Delaware Genealogy & Local History Research

Delaware
Genealogy & History

On this page you will find links to high quality digital resources and specialized search engines, which I have found helpful while doing local and family history research in Delaware. This resources page is divided into major subtopics — eBooks, genealogy, photos, maps newspapers, old house research and more. I have concentrated on free, high quality on-demand digital content. Scroll down the page to examine these the links to these sites.

Resource Pages for Genealogy & Local History Research

Delaware Resources

eBooks

Directories

The Delaware State Directory and Gazetteer for 1874-75, by William H. Boyd, The Commerical Printing Company of Wilmington — A scan from the University of Michigan on the Internet Archive.

Telephone Directories from Delaware — Diamond State Telephone Company directories; 1913 - 1937, with some missing volumes — scan by the Library of Congress

Thomson's Mercantile and Professional Director for Delaware, Maryland, Virginia . . ., 1851-52; William Thomson

Wilmington Directory (1853) by Joshua T. Heald

Digital Libraries with Online Books

Digital Public Library of America -- The Digital Public Library makes millions of materials from libraries, archives, museums and other cultural institutions across the country available through its search portal.

Hathi Trust _- This repository has many Delaware titles on this site, a partnership of academic & research institutions.)

Google Books - This service from Google searches the full text of books and magazines that Goole has scanned.

Internet Archive -- This is a nonprofit library of millions of free books, movies, software, music, websites, and more.

Delaware Titles Online

Address on the history of the boundaries of the state, John W. Houston, 1879

The Delaware Continentals, 1776 - 1783, Christopher L. Ward, 1941

Delaware Pubic Archives ebooks -- Titles from the heritage collection.

Delaware State Directory and Gazetteer for 1874-75, Wm. H. Boyd

Dutch Explorers, Traders and Settles in the Delaware, C. A. Weslager

Dutch and Swedish Place-Names in Delaware by A. R. Dunlap

Geographical Description of the States of Maryland and Delaware; Joseph Scott, 1807

History of Delaware, 1843 - 1898, J. Thomas Scharf, 1888

History of the State of Delaware, by Francis Vincent, 1870

History of Education in Delaware, Lyman P. Powell, A.B

Industries of Delaware: Historical & Descriptive Review (1880))

Little Known History of Newark, Delaware and its Environs, Francis Allyn Cooch, 1936

The Majestic Delaware, the nation's foremost historic river, Francis Burke Brandt, 1929

Philadelphia, Wilmington and Baltimore Railroad Guide; Charles P. Dare, 1856

Wilmington, .Delaware Three Centuries Under Four Flag, 1609 - 1937

Newspapers

Free Online Newspapers

DE Newspapers at Chronicling American from the Library of Congress -- Includes the Middletown Transcript (1868-1884), the Wilmington Daily Gazette (1872-1883), and more.

Historical Eastern Shore Newspapers from the Nabb Center -- Includes Delaware Advertiser & Farmers Journal, Delaware Weekly and Delaware Weekly Advertiser & Farmer's Journal - 1828 - 1831

Middletown Transcript, from the Library of Congress, 1868-1922

New Castle City Papers -- From the New Castle Public Library (1930 - 2019)

Newark Post from the Library of Congress, 1912-1924

Newark Post - Digitized copies from the U of DE from 1913 to 2011

The Review -- The student paper at the U of DE, from 1970 to 2o12

Sunday Morning Star (Wilmington) - 1880s to 1950 -- (This is a Google newspaper product, which is text searchable. It's an excellent Delaware resource

Subscription Databases

Genealogy Bank

Delaware Newspapers -- A wide range of newspapers from Newspapers.com, a subscription service

Genealogy

Delaware Birth Records, 1800 - 1908

Delaware Death Records, 1811 - 1933

Delaware Marriage Records, 1744 - 1912

Delaware Marriage Records, 1806 - 1933

Genealogy Guide from the Delaware Division of Libraries - Links to many resources.

Kent County Probate Records, 1680 - 1800

New Castle County Wills, 1682 - 1800

Sussex County Probate Records, 1680 - 1800

Wilmington, Catholic Diocese Cemeteries Index, 1876 - 2012

Photos

Delaware Digital Collections at the U of DE - A diversified collection of resources, including photographs, postcards, oral histories, Civil War era diaries and letters, newspapers and much more.

Delaware Heritage Collection -- Photos, audio/video and other important items documenting Delaware's history and culture.

Delaware Public Archives - Digital Collections of photographs and much more.

Maps

Search Engines

Coast Survey - Historical Map & Chart Collection

Library of Congress - Map Division

Old Maps Online (excellent map search engine for any needs interfacing with major map repositories.)

USGS Topographic Map Explorer (many high quality USGS maps for Delaware spanning over 100 years.

Delaware Maps

Atlas of the State of Delaware, Pomeroy & Beers, 1868

Delaware Aerial Maps - From the 1930s forward, this site contains aerial maps of the states and much more.

DHCA CHRIS Map -- A web-based mapping system from the Division of Cultural and Historical Resources. It listed National Register of Historic Places and National Historic Landmarks and provides details on those cultural resources.

Map of Kent County, Delaware, J. H. French, 1859

Map of New Castle County, Delaware, G. M. Hopkins & Co., 1881

New Castle County, Samuel M. Rea, 1849, from the Library of Congress

New Castle County Map. Rae & Price, 1849 - (high quality zoomable version)

Sketches & Special Maps

Birds Eye View - Clayton, O. H. Bailey & Co. 1885

Birds Eye View - Dover, O H. Bailey & Co., 1885

Birds Eye View, Georgetown, O H. Bailey & Co., 1885

Birds Eye View, Harrington, O. H. Bailey & Co., 1885

Birds Eye View, Middletown, O H. Bailey & Co., 1885

Birds Eye View, Milford, O H. Bailey & Co., 1885

Birds Eye View - Smyrna, O H. Bailey & Co, 1885

Birds Eye View - Wilmington, H. H. Bailey & Co., 1874

Hexamer General Survey Maps -- fire insurance maps for industries in Cecil County -- From the Philadelphia Free Library

County Property Maps - Official

DE- Kent County Online Map

DE -- New Castle County GIS Map Viewer -- You may look up a variety of map layers including aerial photos and property transactions

DE - Sussex County Online Map

Miscellaneous

Dover, DE Municipal Records - Full text, including city minutes, committees, and commissions, beginning in the 1920s.

Old House Research Guid e by New Castle County Dept of Planing

TESTIMONIALS

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-- Genealogical Society President

"The amount of knowledge Mike displayed and the way he was able to convey information in a relative short time frame was great."

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Delaware ​Genealogy & History