Other U.S. and Canadian Maritime and Genealogy Resources
United States
The Association for Great Lakes Maritime History
This is an international organization of museums, historical societies, libraries, archives, and individuals interested in preserving Great Lakes maritime history. This site provides links to its members.
Boatnerd
This website offers links to many sites on genealogy, shipwrecks, lighthouses, and databases.
Bowling Green State University. Historical Collections of the Great Lakes
A searchable online vessel database provides data on many Great Lakes vessels. The collection includes materials on shipping, shipbuilding, navigation, maritime law, commercial fishing, shipwrecks, and the history of Great Lakes ports.
Cyndi’s List of Genealogy Sites on the Internet
It lists links to numerous genealogical websites.
Door County Maritime Museum & Cana Island Lighthouse
Established in 1969, the Door County Maritime Museum in Sturgeon Bay, Wis., offers three museum sites, each highlighting different aspects of Door County’s maritime history.
Family Search
This free website provides genealogy records and U.S. censuses.
The Great Lakes Historical Society
Inland Seas Museum contains a collection of books, periodicals, drawings, records and technical materials devoted to Great Lakes history.
Great Lakes Shipwreck Research
A forum for historians and divers, this site also carries links to many Great Lake resources.
Great Lakes Shipwreck Research Foundation
The purpose of the foundation is to further public awareness of Great Lakes marine heritage through education and research, and promotion of conservation, study and responsible enjoyment of historic Great Lakes shipwrecks by divers and nondivers.
Marine Museum of the Great Lakes at Kingston, Ontario
This is an online searchable database of over 13,000 vessels from 1760 to 1930, including vessel name, port of registry, rig, tonnage, owner, builder, and date.
Maritime History of the Great Lakes
This website’s searchable database provides listings of owners, captains and masters of Great Lakes vessels. Also provided is a limited searchable enrollment database of almost 6,000 American Great Lakes vessels prior to 1860.
Michigan Family History Network
This searchable Great Lakes Shipmasters database contains over 2,700 ship masters of the Great Lakes.
Milwaukee County Genealogical Society
This organization specializes on Milwaukee County family research.
Milwaukee Public Library
The library offers many resources useful for genealogical research, including Milwaukee City Directories, from 1848 onward; the Milwaukee Sentinel newspaper index, 1836-1889; Civil War roster for Milwaukee County; Milwaukee County census index, 1840 to 1920; naturalization records; 1895 Union veteran census; family records and obituaries.
National Archives and Records Administration
The archives’ nationwide holdings include family history and genealogy records, veterans service records, and government documents.
Pier Wisconsin
Pier Wisconsin is dedicated to providing hands-on education about Wisconsinʼs maritime past. Its three-masted schooner Denis Sullivan is designated the flag ship of the state of Wisconsin. The Sullivan docks at Pier Wisconsin, 500 N. Harbor Dr., Milwaukee, Wis.
Rootsweb Ancestry
This free online website has a searchable ancestor database. This site contains links to numerous genealogy websites.
Smithʼs Master Index to Maritime Museum Websites
Robert H. Smithʼs worldwide index of maritime museums is graphically displayed on the website’s home page.
Wreck Hunter
Shipwreck research sites with historical information and pictures of selected wrecks are designed for researches, divers and armchair adventurers.
Wisconsin Maritime Museum
The Manitowoc museum, founded in 1970, is one of the largest maritime museums in the Midwest. It celebrates the maritime heritage of an area where submarines were built during World War II.
Wisconsin Historical Society
The Society possesses one of the largest genealogical collections in the country. It includes family and local history material pertaining to all regions of North America. It also provides information and videos of interest to divers and historians.
Wisconsin Shipwrecks
This website offers detailed information about Wisconsin’s maritime history, including shipwrecks, lighthouses, waterfronts, historic vessels, museums, and tourist attractions.
Wisconsin Underwater Archeology Association
Founded in 1990, the association provides information about underwater archeology in Wisconsin and training for underwater site surveys.
Canadian
Canadian Vessel Registration Query
This government-operated registry offers information on the name, official number and owner of Canadian vessels.
Marine Museum of the Great Lakes
Founded in 1975, the museum studies, exhibits and preserves the maritime heritage of Kingston, Ontario. Its website has a searchable database.
Naval Marine Archive
The archive’s searchable database contains mostly Canadian ships, but also foreign-built ships that traded regularly with Canada or were sold to Canadian owners.
Royal Canadian Navy History
This government-sponsored website features the history of the Naval Service of Canada from 1910 to its centennial in 2010. Available are photos, paintings, Navy leaders, ship and submarine histories, flags and uniforms.
St. Catharines Museum
The museum’s collection includes shipping and marine artifacts related to the history of St. Catharines and the Welland Canal.
Save Ontario Shipwrecks Marine Heritage Database
This searchable database includes 28,000 records on Ontario’s marine heritage.
