Nebraska State Historical Society
Manuscript Finding Aids
Manuscript Collections
The Nebraska State Historical Society houses over 15,000 feet of archival material gathered from private sources — anything other than a government agency — and these we call “manuscript collections.”
There are over 2,800 separate manuscript collections representing the records of businesses, organizations, associations, churches, private educational institutions, and the personal papers of individuals and families. These collections contain business ledgers, legal records, minutes of meetings, letters, reports, diaries, scrapbooks, original literary works, estate papers, publications, and genealogical research — documents that help tell the story of those who created them. Some of these collections are quite large, and others contain only a few documents.
But no matter the size, each collection tells a unique story about life in Nebraska.
Business Records
The Nebraska State Historical Society Archives holds the records of some Nebraska businesses and corporations. The collections range from a single hotel register to large sets of records of banks, mills and ranches.
Church Records
The manuscript holdings of the Nebraska State Historical Society include the records of many Nebraska churches. The manuscript holdings also include records of some local and statewide religious organizations.
Personal and Family Papers
The Nebraska State Historical Society Archives holds the papers of numerous Nebraska families and individuals. Our collections include papers from both the famous and the common people.
Organizational Records
The Nebraska State Historical Society Archives holds some records of Nebraska organizations and associations. Both local and statewide groups are represented, but these often reflect Nebraska activity on both national and international issues.
Political Records
The Nebraska State Historical Society holds numerous manuscript collections relating to politics and government. These collections reflect the processes of state and national government and document the lives and careers of the individuals involved.
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Volunteers work with NSHS staff members to support our mission
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Interested in joining the NSHS team? Keep an eye on job listings!
