States Archives – Florida to Kansas



doing researchFlorida – The Florida Memory Archives maintained by the State of Florida uses their massive archive collection and library. A highlight is the Photography Collection with more than 160,000 images. There is also film and video clips, images of historical documents ranging from the Spanish colonial period to the Civil War to the 20th century. With the Collections, Databases, Finding Aids and Indexes there are World War One service card, folk life collection, Spanish land grants, Confederate pension files, documents from 1800 to 2000 and women’s history. There is also the online digital collections done by the University of Florida with a vast collection of newspapers from across the state covering the 19th and 20th centuries. Comment: An excellent online collection especially of the photos, WW I service cards and the newspapers.

Idaho – Contains over half a million digital records online including naturalization records, death records, Civil War veteran files, state military guard, old soldier’s home and probate files. At the Idaho State Historical Society there are many photographic collections, document and photos on mining, oral histories and a reconstructed 1890 census of Idaho. Comment: A nice variety of information and easy to search through.

Illinois – At the Illinois State Archives with a massive online database which include veterans from War of 1812, Mexican War, Civil War, Spanish-American War and World War One. There are birth, marriage and death indexes, criminal files, probate, coroner’s files, property ownership, detailed maps, Chicago homicide records, naturalization papers, poor house records as well as slavery and emancipation records. The Illinois Digital Archives has life in Elmwood Park, Black history, newspapers, photos, maps, firefighters, Abraham Lincoln, Native Indians, oral histories and documents related to World War One and Two. In the state library of Digital Illinois there are postcard collections, cemeteries, maps, photos and histories of Illinois towns to name a few of their items. Comment: Using all three of the digital sources can provide a treasure chest of information.

Indiana – The Indiana Digital Archives has databases with death records, military files, naturalization records, prison records, vocational schools, registry of Negroes and mulattoes 1853-54, various state government records, children’s homes, circuit court records and homestead databases. Comment: A good and easy site to search for a variety of items in Indiana.

Kansas – The Kansas Memory site allows you to search each county. There is a good search engine. A large agricultural section, historical places, industry and business of Kansas, notable people, Native Indians and reservations, towns of Kansas, maps, manuscripts, photos, service clubs, postcards, Kansas disasters and events based on a time line. Comment: The online material covers a good deal about the history, people and towns of Kansas over the decades.

< Return To Blog

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published.