Inexplicably Numerous Potential Resources
Very few of which I have actually explored. To the extent that one could consider this list to be "curated", this is only a genuine aspiration. Those which I have made use of, I will mark in some asofyet undefined way. I will attempt to briefly describe my experience, and any which are found exceptionally unusable or no longer in existence, I will cross them out and move them to the bottom of the list.All my heart emoticons and tyty's to Joe Ross @ Early American Sources for his tireless work in compiling a list of digitized state archives and libraries. I have used his list as a starting point, and have added to it, and hope to return the favor as a fellow student of early American history, I too hoard an impressive and completely disaggregated collection of niche historical documents and knowledge of mysterious goldmines hidden throughout the digital landscape.
- State/Territory Guides
- Statewide Digitization Projects
- National Research Libraries
- Open Access Databases & Digital Projects
- Subscription Databases
- Mexico: Archival Institutions
- The Graveyard
State/Territory Guides
Early American Sources' own repository-by-repository guides.
Statewide Digitization Projects
Aggregators and state archives pulling together digitized collections from across each state.
National Research Libraries
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American Philosophical Society Digital LibraryFranklin papers, Revolutionary-era manuscripts, Indigenous languages.
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Bancroft Library Digital CollectionsUC Berkeley; the West, Mexico, Spanish borderlands.
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Beinecke Library Digital CollectionsYale rare books & manuscripts.
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Harvard Digital CollectionsMillions of digitized images across Harvard's libraries.
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Huntington Digital LibraryManuscripts, maps, photographs.
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Library of Congress Digital CollectionsPresidential papers, maps, manuscripts, prints, government documents.
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Massachusetts Historical Society – Online ResourcesRevolution, abolition, Civil War.
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Digital NewberryNewberry Library; strong on Indigenous history and maps.
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New-York Historical Society Digital CollectionsRevolution, Civil War, African American history.
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William L. Clements LibraryUniversity of Michigan; colonial & Revolutionary manuscripts.
Open Access Databases & Digital Projects
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A Century of Lawmaking for a New NationLOC: Continental Congress, Constitutional Convention, and early Congress records.Also: American State Papers
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A Colony in Crisis: The Saint-Domingue Grain Shortage of 1789French colonial documents with English and Haitian Creole translations.
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A New Nation VotesElection returns, 1787–1825, from Philip Lampi's data.
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Alberta on RecordArchival descriptions and photos from Alberta repositories.
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The American Colonist’s LibraryOld link index of colonial texts; many links reportedly dead.
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American JourneysEyewitness accounts of exploration and settlement (Wisconsin Historical Society).
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The American Presidency ProjectPresidential addresses and proclamations.
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The Avalon ProjectYale transcriptions of legal, diplomatic, and political documents.
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Bexar Archives OnlineSpanish Texas and Coahuila y Texas documents, with translations.
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BRASILHIS DatabasePeople connected to Brazil and Habsburg Spain, 1580–1640.
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British History OnlineTranscribed British records, maps, and datasets.
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British Tars, 1740–1790Sailors' dress in period imagery.
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Civil War Collections at Michigan State UniversityLetters, diaries, photographs, orderly books.
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Civil War Soldiers and Sailors SystemNPS index of Union and Confederate servicemen.
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Colonial North America at Harvard LibraryHarvard's digitized colonial-era manuscripts and imprints.
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Colonial Virginia Portraits17th–18th c. portraits with sitter biographies.
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Colored Conventions Project19th c. Black political convention records.
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Connecticut Ship Database, 1789–1939Vessel registrations by customs district (Mystic Seaport).
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Corporate Reports OnlineUS company annual reports, 1800–1955 (Penn).
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The Crisis of the UnionCivil War printed materials (Penn).
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Digital Archaeological Archive of Comparative SlaveryArchaeological data from slavery sites across the Atlantic world.
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Digital HistoryUniversity of Houston primary-source excerpts.
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Digital Index of North American ArchaeologyAggregated archaeological site data.
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Digital Library of the CaribbeanCaribbean materials from 60+ partner institutions.
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Digital Library on American SlaveryUNC Greensboro's slavery research projects.
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Digital PaxtonPaxton Boys and the Conestoga massacre.
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Digital Public Library of AmericaNational aggregator of library and museum collections.
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Documenta PalmaresSources on the quilombo of Palmares, 1695–1800.
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Documenting the American SouthUNC: southern history, narratives, literature.
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Documents for the Study of American HistoryTranscriptions across all periods.
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Early California Population ProjectCalifornia mission baptism, marriage, and burial registers, 1769–1850.
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Early Caribbean Digital ArchiveCaribbean texts, maps, and images centering African and Indigenous lives.
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Early Visions of FloridaFlorida exploration literature, 1513–1843.
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Electronic EnlightenmentCorrespondence of Enlightenment-era writers.
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Envisaging the WestJefferson and the roots of Lewis & Clark.
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Founders OnlineAnnotated papers of Washington, Franklin, Adams, Jefferson, Hamilton, Jay, Madison.
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Freedmen’s Bureau Search PortalSearchable Bureau records (NMAAHC).
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Freedom on the MoveRunaway advertisements, transcribed and searchable.
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General Land Office RecordsFederal land patents, surveys, field notes (BLM).
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The Geography of Slavery in VirginiaVirginia runaway slave and servant advertisements.
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Great Lakes Maritime CollectionGreat Lakes vessel records and images.
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The Haskell Monroe Collection: Life in the ConfederacyUniversity of Missouri.
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Heritage Documentation ProgramsHABS / HAER / HALS building and landscape surveys.
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Historic IndenturesDeeds and indentures, mostly Philadelphia region.
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Historic Mexican & Mexican American PressSouthwest Spanish-language press (University of Arizona).
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Immigrant Ship Transcribers GuildVolunteer-transcribed passenger manifests.
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Impressões RebeldesProtest and independence movements in colonial Brazil.
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Indigenous Digital ArchiveIndian boarding school records.
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Indigenous Digital Archive Treaty ExplorerRatified US–Indigenous treaties.
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Jefferson’s 3 VolumesJefferson's Secretary of State compilation.
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Journals of the Lewis & Clark ExpeditionSearchable journal transcriptions.
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Le Marronnage dans le Monde AtlantiqueRunaway ads and jail lists, French Atlantic.
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Lee Family Digital ArchiveVirginia's Lee family.
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Louisiana Colonial Documents Digitization ProjectFrench Superior Council and Spanish judicial records.
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Magazine of Early American DatasetsHistorians' quantitative datasets.
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Mark E. Mitchell Collection of African American HistoryPrivate collection of artifacts and manuscripts.
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Medical Heritage LibraryHistory of medicine.
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Meeting of FrontiersRussian and American expansion into Siberia, Alaska, the West.
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Mémoire St BarthColonial Saint-Barthélemy documents.
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Memoria ChilenaChilean national digital collections.
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Memórica: México, Haz MemoriaMexican national digital collections.
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Mexico: Photographs, Manuscripts, and ImprintsSMU DeGolyer Library.
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Mount Vernon’s Midden ProjectArchaeology of Mount Vernon's South Grove Midden.
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Native Bound UnboundIndigenous enslavement archive.
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Native Northeast PortalSources by and about Indigenous peoples of the Northeast.
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New Jersey Early Land RecordsColonial land records from the NJ State Archives.
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North Carolina Land Grant Images and DataNC and TN land grants, 1663–1960.
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Papers of the War Department, 1784–1800Military, Indian affairs, veterans, contracting.
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Philadelphia Congregations Early RecordsRecords of the city's oldest congregations.
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Picturing the New World: De Bry Engravings of 1590Hand-colored engravings (UNC).
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The Plymouth Colony Archive ProjectCourt records, laws, probate, maps.
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PRINT: Migration in the Early Modern WorldNetworks of European religious minorities.
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Prize Papers ProjectPapers from captured ships.
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Race & Slavery Petitions ProjectLegislative and court petitions from slaveholding states (UNCG).
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Reclaiming Heritage: Early Nipmuc HistoriesAlgonquian-language imprints and Nipmuc land records (AAS).
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Samuel J. May Anti-Slavery CollectionCornell abolitionist pamphlets.
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Scottish Court of Session Digital ArchivePrinted session papers, 1750s–1830s.
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Slave Societies Digital ArchiveEcclesiastical and secular records, 16th–20th c. — baptisms, marriages, burials.
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SlaveVoyagesVoyage and personal data on the Atlantic slave trade.
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Southern Campaigns Revolutionary War Pension StatementsTranscribed pension applications and rosters.
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Stolen RelationsIndigenous enslavement in the Americas, 1492–1900.
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Three Decks: Warships in the Age of SailShips, crews, and battles.
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The Valley of the ShadowTwo Civil War communities: Franklin Co., PA and Augusta Co., VA.
Subscription Databases
Institutional or personal account required.
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The American Civil War: Letters and DiariesAlexander Street.
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American Founding Era CollectionUVA Press Rotunda.
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Brazilian and Portuguese History and CultureGale; Oliveira Lima Library.
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Caribbean Newspapers, 1718–1876Readex.
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China, America and the PacificAdam Matthew.
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Colonial AmericaAdam Matthew; TNA CO/5.
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Colonial CaribbeanAdam Matthew.
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Colonial State PapersProQuest; TNA CO/1 + Calendar of State Papers.
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Early Encounters in North AmericaAlexander Street; 1534–1850.
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Everyday Life and Women in America, c.1800–1920Adam Matthew.
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Fold3Ancestry; military records.
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Indian Claims InsightProQuest.
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Jewish Life in America, c1654–1954Adam Matthew.
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Latin America and the CaribbeanGale World Scholar.
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The Making of Modern LawGale.
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Newspapers.comAncestry.
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North American Immigrant Letters, Diaries, and Oral HistoriesAlexander Street.
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North American Women’s Letters and DiariesAlexander Street.
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Popular Medicine in America, 1800–1900Adam Matthew.
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The Transatlantic Slave Trade, 1675–1907British Online Archives.
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Virginia Company ArchivesAdam Matthew; incl. Ferrar Papers.
Mexico: Archival Institutions
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Archivo General de la Nación (AGN)Mexico's national archive. Also publishes archival methodology guides (pagination of historical documents, condition assessment, control instruments).
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AMABPACAsociación Mexicana de Archivos y Bibliotecas Privados.
The Graveyard
Unusable, broken, or gone.
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Colorado Virtual Library (Statewide Digitization Projects)