Blog - The Ancestor Hunt

Elephind Update - October, 2019

10/29/2019

The "Search Multiple Historic Newspaper Collections All At Once" website, elephind.com has just published an update that includes many more items and issues from 2 updated collections:

(from the October, 2019 Elephind Newsletter):

Updated Newspaper Collections

Purdue University - The Purdue Exponent Newspaper Archive: A 211,730 page collection of the student newspaper of Purdue University.

California Digital Newspaper Collection: over 4.8 million pages of significant historical Californian newspapers published from 1846 to the present.

For the complete newsletter article, click HERE

If you have never used (or heard of) elephind, here are a couple of articles that I have written about this wonderful site that may be interesting to you:

If you have never tried Elephind, check it out! The url is elephind.com.

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Thank you for visiting The Ancestor Hunt!

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New Jersey to Add 8 New Titles to Chronicling America

10/29/2019

The State of New Jersey has just announced their plans to add 8 new titles to Chronicling America in 2020.

Currently there are 3 titles:

The Perth Amboy Evening News (1903-1922)
The Jersey City News (1889-1906)
The West-Jersey Pioneer (1852-1884) and Bridgeton Pioneer (1884-1917)

The 2020 planned additions are:

The Evening Star and Newark Advertiser (1907-1916)
Gloucester County Democrat (1878-1912)
Penns Grove Record (1882-1923)
The Mount Holly News (1881-1919)
Morris County Chronicle (1877-1914)
Pleasantville Weekly Press (1877-1924)
Five Mile Beach Journal (1890-1923)
Perth Amboy Evening News (1923 and 1924)

For the complete announcement, click HERE

For more Free Online Historical Newspapers from the state, go to New Jersey Online Historical Newspapers Summary

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Thank you for visiting The Ancestor Hunt!

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955 Mid West States Online Photo Archives Updated

10/23/2019

An old proverb states that "the eyes are the windows into the soul." A genealogy corollary is that "a photo is a window into the lives of your ancestors."

I love old photos, whether they are portraits of my ancestors or historical photos for the period when they lived. And it is important to a complete research that one attempts to understand the environment that surrounds our ancestors' lives if one wants to truly appreciate what they went through.

So where can they be found? Obviously the best resource is our own photo albums and those that our relatives possess. But what about other resources? Many archives, historical societies, libraries and genealogical societies have collections of old photos. And in the past few years there has been a massive movement towards making these historical photo collections available online. Some have search capabilities where you can actually put in a surname or a location, name of a building or historical event and find what is available.

Please be aware that there may be very strict rules regarding downloading or other use of the images that you may find. Copyright and other legal protections may be in force. Make sure that you read the limitations of use for any image that you find in these collections and wish to download and/or copy. It is your responsibility to adhere to the rules for all of these collections.

Please note that links to these sites may change in the future. The author (me) will not be constantly checking and updating these links, so if you find a broken link, please use your favorite search engine to locate the new link.

For historical photos from other states as well as articles about photo research, please visit the Photos page.

Good Luck and Happy Hunting!

______________________________________________________

Thank you for visiting The Ancestor Hunt!

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The 5 Best Free Sites for Online Newspaper Research for Genealogy

10/23/2019

** 2019 Update**

I have been an historical newspaper research addict for a long time. In the past several years I have decided to ratchet up my interest and share what I have learned through newspaper research-related blog articles, huge link lists, as well as video tutorials.

For all my articles about newspaper research, just navigate to the Newspapers Page of this site and browse. There are plenty of articles to read.

And please check out the Bonus section below for access to the most comprehensive list of links to free online historical newspapers in the U.S. and Canada.

What I would like to relate now is my list of the best free sites to find historical articles about your ancestors in newspapers. These are the first ones that I would use if I were starting out. They have been chosen not because of their interface - because some are better than others and some are not ideal. These are presented in no particular order. And remember that these are Free sites only and you do Not have to go to a library to access them.

Elephind - over 191 million items (newspaper pages/articles) and 3,900 titles from several countries. You can search multiple collections all at once.
Library of Congress - Chronicling America - over 15.3 million pages and 2,900 titles from 48 states. Easy interface and growing constantly, although the growth is quite slow.
Old Fulton NY Post Cards - over 45 million pages of New York State (and many other states) historical newspapers
Advantage Archives Collections - 650 collections from 42 states. The latest list can be found at 70 Million Historic U.S. Newspaper Pages Now Available from Advantage Archives.
Trove -over 23 million pages from Australia

Google News Archive - over 2,500 newspapers from the U.S. and Canada - gets an asterisk. You can still get to all of these newspapers, but the search function is pretty much restricted to newspapers since 1970. And although these are the rules, some pre-1970 pages might sneak in. This is really too bad, since this is quite a large collection of otherwise non-digitized smaller newspapers.

BONUS

There used to be several sites that listed links to online newspaper titles that regularly updated their lists. Sadly, none remain that are active, except for one. Gone are the very good lists from Bowling Green State University and the University of Pennsylvania. Still existing, but rarely updated are the lists from Wikipedia, ICON, and Xooxle.

But one remains that actively updates, every 4 months for the U.S. and every 6 months for Canada. Initiated in 2013, it is right here:

The Ancestor Hunt - Newspaper Research Links - over 33,000 free newspaper titles and links for the U.S. and Canada. (Note: includes all the titles from Chronicling America, Fulton, Advantage Archives and Google).

Good Luck and Happy Hunting!

______________________________________________________

Thank you for visiting The Ancestor Hunt!

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350 New England States Online Photo Archives Updated

10/23/2019

An old proverb states that "the eyes are the windows into the soul." A genealogy corollary is that "a photo is a window into the lives of your ancestors."

I love old photos, whether they are portraits of my ancestors or historical photos for the period when they lived. And it is important to a complete research that one attempts to understand the environment that surrounds our ancestors' lives if one wants to truly appreciate what they went through.

So where can they be found? Obviously the best resource is our own photo albums and those that our relatives possess. But what about other resources? Many archives, historical societies, libraries and genealogical societies have collections of old photos. And in the past few years there has been a massive movement towards making these historical photo collections available online. Some have search capabilities where you can actually put in a surname or a location, name of a building or historical event and find what is available.

Please be aware that there may be very strict rules regarding downloading or other use of the images that you may find. Copyright and other legal protections may be in force. Make sure that you read the limitations of use for any image that you find in these collections and wish to download and/or copy. It is your responsibility to adhere to the rules for all of these collections.

Please note that links to these sites may change in the future. The author (me) will not be constantly checking and updating these links, so if you find a broken link, please use your favorite search engine to locate the new link.

For historic photos from other states as well as articles about photo research, please visit the Photos page.

Good Luck and Happy Hunting!

______________________________________________________

Thank you for visiting The Ancestor Hunt!

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Surprising Genealogist Demographics - Are More Younger Enthusiasts Getting Involved?

10/23/2019

It is always interesting to look at statistics of one's website. I have done so recently and the results are not too surprising, yet there are some interesting results.

Two assumptions that many people make about genealogy and family history researchers are that they are old and they are female.

Let's take a look at the stats from this Website and from The Ancestor Hunt Facebook Page for a short time period and see what they show. I am assuming that this website has a representative set of demographics to others in the industry. And I have over 26,000 Facebook Page Followers so that should provide some good stats as well

The Ancestor Hunt Website

Age

Gender

The Ancestor Hunt Facebook Page

Age and Gender

Conclusions

Yep, the visitors are indeed "older." And the numbers were fairly comparable between the last time I looked at this (in 2015) and now, with ONE exception - people searching their genealogy are getting a bit younger. In 2015, the total was 71% who where 55 or older. Now it is around 63%. So more enthusiasts under 55 are getting involved.

Another interesting statistic that has not changed from 2015 to now - look at Pages/Session and Average Session Duration - the numbers diminish as the visitors are younger. Are they not as interested (those who do visit) - or is their attention span less or are they just too busy?

What are your thoughts? Are you surprised at all? I know that there are efforts to get more "younger" folks interested in genealogy. It looks like it is working.

Hopefully that will happen before no one is able to read cursive writing, an understated challenge for the genealogy community in years to come. But technology will likely solve that problem anyway.

Please weigh in in the comments section.

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Thank you for visiting The Ancestor Hunt!

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1,100 Southern States Online Photo Archives Updated

10/23/2019

An old proverb states that "the eyes are the windows into the soul." A genealogy corollary is that "a photo is a window into the lives of your ancestors."

I love old photos, whether they are portraits of my ancestors or historical photos for the period when they lived. And it is important to a complete research that one attempts to understand the environment that surrounds our ancestors' lives if one wants to truly appreciate what they went through.

So where can they be found? Obviously the best resource is our own photo albums and those that our relatives possess. But what about other resources? Many archives, historical societies, libraries and genealogical societies have collections of old photos. And in the past few years there has been a massive movement towards making these historical photo collections available online. Some have search capabilities where you can actually put in a surname or a location, name of a building or historical event and find what is available.

Please be aware that there may be very strict rules regarding downloading or other use of the images that you may find. Copyright and other legal protections may be in force. Make sure that you read the limitations of use for any image that you find in these collections and wish to download and/or copy. It is your responsibility to adhere to the rules for all of these collections.

Please note that links to these sites may change in the future. The author (me) will not be constantly checking and updating these links, so if you find a broken link, please use your favorite search engine to locate the new link.

For historical photos from other states as well as articles about photo research, please visit the Photos page.

Good Luck and Happy Hunting!

______________________________________________________

Thank you for visiting The Ancestor Hunt!

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555 Mid Atlantic States Online Photo Archives Updated

10/23/2019

An old proverb states that "the eyes are the windows into the soul." A genealogy corollary is that "a photo is a window into the lives of your ancestors."

I love old photos, whether they are portraits of my ancestors or historical photos for the period when they lived. And it is important to a complete research that one attempts to understand the environment that surrounds our ancestors' lives if one wants to truly appreciate what they went through.

So where can they be found? Obviously the best resource is our own photo albums and those that our relatives possess. But what about other resources? Many archives, historical societies, libraries and genealogical societies have collections of old photos. And in the past few years there has been a massive movement towards making these historical photo collections available online. Some have search capabilities where you can actually put in a surname or a location, name of a building or historical event and find what is available.

Please be aware that there may be very strict rules regarding downloading or other use of the images that you may find. Copyright and other legal protections may be in force. Make sure that you read the limitations of use for any image that you find in these collections and wish to download and/or copy. It is your responsibility to adhere to the rules for all of these collections.

Please note that links to these sites may change in the future. The author (me) will not be constantly checking and updating these links, so if you find a broken link, please use your favorite search engine to locate the new link.

For historical photos from other states as well as articles about photo research, please visit the Photos page.

Good Luck and Happy Hunting!

______________________________________________________

Thank you for visiting The Ancestor Hunt!

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The National Digital Newspaper Program - October, 2019 Program Update

10/23/2019

If you research historical American newspapers online then you know about Chronicling America. This online newspaper research site is the culmination of a collaboration between the National Endowment for the Humanities and the Library of Congress.

The National Digital Newspaper Program (NDNP) as it is called has been in place for several years. The program awards funding to states to digitize approximately 100,000 pages at a time for newspapers published between 1836-1963. The announcement of the next awards should occur in August, 2020.

The most recent update (August, 2019) announced that Wyoming, Rhode Island, and the Virgin islands are joining the program and that 10 other states, including Puerto Rico were awarded digitization grants. You can see all the participating states in the map above (participants in green). Chronicling America now exceeds 15.3 million pages.

Please be aware for those of you who are impatient, that all of this needs to be funded and that state and federal governments are involved as well as state institutions who do the abundance of the work. This takes money and time and of course funding priorities have been difficult in the past few years.

Here is a list of the award recipients, the state managing institution, and the years of awards:

Alabama - University of Alabama Libraries, Tuscaloosa, AL (2018)
Alaska - Alaska State Library Historical Collections (2018, 2016)
Arizona - Arizona Department of Libraries, Archives, and Public Records (2017, 2012, 2010, 2008)
Arkansas - Arkansas State Archive (2019, 2017)
California - University of California, Riverside (2018, 2015, 2009, 2007, 2005)
Colorado - History Colorado (2018, 2016)
Connecticut - Connecticut State Library (2019, 2017, 2015, 2013)
Delaware - University of Delaware (2019, 2017, 2015)
Florida - University of Florida, Gainesville (2019, 2017, 2015, 2013, 2005)
Georgia - Digital Library of Georgia (University of Georgia Libraries/GALILEO) (2019, 2017)
Hawaii - University of Hawaii at Manoa (2012, 2010, 2008)
Idaho - Idaho State Historical Society (2017, 2015, 2013)
Illinois - University of Illinois, Urbana (2018, 2016, 2013, 2011, 2009)
Indiana - Indiana State Library (2017, 2015, 2013, 2011)
Iowa - State Historical Society of Iowa (2018, 2016, 2014, 2012)
Kansas - Kansas State Historical Society (2013, 2011, 2009)
Kentucky - University of Kentucky, Lexington (2011, 2009, 2007, 2005)
Louisiana - Louisiana State University (2013, 2011, 2009)
Maine - Maine State Library (2018, 2016)
Maryland - University of Maryland, College Park (2018, 2016, 2014, 2012)
Michigan - Central Michigan University (2018, 2016, 2014, 2012)
Minnesota - Minnesota Historical Society (2019, 2017, 2015, 2011, 2009, 2007)
Mississippi - Mississippi Department of Archives and History (2017, 2015, 2013)
Missouri - The State Historical Society of Missouri (2012, 2010, 2008)
Montana - Montana Historical Society (2018, 2013, 2011, 2009)
Nebraska - University of Nebraska-Lincoln Libraries (2018, 2016, 2009, 2007)
Nevada - University of Nevada, Las Vegas (2018, 2016, 2014)
New Jersey - Rutgers University Libraries, the New Jersey State Archives and the New Jersey State Library (2018, 2016)
New Mexico - University of New Mexico (2014, 2012, 2010)
New York - The New York Public Library, Astor, Lenox and Tilden Foundation (2009, 2007, 2005)
North Carolina - University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill (2018, 2016, 2014, 2012)
North Dakota - State Historical Society of North Dakota (2017, 2015, 2013, 2011)
Ohio - Ohio History Connection (2018, 2016, 2012, 2010, 2008)
Oklahoma - Oklahoma Historical Society (2013, 2011, 2009)
Oregon - University of Oregon (2013, 2011, 2009)
Pennsylvania - Penn State University Libraries, University Park (2012, 2010, 2008)
Puerto Rico - University of Puerto Rico, Rio Piedras (2019, 2017, 2015, 2013)
Rhode Island - Providence Public Library (2019)
South Carolina - University of South Carolina (2013, 2011, 2009)
South Dakota - South Dakota Department of Education (2018, 2016, 2014)
Tennessee - University of Tennessee (2014, 2012, 2010)
Texas - University of North Texas (2018, 2016, 2011, 2009, 2007)
U.S. Virgin Islands - University of the Virgin Islands (2019)
Utah - University of Utah, Marriott Libraries (2009, 2007, 2005)
Vermont - University of Vermont (2014, 2012, 2010)
Virginia - Library of Virginia (2019, 2017, 2014, 2009, 2007, 2005)
Washington - Washington State Library (2018, 2012, 2010, 2008)
West Virginia - West Virginia University Libraries (2019, 2017, 2015, 2013, 2011)
Wisconsin - Wisconsin Historical Society (2019, 2017, 2015)
Wyoming - University of Wyoming Libraries (2019)

Let us be thankful for what has been already accomplished and hope that the NDNP continues to thrive and grow.

Also quite useful is a series of about 60 links to interesting newspaper-related articles entitled NDNP Extras! Check it out!

And one more thing..... Check out the Chronicling America Data Visualizations, which displays data about the Chronicling America collection in several different graphical and mapped forms. Very interesting!

______________________________________________________

Thank you for visiting The Ancestor Hunt!

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Free Online Divorce Record Collections for the Western States

10/8/2019

Divorce records from all over the U.S are sometimes difficult to find online. They are another hidden gem of information that can assist you in advancing your family history and genealogy research.

What can you find in these records? Obviously the dates and location of the divorce proceeding, the date and location of the marriage, the woman's maiden name, names of minor children, and the reason for the divorce. The reason can not only provide another part of your ancestor's story, but also may lead to more clues, especially in the case of desertion, where you may be able to find the location that the "deserting" party moved to.

WARNING: Some of the information in the Divorce Petitions may be difficult to read. There may be shocking claims, especially related to your ancestors' physical and emotional cruelty, or other behavior. Be prepared.

In most cases, I did not include the links to County Courts, where most divorce records are now processed and the documents held. But these divorce documents for most states are partially held in either state archives or county clerk records. So you may wish to avail yourself of these county clerk an court archives, especially those that can be searched online.

Note: Please be aware that if you find a desired divorce record in an index, that the holder of the actual materials (e.g., archive, county court, etc.) may charge a small fee to send you a copy of the material itself.

Note: Some of the links listed below take you to a FamilySearch Collection of digital images. Near the bottom of the page under Film/Digital Notes is the name of each sub-collection. If there is a camera icon at the right of the name (in the Format column) then the collections' images are browsable. If there is a camera with a key icon, it is only available at a Family History Center or affiliated library. If there is a film reel icon, then it is only available in microfilm format, not digital.

Below, listed by state are links to divorce records and indexes available for free online.

(Updated October, 2019; recently added links are in BOLD)

Alaska

Arizona

California

Colorado

Hawaii

Idaho

Montana

Nevada

Clark County, Family Records Case Search

New Mexico

(None yet)

Oregon

Utah

Washington

Wyoming

For free online divorce records from other states, please visit the Divorce Records page.

Good Luck and Happy Hunting!

______________________________________________________

Thank you for visiting The Ancestor Hunt!

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70 Million Historic U.S. Newspaper Pages Now Available from Advantage Archives

10/7/2019

Please note - This article has been updated and you now can get a more current list at:

80 Million Historic U.S. Newspaper Pages Now Available from Advantage Archives

Please refer to the newer article.

For the last 3 years I have been tracking the online collections made available by the Advantage Archives (formerly Advantage Preservation) company, who has contracted with several hundred libraries and other institutions across the U.S. to digitize and host their online newspaper collections.

The great majority of these links have been Incorporated in the state collection summaries found in the Newspaper Links page on this site.

The most recent update from Advantage Archives totals 644 collections from 42 states (plus one Canadian province) and a total number of pages exceeding 70 million!

Some of the collections are small, but others have over 50 different newspaper titles. Although Advantage Archives gets the credit for making these available, much of the credit should go to the individual libraries, library systems, historical societies and other institutions, who do the really hard work of obtaining the funds via grants and other funding sources to digitize these old newspapers and make them available online for their patrons. In these times where funding for digitization of old newspapers from libraries, archives and other institutions is not easy to get, those of us who want to research our genealogy through newspapers and other documents owe a large debt of gratitude to the librarians and archivists who make all of this possible. The moral of the story is "Support your local libraries and archives!"

Here is a list by state and county of the online collections available to search for free and those who allow searching only in the library's location.

Alabama

Baldwin - Fairhope Public Library

Alaska

Kodiak Island Borough - Kodiak (Onsite)
Wrangell-Petersburg - Petersburg Public Library

Arizona

Pinal - Casa Grande Public Library
Pinal - Eloy Santa Cruz Library

Arkansas

Sebastian - Fort Smith Public Library

California

Los Angeles - Italian American Museum (Onsite)

Colorado

San Juan County - San Juan County
Yuma - Yuma Public Library

Connecticut

Fairfield - Weston Library
Hartford - Farmington Libraries
Hartford - New Britain Public Library
Hartford - Windsor Locks Historical Society
Hartford - Windsor Locks Historical Society
Litchfield - Beardsley & Memorial Library
Litchfield - Scoville Memorial Library
Litchfield - Thomaston Public Library
Middlesex - East Hampton Public Library
New Haven - Ansonia Historical Commission
New Haven - James Blackstone Memorial Library
New Haven - North Haven Public Library
New Haven - Wallingford City Directories

Delaware

New Castle - New Castle Public Library

Georgia

Colquitt - Moultrie Colquitt County Library System
Dawson - Dawson County Library
Glynn - Marshes of Glynn Library
Laurens - Oconee Regional Library System (Onsite)
Lee - Lee County Library
Morgan - Uncle Remus Regional Library System
Worth - Worth County Library
Bannock - Marshall Public Library
Bear Lake - Bear Lake County Library

Idaho

Bingham - Blackfoot Library
Cassia - Burley Public Library
Clearwater - Elk River Free Library
East Bonner - East Bonner County Library District
Franklin - Franklin County Library District
Jerome - Jerome Public Library
Kootenai - Hayden Community Library Network
Lemhi - Salmon Public Library
Payette - Armoral Tuttle Public Library
Teton - Valley of the Tetons District Library

Illinois

Brown - Brown County Public Library
Cassio - Beardstown Houston Memorial Library
Clark - Marshall Public Library
Cook - Bellwood Public Library
Cook - Forest Park Public Library
Cook - Midlothian Public Library
Cook - Park Ridge Library (Onsite)
Cook - River Forest Public Library
DeKalb - Hinckley Historical Society
DeKalb - Shabbona Lee Rolo Historical Museum
DeWitt - Farmer City Library
DuPage - Addison Public Library
DuPage - St. Charles Public Library
Hancock - Warsaw Public Library
Henry - Cambridge Library
Henry - Clover Public Library District
Henry - Galva Public Library
Henry - Geneseo Public Library District
Henry - Kewanee Public Library District
Henry - Western District Library
Kane - St. Charles Public Library
Kane - Town and Country Public Library District
LaSalle - Earlville Library District
Lawrence - Lawrence Public Library
Logan - Atlanta Public Library and Museum
Marshall - Henry Public Library
McHenry - Harvard Diggins Library
Ogle - Byron Public Library
Ogle - Polo Public Library
Peoria - Brimfield Public Library
Peoria - Peoria Heights Public Library
Rock Island - Moline Public Library
Schuyler - Rushville Illinois
St. Clair - Freeburg Area Library District
St. Clair - New Athens District Library
Stark - Bradford Public Library District
Stark - Toulon Public Library
Tazewell - Morton Public Library
Whiteside - Erie Illinois Public Library
Whiteside - Sterling Public Library
Will - Plainfield Public Library District
Winnebago - Talcott Free Library District
Woodford - Illinois Prairie District Public Library

Indiana

Knox - Knox County Public Library

Iowa

Allamakee - Postville Public Library
Appanoose - Centerville Iowegian
Benton - Baseball Museum of Norway
Benton - Belle Plaine Community Library
Benton - Blairstown Public Library
Benton - Schroeder Public Library
Benton - Vinton Public Library & the Benton County Historical Society
Black Hawk - La Porte City
Bremer - Sumner Public Library
Bremer - Waverly Public Library
Buchanan - Jesup Public Library
Buchanan - Lamont
Buena Vista - Albert City Historical Society
Buena Vista - Buena Vista University
Buena Vista - Marathon Public Library
Buena Vista - Newell Public Library
Buena Vista - Sioux Rapids Public Library
Buena Vista - Storm Lake Public Library
Butler - Aplington Legion Memorial Library
Butler - Clarksville Public Library
Butler - Greene Public Library
Butler - Kothe Memorial Library
Carroll - Carroll Public Library
Carroll - Coon Rapids Public Library
Cass - Cass County Genealogical Society
Cass - Griswold Public Library
Cedar - Clarence Newspaper
Cedar - West Branch Public Library
Cerro Gordo - Clear Lake
Cherokee - Aurelia Public Library
Cherokee - Cherokee Public Library
Cherokee - Marcus Public Library
Chickasaw - New Hampton Public Library
Clarke - Oseola Public Library
Clay - Kirchner French Public Library
Clay - Spencer Public Library
Clayton - Elkader Public Library
Clayton - Garnavillo Historical Society
Clayton - Guttenberg Public Library
Clayton - McGregor Historical Museum
Clayton - Monona Public Library
Clinton - Clinton Public Library
Crawford - Charter Oak
Crawford - Norelius Community Library
Crawford - Schleswig Public Library
Dallas - Perry Iowa
Dallas - Woodward
Delaware - Manchester Iowa Archive
Dickinson - Dickinson County
Dubuque - City of Dubuque
Dubuque - The Witness
Emmet - Estherville Public Library
Fayette - Elgin Public Library
Fayette - Fayette Public Library
Fayette - Oelwein (Onsite)
Fayette - The Collegian
Fayette - West Union Community Library
Floyd - Rockford Public Library
Greene - Jefferson Public Library
Grundy - Beaman Community Memorial Library
Grundy - Conrad Museum
Grundy - Kling Memorial Library
Grundy - Ostfriesen Heritage Society
Guthrie - Bayard Public Library
Guthrie - Mary Burnett Memorial Library
Guthrie - Stuart Public Library
Hamilton - Ellsworth Public Library
Hamilton - Hamilton County
Hancock - Hancock County
Hardin - Ackley Public Library
Hardin - Hardin County Iowa (Onsite)
Harrison - Dunlap
Harrison - Missouri Valley Public Library (Onsite)
Henry - Winfield Public Library
Howard - Howard Winnishiek-Cresco
Humboldt - Humboldt County Genealogical Society
Humboldt - Gilmore City
Ida - Battle Creek
Ida - Ida Grove Public Library
Iowa - Iowa County Genealogical (Onsite)
Iowa - Williamsburg Iowa (Onsite)
Jasper - Monroe Public Library
Johnson - Iowa City Public Library
Johnson - Oxford Public Library
Jones - Jones County Genealogical Society
Jones - Ross & Elizabeth Baty Public Library, Monticello
Keokuk - Hedrick Public Library
Keokuk - North English
Kossuth - Algona Public Library
Kossuth - Kossuth County Newspapers
Linn - Cedar Rapids Public Library
Linn - Coe College
Linn - Coggon Historical Society
Linn - Cornell College
Linn - Linn County Atlas
Linn - Marion Public Library
Linn - Mount Vernon Public Library
Louisa - Mellinger Public Library
Lucas - Chariton Public Library
Lyon - Rock Rapids Public Library
Madison - Earlham Echo
Madison - Winterset Public Library
Marion - Central College
Marion - Marion County
Marion - Pella Public Library
Marshall - Gutekunst Public Library
Marshall - Marshalltown Public Library
Mills - Malvern Public Library
Mills - The Silver City Historical Society
Mitchell - Nissen Public Library
Mitchell - Osage Public Library
Monona - Mapleton Public Library
Monona - Onawa Public Library
Monroe - Monroe County Historical Society
Montgomery - Red Oak Community
Montgomery - Stanton Historical Society
Montgomery - Villisca Public Library
O'Brien - General N.B. Baker Library
O'Brien - Hartley Public Library
O'Brien - O'Brien County Archives
O'Brien - Paullina Public Library
O'Brien - Sanborn Public Library
Osceola - Sibley Public Library
Page - Essex Lied Public Library
Page - Lied Public Library
Page - Shenandoah Public Library (Onsite)
Palo Alto - Graettinger Public Library
Palo Alto - Palo Alto County
Plymouth - Akron Public Library
Plymouth - Kingsley Public Library
Plymouth - LeMars Public Library
Plymouth - Remsen Public Library
Pocahontas - Laurens Public Library
Pocahontas - Pocahontas Public Library
Pocahontas - Rolfe Public Library
Polk - Children and Families of Iowa
Polk - Johnston Public Library
Pottawattamie - Avoca
Pottawattamie - Botna Valley Genealogy Society
Pottawattamie - Walnut Public Library
Ringgold - Mount Ayr Preservation
Ringgold - Tingley Vindicator
Sac - Odebolt Public Library and Museum
Scott - Catholic Messenger
Scott - Scott County Library
Shelby - Harlan Public Library
Sioux - Libraries of Sioux County
Sioux - Northwestern College
Story - Ames Public Library
Story - Bertha Bartlett Public Library
Story - Nevada Iowa Archive
Tama - Tama County
Taylor - Lenox Public Library
Wapello - Eddyville Public Library
Warren - Warren County Historical Society
Washington - Kalona Public Library
Washington - Washington County Library Association
Wayne - Seymour Community Library
Webster - Fort Dodge Public Library
Webster - Lehigh
Winnebago - Lake Mills
Winneshiek - Luther College
Woodbury - Catholic Globe
Woodbury - Correctionville
Woodbury - Morningside College
Worth - Worth County Historical Society
Wright - Clarion Public Library
Wright - Eagle Grove Memorial Library
Wright - Talbot Belmond Public Library (Onsite)

Kansas

Allen - Humboldt Public Library
Anderson - Garnett Public Library
Brown - Morrill Public Library
Chase - Chase County Historical Society
Coffey - Coffey County Library
Cowley - Arkansas City Public Library
Franklin - Ottawa University
Geary - Dorothy Bramlage Public Library
Gove - Grinnell-Angelus Heritage Center
Harvey - Bethel College
Harvey - Newton Public Library
Logan - Oakley Public Library
Lyon - Emporia Public Library
Lyon - Lyon County Library
Marion - Peabody High School Yearbooks
Marion - Peabody Township Library
Marshall - Waterville Public Library
Montgomery - Independence Public Library
Nemaha - Mary Cotton Public Library
Nemaha - Seneca Free Library
Osborne - Osborne Public Library
Pawnee - Jordaan Memorial Library
Pottawatomie - Wamego Public Library
Rooks - Plainville Memorial Library
Russell - Russell Public Library
Sedgewick - Derby Public Library
Stevens - Stevens County Library

Kentucky

Adair - Adair County Library
Clark - Clark County Public Library
Clinton - Clinton County Public Library
Green - Green County Public Library
Johnson - Johnson County Library
McCreary - McCreary County Public Library
Meade - Meade County Public Library
Metcalfe - Metcalfe Library
Pulaski - Pulaski
Russell - Russell County Public Library
Scott - Scott County Public Library
Wayne - Wayne County Public Library

Louisiana

Acadia - Acadia Parish Library
Bienville - Bienville Parish Public Library
Caldwell - Caldwell Parish Library
Concordia - Concordia Parish Public Library
East Baton Rouge - East Baton Rouge Parish Library
Jefferson Davis - Jennings Carnegie
Lafayette - Lafayette Public Library
LaSalle - LaSalle Parish Library
Livingston - Livingston Parish News
Rapides - Rapides Parish Library
Union - Union Parish Library
Vermilion - Vermilion Yearbooks
Vermillion - Vermilion Parish Library
Vernon - Vernon Parish Library
Webster - Webster Parish Library

Maine

Aroostook - Caribou Public Library
Aroostook - Fort Fairfield Public Library
Aroostook - Houlton High School Yearbooks
Aroostook - Mark and Emily Turner Memorial Library
Aroostook - Walter TA Hansen Memorial Library
Cumberland - Bridgton Public Library
Cumberland - Scarborough Public Library
Kennebec - Gardiner Public Library
Lincoln - Lincoln County News
Lincoln - Skidompha Library
Lincoln - Skidompha Public Library
Penobscot - Old Town Public Library
Piscataquis - Thompson Free Library
Somerset - Pittsfield Public Library
Waldo - Alice L. Pendleton Library
Waldo - Belfast Free Library
York - McArthur Public Library
York - Springvale Public Library and Goodall Memorial Library

Manitoba

Westman Region - Brandon Sun

Maryland

Montgomery - Montgomery County Public Libraries
Queen Anne's - Queen Anne's County Library
Worcester - Worcester County Library

Massachusetts

Berkshire - Lee Public Library
Beverly - Beverly Public Library
Bristol - Ames Free Library of Easton (Onsite)
Bristol - Mansfield Public Library
Bristol - Somerset Public Library (Onsite)
Essex - Amesbury Public Library
Essex - Boxford
Essex - Flint Public Library
Essex - Manchester by the Sea
Essex - Manchester Cricket
Essex - Marblehead Public Library
Essex - Newburyport Public Library
Essex - Newburyport Public Library
Essex - Topsfield Library
Franklin - Montague Public Libraries
Franklin - Wheeler Memorial Library
Hampden - Wilbraham Public Library
Hampshire - Granby
Middlesex - Acton Memorial Library
Middlesex - Flint Memorial Library
Middlesex - Hudson Public Library
Middlesex - J V Fletcher Library
Middlesex - Lincoln Public Library
Middlesex - Stoneham Public Library
Middlesex - Tewksbury Public Library
Norfolk - Holbrook Public Library
Norfolk - Morrill Memorial Library
Norfolk - Sharon Public Library
Norfolk - Turner Free Library
Plymouth - East Bridgewater
Plymouth - Scituate Town Library
Suffolk - Revere Public Library
Worcester - Beals Memorial Library
Worcester - Leominster Public Library
Worcester - Oxford Public Library
Worcester - Stevens Memorial Library

Michigan

Alger - Munising School Public Library (Onsite)
Bay - Delta College Collegiate
Berrien - Bridgman Public Library
Genesee - Kettering University Library
Gratiot - Alma College
Kent - Grand Rapids Public Library
Newaygo - White Cloud Community Library
Oceana - Shelby Area District Library

Minnesota

Goodhue - Redwing
Martin - Martin County Public Library (Onsite)
Martin - Martin County Public Library

Mississippi

Coahoma - Carnegie Public Library
Wayne - Waynesboro Wayne County Library System (Onsite)

Missouri

Grundy - Grundy County Jewett Norris Library
Putnam - Putnam County Public Library

Montana

Nebraska

Antelope - Neligh Public Library
Boone - Albion Public Library
Brown - Ainsworth Public Library
Brown - Ainsworth Public Library (Onsite)
Burt - Decatur Herald Newspaper
Burt - Lyons Public Library
Burt - Oakland Public Library
Cass - Cass County Nebraska
Cedar - Lied Randolph Public Library (Onsite)
Cheyenne - Dalton Delegate
Cheyenne - Sidney Public Library
Dixon - Dixon County Nebraska
Dixon - Gardner Public Library
Dixon - Ponca Carnegie Library
Dodge - North Bend Public Library
Dodge - Scribner Public Library
Douglas - The Reader
Fillmore - Fillmore County Public Library
Furnas - Arapahoe (Onsite)
Furnas - Arapahoe Public Library
Furnas - Butler Memorial Library
Gage - Hometown Adams
Greeley - Scotia Public Library and Heritage Center
Holt - Atkinson Library
Howard - Saint Paul Library
Knox - Creighton Public Library
Knox - Verdigre Public Library
Lincoln - North Platte Genealogical Society
Madison - Tilden
Merrick - Central City Public Library
Nuckolls - Nelson Public Library
Otoe - Otoe County Archives
Pawnee - Pawnee City Library (Onsite)
Perkins - Hastings Memorial Library
Pierce - Lied Pierce Public Library
Pierce - Plainview News
Platte - Humphrey Library
Polk - Polk County Historical Society
Saline - Crete Heritage Society
Saline - Doane University
Seward - Seward Memorial Library
Stanton - Stanton Public Library
Valley - North Loup Public Library

Nevada

Douglas - Douglas County Public Library

New Hampshire

Carroll - Conway Public Library
Grafton - Bethlehem Public Library
Hillsborough - Fuller Public Library
Hillsborough - Peterborough Town Library
Hillsborough - Wadleigh Memorial Library
Hillsborough - Nashua Public Library
Rockingham - Derry Public Library
Rockingham - Kelley Library
Rockingham - Plaistow Public Library
Rockingham - The Nesmith Library
Strafford - Dover Public Library
Strafford - Farmington News of Farmington New Hampshire
Strafford - Lee Public Library
Sullivan - Fiske Free Library
Sullivan - Richards Free Library

New Jersey

Camden - Cherry Hills Public Library

New York

Albany - Roman Catholic Diocese of Albany
Broome - George Johnson Memorial Library
Broome - Lisle Free Library
Broome - Mary L. Wilcox Memorial Library
Cattaraugus - Allegany Public Library
Cattaraugus - Saint Bonaventure University - Friedsam Memorial Library
Cayuga - The Seymour Public Library
Chenango - Afton Free Library
Chenango - Bainbridge (NY) Historical Society
Chenango - Guernsey Memorial Library
Chenango - Sherburne Public Library
Columbia - Roeliff Jansen Community Library
Delaware - Sidney Memorial Library
Greene - Catskill (Onsite)
Jefferson - Roswell P Flower Memorial Library
Madison - Cazenovia Public Library
Madison - Oneida Public Library
Nassau - Glen Cove Public Library
Nassau - Hewlett Woodmere Public Library
Nassau - Long Beach Public Library
Nassau - Massepequa Public Library
Onondoga - Fayetteville Free Library
Onondoga - Marcellus Free Library
Orange - Albert Wisner Public Library
Orange - Josephine - Louise Public Library
Otsego - The Village Library of Morris
Rensselaer - Troy Public Library
Rockland - Nyack Library
Steuben - Addison Public Library
Steuben - Hornell Public Library
Suffolk - Long Island Republic Airport Historical Society
Sullivan - The Liberty Public Library
Tompkins - Southworth Library
Tompkins - Trumansburg Public Library
Tompkins - Ulysses Philomathic Library
Ulster - Saugerties Public Library
Ulster - Woodstock Public Library
Wayne - Clyde-Savannah Public Library
Wayne - Sodus Community Library
Wayne - Williamson Public Library
Westchester - Chappaqua Public Library
Westchester - Katonah Village Library
Westchester - North Castle Public Library
Westchester - Port Chester - Rye Brook Public Library
Wyoming - Perry Public Library
Wyoming - Pioneer Library System
Wyoming - Stevens Memorial Library & The Attica Historical Society

North Carolina

North Dakota

Divide - Divide County Library
Morton - Flasher
North Dakota - North Dakota Archives
Traill - Hillsboro

Ohio

Brown - Union Township Public Library
Champaign - Champaign County Library
Champaign - St. Paris Public Library
Columbiana - Carnegie Public Library
Columbiana - Lepper Public Library
Erie - Huron Public Library
Franklin - Southwest Public Libraries
Franklin - Westland Area Library
Fulton - Archbold Community Library
Fulton - Swanton Public Library
Gallia - Bossard Memorial Library
Hancock - Findlay-Hancock County Public Library
Hardin - Ada Public Library
Hardin - Forest Jackson Public Library
Holmes - Holmes County District Public Library
Huron - Bellevue Public Library
Huron - Huron County Community Library
Jackson - Jackson City Library
Lawrence - Briggs Lawrence County Public Library
Licking - Mary Babcock Library
Lorain - Avon Lake Public Library
Mercer - Coldwater Public Library
Mercer - Fort Recovery Public Library
Ottawa - Oak Harbor Public Library
Paulding - Paulding County Carnegie Library
Preble - Brown Memorial Library
Richland - Mansfield and Richland County Public Library
Richland - Marvin Memorial Library
Seneca - Seneca East Public Library
Stark - Stark County District Library
Trumbull - McKinley Memorial Library
Wayne - Wayne County Public Library
Wood - Rossford Public Library
Wood - Way Public Library
Wood - Wayne Public Library
Wood - Weston Public Library
Wood - Wood County District Public Library
Wyandot - Dorcas Carey Public Library

Oklahoma

Bryan - Donald W Reynolds Community Center & Library
Kingfisher - Hennessey Public Library
Texas - Guymon Public Library

Oregon

Coos - Flora M Laird Memorial Library
Umatilla - The Weston Public Library
Wallowa - Enterprise City
Wallowa - Wallowa History Center (Onsite)

Pennsylvania

Rhode Island

Bristol - Bristol Phoenix
Kent - East Greenwich Free Library
Kent - East Greenwich Post 2000 Newspapers (Onsite)
Kent - Warwick Public Library (Onsite)
Kent - West Warwick Public Library
Newport - Jamestown Philomenian Library
Providence - Cranston Public Library
Providence - Greenville Public Library (Onsite)
Providence - Pawtucket Public Library
Washington - Island Free Library
Washington - Maury Loontjens Memorial Library
Washington - North Kingstown Library

South Dakota

Union - Beresford Public Library (Onsite)
Union - Beresford Public Library
Hamilton - Chattanooga Newspapers

Texas

Andrews - Andrews County Library
Austin - Bellville Public Library
Bee - Joe Barnhart Bee County Library
Bell - Killeen (Onsite)
Blanco - Blanco County North and South Library Districts
Cameron - Harlingen Public Library
Camp - Pittsburg-Camp County Public Library
Chambers - Chambers County Library System
Colorado - Nesbitt Memorial Library
Comal - New Braunfels Public Library
Comal - New Braunfels Public Library (Onsite)
Crane - Crane County Public Library
Dallam - XIT Museum
Frio - Dilley Public Library
Galveston - Friendswood Public Library
Grayson - Denison Public Library
Hays - San Marcos Public Library
Hidalgo - Speer Memorial Library
Hood - Hood County Public Library
Hunt - Commerce Public Library
Karnes - Karnes City Public Library
Karnes - Kenedy Public Library
Mitchell - Mitchell County Library
Oldham - Oldham County Public Library
Pecos - Fort Stockton Public Library
Pecos - Iraan Public Library
Reeves - Reeves County Library
Scurry - Scurry County Library
Swisher - Swisher County Public Library
Tarrant - John Ed Keeter Public Library
Tom Green - Tom Green County Library (Onsite)
Trinity - Blanche K. Werner Library
Victoria - Victoria College Library (Onsite)
Victoria - Victoria Public Library
Wichita - Burkburnett Public Library
Wichita - Electra Public Library
Wichita - Wichita Falls Public Library (Onsite)
Williamson - Eula Hunt Beck Florence Public Library
Wise - Decatur Public Library
Wood - Gilbreath Memorial Library

Vermont

Virginia

Frederick - Handley Regional Library
Frederick - Wayside Theater

West Virginia

Mercer - Princeton Public Library
Mineral - Potomac State College Mary Shipper Library
Ohio - Ohio County Public Library

Wisconsin

Barron - Rice Lake Public Library
Chippewa - Chippewa Falls Public Library
Columbia - Kilbourn Public Library
Dunn - Menomonie Public Library
Forest - Crandon Public Library
Jefferson - Irvin L Young Memorial Library
Juneau - Elroy Public Library

______________________________________________________

Thank you for visiting The Ancestor Hunt!

______________________________________________________

Free Online Divorce Record Collections for the Mid West States

10/5/2019

Divorce records from all over the U.S are sometimes difficult to find online. They are another hidden gem of information that can assist you in advancing your family history and genealogy research.

What can you find in these records? Obviously the dates and location of the divorce proceeding, the date and location of the marriage, the woman's maiden name, names of minor children, and the reason for the divorce. The reason can not only provide another part of your ancestor's story, but also may lead to more clues, especially in the case of desertion, where you may be able to find the location that the "deserting" party moved to.

WARNING: Some of the information in the Divorce Petitions may be difficult to read. There may be shocking claims, especially related to your ancestors' physical and emotional cruelty, or other behavior. Be prepared.

In most cases, I did not include the links to County Courts, where most divorce records are now processed and the documents held. But these divorce documents for most states are partially held in either state archives or county clerk records. So you may wish to avail yourself of these county clerk an court archives, especially those that can be searched online.

Note: Please be aware that if you find a desired divorce record in an index, that the holder of the actual materials (e.g., archive, county court, etc.) may charge a small fee to send you a copy of the material itself.

Note: Some of the links listed below take you to a FamilySearch Collection of digital images. Near the bottom of the page under Film/Digital Notes is the name of each sub-collection. If there is a camera icon at the right of the name (in the Format column) then the collections' images are browsable. If there is a camera with a key icon, it is only available at a Family History Center or affiliated library. If there is a film reel icon, then it is only available in microfilm format, not digital.

Below, listed by state are links to divorce records and indexes available for free online.

(Updated October, 2019; recently added links are in BOLD)

Illinois

Indiana

Iowa

Kansas

Michigan

Minnesota

Missouri

Nebraska

Omaha Area Divorce Announcement Index from Newspapers

North Dakota

Cass County Divorce and Civil Cases Index

Ohio

Oklahoma

South Dakota

(None yet)

Wisconsin

For free online divorce records from other states, please visit the Divorce Records page.

Good Luck and Happy Hunting!

______________________________________________________

Thank you for visiting The Ancestor Hunt!

______________________________________________________

Free Online Divorce Record Collections for the New England States

10/1/2019

Divorce records from all over the U.S are sometimes difficult to find online. They are another hidden gem of information that can assist you in advancing your family history and genealogy research.

What can you find in these records? Obviously the dates and location of the divorce proceeding, the date and location of the marriage, the woman's maiden name, names of minor children, and the reason for the divorce. The reason can not only provide another part of your ancestor's story, but also may lead to more clues, especially in the case of desertion, where you may be able to find the location that the "deserting" party moved to.

WARNING: Some of the information in the Divorce Petitions may be difficult to read. There may be shocking claims, especially related to your ancestors' physical and emotional cruelty, or other behavior. Be prepared.

In most cases, I did not include the links to County Courts, where most divorce records are now processed and the documents held. But these divorce documents for most states are partially held in either state archives or county clerk records. So you may wish to avail yourself of these county clerk an court archives, especially those that can be searched online.

Note: Please be aware that if you find a desired divorce record in an index, that the holder of the actual materials (e.g., archive, county court, etc.) may charge a small fee to send you a copy of the material itself.

Note: Some of the links listed below take you to a FamilySearch Collection of digital images. Near the bottom of the page under Film/Digital Notes is the name of each sub-collection. If there is a camera icon at the right of the name (in the Format column) then the collections' images are browsable. If there is a camera with a key icon, it is only available at a Family History Center or affiliated library. If there is a film reel icon, then it is only available in microfilm format, not digital.

Below, listed by state are links to divorce records and indexes available for free online.

(Updated October, 2019; recently added links are in BOLD)

Connecticut

Maine

Massachusetts

New Hampshire

Rhode island

(None yet)

Vermont

For free online divorce records from other states, please visit the Divorce Records page.

Good Luck and Happy Hunting!

______________________________________________________

Thank you for visiting The Ancestor Hunt!

______________________________________________________

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