Jesse Roberts Jesse Roberts

Recommended Online Archives and Websites- Ongoing List

Check out my ongoing list of historical archives, websites, and other resources to help you on your research journey.

Last Updated: 1/21/2025

Here is a list of online archives I recommend for conducting historical research. These sites have helped me countless times. This list is ongoing, and I will continue to add to it.

The Internet Archive- Archive.org website: Archive.org is arguably the best historical research resource on the internet. It is a massive archive containing historical collections, documents, books, videos, sound files, and so much more. You can search the Wayback Machine too if you’re looking for archived web pages. Use the search tool to look for certain keywords, or you can use the search bar to search for text contents across their website. If you do a text search you will get hits for your keyword in all their collections, including individual books. With character recognition for their books, you can do a detailed search in any book or document you select. This is AMAZING.

Archive-It- Archive-it website: This site stands as an archiving site for anyone looking to create online collections pertaining to cultural preservation. You can search by institution, or keyword. You can search countless museums, universities, non-profits, government organizations, and more.

HathiTrust- HathiTrust site: HathiTrust is a collaborative effort between academic and research libraries around the world. This collection is massive! It is a fully searchable archive of documents and other resources. This site is a lifesaver!

National Library of Medicine- NLM site: When writing my dissertation on Civil War Medicine, this site was vital. Of course, this site will be for you IF you’re researching historical or scientific or medical topics.

WorldCat- WorldCat site: If you want to find out where primary sources are located, or what primary sources exist for your topic, this is the site. WorldCat shows you what archives or institutions are holding the sources you need. This site can also help you find digitized items. There is a similar site titled ArchiveGrid here. Both sites work the same way! This is a great way to start researching any topic.

U.S. National Archives- NARA Site: I know this one is pretty far down the list. Of course, this is a go to for conducting historical research. The only downside is the confusion that ensues using the site. It is not really organized well and can be frustrating to use. The site has a lot of digitized items, but it’s a tiny fraction of what they have if you go to the National Archives. I wouldn’t depend on this if you’re trying to do deep research from home. If you can go to the National Archives for research, it is an incredible experience. You can order items from them, but it’s expensive and takes forever to get anything. It runs like a government organization unfortunately. There have been times I’ve contacted them and didn’t hear back for months, like SIX months. You can order microfilm reels, but their ordering system is incredibly confusing, and each reel is over $100. There is another way to conduct research at the archives. You can hire a researcher who knows the archive and lives locally. They will copy whatever info you need, but it is very pricey. If are trying to do original research for a book-length project, then hiring a researcher is probably unrealistic. If you want records for ancestry research, or some snippets of info then this is probably better than driving to the archives.

Library of Congress- LOC site: Same as the National Archives. There is a ton of information here, and it’s a great start. There is a lot of digitized material here that you can check out, but it can be confusing to use.

Library and Archives of Canada- LAC Site- This site is incredible. You can get lost for days researching here. I’ve used this to research Canadian WWI units. There’s so many digitized records here! It’s relatively easy to use and if you get confused or lost then use their research guide here. I found my grandfather’s WWI records here, including X-Rays taken after he was wounded during the war. If you want to do any research on Canada, or WWI, this is a great place to start. Unfortunately, many of the British WWI records were destroyed during the Battle of Britain during WWII, so the Canadian archives can help you fill in some holes if you’re doing research on WWI.

The Travel Film Archive- Travel Film Archive Site- This archive is a great place to head down a rabbit hole. You have to sign up for a free account to gain access to a mountain of archival footage. You can travel around the world and through time at once! I highly recommend. This is a great spot to find inspiration for some writing, content making, or research project ideas.

TimeMap.org- Timemap.org let’s you select any era of world history and any part of the world, giving you an interactive look at the historical happenings of that era and region. It is a fun tool to help you visualize changing history!

Old Maps Online- old maps online site- Explore historic maps of the world. You can go through any region and see these old maps. They are great primary sources for you research. You can create an account and save whatever maps you like for ease of access!

Public Domain Image Archive- Public Domain Image Archive Site- This site offers an incredible collection of historic images that are free to use! It is a growing list of images and the archive works in conjunction with the Public Domain Review. The project is relatively new so the list keeps on growing! Have fun exploring and using these images however you see fit.

American Journeys- website- This site offers a collection of primary sources related to the discovery and exploration of America.

Internet Ancient History Sourcebook: website- Fordham University offers free links to ancient world primary sources. The website is somewhat outdated and clunky, but you can find what you’re looking for on there if you play around with it.

History Archive- historyarchive.org- This digital archive was put together to make researching history more accessible via the internet. Like most online archives the resources are always growing. This site lets you examine history from around the world.

Harvard University Databases- Website- University websites are underrated sources for historical resources. Practically any university in the world offers some semblance of historical resources. Each school tends to have a unique focus so with a little online searching you can usually find universities studying what you’re interested in. This is a list of databases. University libraries, and local libraries, offer many research resources including databases, database listing, and research guides. Research guides, like databases, are wonderful places to start and they can often lead you to other, even better sites. This Havard University Database list focuses on the Classics, giving you research tools to understand the ancient world.

The National Park Service- Website- The National Park Service site is a great reference tool and research starting point. Use it search military units, battlefields, individual veterans, and other historical resources.

National Park Service: Civil War Soldier Search- Website- This tool lets you search for recorded Civil War veterans. Just a quick word of advice: don’t get discouraged if you don’t find the name you’re looking for on the first try. First, check for any potential spelling alternatives, even if it would make the name different. Second, use initials. Civil War names are often recorded as initials, or a first name with an initial. For example, John Harrison Smith may be written as J.H. Smith, John H. Smith, or even J. Harrison Smith. Sometimes you will find that the middle initials are wrong, or they may have many initials, like John Harrison Emmit Smith might be John H. E. Smith.

If you are searching for any name, I recommend using the middle initial every time. It will help you differentiate between soldiers of the same name. Now, if 200 John H. Smith names pop up, then try to use other identifiers like unit numbers, states of enlistment, year of service, and branch of service (Infantry, Cavalry, Artillery, Navy, Marines, etc.)

Sometimes, you may struggle to find the name you’re searching for. Their records may be hard to track down for numerous reasons. Sadly, their names could have been recorded incorrectly. Civil War records are hand-written, and digitization of records requires someone or a machine to read the writing. This can be transcribed wrongly, or the records may have been taken down that way. In some cases, records can be lost. Confederate records are certainly hit-or-miss, and many were destroyed at the end of the war as fires raged in Richmond, VA.

Hershenson-Allen Image Archive- Website- Bruce Hershenson and Richard Allen merged their movie poster collections together, making this one of the largest collections in the world! This is a great time portal to the days when movies were still great.

Public Domain Media Search Engine- Website- If you need an image for any reason, this is a great place to check. These are all free to use and in the Public Domain.

Harry Ransom Center- website- This is an awesome archive! The Harry Ransom Center is located at the University of Texas-Austin. The center is focused on art, culture, and literature. They have an incredible collection of movie posters, movie lore, and other cultural artifacts that are being uploaded digitally. I highly recommend it!

UCLA Library Digital Collections- Website- This digital archive has over 340 collections available on their site. They have a variety of topics to check out, including archival information from the film industry, archaeology, and other areas.

University of Southern California Digital Library- website- Like UCLA, USC has digital collections for the study of the entertainment industries like film, music, and art. Their digital collections include, architecture, exile studies, Los Angeles community collections, science, and many different subjects.

Media History Digital Library- website- The Media History Public Library is an online library focused on film, broadcasting, and recorded sound. It includes archived editions of magazines, newspapers, and books.

The American Civil War Museum- website- This links to the American Civil War Museum’s digital archive. The museum has scanned thousands of photographs from the war along with hundreds of objects.

Medical Antiques Online: Website link- The Arbittier Museum of Medical History hosts this website. The museum is made up of the private collection of Dr. Doug Arbittier, and this website is a trove of information on old medical books, antiques, medical information, and more. The site certainly has an early-2000s feel, but there is so much information on there, and if you’re at all interested in medical history, Civil War medicine, or medical antiques, this is the site to check out.

Journal of the American Revolution- Website- This website is one of the definitive sites on the American Revolution. The contributors there pack this site full with anything you can think of to satiate your revolutionary curiosity. I highly recommend signing up for their daily email newsletter, it’s definitely worth it.

The Civil War in the East: Website-This site is put on by Stone Sentinels, a battlefield tour group. This site is meant to give background information on Civil War units and other aspects of the Eastern Civil War campaign.

Notes: This list is ongoing and nowhere near exhaustive. Check back periodically for more sites!

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