Free Databases Found at fold3.com

As I commented several days ago, I’ve been a long-time subscriber to Footnote.com and have just renewed my subscription for another year, renewing this time to fold3.com. A year’s full-access subscription is only $59.95, and worth every nickel…

If you’re not acquainted with fold3.com (formerly footnote.com), check out the following 43 databases – all of which can be accessed at no charge – with no subscription needed – at fold3.com. They’re not all genealogy-oriented, but they’re all interesting. The site currently boasts 75,504,596 images, as well as 99,293,071 memorial pages. Those numbers may have changed by the time you read this.

• American Milestone Documents – View images of original documents representing some of the most historic milestones in United States history – 100% complete – 69 images
• Amistad – Federal court records – NARA M1753. Court records pertaining to the claims of salvage for the Spanish schooner “Amistad,” seized in 1839 by the US Navy – 100% complete – 746 images
• Amistad – Supreme Court records – NARA M2012. This Supreme Court case deals with issues of salvage of the “Amistad,” a ship carrying slaves seized by the US Navy in 1839 – 100% complete – 1,025 images
• Anti-Slavery Manuscripts Collection – Letters and related documents from those involved in the anti-slavery movement in Massachusetts, dated approximately 1830-1870 – 100% complete – 4,509 images
• Apollo Missions – Illustrations and photos documenting the Apollo missions of the 1960s – 100% complete – 6,743 images
• Brady Civil War Photos – NARA T252. Brady coordinated a team of photographers to document the Civil War, resulting in over 5,600 portraits, landscapes, and battle scenes – 100% complete – 6,479 images
• Civil Rights FBI Case Files – Select case files from the FBI relating to deaths in the 1960s – 100% complete – 2756 images
• Civil War Maps – Maps, charts, and atlases depicting battles, troop positions and movements, engagements, and fortifications during the Civil War, 1861-1865 – 66% complete as of August 17, 2011 – 1,599 images
• Constitutional Convention Records – NARA M866. Journals of proceedings, early drafts, and other papers relating to the formation of the US Constitution – 100% complete – 346 images
• Continental Congress – Papers – NARA M247. The correspondence, journals, committee reports, and records of the Continental Congress (1774-1789) – 100% complete – 171,519 images
• Continental Congress – Misc – NARA M332. When the records of the Papers of the Continental Congress were first arranged in 1834, these documents were not included – 100% complete – 6,939 images
• Custer’s Court Martial – NARA T1103. This 352-page publication contains documents relating to the 1867 court martial of George Armstrong Custer at Fort Leavenworth, Kansas – 100% complete – 339 images
• Deseret Iron Company Account Book (UT) – Ledger book listing employee accounts, division of labor, and payroll for Iron Mission pioneers in Iron County, Utah, 1854-67 – 100% complete – 551 images
• Foreign Letters of the Continental Congress – NARA M61. Copies of letters sent from the U.S. Department of State and The Continental Congress to ministers and consuls abroad – 100% complete – 474 images
• George Washington Correspondence – NARA M570. Copies of letters sent by President Washington to secretaries of state John Jay, Thomas Jefferson, and others – 100% complete – 1030 images
• Gorrell’s History – AEF Air Service – NARA M990. Historical narratives, reports, photographs, and other records that document administrative, technical, and tactical activities of the Air Service in the American Expeditionary Forces – 98% complete – 76,291 images as of August 17, 2011
• Japanese Air Target Analyses – NARA M1653. WWII Japanese air target analyses, objectives, and aerial photographs, 1942-45, from the records of the U.S. Strategic Bombing Survey – 100% complete – 7,853 images
• Lincoln Assassination Papers – NARA M599. Reports, correspondence, and testimony of persons connected with the Lincoln assassination trial. Read this collection of papers, reports, exhibits, and newspapers to learn more about the trial of John Wilkes Booth and others implicated in the assassination – 100% complete – 12,004 images
• Pearl Harbor, USS Arizona Memorial – The USS Arizona Memorial is the most lasting reminder of the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor on December 7, 1941. It is a solemn tribute to the 1,177 men who perished with the ship. Explore the names on the wall and leave a story or photograph about any of the servicemen killed aboard the Arizona or during the attack on Pearl Harbor.
• Pennsylvania Archives – The Pennsylvania State Archives published 10 series of historical records (138 volumes) covering the initial colonial settlement through the 1880s. -The collection includes detailed records naming those who were involved in military, tax, marriage, and land records, as well as Dutch and Swedish Settlement on the Delaware (1614-1682); The French and Indian War (1754–1763); the Braddock Expedition (1755); Early Pennsylvania settlements, and Colonial history from 1664 to 1780; Boundary Disputes with: Connecticut, Maryland, Delaware, Virginia; The Revolutionary War (1775–1783); The Battle of Long Island (1776); Sandusky Expedition (1782); The Whiskey Rebellion (1794); The Establishment of Presque Isle (1794); The War of 1812-1814; and the War with Mexico, 1845-1848 – 99% complete as of August 17, 2011 – 117,831 Images
• Pentagon Papers – Originally leaked in 1971 to the New York Times and other papers by Daniel Ellsberg, a contributor to the top-secret Vietnam Study Task Force, the “Pentagon Papers” created controversy within the government by showing that the Johnson Administration had consistently lied to Congress regarding the U.S policy in Vietnam. Now, for the first time, the full 7,000-page report is available online. – 100% Complete – 8,292 images
• Photos – Coolidge – NARA M867. About 400 captioned photographs taken before, during, and after the presidency of Calvin Coolidge, 30th president of the United States – 100% complete – 506 images
• Photos – Eisenhower – NARA M868. About 500 captioned photographs taken before and during the presidency of Dwight D Eisenhower, 34th president of the United States – 100% complete – 593 images
• Photos – Fine Arts Commission, Series G – NARA M1148. General Photographs of the Fine Arts Commission (Series G), ca. 1650-1950 – 100% complete – 6,862 images
• Photos – Franklin D Roosevelt – NARA M865. About 650 captioned photographs taken before and during the presidency of Franklin D Roosevelt, 32nd president of the United States – 100% complete – 1,245 images
• Photos – Native Americans (Rinehart) – Courtesy of the Boston Public Library, Frank A. Rinehart’s 1898 Native American photographs is unique in their quality and dignity – 100% complete – 113 images
• Photos – Truman – NARA M835. About 1,000 captioned photographs taken before, during, and after the presidency of Harry S Truman, 33rd president of the United States – 100% complete – 1,517 images
• Photos – Vietnam War Army – Photos of activities in Vietnam in which the U.S. Army was engaged, including combat scenes, defoliation, military ceremonies, combat scenes, vehicles and equipment, medical care, and interactions with Vietnamese civilians. Most photos are color, taken from slides and negatives. In nearly all cases, captions or descriptions are included on card files after each photo. – 96% complete as of August 17, 2011- 37,606 images
• Photos – Vietnam War Marine Corps – U.S. Defense Department photos of activities in Vietnam. Included are scenes of broad combat operations, vehicles and equipment, medical care, and interactions with Vietnamese civilians. Most photos are color, many are black & white, taken from slides and negatives. Captions are included in most cases – 99% complete as of August 17, 2011- 5,127 images
• Photos – Vietnam Marine Corps (B/W) – These captioned, black & white photographs include scenes from combat and evacuation operations; and personalities such as President Ngo Dinh Diem, US presidents Johnson and Nixon, and personalities such as Walter Cronkite, Martha Raye, and Bob Hope. There are views of interactions between Marine Corps personnel and Vietnamese civilians. Also in this series are photos of Operation Homecoming, the return of American Marine prisoners of war to the United States – 99% complete as of August 17, 2011 – 14,819 images
• Photos – WW II Japanese – NARA M1733. Photographs of Japanese Soldiers and of Allied Prisoners of War, 1942-1945 – Nearly fifty black and white photos recovered from the Japanese after World War II comprise this collection. Each includes a typed cover page, followed by a page with the description in Japanese, then the photo. They include images as diverse as flamethrowers, surrendering US soldiers, Japanese generals, and bicycle units entering a city – 100% complete – 135 images
• Project Blue Book – UFO Investigations – NARA T1206. Records and case files relating to investigations of sightings of unidentified flying objects (UFOs) – 100% complete – 129,658 images
• Ratified Amendments to the US Constitution – NARA M1518. These records from sixteen rolls of NARA microfilm relate to each constitutional amendment as ratified by state legislatures – 100% complete – 9,932 images
• South Carolina Estate Inventories and Bills of Sale, 1732-1872 – South Carolina court records relating to estate and personal assets – 64% complete as of August 17, 2011 – 22,037 images
• Spaceport News – “Spaceport News” is a biweekly publication for employees and contractors of NASA and the Kennedy Space Center in Florida – 100% complete – 272 images
• Town Records – Goffstown NH – Published annual reports for the town of Goffstown, Hillsborough County, New Hampshire, selected years 1890-1900 – 100% complete – 942 images
• Town Records – Hancock NH – Handwritten records for the town of Hancock, NH; also includes church records and Records of the Union Association of Ministers, 1812-1839 – 100% complete – 7,436 images
• Town Records – South Boston, VA – Minute books for the City of South Boston, Halifax County, Virginia, for the years 1905-1925 and 1949-1999 – 100% complete – 8,021 records
• Vietnam Service Awards – Recommendations for awarding Presidential Unit Citations (PUC), Valorous Unit Awards (VUA), and the Meritorious Unit Commendations (MUC) – 76% complete as of August 17, 2011 – 66,613 images
• Vietnam Veterans Memorial – Every-name searchable image of The Vietnam Veterans Memorial, the “Wall,” in Washington, DC. – Over 58,000 names
• War of 1812 Pension Files The War of 1812 pension files resulted from a man’s service during the war, 1812-1815. They were granted to the veteran, his widow, or his heirs – 1% complete as of August 22, 2011 – recently updated
• Woodstock – Images relating to the Aquarian Exposition, the Woodstock Music & Art Fair, in Bethel, NY, include documents, photos, and newspaper accounts – 99% complete as of August 22, 2011 – 420 images.
• WWII US Air Force Photos – This series of photos documents an important era in US military aviation history, especially activities of the US Air Force during World War II – 88% complete as of August 22, 2011 – 88,912

I’m proud to say that GenealogyBlog.com has an affiliate relationship with Fold3.com.