust Digital Library
- International Centre for Archival Research (ICARUS)
- Internet Archive
- JStor
- Library of Congress
- Library of Virginia
- Mid-Continent Public Library
- Mountain West Digital Library
- National Archives (NARA)
- NARA — How to Get Started Guide
- NARA — Items Digitized by Partners
- National Union Catalog of Manuscript Collections
- New England Historical & Genealogical Society
- New York Public Library
- Newberry Library
- Online Archive of California
- Project Muse
- Rutherford B. Hayes Presidential Library
- Smithsonian Archives and Libraries
- Society of the Daughters of the American Revolution (DAR)
- Stanford University – Image Gallery
- U.S. Presidential Libraries
- UC History Digital Archives
- WorldCat
18th Century
American Revolution
- American Prisoners
- The British Archives
- British Library
- Daughters of the American Revolution
- Library of Virginia
- On-Line Institute for Advanced Loyalist
- Southern Campaigns
- University of Michigan Making of America
- Cornell University’s Making of America
19th Century
War of 1812
- Pension and bounty land warrant application files
- Illinois Veterans
- Ohio Soldiers
- Oneida Indian Soldiers
- Pay Rolls and Muster Rolls (Library of Virginia)
- U.S. Army 39th Infantry
- Pension Roll of 1835 (Report from the Secretary of War)
- U.S., Canadian, and British Privateers
- Canadian War of Records
Mexican American War
Civil War
- Civil War NPS Soldiers and Sailors Database
- Ozark Civil War Project
- Making of America database (Cornell University)
Spanish-American War
20th Century
- Archives of the International Prisoners-of-War Agency
- The Freedom Museum
- The Center for the Study of War and Society
WWI
Spanish Civil War
- Yale University: Digital Primary Source Archives & Websites
- Abraham Lincoln Brigade Archives
- Modern Records Centre
WWII
- 442nd Regimental Combat Team (National Archives)
- African Americans in the U.S. Army
- Japanese POW Camp List (in Japan)
- Navajo Code
- POW Camps in the USA
- U.S. Service Personnel Not Recovered following WWII (by service branch)
- Veteran’s History Project (Library of Congress)
- Women Airforce Service Pilots (Texas Woman’s University)
Korean
Vietnam
- Military Personnel Who Died during the Vietnam War (“Coffelt Database” / National Archives)
- Multiple Vietnam War Databases (National Archives)
MidEast
Please consult with your community’s public librarian for local access to online commercial newspaper databases (Proquest, Gale-Cengage, Readex, etc.) as well as microfilmed newspapers.
- Ancestor Hunt
- Boston College Newspaper Database
- California Digital Newspaper Collection
- Chronicling America (Library of Congress)
- Elephind
- Family Search Newspaper Wiki
- Free Newspaper Archives (by region)
- Genealogy Bank
- Google News Archive
- Hawaiian Language Newspapers
- NYS Historic Newspapers Project
- New York Times (Historical Archive)
- Newspaper Archive
- Newspapers.com
- Small Town Papers
- Xooxle
- Wikipedia Worldwide Online Newspaper Archives