The State Historical Society of Iowa on Tuesday announced progress on a major partnership with Ancestry.com that is expanding public access to millions of archival documents at no cost to taxpayers. The two-year agreement enabled the digitization of state records and the addition of more than one million documents from the State Archives to Ancestry’s searchable database. Newly available materials include vital records, Iowa National Guard enlistment files, World War I and II casualty records, convict registers, Bertillon cards, and mug shots. Researchers and genealogists call the compilation of resources an unprecedented insight into Iowa’s past. Iowans can access the records through the Historical Society’s free institutional account at its Research Center or through a paid Ancestry subscription. Newly digitized materials will be added on a rolling basis.
