General History Resources

• The Age of Imperialism 
• American and British History Resources on the Internet 
• American History 
  From About.com.
• American Journeys: Eyewitness Accounts of Early American Exploration and Settlement 
  Contains more than 17,000 pages of eyewitness accounts of North American exploration, from the sagas of Vikings in Canada in AD 1000 to the diaries of mountain men in the Rockies 800 years later. Read the words of explorers, Indians, missionaries, traders and settlers as they lived through the founding moments of American history.
• American Refuge: The Impact of European Religious Societies on Immigration and Settlement Patterns in America 
  Article by Rickie Lazzerini. An exploration of the various relgious groups that immigrated to America from Europe to escape religious persecution. This paper concentrates on those groups that sought to isolate themselves from mainstream society in utopian, communal and agricultural societies and why they were attracted to America.
• The Avalon Project : Colonial Charters, Grants and Related Documents 
  General Charters, Connecticut, Delaware, Georgia, Maine, Maryland, Masachusetts, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, North Carolina, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, South Carolina, Vermont, Virginia.
• Early American History 
  An archive of rare documents about America's earliest inhabitants, and the 'discovery' and 'settlement' of America through the end of the 19th century.
• eBay Listings: County History 
  Online auction service for buying & selling.
• ePodunk 
  Profiles (including county affiliation) of more than 25,000 towns, villages and cities across the country. The site includes historic sites, historic districts, museums, parks, school districts and vintage post cards.
• Dust-Bowl-Roots-L Home Page 
  Website for the Dust-Bowl-Roots-L mailing list, which covers the Dust Bowl migration of the 1930s and 40s.
• Footnote.com - American Milestone Documents 
  Footnote is an online repository for original historical documents, combined with the ability for users to make comments, annotations, and upload their own documents. Some areas of Footnote are free to use, while others can be freely searched and then viewed with a paid subscription.
• GenealogyBank.com - Search Historical Documents 1789-1980 
  Find military records, casualty lists, Revolutionary and Civil War pension requests, widow's claims, orphan petitions, land grants and much more including all of the American State Papers (1789-1838) and all genealogical content carefully selected from the U.S. Serial Set (1817-1980). More than 133,000 reports, lists and documents. New content added monthly.
• History Buff's Home Page 
  Created by the Newspaper Collectors Society of America.
• The History Channel 
• HistorySeek! History Search Engine and Historical Information 
  HistorySeek! is a directory search engine specifically made for historians, genealogists, scholars and history enthusiasts.
• HyperHistory Online 
• Index of Resources for Historians 
• Internet History Sourcebooks Project 
  Collections of public domain and copy-permitted historical texts for educational purposes.
• Internet Resources for Historians 
• Making of America 
  Scanned images in this collection which contains approximately 1,600 books and 50,000 journal articles with 19th century imprints.
• The National Park Service - Links to the Past 
• National Register of Historic Places 
  From the National Parks Service.
• National Register of Historic Places 
  • National Register of Historic Places - State Listings 
    Locate Historic Places by State and County. There are now 78,310 places listed.
• National Trust for Historic Preservation 
• New Deal Network 
  Educational guide to the Great Depression of the 1930s.
• The Perry-Castañeda Library Map Collection - Historical Maps of the United States 
  From The University of Texas at Austin.
• Picture History 
  Images and footage illustrating more than 200 years of American history.
• Spain In America 
  Historical texts and illustrations from the First Spanish period in North America.
• Surviving the Dust Bowl 
  Companion web site to the PBS television program.
  • Map 
  • Mass Exodus from the Plains 
  • Timeline 
• The Time Page - An Examination of Cycles in U.S. History 
• ushistory.org 
  A set of web sites created and hosted by the Independence Hall Association in Philadelphia.
• U.S. History Research Guide 
• US State History Timelines 
  Provides a chronological timeline of important events and dates in the history of each of the fifty U.S. State.
• The Value of Historical Reading 
  Article by Henry B. Hoff, C.G., F.A.S.G., F.G.B.S. Originally published in The NYG&B Newsletter, Fall 1994.
• WebChron: The Web Chronology Project - The United States of America 
• Web Resources in Early American History 
• Where was the Actual Boston Tea Party Site? 
• Yahoo!...History 
• Yahoo!...History: US History 

Heading West

• CA-GOLDRUSH Mailing List 
  For anyone who is interested in early California miners and settlers, especially in northern California, 1848-1880. Archives: browse or search.
• Early California Population Project 
  Provides public access to all the information contained in California's historic mission registers, records that are of unique and vital importance to the study of California, the American Southwest, and colonial America. From the Huntington Library.
  • Search the Database 
    Online searchable database of baptism, marriage, and burial records of each of the California missions from 1769-1850. An extraordinary wealth of unique information on the Indians, soldiers, & settlers of Alta California.
  • User Guide 
• The First American West: The Ohio River Valley, 1750-1820 
  Consists of 15,000 pages of original historical material documenting the land, peoples, exploration, and transformation of the trans-Appalachian West including Illinois, Indiana, Ohio, Kentucky & West Virginia from the mid-eighteenth to the early nineteenth century.
• Fort Robinson Museum  ~ Crawford, Nebraska
• The Frontier in American Culture 
  From the The University of Washington Libraries.
• Frontier Living: An Illustrated Guide to Pioneer Life in America 
  A book by Edwin Tunis.
• The Hudson's Bay Company Archives 
  From the Provincial Archives of Manitoba, Canada.
• Milestone Historic Documents - The Northwest Ordinance 
  An Ordinance for the Government of the Territory of the United States, North-West of the River Ohio. As it appears in the Supplement to the First Volume of the Columbian Magazine, Philadelphia, 1787. Explains the Northwest Ordinance and its significance, full text online and scanned copy of original document.
• Mountain Men and the Fur Trade 
  Sources of the History of the Fur Trade in the Rocky Mountain West.
• Northwest Ordinance of 1787 
• The Old Army in Texas: A Research Guide to the U.S. Army in Nineteenth-Century Texas 
  A book by Thomas T. Smith.
• Orphan Trains 
  See this section on the "Orphans" category on Cyndi's List.
• Pioneer Women: The Lives of Women on the Frontier 
  A book by Linda Peavy.
• Pony Express Home Station 
• Prairie Settlement: Nebraska Photographs and Family Letters 
  Digital collection integrates two collections from the holdings of the Nebraska State Historical Society, the Solomon D. Butcher photographs and the letters of the Uriah W. Oblinger family. Together they illustrate the story of settlement on the Great Plains.
• Sod Walls 
  A book by Roger Welcsh.
• Valdez Gold Rush Centennial 
  • Valdez Museum & Historical Archive - Rush Participants Database 
    Valdez Gold Rush 1898-1899, Names Database.
• Websteader: Pioneer Dugouts, 1830-1999 
  Pictures and descriptions of how dugouts are constructed.
• Websteader: Pioneer Sod Houses, c. 1880-1999 
  Pictures and descriptions of how sod houses are constructed.

Historic Sites, Monuments & National Treasures

• Historic Congressional Cemetery  ~ Washington, D.C.
• Historic Valley Forge 
• History of the Erie Canal 
• Liberty Hall Historic Site 
• Monticello, Home of Thomas Jefferson 
• Mount Vernon 
  The home of our first president, George Washington.
• National Historic Landmarks Program 
• The National Park Service 
• National Register of Historic Places 
• Red Hill - The Patrick Henry National Memorial 
  The last home and burial place of Patrick HENRY. Tells all about his life, the home, buildings [7] and the Patrick HENRY Foundation.
• STATE-HISTORICAL-MARKERS Mailing List 
  Devoted to the transcription of State Historical Highway markers and their relevance to the genealogical research community. Archives: browse or search.
• Statue of Liberty National Monument and Ellis Island 
• U.S. Commission for the Preservation of America's Heritage Abroad 
  An independent agency of the Government of the United States of America established by U.S. Public Law 99-83. The law directs the Commission to-- (1) identify and report on cemeteries, monuments, and historic buildings in Eastern and Central Europe that are associated with the heritage of U.S. citizens, particularly endangered properties, and (2) obtain, in cooperation with the Department of State, assurances from the governments of the region that the properties will be protected and preserved.
• Virtual Jamestown  ~ Virginia
  Transcribed records from the first permanent English settlement in the New World. From the Virginia Center for Digital History.
  • Site Index 
    • Court Records 
    • Labor Contracts 
      • Search the Registers of Servants Sent to Foreign Plantations, 1654 - 1686  
    • Public Records 
      • Censuses 
      • Virginia Company Records 
        • Search the List of Contributers to the Virginia Company 
      • Search the Records of Christ's Hospital 
• White House Historical Association 

Libraries, Archives & Museums

• American Memory - Historical Collections for the National Digital Library 
  From the Library of Congress.
• Archiving Early America - Historic Documents from 18th Century America 
• Bancroft Library  ~ Berkeley, California
  University of California at Berkeley.
  • Biography and Genealogy Resources 
  • Collections 
    • Western Americana 
• Central Pacific Railroad Photographic History Museum - Transcontinental Railroad 
  Photographs, engravings, maps, and documents illustrating the history of the first transcontinental railroad.
• Charles Warren Center for Studies in American History  ~ Cambridge, Massachusetts
• David Library of the American Revolution  ~ Washington Crossing, Pennsylvania
• The Historical Text Archive (HTA) 
  The HTA publishes articles, books, essays, documents, historical photos, and links, screened for content, for a broad range of historical subjects. It was founded in 1990 in Mississippi and is one of the oldest history sites on the Internet.
• Huntington Library  ~ San Marino, California
• The Indian and Colonial Research Center, Inc.  ~ Connecticut
  Non-profit resource center dedicated to the study of Native American and Colonial American history and genealogy.
• Lest We Forget 
  Documents with focus on the history and culture of African-Americans.
• Library Guide to U.S. History Resources 
  University of Tennessee Libraries.
• Life History Manuscripts From the Folklore Project, WPA Federal Writer's Project 1936
• McNeil Center for Early American Studies  ~ Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
• The National Portrait Gallery 
  From the Smithsonian, includes an online exhibition of the Portraits of the Presidents.
• Presidential Libraries 
  From the National Archives and Records Administration.
• The Rutherford B. Hayes Presidential Center  ~ Fremont, Ohio
  • Biography of Rutherford B. Hayes 
  • Family Bible Collection 
    Family bibles (1800-1936) donated by Sandusky County and Northwest Ohio families. Listed by family names.
  • Hayes Genealogy 
  • RB Hayes Obituary Index 
    Online searchable index to over 230,000 obituaries, death & marriage notices & other sources mostly from the Sandusky County (Northwest Ohio) region from the 1830s to the present day.
  • Sandusky County Ohio Civil War Soldiers 
    Listing of soldiers by surname and by regiments.
• Texas Ranger Hall of Fame and Museum  ~ Waco, Texas
  • Texas Ranger Research Center 
    • Texas Rangers: Killed in the Line of Duty 
• Virginia Colonial Records Project 
  Online searchable index to nearly 15,000 reports that survey and describe documents relating to colonial Virginia history that are housed in repositories in Great Britain and other European countries. The survey report images are available online, and there are references to microfilm reels for the original documents.
• Yahoo!...Presidential Libraries 

Mailing Lists, Newsgroups & Chat

• Genealogy Resources on the Internet - General USA Mailing Lists 
  Most of the mailing list links below point to this site, wonderfully maintained by John Fuller. John indexes links for all known genealogy mailing lists, including RootsWeb and others.
• RootsWeb: Genealogy Mailing Lists: USA/Misc 
  The majority of genealogy mailing lists are hosted by RootsWeb.com. Messages on RootsWeb lists are archived. The links to RootsWeb below point you to the archives (browse or search).

• DUST-BOWL-ROOTS Mailing List 
  For anyone with a genealogical or historical interest in the Dust Bowl migrants. Archives: browse or search.
• STATE-HISTORICAL-MARKERS Mailing List 
  Devoted to the transcription of State Historical Highway markers and their relevance to the genealogical research community. Archives: browse or search.

People & Families

• 17th c. Colonial New England, with Special Emphasis on the Salem Witchcraft Trials of 1692 
• African-American Pioneers 
• African Americans on the Move: A Look at the Forced and Voluntary Movement of Blacks Within America 
  Article by Rickie Lazzerini in Kindred Trails.
• Ancestry of Lizzie BORDEN 
• The Atlantic World: America and the Netherlands / De Atlantische wereld: Amerika en Nederland 
  Explores the history of the Dutch presence in America and the interactions between the United States and the Netherlands from Henry Hudson's 1609 voyage to the post-World-War-II period.
• The BOONE Family 
• Circuit Rider / Pioneer Professionals Database 
  A database of traveling pioneer ancestors, including: circuit riders (any clergy), physicians and midwives; teachers; public servants and industrialists.
• Cyndi's List - U.S. History - Lewis & Clark 
  See this category for more links.
• Daniel Boone, The Extraordinary Life of A Common Man 
• The DONNER Party 
• The DONNER Party 
• The DONNER Party by Daniel Lewis 
• GenealogyMagazine.com - Colonial Love and Marriage 
  Myra Vanderpool Gormley's insightful article on marriage in Colonial America.
• GERMAN-AMERICAN Mailing List 
  For anyone interested in genealogy related to German immigrants and their families AFTER their arrival in America. Archives: browse or search.
• German Culture on the Skids: How World War I Changed German Culture in America 
  Article by Rickie Lazzerini. Chicago, the most German city in America at the time of the First World War, hosted a plethora of German-language newspapers and clubs. Because of this, Chicago, and other parts of Illinois, became a hotbed of anti-German sentiment. Germaniphobia went beyond place name changes and took on a violent and sinister tone when Robert Prager, a German immigrant who was thought to be disloyal, was hanged by a mob in Collinsville, Illinois. The state of Illinois provides a small-scale setting to witness how the war led to the downfall of German culture in America.
• Maryland Catholics on the Frontier 
  Maryland Catholics who migrated westward.
• METISGEN Mailing List 
  For the discussion and sharing of information regarding the Metis and their descendants. The Metis are North America's Fur Trading Children - the new nation of individuals born within North America from the first unions of natives and whites. Archives: browse or search.
• New Light on the Donner Party 
  Roster pages contain biographical and genealogical information about members of the Donner Party, including: DONNER, REED, MURPHY, GRAVES, BREEN, EDDY, MCCUTCHEN, WOLFINGER, FOSTER, KESEBERG.
• Notable Women Ancestors 
• Palatine Emigrants by Kraig Ruckel 
• Palatines to America  ~ Columbus, Ohio
  Dedicated to the study of ancestors from all German-speaking lands, not just the Palatinate.
• Pocahontas Descendants 
  Descendants of Powhatan (Father of Pocahontas).
• The Portuguese in New England 
  Article by Rickie Lazzerini. New England has provided a home for many immigrant groups, but none rival the cultural impact of the Portuguese. Portuguese immigration to New England is both old and new, beginning during the colonial times and continuing into the twenty-first century. The roots laid down by the first Portuguese settlers in the 18th century created a legacy of chain migration that has lasted for over 200 years.
• Quilt History Books from Halstead & Meadows Publishing 
  The quilt history books are intimate portraits of nineteenth-century women and their related families. Family names include SPAULDING, REED, WRIGHT, LEE, EVANS, BLOWERS, TOLFORD, BILLS, CROSBY, WISWELL, CORD, HARRIS, MITCHELL, ROSEBERRY, STALLCUP, SWAN, HUGHES, BIGGS, NICHOLS, GOLDEN, HOWARD, MATHER, PRICE, ROHMAN, and AUGSPURGER, to name only a few.
• Researching the Genealogy of Almanzo and Laura INGALLS WILDER 
• RiverRats Mailing List 
  For discussions of the Mississippi River "people" living on, working on, and involved in life on the "river." Any family living in any county bordering the Mississippi River, or living "on" the river, is welcome. Archives: browse or search.
• ROOTS-L Resources: Historical Groups 
  Links to several articles and sites regarding various groups, such as the Lewis & Clark expedition and many more.
• Salem Massachusetts Witch Trials 
• SALEM-WITCH Mailing List 
  A genealogy and history mailing list for descendants of the people involved in the Salem Witchcraft Trials of 1692 -- the accusers and the accused, the afflicted and the executed, as well as the magistrates, clergy, jurors, and anyone affected by the proceedings. Archives: browse or search.
• Salem Witch Trials Chronology 
• Salem Witch Trials Documentary Archive and Transcription Project 
  Includes transcribed and scanned court records, maps, and more.
• Trade Goods - Midwestern Genealogy / History Prior to 1840 
  Biographies and histories of traders, merchants, chiefs, officers, voyagers related to the mid-North American fur trade era prior to the 1840s.
• Where Did The Swedes Go? 
  The Causes of Swedish Immigration and Settlement Patterns in America written by Historian, Rickie Lazzerini. This research examines the Swedes of New Sweden and the Swedes of the 19th and early 20th centuries in order to explore the reasons they came to America and how those reasons helped dictate where they settled.
• Yahoo!...History: Exploration: Cook, James (1728-1779) 
  Dozens of links about this famous explorer.

Presidents & Politicians

The links for Presidents in this section have been moved to a category of their own:

• Cyndi's List - U.S. - Presidents
• Biographical Dictionary of Pennsylvania Legislators 
  Historical essays about Pennsylvania legislators during the colonial, Revolutionary War, and early national periods.
• Charles Curtis - Vice-President of the United States (1929-1933) 
  History of his career and a genealogy listing of his family.
• Colonial Hall: Biographies of America's Founding Fathers 
• Congressional Biographical Directory 
  Biographical directory of the United States Congress 1774 to present.
• Genealogy of the DAVIS Family 
  Jefferson Davis, President of C.S.A.
• Gen. James Robertson of TN: History & Genealogy 
  Gen. James Randolph Robertson is a significant historical personality. Andrew Jackson called him the "Father of Tennessee" for leading the perilous settlement, far beyond the then frontier, into the middle TN area.
• Governor John WEBSTER of Hartford, Connecticut and Hadley, Massachusetts 
• OK-POLITICAL-HISTORY Mailing List 
  For anyone with a genealogical interest in Oklahoma politicians including those in pre-statehood Territorial governments, post-statehood State government, and local governments during both of these periods. Archives: browse or search.
• The Political Graveyard 
  "The Web Site That Tells Where the Dead Politicians are Buried".
• TX-EARLY-LEADERS Mailing List 
  For anyone with a genealogical interest in early political officers, both appointed and elected, in Texas. Archives: browse or search.

Publications, Software & Supplies

• Cyndi's List Genealogy Bookstore 
  A categorized list of genealogy research books that looks a lot like my bookshelf at home.

• Amazon.com Genealogy Bookstore - U.S. History 
  The following are individual book titles of interest for this topic. The book links below point to the Amazon.com bookstore online where you may purchase the book if you wish. These links are provided to bring these published resources to your attention as an aid to your research. Follow the links to books of interest to make note of their title, author, publisher, and ISBN. You might then use this information to obtain the book from your local library or your favorite corner book shop.
  • American Heritage Magazine 
    Save over 50% off the cover price.
  • American Exodus: The Dust Bowl Migration and Okie Culture in California 
    A book by James N. Gregory.
  • American History Illustrated Magazine 
    Save 25% off the cover price.
  • Bringing Your Family History to Life Through Social History 
    A book by Katherine Scott Sturdevant.
  • Colonial American English: A Glossary 
    A book by Richard M. Lederer.
  • Smithsonian Magazine 
    Save over 50% off the cover price.
  • WPA Historical Records Survey: A Guide to the Unpublished Inventories, Indexes, and Transcripts 
    A book by the Society of American Archivists.
• eBay Listings: County History 
  Online auction service for buying & selling.
• History Magazine 
  From the publishers of Family Chronicle Magazine.

Societies & Groups

• American Historical Association (AHA) 
  A nonprofit membership organization founded in 1884 and incorporated by Congress in 1889 for the promotion of historical studies, the collection and preservation of historical documents and artifacts, and the dissemination of historical research.
• American Association for State and Local History 
• California Mission Studies Association 
• National Trust for Historic Preservation 
• The Order of the Founders and Patriots of America 
• Presidential Families Of America 
  Hereditary society dedicated to identifying and preserving the family history records of presidents of the United States of America.
• Supreme Court Historical Society 
• The United States Historical Society  ~ Richmond, Virginia

Temperance & Prohibition

• American Temperance & Prohibition 
• Anti-Saloon League and Museum 1893 to 1933  ~ Westerville, Ohio
• Ardent Spirits: The Origins of the American Temperance Movement 
• Rum, Riot and Reform 
  Temperance in Maine.
• Sons of Temperance Friendly Society 
  • Our Heritage 
• Temperance Orders 
• Text and Articles on the Washingtonian Temperance Society 
• Woman's Christian Temperance Union 
  • History 

War & the Military

• The Alamo 
• Alamo Defenders: A Genealogy: The People and Their Words 
  A book by Bill Groneman.
• Alphabetical List of San Jacinto Veterans 
• Blood of Noble Men: The Alamo Siege and Battle 
  A book by Alan C. Huffines.
• AMERICAN-REVOLUTION Mailing List 
  For the discussion of events during the American Revolution and genealogical matters related to the American Revolution. The French-Indian Wars and the War of 1812 are also suitable topics for discussion. Archives: browse or search.
• The Aroostook War 
• Custer Battlefield Historical & Museum Association 
• Daughters of the Republic of Texas Library  ~ San Antonio, Texas
• Flags of the Texas Revolution 
• The French and Indian Raid on Deerfield, Massachusetts, 1704 
• San Jacinto Monument and Museum 
• Sons of DeWitt Colony Texas 
  For the study and dissemination of information about the DeWitt Colony in the period 1700-1846.
  • War of Independence 1832-1836 
• Texas Army of 1836 
  Alphabetical roster of men present at the battle of San Jacinto, the Harrisburg Camp, at Gonzales, at the Seige of Bexar, at the Alamo before its fall, or at Goliad.
• Texas Revolution 
• Texian Iliad: A Military History of the Texas Revolution, 1835-1836 
  A book by Stephen L. Hardin.
• Underground Railroad Resources From the National Underground Railroad Freedom Center.

The Wild West

The links in this section have been moved to a category of their own:

• Cyndi's List - Cowboys, Ranchers and The Wild West

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