The greatest accumulation of information on Colonial America records that I have found is on Ancestry, unfortunately via their paid subscription. However, I’ve also had luck in finding certain books that document the records on Google Books (Click here to see examples of how I use that tool).

There is also FamilySearch, which has many vital records and books as well and, though they require you sign up for an account, it’s free. It’s run by the LDS Church but provides similar vital records and census files as Ancestry (which is also run out of Utah).

One of the available resources at FamilySearch is access to links out to digitized copies of A Geneaological Dictionary of the First Settlers of New England by volume to Google Books or Internet Archive. Just click that hyperlink to see those options.

Internet Archive is another great possible source of the written histories from the Colonial period - the texts tend to come up with Google searches so you don’t have to scour that site itself.

For Colonial American records, there are also the smaller local Historical Societies can be a great help - Windsor, Connecticut’s is particularly active, and Salem, Massachusetts, has quite the active hub for historic information as well. Here are the links for Rhode Island Historical Society (records of the Jamestown Historical Society are here), Massachusetts Historical Society, CT Gen Web, and Mayflower ancestor search via American Ancestors.

This is a public post so feel free to drop links to your Colonial America resources in the comments.

GenTales

Resources for Colonial America Research