
I was aware of a site entitled Small Town Papers at the time I was researching and writing these articles, and in fact I looked at several of the over 250 newspapers available on that site. Apparently the ones I looked at only had papers from 1995 on - not what I would call "historic." Thus these newspapers were not included in my articles and link lists.
But thanks to a loyal reader, my mistake has been rectified. Indeed there are historic newspapers available for you to browse and search, some as early as 1846.
I would encourage you to make Small Town Papers part of your newspaper research repertoire. I also encourage you strongly to read their Terms of Use as they are quite strict when compared to other free newspapers sites. Copying and downloading of pages found have specific rules and limitations. Always read about copyright and use "rules" on any newspaper site!
Lastly, sorry for my omission. I hope that use of this site helps you find some interesting articles about your ancestors.