Module 4 Recommended Resources
Recommended Resources
Each of the following links takes you to a different digital collection or online resource. For more, visit the RootsMOOC Research Guide.
Digital Collections - General
Access to Archival Databases (AAD)
Links to an external site. (National Archives - NARA)
Links to an external site.
Online access to records in a small selection of historic databases preserved permanently in NARA. Records cover a wide variety of civilian and military functions and have many genealogical, social, political, and economic research uses.
Digital Public Library of America
Links to an external site. (DPLA
Links to an external site.)
Online portal that offers a single point of access to millions of items from libraries, archives, and museums around the United States. Offers online tutorials
Links to an external site. on how to search DPLA and blog posts
Links to an external site. (Finding Family Information Through DPLA
Links to an external site. and Family Bible Records as Genealogical Resources
Links to an external site.).
Internet Archive
Links to an external site.
Non-profit digital library offering free universal access to books, movies & music, as well as 456 billion archived web pages. Also includes materials for genealogical research
Links to an external site..
Online Resources - North Carolina
Alien Registration and Naturalization
Links to an external site. (State Archives of North Carolina
Links to an external site.)
Part of the North Carolina Digital Collections. Contains Alien Registration and Naturalization materials from the holdings of the State Archives of North Carolina. It includes volumes and other county records relating to the naturalization of foreign-born citizens in which the clerk of superior court acted as federal agent. Volumes may include Declaration of Intent to Become a Citizen, Petitions for Naturalization, and Alien Registration.
Colonial and State Records
Links to an external site. (UNC Libraries)
The Colonial and State Records are a 26-volume set of transcribed records that cover NC history beginning in 1622 and ending with the 1790 census of North Carolina. The set has been fully digitized and made searchable online through DocSouth.
Digital Library on American Slavery
Links to an external site. (University of North Carolina at Greensboro Digital Collections)
Links to an external site.
Digital resource compiling various independent online collections focused upon race and slavery in the American South. Information included on: Race and Slavery Petitions, NC Runaway Slave Advertisements, Buncombe County Slave Deeds, and New Hanover County Slave Deeds.
DigitalNC
Links to an external site. (North Carolina Digital Heritage Center
Links to an external site.)
Digital portal that provides access to original materials from libraries, museums, and archives across North Carolina. The North Carolina Digital Heritage Center is a statewide digitization and digital publishing program housed in the North Carolina Collection at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. The Digital Heritage Center works with cultural heritage institutions across North Carolina to digitize and publish historic materials online. List of contributing institutions
Links to an external site..
Documenting the American South
Links to an external site. (UNC Chapel Hill Libraries
Links to an external site.)
Documenting the American South (DocSouth) is a digital publishing initiative that provides online access to texts, images, and audio files related to southern history, literature, and culture.
North Carolina Digital Collections
Links to an external site. (State Library of North Carolina
Links to an external site. and State Archives of North Carolina
Links to an external site.)
Contains over 90,000 historic and recent photographs, state government publications, manuscripts, and other resources on topics related to North Carolina. The Collections are free and full-text searchable, and bring together content from the State Archives of North Carolina and the State Library of North Carolina.
North Carolina Family Records Online
Links to an external site. (State Library of North Carolina
Links to an external site. and State Archives of North Carolina
Links to an external site.)
Part of the North Carolina Digital Collections
Links to an external site. it is comprised of North Carolina family history materials from the holdings of the State Archives of North Carolina and the State Library of North Carolina. The searchable online collection includes North Carolina Family Bibles, indexed marriage and death announcements from five NC newspapers (1799 to1893), copies of genealogical research donated to the Government and Heritage Library and photographs of headstones and general views of the Raleigh Hebrew Cemetery and the Hebrew section of Historic Oakwood Cemetery in Raleigh.
North Carolina Maps
Links to an external site. (
Links to an external site.U
Links to an external site.NC Digital Collections
Links to an external site.)
Online collection of historic North Carolina maps. Contains more than 3,000 maps, ranging in date from the late 1500s to 2000, and includes maps for each of North Carolina's one hundred counties. Featuring maps from the State Archives of North Carolina
Links to an external site., the North Carolina Collection at UNC-Chapel Hill
Links to an external site., and the Outer Banks History Center
Links to an external site..
UNC Digital Collections
Links to an external site. (UNC-Chapel Hill Libraries
Links to an external site.)
Digital collections focused on North Carolina and the American South. Subjects include the experience of African Americans, the Civil War, the arts, economics, and politics.
Online Resources - General
American Ancestors
Links to an external site. (New England Historic Genealogical Society
Links to an external site.)
Portal maintained by the NEHGS that provides access to hundreds of databases, including abstracted records, journals, books, indexes, and much more. The focus is on the New England area of the United States.
Ancestry Library Edition
Links to an external site. (Ancestry.com
Links to an external site.) (available at the Government and Heritage Library and most libraries)
Library version of Ancestry.com. Covers the United States and the United Kingdom, including census, vital, church, court, and immigration records, as well as other records from across the world. Also includes helpful tutorials and instructional videos
Links to an external site..
Atlas of Historical County Boundaries
Links to an external site. (Newberry Library
Links to an external site.)
Historical county boundaries for each state or for the entire United States. Interactive maps can be viewed by date.
Bouvier Law Dictionary, 1856
Links to an external site.
Law dictionary helpful with genealogical research.
Chronicling America: Historic American Newspapers
Links to an external site. (Library of Congress
Links to an external site.)
Search America's historic newspaper pages from 1836-1922 or use the U.S. Newspaper Directory to find information about American newspapers published between 1690-present.
Cyndi's List of Genealogy Sites on the Internet
Links to an external site.
Categorized and cross-referenced list of links for genealogical research.
Ellis Island: Passenger Search
Links to an external site. (Ellis Island Foundation
Links to an external site.)
Use Passenger Search to find people who came through Ellis Island.
Family Search
Links to an external site. (Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints
Links to an external site.)
The LDS Church has a tremendous amount of microfilm for all over the country. They are continually working to digitize or transcribe genealogical information and make it accessible to the public at no cost through familysearch.org. Also includes helpful tutorials and instructional videos
Links to an external site..
Find A Grave (Find A Grave
Links to an external site.)
Database with burial and grave records.
Fold3
Links to an external site. (Ancestry.com
Links to an external site.) (available at the Government and Heritage Library and other libraries)
Online access to original US military records, including many from the National Archives, and nonmilitary records.
HeritageQuest Online
Links to an external site. (ProQuest
Links to an external site.) (available at the Government and Heritage Library and many libraries)
Online access to historical and genealogical primary resources including: historical census, PERSI, Revolutionary War Records, Freedman's Bank Records and more.
Local History and Genealogy Reference Services
Links to an external site. (Library of Congress
Links to an external site.)
Website of the Library of Congress' Local History and Genealogy Reference Services. Includes information on their collections, bibliographies, online orientations, and search tips.
MESDA Craftsman Database
Links to an external site. (Museum of Early Southern Decorative Arts
Links to an external site.)
MESDA has an archive and library containing information about craftsmen from around the early South. The database has nearly 200,00 names with 127 trades.
NARAtions
Links to an external site. (National Archives and Records Administration
Links to an external site.)
Blog about online public access to the records held by the U.S. National Archives and Records Administration (NARA).
National Genealogical Society
Links to an external site.
Organization that leads and educates the national genealogical community and assists members in tracing family histories. Offers publications, workshops and annual conferences.
Online Public Access
Links to an external site. (National Archives and Records Administration
Links to an external site.)
Search the online catalog and other resources in the collection of the National Archives.
Resources for Genealogists
Links to an external site. (National Archives and Records Administration
Links to an external site.)
Main page for information, events, and research in genealogy and family history for the National Archives.
Soldiers and Sailors Database
Links to an external site. (National Park Service
Links to an external site.)
Database of Civil War soldiers and sailors for both the Union and Confederate sides. Information given includes, but not limited to, which side they fought on, the regiment they served in, and their rank.
Upfront with NGS
Links to an external site. (National Genealogical Society
Links to an external site.)
Blog for the National Genealogical Society. Includes society news and genealogy related articles.
USGenWeb Project
Links to an external site.
Volunteer effort providing free genealogy websites for genealogical research in every county and every state of the United States.
Digital Collections - North Carolina
Archives Information Circulars
Links to an external site. (State Archives of North Carolina
Links to an external site.)
Informational essays written by State Archives staff as introductions to State Archives resources and various areas of research, including North Carolina Revolutionary War records, marriage bonds, records related to African Americans and so much more.
GHL Blog
Links to an external site. (Government and Heritage Library
Links to an external site.)
Blog discussing the collections and services of the Government and Heritage Library, including posts on genealogy.
Government and Heritage Library's List of Databases
Links to an external site. (Government and Heritage Library
Links to an external site.)
List of e-journals and databases that the Government and Hertiage Library subscribes to. Lists what resources are available on site as well as remotely to North Carolina residents through NC LIVE.
History for All the People
Links to an external site. (State Archives of North Carolina
Links to an external site.)
Blog discussing projects, upcoming news, interesting documents and news from the Archives. Post about genealogical research at the State Archives (https://ncarchives.wordpress.com/genealogical-research).
NCGenWeb Project
Links to an external site.
Home of a network of volunteers working to provide genealogical and historical content for each of North Carolina’s 100 counties. Part of the the USGebWeb Project.
NCpedia
Links to an external site. (Government and Heritage Library
Links to an external site.)
Online encyclopedia about North Carolina.
North Carolina Gazetteer
Links to an external site. (Government and Heritage Library
Links to an external site.)
North Carolina geographical dictionary. Content is from the North Carolina Gazetteer, edited by William S. Powell and Michael Hill. Copyright 2010 by the University of North Carolina Press. Used by permission of the publisher.
North Carolina Genealogical Society
Links to an external site.
Organization that promotes North Carolina genealogical research, standards, education, preservation of resources and more.
North Carolina Newspaper Locator
Links to an external site. (Government and Heritage Library
Links to an external site.)
Search for North Carolina newspapers by county, town, or newspaper title and date range. Database indexes newspaper microfilm housed at the Government & Heritage Library.
North Carolina Troops, 1861-1865: A Roster Cumulative Index
Links to an external site. (North Carolina Office of Archives and History
Links to an external site.)
Indexed entries for all men who served in North Carolina Civil War units and are listed in the multi-volume set North Carolina Troops, 1861-1865: A Roster, published by the North Carolina Office of Archives and History. Database also contains entries for all the people, places, and military units mentioned in the North Carolina Troops series.