One of the main goals for genealogists in searching historic newspapers is to find obituaries.  Obituaries are a gold mine of information. They provide death dates and locations, funeral and cemetery information and sometimes mote importantly - information about the relatives of the deceased's family and extended family.  This family name information is often not found anywhere else.

Over the past few decades, thanks to volunteers, librarians and archivists, a great number of indexes to death information and obituaries from newspapers have been provided for free online.  These searchable indexes often provide the location in old newspapers where the obituary can be found. Sometimes the obituary clipping is even provided.
​
So not only can we search old newspapers for these gems, we can get transcriptions and get directed to the location of the obituaries from these indexes.

Here are alternative means to newspaper searching to find obituary information, listed by the link to each state's list of free links:

(Updated February, 2019; Number of databases and new updates are denoted)

• Connecticut Obituaries and Obituary Index Links (26 total, 5 new)
• Maine Obituaries and Obituary Index Links (39 total, 18 new)
• Massachusetts Obituaries and Obituary Index Links (31 total, 4 new)
• New Hampshire Obituaries and Obituary Index Links (24 total, 6 new)
• Rhode Island Obituaries and Obituary Index Links (13 total, 4 new)
• Vermont Obituaries and Obituary Index Links (22 total, 6 new)

One of the main goals for genealogists in searching historic newspapers is to find obituaries.  Obituaries are a gold mine of information. They provide death dates and locations, funeral and cemetery information and sometimes mote importantly - information about the relatives of the deceased's family and extended family.  This family name information is often not found anywhere else.

Over the past few decades, thanks to volunteers, librarians and archivists, a great number of indexes to death information and obituaries from newspapers have been provided for free online.  These searchable indexes often provide the location in old newspapers where the obituary can be found. Sometimes the obituary clipping is even provided.
​
So not only can we search old newspapers for these gems, we can get transcriptions and get directed to the location of the obituaries from these indexes.

Here are alternative means to newspaper searching to find obituary information, listed by the link to each state's list of free links. Please be aware that if you find a desired obituary in an index, that the holder of the actual obituary (e.g., library or genealogical society) may charge a small fee to send you a copy of the obituary itself.

(Updated February, 2019; Number of databases and new updates are denoted)

• Delaware Obituaries and Obituary Index Links (20 total, 5 new)
• District of Columbia Obituaries and Obituary Index Links (13 total, 3 new)
• Maryland Obituaries and Obituary Index Links (31 total, 10 new)
• New Jersey Obituaries and Obituary Index Links (33 total, 8 new)
• New York Obituaries and Obituary Index Links (79 total, 23 new)
• Pennsylvania Obituaries and Obituary Index Links (95 total, 27 new)
• Virginia Obituaries and Obituary Index Links (58 total, 14 new)
• West Virginia Obituaries and Obituary Index Links (32 total, 11 new)

One of the main goals for genealogists in searching historic newspapers is to find obituaries.  Obituaries are a gold mine of information. They provide death dates and locations, funeral and cemetery information and sometimes more importantly - information about the relatives of the deceased's family and extended family.  This family name information is often not found anywhere else.

Over the past few decades, thanks to volunteers, librarians and archivists, a great number of indexes to death information and obituaries from newspapers have been provided for free online.  These searchable indexes often provide the location in old newspapers where the obituary can be found. Sometimes the obituary clipping is even provided.
​
So not only can we search old newspapers for these gems, we can get transcriptions and get directed to the location of the obituaries from these indexes.

Here are alternative means to newspaper searching to find obituary information, listed by the link to each state's list of free links. Please be aware that if you find a desired obituary in an index, that the holder of the actual obituary (e.g., library or genealogical society) may charge a small fee to send you a copy of the obituary itself.

(Updated February, 2019; Number of databases and new updates are denoted)

• Alabama Obituaries and Obituary Index Links​ (32 total, 8 new)
• Arkansas Obituaries and Obituary Index Links (49 total, 18 new)
• Florida Obituaries and Obituary Index Links (47 total, 11 new)
• Georgia Obituaries and Obituary Index Links (57 total, 21 new)
• Kentucky Obituaries and Obituary Index Links (59 total, 29 new)
• Louisiana Obituaries and Obituary Index Links (53 total, 24 new)
• Mississippi Obituaries and Obituary Index Links (29 total, 8 new)
• Missouri Obituaries and Obituary Index Links (63 total, 17 new)
• North Carolina Obituaries and Obituary Index Links (66 total, 23 new)
• Oklahoma Obituaries and Obituary Index Links (59 total, 29 new)
• South Carolina Obituaries and Obituary Index Links (30 total, 4 new)
• Tennessee Obituaries and Obituary Index Links 62 total, 22 new)
• Texas Obituaries and Obituary Index Links (78 total, 29 new)
• Virginia Obituaries and Obituary Index Links (55 total, 14 new)
• West Virginia Obituaries and Obituary Index Links (29 total, 11 new)

The "Search Multiple Historic Newspaper Collections All At Once" website, elephind.com has just published an update that includes many more items and issues from 5 updated  and upcoming collections:

​(from the February, 2019 Elephind Newsletter):

New Newspaper Collections

• Cornell Daily Sun: Written and produced entirely by Cornell undergraduates, The Sun is a rich resource for social and cultural historians. Issues from 1880-1986.
• The Vidette Newspaper Archive:  Digitized pages of the campus newspaper of Illinois State University. This archive contains 3,365 issues comprising 28,518 pages and 39,975 articles.

​
Forthcoming Update 

• Papers Past, New Zealand National Library: A collection of digitized New Zealand and Pacific newspapers from the 19th and 20th centuries.

New Collections Coming Soon to Elephind 

• Case Western Reserve University Student Newspaper Archive: This collection includes nine student newspaper titles from the university's archives which give important student perspectives on events from as early as 1862 through to 2010.
• Washington Digital Newspapers:  Over 400,000 pages from the Washington State Library's collection of historic Washington newspapers.

For the complete newsletter article, click HERE

If you have never used  (or heard of) elephind, here are a couple of articles that I have written about this wonderful site that may be interesting:

• Elephind - One to Watch 
• When is Fuzzy Search Too Fuzzy? Elephind Tells Us! 

If you have never tried elephind, check it out! The url is elephind.com.

If you research historical American newspapers online then you know about Chronicling America. This online newspaper research site is the culmination of a collaboration between the National Endowment for the Humanities and the Library of Congress.

The National Digital Newspaper Program (NDNP) as it is called has been in place for several years. The program awards funding to states to digitize 100,000 pages at a time for newspapers published between 1836-1963. The announcement of the next awards should occur in August, 2019.

The most recent update (August, 2018) announced that Alabama is joining the program and that 17 other states were awarded digitization grants.  You can see all the participating states in the map above (participants in green). Chronicling America now exceeds 14.5 million pages.

Please be aware for those of you who are impatient, that all of this needs to be funded and that state and federal governments are involved as well as state institutions who do the abundance of the work. This takes money and time and of course funding priorities have been difficult in the past few years.

Here is a list of the award recipients, the state managing institution, and the years of awards:

​Alabama
University of Alabama, Tuscaloosa
2018

Alaska
Alaska State Library Historical Collections
2018, 2016

Arizona
Arizona Department of Libraries, Archives, and Public Records
2017, 2012, 2010, 2008

Arkansas
Arkansas State Archive
2017

California
University of California, Riverside
2018, 2015, 2009, 2007, 2005

Colorado
History Colorado
2018, 2016

Connecticut
Connecticut State Library
2017, 2015, 2013

Delaware
University of Delaware
2017, 2015

Florida
University of Florida, Gainesville
2017, 2015, 2013, 2005

Georgia
Digital Library of Georgia (University of Georgia Libraries/GALILEO)
2017

Hawaii
University of Hawaii at Manoa
2012, 2010, 2008

Idaho
Idaho State Historical Society
2017, 2015, 2013

Illinois
University of Illinois, Urbana
2018, 2016, 2013, 2011, 2009

Indiana
Indiana State Library
2017, 2015, 2013, 2011

Iowa
State Historical Society of Iowa
2018, 2016, 2014, 2012

Kansas
Kansas State Historical Society
2013, 2011, 2009

Kentucky
University of Kentucky, Lexington
2011, 2009, 2007, 2005

Louisiana
Louisiana State University
2013, 2011, 2009

Maine
Maine State Library
2018, 2016

Maryland
University of Maryland, College Park
2018, 2016, 2014, 2012

Michigan
Central Michigan University
2018, 2016, 2014, 2012

Minnesota
Minnesota Historical Society
2017, 2015, 2011, 2009, 2007

Mississippi
Mississippi Department of Archives and History
2017, 2015, 2013

Missouri
The State Historical Society of Missouri
2012, 2010, 2008

Montana
Montana Historical Society
2018, 2013, 2011, 2009

Nebraska
University of Nebraska-Lincoln Libraries
2018, 2016, 2009, 2007

Nevada
University of Nevada, Las Vegas
2018, 2016, 2014

New Jersey
Rutgers University Libraries, the New Jersey State Archives and the New Jersey State Library
2018, 2016

New Mexico
University of New Mexico
2014, 2012, 2010

New York
The New York Public Library, Astor, Lenox and Tilden Foundation
2009, 2007, 2005

North Carolina
University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill
2018, 2016, 2014, 2012

North Dakota
State Historical Society of North Dakota
2017, 2015, 2013, 2011

Ohio
Ohio History Connection
2018, 2016, 2012, 2010, 2008

Oklahoma
Oklahoma Historical Society
2013, 2011, 2009

Oregon
University of Oregon
2013, 2011, 2009

Pennsylvania
Penn State University Libraries, University Park
2012, 2010, 2008

Puerto Rico
University of Puerto Rico, Rio Piedras
2017, 2015, 2013

South Carolina
University of South Carolina
2013, 2011, 2009

South Dakota
South Dakota Department of Education
2018, 2016, 2014

Tennessee
University of Tennessee
2014, 2012, 2010

Texas
University of North Texas
2018, 2016, 2011, 2009, 2007

Utah
University of Utah, Marriott Libraries
2009, 2007, 2005

Vermont
University of Vermont
2014, 2012, 2010

Virginia
Library of Virginia
2017, 2014, 2009, 2007, 2005

Washington
Washington State Library
2018, 2012, 2010, 2008

West Virginia
West Virginia University Libraries
2017, 2015, 2013, 2011

Wisconsin
Wisconsin Historical Society
2017, 2015

​
Let us be thankful for what has been already accomplished and hope that the NDNP continues to thrive and grow.

Also quite useful is a series of about 40 links to interesting newspaper-related articles entitled NDNP Extras! Check it out!

Over the winter, the Digital Library of Georgia released several new grants, funded by several federal and state digitization programs. There are about 150 additional free titles now can be searched for free.The collections, funding sources, and titles are listed below for each subcollection:
 

Titles funded by a National Digital Newspaper Program Grant from the National Endowment for the Humanities:

• Morning News (Savannah), 1887-1899

Titles funded by HomePLACE:

• Orthodox Democrat (Barnesville), 1889
• Barrow Times (Winder), 1919-1921
• Weekly Journal (Homer), 1889-1890
• Barnesville Weekly Gazette, 1869
• Daily Gazette (Barnesville), 1884
• Weekly Gazette (Barnesville), 1868

Titles funded by a Digitizing Hidden Collections grant from the Council on Library and Information Resources (CLIR):

• Wolverine Observer (Morris Brown College, Atlanta), 1936-2001
• Panther (Clark Atlanta University, Atlanta), 1944-1969

Titles funded by the R. J. Taylor, Jr. Foundation

• American Patriot (Savannah), 1812
• American Republic (Macon), 1859
• American Standard (Albany), 1855
• American Union (Griffin), 1851-1860
• American Whig (Griffin), 1848
• Argus (Savannah), 1828-1829
• Backwoodsman and Upson Yeoman(Thomaston), 1834
• Bee (Forsyth), 1849
• Christian Index (Washington), 1833-1866
• Columbian Museum & Savannah Advertiser, 1796-1817
• Columbian Museum and Savannah Commercial Advertiser, 1817
• Columbian Museum and Savannah Daily Gazette, 1817-1819
• Columbus Sentinel and Herald, 1838-1841
• Covington Herald, 1835
• Cuthbert Reporter, 1856-1860
• Daily Citizen (Macon), 1857
• Daily Georgia Citizen (Macon), 1859
• Daily Sun (Columbus), 1856-1861
• Daily Telegraph (Savannah), 1840
• Darien Gazette, 1818-1828
• Dollar News (Savannah), 1855
• Empire State (Griffin), 1856-1859
• Enterprise (Thomasville), 1865
• Evening Mirror (Savannah), 1851
• Federal Republican Advocate, and Commercial Advertiser (Savannah), 1807-1808
• Friend and Monitor (Washington), 1815
• A Friend of the Family (Savannah), 1849-1851
• Georgia & Carolina Gazette (Petersburg), 1805-1806
• Georgia Banner (Newnan), 1856
• Georgia Christian Repertory (Macon), 1831-1832
• Georgia Citizen Advertiser (Macon), 1860
• Georgia Citizen (Macon), 1850-1860
• Georgia Citizen (Macon), 1859
• Georgia Clipper (Warrenton), 1860
• Georgia Courier (Lumpkin), 1853
• Georgia Gazette (Savannah), 1763-1770
• Georgia Gazette (Savannah), 1798-1802
• Georgia Jeffersonian (Griffin), 1853-1854
• Georgia Journal and Independent Federal Register (Savannah), 1793-1794
• Georgia Journal and Messenger (Macon), 1847-1861
• Georgia Literary and Temperance Crusader (Atlanta), 1860-1861
• Georgia Messenger (Ft. Hawkins), 1823-1847
• Georgia Pioneer, and Retrenchment Banner (Cassville),  1840
• Georgia Pioneer (Cassville), 1841
• Georgia Republican & State Intelligencer(Savannah), 1802-1805
• Georgia Republican (Savannah), 1806-1807
• Georgia Temperance Crusader (Penfield), 1858-1859
• Greensboro Weekly Gazette, 1858
• Harris County Enterprise (Hamilton), 1860-1864
• The Hickory Nut and Upson Vigil(Thomaston), 1833-1834
• Independent Blade (Newnan), 1859-1860
• Independent Press (Washington), 1840
• Independent South (Griffin), 1858
• The McIntosh County herald, and Darien commercial register, 1839-1840
• The messenger (Macon), 1823
• The missionary (Mt. Zion), 1821-1825
• The monitor (Washington), 1802-1815
• The Morning Chronicle (Savannah), 1818
• Muscogee Democrat, and Mercantile Advertiser (Columbus), 1847-1848
• Muscogee Democrat (Columbus), 1849
• News & Planters’ Gazette (Washington), 1840-1844
• The News (Washington), 1816-1820
• The News (Washington), 1833-1840
• Organ (Hamilton), 1854-1856
• Palladium (Newnan), 1835-1836
• Patriot and Commercial Advertiser(Savannah), 1806-1807
• Planters’ Weekly (Greensboro), 1860-1861
• Public Intelligencer (Savannah), 1807-1809
• Republican and Savannah Evening Ledger, 1807-1816
• Republican Sentinel (Rome), 1844
• Royal Georgia Gazette (Savannah), 1779-1782
• Rural Cabinet (Warrenton), 1828-1830
• Savannah Courier, 1852
• Savannah Daily Georgian, 1857-1858
• Savannah Daily Journal and Courier, 1855
• Savannah Evening Journal, 1852-1853
• Savannah Journal, 1852
• Savannah Mercury, 1829
• Savannah Museum, 1821-1822
• Semi-Weekly True Flag (Rome), 1860
• Sentinel (Louisville), 1820
• Southern Baptist Messenger (Covington), 1860-1862
• Southern Literary Companion (Newnan), 1860-1865
• Southern Enterprise (Thomasville), 1860-1861
• Southern Enterprise (Thomasville), 1865-1866
• Southern Miscellany (Madison), 1842-1846
• Southern Patriot (Savannah), 1806
• Southern Sentinel (Columbus), 1850-1852
• Southerner (Rome), 1850
• Standard (Cassville), 1852-1853
• Standard of Union and Free Trade Advocate (Sparta), 1834
• Star of the South (Elberton), 1860
• State Press (Macon), 1859
• Telegraph (Darien), 1835
• Temperance Banner (Penfield), 1849-1855
• Temperance Crusader (Penfield), 1856-1857
• Times & Sentinel Tri-Weekly (Columbus), 1855-1858
• Times (Savannah), 1823
• Tri-Weekly Columbus Times, 1851
• Tri-Weekly Times and Sentinel (Columbus), 1853
• Upson Pilot (Thomaston), 1858-1862
• Washington News and Miscellaneous Advertiser, 1832-1833
• Washington News, 1822-1831
• Weekly Georgia Citizen (Macon), 1860
• Weekly Sun (Columbus), 1859-1863
• Weekly Times & Sentinel (Columbus), 1853-1858
• Wilkes Republican (Washington), 1857-1858
• Wire-grass Reporter (Thomasville), 1857-1858

​​
The DLG has also converted several newspaper archives to the GHN website, including:

• Carroll Free Press (Carrollton), 1883-1922
• Cassville Standard, 1857-1860
• Cedartown Advertiser, 1879-1884
• Cedartown Express, 1877-1879
• Cedartown Record, 1874-1877
• Cedartown Standard, 1900-1922
• Cherokee Advance (Canton), 1880-1922
• Clayton Tribune, 1899-1924
• Cleveland Progress, 1892-1896
• Dahlonega Nugget, 1903-1928
• Daily Telegraph and Messenger (Macon), 1873
• Douglas County Sentinel, 1917-1922
• Gainesville News, 1902-1922
• Georgia Cracker, 1897-1902
• Georgia Telegraph (Macon), 1832-1835
• Georgia Telegraph (Macon), 1844-1858
• Georgia Weekly Telegraph and Georgia Journal & Messenger, 1869-1880
• Georgia Weekly Telegraph, Journal and Messenger, 1880-1882
• LaGrange Herald, 1843-1844
• LaGrange Reporter, 1857-1914
• Macon Daily Telegraph, 1908
• Macon Georgia Telegraph, 1836-1844
• Macon Telegraph, 1894-1904
• Macon Telegraph, 1826-1832
• Macon Telegraph and Messenger, 1873-1882
• Newnan Herald, 1868-1885
• North Georgia Citizen (Dalton), 1868-1921
• Rome Tri-Weekly Courier, 1860-1880
• Rome Weekly Courier, 1860-1878
• Standard (Cassville), 1852-1853
• Telegraph and Messenger (Macon), 1871-1873
• Twice-a-Week Telegraph (Macon), 1907
• Weekly Georgia Telegraph (Macon), 1858-1869
• Weekly Telegraph (Macon), 1885-1894
• Weekly Telegraph and Messenger (Macon), 1884-1885

Nice going, Georgia!

In February, 2017, I published for the first time a list of the catalog of online historical newspapers from over 400 different collections put together by the Advantage Preservation Company, developed in conjunction with the libraries, historical societies and museums across the U.S. who preserve the historical newspapers for their communities. Every month, I have been publishing the added collections produced by Advantage Preservation. To see the entire updated list, click on 55 Million Historic U.S. Newspaper Pages Now Available from Advantage Preservation

​
​Here are the new County and Library collections that were added In January, 2019, after the previous Advantage Preservation update, followed by the collections that have had additional newspapers added to their collections in the last month. 

​New County and Library Collections (County, Collection name/link, Number of newspaper titles included in the collection)

Idaho

• Blackfoot Library (7)

Kentucky

• Johnson County Library (7)

Massachusetts

• Revere Public Library (1)

Nebraska

• The Reader (1)

Texas

• Mitchell County Library (12)

Updated Collections ​(listed by state and county of the existing online collections that had new pages added in the last month that are available to search for free):

Connecticut

• Litchfield County - Beardsley & Memorial Library

Illinois

• Hancock County - Warsaw Public Library
• Rock Island County -Moline Public Library

Iowa

• Black Hawk County - La Porte City
• Cass County - Cass County Genealogical Society
• Clayton County - McGregor Historical Museum
• Crawford County - Charter Oak
• Dallas County - Perry Iowa
• Palo Alto County - Palo Alto County
• Washington County - Washington County Library Association
• Woodbury County - Catholic Globe

Kentucky

• Pulaski County - Pulaski

Louisiana

• Vermilion County - Vermilion Yearbooks

Maine

• York County - McArthur Public Library

Massachusetts

• Essex County - Amesbuy Public Library
• Essex County - Newburyport Public Library
• Middlesex County - Hudson Public Library
• Norfolk County -Holbrook Public Library
• Plymouth County - Scituate Town Library

Nebraska

• Cass County - Cass County Nebraska
• Saline County - Crete Heritage Society
• Seward County - Seward Memorial Library

Nevada

• Douglas County - Douglas County Public Library

New York

• Cayuga County - The Seymour Public Library
• Chenango County - Guernsey Memorial Library
• Trumansburg Public Library
• Ulysses Philomathic Library
• Sodus Community Library
• Pioneer Library System

North Dakota

• Divide County - Divide County Library

Ohio

• Seneca County - Seneca East Public Library
• Wood County - Wood County District Public Library

Oregon

• Wallowa County - Enterprise City

Texas

• Bee County - Joe Barnhart Bee County Library
• Wood County - Gilbreath Memorial Library

West Virginia

• Ohio County - Ohio County Public Library

If you wish to see a complete list of links to historical newspapers that are searchable for free from companies like Advantage Preservation and many others, check out Newspaper Links.