A quick history of the settlement of Delaware if you need clues as to who kept the records.

The first European settlements in Delaware were made by the Dutch (~1609-1638), then the Swedes (~1638-1655), then it was back to Dutch rule (~1655-1664) until the Dutch turned governance of Delaware over to the English (1664) as a result of war losses elsewhere. The English deeded the land to William Penn (1682) and Delaware was governed with Penn’s Province of Pennsylvania (~1682-1701). Then Delaware got their own legislature but shared a governor with Pennsylvania until 1776, when Delaware broke all ties with Great Britain and Pennsylvania and fought for its independence in the Revolutionary War (~1775-1783). After the war, Delaware was the first of the thirteen colonies to ratify the Constitution of the United States, hence, its nickname, the “first state”. *

There are many free, online Delaware histories and related resources. These histories are similar to county histories in that they may provide rich material for family history research, including genealogical records and biographies.

Delaware has three counties: New Castle County, Kent County, and Sussex County, and free, online county histories exist for New Castle and Sussex.

Dutch and Swedish

• The Pennsylvania Magazine of History and Biography, Vol 33, No. 1, 1909, “Dutch and Swedish Settlements on the Delaware” at Internet Archive

Histories and Biographies

• Biographical and Genealogical History of the State of Delaware, containing Biographical and Genealogical Sketches of Prominent and Representative Citizens, and Many of the Early Settlers, Illustrated, Volume I, 1899, at Internet Archive and Google Books

• Biographical and Genealogical History of the State of Delaware, containing Biographical and Genealogical Sketches of Prominent and Representative Citizens, and Many of the Early Settlers, Illustrated, Volume II, 1899, at Internet Archive

• History of the State of Delaware, by Henry C. Conrad, from the Earliest Settlements to the year 1907, in three volumes, Volume I, 1908, at HathiTrust

• History of the State of Delaware, by Henry C. Conrad, from the Earliest Settlements to the year 1907, in three volumes, Volume II, 1908, at Google Books and HathiTrust

• History of the State of Delaware, by Henry C. Conrad, from the Earliest Settlements to the year 1907, in three volumes, Volume III, 1908, at HathiTrust

• History of Delaware, 1609-1888, by J. Thomas Scharf, Volume I, 1888, at HathiTrust and Internet Archive

• History of Delaware, 1609-1888, by J. Thomas Scharf, Volume II, 1888, at Google Books and Internet Archive

• A History of the State of Delaware from Its First Settlement until the Present Time, containing a Full Account of the First Dutch and Swedish Settlements, with a description of its geography and geology, by Francis Vincent, 1870, at Google Books

• Historical and Biographical Papers, Volume II, at HathiTrust

• Historical and Biographical Papers, Volume IV, at Google Books

• Historical and Biographical Papers, Volume VII, at Google Books

• Publications of the Historical Society of Pennsylvania, The History of New Sweden, Vol XI, 1876, at Google Books

• Captain Thomas MacDonough, Delaware Born Hero of the Battle of Lake Champlain, by Virginia Mason Burdick, Delaware Heritage Commission, 1991, at State of Delaware’s official website, download available

• Biographical Sketches of Prominent Delawareans, by Samuel W. Thomas, D.D., 1901, at HathiTrust

• History of Lewes, Delaware, by Pennock Pusey, 1903, at HathiTrust

• A brief history of the Delaware Indians, by Richard Calmit Adams, 1906, at HathiTrust

Military

• Papers of the Historical Society of Delaware, X. Memoir of Brigadier-General John Dagworthy of the Revolutionary War by Dr. George W. Marshall, 1895, at Google Books

• Delaware Archives Military Records, Volume IV, by Delaware Public Archives, 1916, free downloads

• Delaware Archives Military Records, Volume V, by Delaware Public Archives, 1916, free downloads

Religion

• Papers of the Historical Society of Delaware, Volume 9, at Internet Archive (Records of Holy Trinity Old Swedes Church, from 1697 to 1773) also listed below

• History of the Baptists in Delaware by Rev. Morgan Edwards in Internet Archive (download)

• An Address Embracing the Early History of Delaware and the Settlement of Its Boundaries, and of the Drawyers Congregation with all the churches since organized on its original territory: Delivered in Drawyers Church, Delaware, May 10, 1842, by Rev. George Foot, at Google Books

• The Anglican Church in Delaware, Nelson Waite Rightmyer, A.M., Ed.D, 1947, at HathiTrust Education

• The History of Education in Delaware by Lyman P. Powell, 1893, at Google Books and HathiTrust

• A brief history of the University of Delaware, 1910, at HathiTrust

The Historical Society of Delaware

• Papers of the Historical Society of Delaware, Volume 1, at Internet Archive

• Papers of the Historical Society of Delaware, Volume 2, at Internet Archive

• Papers of the Historical Society of Delaware, Volumes 1-5, at Internet Archive

• Papers of the Historical Society of Delaware, Volume 6, at Internet Archive

• Papers of the Historical Society of Delaware, Volumes 7-8, at Internet Archive

• Papers of the Historical Society of Delaware, Volume 9, at Internet Archive (Records of Holy Trinity Old Swedes Church, from 1697 to 1773)

• Papers of the Historical Society of Delaware, Volumes 10-14, at Internet Archive

• Papers of the Historical Society of Delaware, Volumes 19-23, at Internet Archive (Delaware Doctors)

• Papers of the Historical Society of Delaware, Volumes 24-30, at Internet Archive

• Papers of the Historical Society of Delaware, Volumes 37-41, at Internet Archive

• Papers of the Historical Society of Delaware, Volume 42, part 1, at Internet Archive

• Papers of the Historical Society of Delaware, Volumes 43-49 at Internet Archive

• Papers of the Historical Society of Delaware, Volumes 50-55, at Internet Archive

New Castle County Histories

Kent County Histories

Sussex County Histories

* The Pennsylvania Magazine of History and Biography, Vol 33, No. 1, 1909, “Dutch and Swedish Settlements on the Delaware” and “Delaware Colony” from Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia