The 50 State Archives and the District of Columbia
Their Historical and Genealogical Societies,
and State Vital Records Agencies,
with old style postal abbreviations.

We've tried to put all of the general links to the various States all on one page so it is more convenient. Here you will find the State Archives and Libraries, Historical Societies, and Genealogical Societies. Below that is a link to Vital Chek, the online order system that many states are now using as an online order processor for vital records. A few states are using it exclusively. It does cost a few dollars more, but it usually takes only a few days to obtain the record, as opposed to several weeks in some cases ordering direct.

The final link for each state is to the official vital records bureau for each state. Here you will find the rules, regulations, cost, availability and procedures required to order vital records yourself.

In most cases, these link to invaluable research resource for genealogists, and many states have created special links just for genealogy researchers; some even provide searchable databases for your use. In some cases, the State Historical Society has been designated as the State Archives. Some societies are private concerns and our listing is for information purposes and does not constitute an endorsement of the organization or their services.

In the lower-left sidebar, you will find links to the various United States GenWeb state sites.
All of these sites have a tendency to change addresses often, and while we try and check them monthly, with nearly a quarter of a million links on our site, this is not always possible. If you find a bad link, please click on the webmaster link at the bottom of this page and let us know.
Thank you -

United States National Archives and Records Administration
Genealogy Room

Our On-line State Records and Links