State Employees Research Guide: History

The Atlas presents in maps and text complete data about the creation and all subsequent changes in the size, shape, and location of every county in the fifty United States and the District of Columbia. It is meant to be a resource for people seeking records of past events, and people trying to analyze, interpret and display county-based historical data like returns of elections and censuses, and for people working on state and local history projects.

The Civil War Soldiers and Sailors System (CWSS) is a database containing information about the men who served in the Union and Confederate armies during the Civil War. Other information on the site includes histories of Union and Confederate regiments, links to descriptions of significant battles, and selected lists of prisoner-of-war records and cemetery records, which will be amended over time.

The Digital Library on American Slavery is a resource compiling various independent online collections focused upon race and slavery in the American South. While the current focus is NC, it contains data relating to all 15 slave states and Washington, D.C., including detailed personal information about slaves, slaveholders, and free people of color.

Documenting the American South (DocSouth) consists of sixteen thematic collections of primary sources for the study of southern history, literature, and culture. It includes slave narratives, Civil War and WWI documents, oral histories, personal manuscript collections, and more.

(NC LIVE database - Requires SLNC library card or local library card)
This database features women's writings from the Colonial period to 1950. It provides an intimate look at the immediate experiences of 1,325 women through 150,000 pages of diaries and letters. Includes writings by Abigail Adams, Louisa May Alcott, Susan B. Anthony, Clara Barton, Dorothea L. Dix, Julia Ward Howe, and many more.

This online textbook is designed for grade 8 and up and covers all of North Carolina history, from the arrival of the first people some 12,000 years ago to the 21st century. (formerly LEARN NC Digital History Textbook)

The Colonial and State Records of North Carolina includes documents and materials from throughout the country and from several European repositories covering the earliest days of North Carolina's settlement by Europeans through the ratification of the United States Constitution.

The North Carolina Digital Heritage Center is a statewide digitization and digital publishing program that works with cultural heritage institutions of all sizes across North Carolina to digitize and publish historic materials online. The collection includes yearbooks, newspapers, city directories, and more.

This research guide provides resources for learning about and researching the history of African American Education in North Carolina.

NCpedia is an online encyclopedia which contains articles covering a broad spectrum of topics and resources about North Carolina. It is coordinated and managed by the North Carolina Government & Heritage Library.

A research guide outlining the impact North Carolina has made on United States military history.

A resource containing several online atlases and maps pertaining to county formation in North Carolina from 1664.

The North Carolina Digital Collections contain over 90,000 historic and recent photographs, state government publications, manuscripts, and other resources on topics related to North Carolina.

The North Carolina Gazetteer is a geographical dictionary in which an attempt has been made to list all of the geographic features of the state in one alphabet. It is current, and it is historical as well. Many features and places that no longer exist are included.

North Carolina Maps is a comprehensive, online collection of historic maps of the Tar Heel State. It contains more than 3,000 maps, ranging in date from the late 1500s to 2000.

(NC LIVE database - Requires SLNC library card or local library card)
Digital Sanborn Maps, 1867-1970, provides access to large-scale maps of North Carolina towns and cities.

A research guide celebrating the contributions women have made and continue to make to North Carolina and the United States.

(Requires SLNC library card)
The largest electronic collection of biographical information, including photographs and illustrations, on African Americans (1790-1950). Contact the Reference Desk at 919-814-6790 for login credentials.

(NC LIVE database - requires SLNC library card or local library card)
This database features hundreds of titles covering Art, Architecture, Design, History, Philosophy, Music, Literature, Theater and Cultural Studies.

(NC LIVE database - Requires SLNC library card or local library card)
A comprehensive collection of full-text biographies on popular and heavily-researched figures. Users can locate biographies of interest by browsing key categories, including occupation, nationality, publication and more than 30 genre categories including actors, artists, athletes, authors, current world leaders, explorers, scientists and many others.

(Requires SLNC library card)
Fold3 provides convenient access to military records, including the stories, photos, and personal documents of the men and women who served.

The world's largest collection of open access research papers! Contains over 188 million open access articles from over tens of thousands of journals.

DPLA provides access to millions of materials held within America’s libraries, archives, museums, and other cultural heritage institutions in a one-stop discovery experience.

(Requires SLNC library card)
JSTOR is a digital library for scholars, researchers, and students, providing access to more than 12 million academic journal articles, books, and primary sources in 75 disciplines.

This index provides access to articles in regional publications that pertain to a wide range of North Carolina-related topics, including the arts, business, culture, history, law, natural resources, public policy, tourism, and travel.

(NC LIVE database - Requires SLNC library card or local library card)
General reference database for over 175 subjects from magazines, journals and newspapers, including peer-reviewed and scholarly works.

(NC LIVE database - Requires SLNC library card or local library card)
General reference database from business and political science to literature and psychology scholarly journals, trade publications, magazines, and daily news content, accessible to readers and researchers at every level.