Archives are record repositories genealogists should know about and use to help with their research. The world’s genealogical and historical records are collected, preserved and stored in archives across the world.
An archive is defined by the Society of American Archivists as: an organization that collects the records of individuals, families, or other organizations.[1]
County archives
County Archives collect and preserve local government records, genealogical and historical records. They are often part of the local government or operated by nonprofits and volunteers. These archives could hold government records such as court records, deeds, probate records and tax records. County Archives also have various types of genealogical and historical records such as vertical files, manuscript collections, photographs, scrapbooks, diaries, family histories and various loose records collections. The Stewart County Archives is an example of a county archive.
State archives
State Archives collect and preserve government records along with historical and genealogical records from across the state it is located. State Archives have various types of records such as vertical files, manuscript collections, photographs, scrapbooks, diaries, family histories, county government records and history of the particular state the archives represents. The Tennessee State Library and Archives is an example of a State Archive.
Historical societies
A historical society collects and preserves historical and genealogical records of the area they are representing. A historical society could be for a city, county, state, region or even country. Historical society has genealogical and historical records pertaining to the history of the area they represent including local events, local families and special historical aspects of their area. The Tennessee Historical Society is an example of a historical society.
Genealogical societies
A genealogical society collects and preserves local genealogical records for the families that have lived in the area. Genealogical societies pay close attention to surnames in their region and try to collect records about those families that have lived in the regions they represent. The Kentucky Genealogical Society is an example of a Genealogical Society.
Museums
Museums are archives containing genealogical and historical records. They put these records on exhibit and display in the museum but they also have back rooms that contain more records. The National Museum of African American History & Culture is an example of a museum.
Libraries
Libraries can have archived records and genealogical reference books on their shelves. Some libraries have separate genealogy rooms with records or they could have genealogy and history sections full of reference books to help genealogists. The Allen County Public Library is an example of a good genealogy library.
University and college archives
University and college archives collect and preserve the college’s records but they also collect and preserve genealogical and historical records that have been donated to them from local citizens or their alumni. Some Universities and Colleges have more than one archive on their campus. The Austin Peay State University Archives & Special Collections is an example of this type of archive.
Church Archives
Church Archives collect and preserve the records pertaining to a particular denomination or religion. These archives contain church histories, membership registers and information about the particular religion they represent. Church Archive records could be located at the individual churches or collected and housed at a larger repository like the Southern Baptist Historical Library & Archives.
Regional archives
Regional Archives collect and preserve the records and history of a particular region. These archives are a place to learn about their particular region and the culture they are known and the history of that region. The Archives of the Appalachia is an example of a regional archive.
The term “archive” is not solely used to represent a county or state archive; any organization that accepts, collects and preserves historical and genealogical documents, records, memorabilia and artifacts is considered an archive even if they don’t have the word “archive” in their title or on their building.
An online tool to locate archives is Cyndi’s List. This resource has archives of all kinds arranged by location to help researchers locate archives in the areas they are researching.
MyHeritage has records on their website that have come from various types of archives like the ones listed above.
See also
Explore more about archives and repositories
- Daniel’s Favorites: 5 Amazing Archives Well Worth a Visit on the MyHeritage Blog
- Search historical records on MyHeritage
- Finding school records in the archives by Melissa Barker on A Genealogist in The Archives