Databases & Research Resources

DGS offers many resources to support genealogical research for both the general public and for DGS members. Check out the links below.

Some content is available only to members. If you’re not a member, take a moment to learn more about the benefits of membership at Join/Renew.

Web page links	Comments
Across the Creek: Black Powder Explosions on the Brandywine	An excellent summary and searchable name index for this recently published book about the more than 200 men, women, and children who perished in black powder explosions at the DuPont powder works in Wilmington during the 19th and early 20th centuries.
African American Civil War Veterans – a Delaware Directory	This searchable directory lists the names, companies, and regiments of 1,868 African American Delaware residents in 49 regiments who were veterans of the Civil War. Also included are a historical background, list of the 49 regiments, and a chronology and history of local regiment enlistments at Camp William Penn.
UPDATED! Cemeteries in Delaware	Delaware cemetery resources have been updated, with information on over 1,000 current and historical cemeteries across the state. You’ll find an expanded database, an interactive, detailed map, and user tools to guide you.
Chandler Funeral Home records	Transcribed records from the Chandler Funeral Home ledger.
Civil War Bluejackets: Race, Class and Ethnicity in the United States Navy, 1861-1865	The Bluejacket project is transcribing 118,000 digitized Civil War sailor records to provide a resource for further research on the experience of African American and immigrant sailors and their interactions with native-born white servicemen. DGS and the Delaware African American Historical and Genealogical Society (DEAAHGS) are partnering with historians from two UK universities to research African American sailors who enlisted as native-born Delawareans.
Delaware Genealogical Research Guide	This guide offers a road map of how and where to find records about your Delaware ancestors. It is designed to complement other online and print genealogical resources. Many chapters include historical information, provide context, and offer suggestions for additional research.   To learn more about what the guide offers, listen to the recorded webinar, “The New Delaware Genealogical Research Guide: A Look Between the Covers.” The softcover print edition of the 171-page guide is available at Amazon.com.
New! Delaware Historical and Genealogical Recall by Matilda Spicer Hart	This publication is a collection of extracts from wills, deeds, Orphans Court records, family bibles, all from the 1700s, and sourced from, what is today known as the Delaware Public Archives. Now includes a searchable name index with 3,257 entries.
DGS Journal	Published since October 1980, the Delaware Genealogical Journal makes original source material for Delaware genealogy and family history research available to researchers. Records include church, cemetery, land, census, and vital records, along with papers reflecting original research into Delaware families and local history.
DGS Newsletters	DGS has published a periodic newsletter regularly since 1978. Today’s newsletter, First State Genealogist, the is published five times a year. Every 16-page issue includes an update on the society, DGS and local events, and articles covering a variety of topics. All issues of the DGS newsletters have been digitized and are available in the online to members.
UPDATED! Delaware Newspapers	To add color to your family history, look at newspapers published at the time and in the location where your family lived. This webpage updates information in a January 2016 First State Genealogist article about the Delaware newspapers available to members from multiple resources and adds a database with over 500 newspapers with information about where to find them online.
Original Settlements of Delaware…	A searchable name index of this classic history of Delaware. The book itself, available online and at libraries, covers the early explorations along the Delaware River and settlements by the Dutch, Swedes, and English during the 1600s; the ecclesiastical affairs of the Swedes, focusing on the records of the Old Swedes (Holy Trinity) Church in Wilmington starting in the late 1600s; and the history of the city of Wilmington, from the early settlements in the 1600s to the 1840s.
Program handouts and recorded webinars	DGS hosts about seven educational programs every year. Thanks to the generosity of our speakers, we are able to make recorded webinars and handouts from many of our past meetings to DGS members. Several recorded webinars are available to nonmembers. Go to Webinars for everyone to experience our webinars and learn more about us.
NEW! Remembering Farnhurst: Stories from the Delaware State Hospital 1894-1920	A searchable database of the book about the lives of 186 patients who were admitted to the Delaware State Hospital at Farnhurst between 1894 and 1920.
Websites & Repositories	This is a broad list of online resources and records repositories in the region.

Updated 13 August 2024