The 5 Best Free Sites for Online Newspaper Research for Genealogy

1/9/2018

I have been an historic newspaper research addict for a long time. In the past several years I have decided to ratchet up my interest and share what I have learned through newspaper research-related blog articles, huge link lists, as well as video tutorials.

For all my articles about newspaper research, just navigate to the Newspapers! of this site and browse. There are plenty of articles to read.

What I would like to relate now, however, is my list of the best free sites to find historical articles about your ancestors in newspapers. These are the first ones that I would use if I were starting out. They have been chosen not because of their interface - because some are better than others and some are not ideal. These are presented in no particular order. And remember that these are free sites only and you do not have to go to a library to access them.

Elephind - over 181 million items (newspaper pages/articles) from several countries
Library of Congress - Chronicling America - over 12.7 million pages from 45 states
Google News Archive - over 2,500 newspapers for U.S. and Canada
Old Fulton NY Post Cards - over 41 million pages of New York State (and many other states) historical newspapers
Trove - over 213 million articles from Australia

BONUS

These are 4 of my very favorite LINK sites to online newspapers - again presented in no particular order:

Bowling Green State University - U.S., Canada, and World Newspaper Links

The Ancestor Hunt - Newspaper Research Links - over 23,000 free links for U.S. and Canada

Wikipedia List of Online Newspaper Archives

ICON Newspaper Digitization Projects

Happy Hunting and Good Luck!

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Please Share!

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36 Comments

Kim link

8/25/2013 01:18:26 am

Two thumbs up for Fulton! With all of my ancestors in NYS, I am so lucky to have Tom's site. Huge finds for me there.

kenneth R Marks link

8/25/2013 01:27:16 am

Thanks Kim. Yes the Fulton site indeed does deliver. An interesting interface, and even if one does not have NY ancestors it has to be in the top 5 because of its shear size. There are many other state based sites, but none as expansive as Fulton.

Winnie

3/6/2014 05:29:08 am

Absolutely! I was able to flesh out so many of my NY ancestors. I even have a couple thick files on my paternal grandfather and great-grandfather

Miriam Robbins link

8/25/2013 03:18:50 pm

Thanks so much for highlighting my Online Historic Newspaper site. A few weeks ago I completed adding every link I could find to any free or subscription site on the Oregon page. Now I'm working on Montana. All 50 states and several countries are represented. It is a work in progress (always!).

Kenneth R Marks link

8/26/2013 03:07:23 am

You bet Miriam. We "newspaper lovers' have to stick together! And I use your site quite often for reference.

Elaine Christiansen

8/27/2013 05:13:59 am

Thanks for the tips - I've grown weary of the promise of finding my relatives in newspapers that have then linked me to pay-for-use sites... which have been totally useless in searching our common family name of "SHAKE". Funny but non-helpful searches have been the result. I'm looking forward to trying your links. Thanks for sharing.

Kenneth R Marks link

8/31/2013 12:38:00 am

Thanks Elaine. I wish you great success. I have a similar problem with the surname "marks" since is has other meanings as well. Good luck!

Betty H Wynne

5/7/2014 07:24:58 pm

Try the surname 'Monday!' Also 'Easter.' Now those will get you!
Thanks for this great site. It has been a wonderful source for me.

Kimber Lowers

2/27/2017 12:44:07 pm

Lowers surname ugh. every thing that has to do with lowering something comes up.

Nancy Downey

7/15/2017 05:27:51 am

I have the surname, Doe. Sometimes it's not immediately apparent in searching a record if it's really the person's surname or if its being used for an unknown person.

Marian Wood link

8/30/2013 06:42:57 am

Great list of resources, much appreciated. I've used the Fulton site but haven't done much with the LOC site. Now you're encouraging me to plug in some surnames and start searching!

Kenneth R Marks link

8/31/2013 12:35:54 am

Thank you Marian. Good luck finding some great ancestor articles!

Erin Lacey link

8/31/2013 02:01:26 pm

Thank you so much! I was just asking the members of my local genealogy society for their advice on moving my research forward, and everyone said, "Newspapers!" These links are exactly what I needed right now. Much appreciated.

Winnie Mading

3/6/2014 05:26:54 am

Newspaper Archives is also an excellent site. While it is a pay site, many libraries have it available for free. Bettwe that Genealogy Bank!

Tom Tryniski link

8/27/2014 12:40:35 am

Old Fulton NY Post Cards will be adding over 1,250,000 more newspaper pages from the past end of September 2014, Now adding newspapers from out side New York State.

Kenneth R Marks

8/27/2014 08:21:00 am

Thanks Tom for the heads up. I will look for the updates and let all my readers know when it comes out.

lindsey

10/20/2014 04:32:51 am

I am looking to find old obituaries that I don't have to pay for. Any ideas?

Kenneth R Marks

10/21/2014 10:31:55 am

My best advice online Lindsey is to go to the Newspapers! page on this site, scroll down to the middle of the page and pick the state(s) that you are interested in. This will show you a article of tons of free online newspapers to search. Good Luck!

VickiRose

4/21/2015 05:24:50 pm

Hi Kim. I was wondering if you would know a good place to look for an Oklahoma paper? Early 1900s

Nathira Waseem

7/19/2015 04:59:43 pm

Wonderful article....You can also visit <a href="http://www.maalaimalar.com/"> <i>Maalaimalar</i></a> to get latest news!!!

renee

8/24/2015 01:29:07 pm

any one know how to find articles written by a certain writer from 1930-50's? my great grandmother supposedly wrote for the toledo blade, but we have no records of it?

Marianne

9/3/2015 04:54:24 am

I have not found much in the way of Pittsburgh, PA newspapers - there seems to be more available on small towns and cities in PA. Any suggestions?

cindy darney

11/6/2015 05:40:07 pm

trying to find ella l ulbrich and her parents. she was born in 1902 in Maryland and died in 1969

Ochena link

4/7/2016 08:35:15 pm

"Discover How to Research & Create Your Own Unique Family Tree!"
Ever Wonder Who You May Be Related To? The Answers Just May Surprise You!
www.geneology4u.com

Kim M Westenfeld

7/17/2017 10:20:42 pm

Thanks so much..as others have said...tired of paying for sites that I can never find what I am looking for...so greatly appreciate having alternate free choices to view. Thanks a million!!!

Arthur D Mouton

8/19/2017 08:54:31 am

Thanks for the links. I was able to get microfilmed and donated to the local university the originals of an old local newspaper (Lafayette Gazette 1896 on for 14 years). Happily the issues are online for all to see. My father's family was the publisher so I had the actual publisher's bound copies.

Ernie

11/2/2017 11:35:17 pm

Why is it that New Jersey newspapers are not listed in most of these achrives?

Kenneth R Marks

11/7/2017 11:44:16 am

Try this link Ernie for New Jersey newspapers:

http://www.theancestorhunt.com/blog/new-jersey-online-historical-newspapers-summary

Joyce M Kinzer

11/7/2017 11:56:02 pm

how much do u charge and for how long?

James Munafo

11/18/2017 04:28:02 pm

Do you have any suggestions for the best paid on-line historical newspapers for New England? I have a lot of ancestors from MA, RI, NJ, NY. immigrants from Italy and Germany.

Thanks

John

12/30/2017 12:44:45 pm

Unfortunately, the Lib of Congress site ends in 1943 and what I am looking for is in 1980.

The list should have included that end date.

Bartle Bull

3/21/2018 08:49:46 am

Hi. I am looking for someone who can help me find certain physical newspaper clippings 1910-1930.

Do you do that, or do you know anyone who can help?

Thanks!

Kenneth R Marks

3/23/2018 02:41:55 pm

Bartie- I would check out this link to free newspaper sites for you to research: http://www.theancestorhunt.com/newspaper-research-links.html

Edwin N. Fish link

11/18/2018 03:19:56 am

I wish there was a way to search ALL archives at once, and get anything and everything on an ancestor's life. Once. Perhaps need to go back and check for new data, but otherwise know you had found all available records at the time. There just is not enough time to repeat the same searches, over and over again.

THAT would be worth paying for.

Sandra Dorsey link

8/30/2019 04:33:12 am

Aug 2019 Over the last month or so..fultonsearch.org has not been working- the site is either down or something. THREE techs and 2 computers and various programs we couldn't get that site to link up like it use too. ITs a mess ever since fultonhistory.com site redid everything.

Kenneth R Marks

8/30/2019 05:46:41 am

Thanks for the info. I don't use fultonsearch. I use the main site..

The 5 Best Free Sites for Online Newspaper Research for Genealogy

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