West Virginia Online Historical Newspapers Summary

West Virginia is one of the states that does not have a single central online state repository for searching historical newspapers, but they use the Library of Congress Chronicling America site as their main site for searching old newspapers. There are many free online newspapers on other sites and collections available on subscription sites. Below is a list of where the titles are stored and the link so that you can access them. 

​There are over 1,100 newspapers that have been published in the Mountain State - certainly not all of them are searchable online. But there are several that are indeed available. So go for it - find your West Virginia ancestors and all the interesting articles that capture the stories of their lives. 

Please note that I have not always entered the dates that are included in the collections, as I suspect they will change as more items are digitized. Also I suspect that some of these links may change over time - so if there is a dead link - please use your favorite search engine to find their new location. 

(Updated November, 2020; recently added links are in BOLD)

Free Sites:

Statewide Collections:

Chronicling America - West Virginia Newspapers

• Bluefield, W. Va., 1906-1911 - Bluefield evening leader.
• Bramwell, W. Va., 1890-???? - Flat Top monitor
• Ceredo, Va., 1857-1861 - Ceredo crescent.
• Ceredo, W. Va., 1885-1939 - Ceredo advance. [volume
• Charles Town, Va. [W. Va.], 1844-1948 - Spirit of Jefferson.
• Charles Town, W. Va., 1885- - 1890 - West Virginia Democrat. [volume.
• Charleston, Va. [W. Va.], 1856-1861 - Kanawha Valley star.
• Charleston, Va. [W. Va.], 1862-186? - The guerilla.
• Charleston, W. Va., 1864-1877 - The West Virginia journal.
• Charleston, W. Va., 1874-1874 - The temperance star.
• Charleston, W. Va., 1894-189? - The Charleston advocate.
• Charleston, W. Va., 1901-1913 - The advocate. [volume]
• Charleston, W. Va., 1906-1915 - The labor argus.
• Charlestown, Va. [W. Va.], 1827-1832 - Virginia free press & farmers' repository.
• Charlestown, Va. [W. Va.], 1832-1916 - Virginia free press.
• Clarksburg, Va. [W. Va.], 1851-1861 - Cooper's Clarksburg register.
• Clarksburg, W. Va., 1874-1926 - The Clarksburg telegram.
• Clarksburg, W. Va., 1901-1926 - The daily telegram
• Clarksburg, W. Va., 1914-1927 - The Sunday telegram.
• Fairmont, W. Va., 1904-1914 - The Fairmont West Virginian.
• Fairmont, W. Va., 1914-1974 - The West Virginian.
• Gauley Bridge, W. Va., 1863-1863 - The knapsack.
• Grantsville, W. Va., 1883-1984 - The Calhoun chronicle.
• Hinton, W. Va., 1882-???? - The Hinton Republican.
  
• Huntington, W. Va., 1871-1874 - Huntington independent. [volume]
• Huntington, W. Va., 1872-1905 - The Huntington argus. [volume]
• Huntington, W. Va., 1874-1921 - Huntington advertiser. [volume]
• Huntington, W. Va., 1911-1915 - The Socialist and labor star.
• Keystone, W. Va., 1904-1941 - The McDowell times.
• Kingwood, W. Va., 1877-1946 - West Virginia argus.
• Lewisburg, Va. [W. Va.], 1853-1854 - The Greenbrier era.
• Lewisburg, Va. [W. Va.], 1854-1861 - Greenbrier weekly era.
• Lewisburg, Va. [W. Va.], 1859-1980 - Greenbrier independent.
• Martinsburg, Va. [W. Va.], 1861-1861 - The American union.
• Martinsburg, W. Va., 1882-19?? - Pioneer press. [volume]
• Morgantown, Va. [W. Va.], 1849-1855 - Monongalia mirror.
• Morgantown, Va. [W. Va.], 1855-1859 - American union.
• Morgantown, Va. [W. Va.], 1863-1864 - The Morgantown monitor.
• Philippi, W. Va., 1861-18?? - The old flag.
• Point Pleasant, Va. [W. Va.], 1862-1909 - The weekly register.
• Point Pleasant, W. Va., 1909-1939 - The Point Pleasant register.
• Pruntytown, Va. [W. Va.], 1858-1860 - The family visitor.
• Romney, Va. [W. Va.], 1830-1896 - South Branch intelligencer.
• Shepherdstown, Va. [W. Va.], 1849-1955 - Shepherdstown register.
• Sistersville, W. Va., 1894-1902 - West Virginia daily oil review.
• Sistersville, W. Va., 1896-1901 - Sistersville oil review.
• Sistersville, W. Va., 1902-1905 - Sistersville daily oil review.
• Sistersville, W. Va., 1905-1907 - Sistersville daily review.
• Thomas, W. Va., 1905-1913 - La sentinella del West Virginia.
• Volcano, W. Va., 1871-1879 - The Volcano lubricator.
• Volcano, W. Va., 1879-188? - West Virginia walking beam.
• Weston, W. Va., 1868-1874 - The democrat.
• Weston, W. Va., 1875-current - The Weston Democrat.
• Weston, W. Va., 1875-current - The Weston Democrat.
• Wheeling, Va. [i.e. W. Va.], 1829-1831 - Wheeling compiler. [volume]
• Wheeling, Va. [W. Va.], 1807-1808vThe Wheeling repository. [volume]
• Wheeling, Va. [W. Va.], 1839-1849 - Wheeling times and advertiser.
• Wheeling, Va. [W. Va.], 1852-1859 - Wheeling daily intelligencer.
• Wheeling, Va. [W. Va.], 1859-1865 - Daily intelligencer.
• Wheeling, W. Va., 1863-1864 - The daily register.
• Wheeling, W. Va., 1864-1878 - The Wheeling daily register.
• Wheeling, W. Va., 1865-1903 - The Wheeling daily intelligencer.
• Wheeling, W. Va., 1878-1935 - Wheeling register.
• Wheeling, W. Va., 1903-1961 - The Wheeling intelligencer.
• Wheeling, W. Va., 1882-1934 - Wheeling Sunday register.

Google News Archive

• Berkeley Springs - The Morgan Messenger
• Charles Town - Spirit of Jefferson Farmer's Advocate
• Charles Town - The Spirit of Thanksgiving
• Charles Town - Farmers Advocate
• Elizabeth - Wirt County Journal
• Glenville - The Glenville Democrat
• Lewisburg - Mountain Messenger
• Marlinton - ​Pocahontas Times 
• Pennsboro - The Pennsboro News
• Petersburg - Grant County Press
• Point Pleasant - Point Pleasant Register 
• Spencer - The Times Record
• Spencer - Roane County Reporter
• St. Marys - The St. Marys Oracle
• St. Marys - ​Pleasants County Leader 
• Sutton - Braxton Citizens' News
• Wellsburg - The Brooke County Review
• Westwood - The Preston County Journal
• Williamson - Williamson Daily News

Library of Virginia - Virginia Chronicle - West Virginia Newspapers

• American Union (Martinsburg, VA [W. Va.], 1861)
• American Union (Morgantown, VA [W. Va.], 1855-1859)
• Calhoun Chronicle (Grantsville, W. Va., 1896)
• Ceredo Crescent (Ceredo, VA, 1857-1860)
• Cooper's Clarksburg Register (Clarksburg, VA [W. Va.], 1851-1858)
• Daily Intelligencer (Wheeling, VA [W. Va.], 1859-1865)
• Daily Register (Wheeling, W. VA, 1863-1864)
• Democrat (Weston, W. VA, 1868-1874)
• Family Visitor (Pruntytown, VA [W. Va.], 1860)
• Greenbrier Era (Lewisburg, VA [W. Va.], 1854)
• Kanawha Valley Star (Charleston, VA [W. Va.], 1858-1861)
• Monongalia Mirror (Morgantown, VA [W. Va.], 1852-1855)
• Shepherdstown Register (Shepherdstown, VA [W. Va.], 1849-1890)
• Sistersville Daily Review (Sistersville, W. Va., 1905)
• Sistersville Oil Review (Sistersville, W. Va., 1898)
• Spirit of Jefferson (Charles Town, VA [W. Va.], 1844-1867)
• Volcano Lubricator (Volcano, W. Va., 1871-1874)
• Weekly Register (Point Pleasant, VA [W. Va.], 1862-1908)
• West Virginia Journal (Charleston, W. Va., 1866)
• West Virginia Walking Beam (Volcano, W. Va., 1879-1880)
• Weston Democrat (Weston, W. VA, 1875-1880)
• Wheeling Daily Intelligencer (Wheeling, VA [W. Va.], 1852-1859)
• Wheeling Daily Intelligencer (Wheeling, W. VA, 1865)
• Wheeling Daily Register (Wheeling, W. VA, 1864-1878)
• Wheeling Register (Wheeling, VA [W. Va.], 1878-1888)
• Wheeling Sunday Register (Wheeling, VA [W. Va.], 1882-1888)

County and Library Collections:

Mercer County
Mercer County - Princeton Public Library

• Princeton Times

Mineral County
Mineral County - Potomac State College Mary Shipper Library​

• Elk Garden News
• Frankfort Beacon
• Grant County Press
• Hardy County News
• Keyser Tribune
• Mineral County Gazette
• Mineral Daily News
• Mineral Daily News and Keyser Tribune
• Mineral Daily News Tribune
• Mineral Daily News Tribune and Echo
• Mineral Daily News Tribune and Mountain Echo
• Mineral News Tribune and Echo
• Moorefield Examiner
• Mountain Echo
• News Tribune and Echo
• News Tribune and Mountain Echo
• Pasquino
• Piedmont Herald
• Potomac State Pasquino
• South Branch Intelligencer
• The Firecracker
• The Hampshire Review
• The Hardy County News
• The Herald
• The Moorefield Examiner
• The Mountain Echo
• The Siren
• The Weekly Examiner
• The West Virginia Advocate
• Tribune
• Virginia Argus and Hampshire Advertiser
• Wheeling Evening Standard

Ohio County
Ohio County - Ohio County Public Library

• Daily Intelligencer
• Intelligencer
• Intelligencer And Wheeling News Register
• Intelligencer Wheeling News Register
• The Intelligencer and Wheeling News Register
• The Intelligencer And Wheeling News-Register
• Wheeling Daily Intelligencer
• Wheeling Intelligencer
• Wheeling News-Register
• Wheeling Register

Student Collections:

Alderson-Broaddus College - Philippi

• ​Battler Columns

Bethany College - Bethany

• Tower Online

Bluefield State College - Bluefield

• BSC News

Concord University - Athens

• ​The Concordian

Davis and Elkins Colege - Elkins

• Senator

Fairmont State University - Fairmont

• Maroon and White Alumni Publication

Glenville State College - Glenville

• The Tower
• The Mercury
• The Phoenix

Hampshire High School - Romney

• The Trojaneer

Marshall University - Huntington

• Marshall University Parthenon

Ohio Valley University - Vienna

• Thoughts for Scots

Potomac State College - Keyser

• Pasquino

Shepherd University - Shepherdstown

• ​The Picket

University of Charleston - Charlestown

• The Comet

West Liberty University - West Liberty

• The Trumpet

West Virginia State University - Institute

• Yellow Jacket

West Virginia University - Morgantown

• The Daily Athenaeum

West Virginia University Institute of Technology - Beckley

• News

West Virginia Wesleyan College Newspapers - Buckhannon

• Pharos
• Seminary Herald
• Seminary Collegiate 
• West Virginia Wesleyan College Bulletin: 1909-1966
• West Virginia Wesleyan College Alumni Magazine: 1936-1938
• Sundial: 1955-present​

Wheeling University - Wheeling

• WU News

Miscellaneous Collections and Indexes:

Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) Newspapers 1933-1942​

• Alpena - Panther Cry (Company 566)
• Clifftop - Camp Crazy Critics (Company 532)
• Clifftop - Camp Lee Traveler (Company 532)
• Glady - Laurel Leaf (Company 520)
• Hinton - Bluestone Outlet (Company 524)
• Hinton - Roosevelt (Company 524)
• Parsons - Hollow Stump (Company 518)
• Parsons - Parsons CCC Times (Company 518)
  
• Petersburg - Builder (Company 519)
• Petersburg - Builder (Company 519)
• Petersburg - North Fork News (Company 519)
• Richwood - Gold Brick (Company 525)
• Richwood - Puttin' 'Em In The Middle (Company 525)
• Richwood - Woodland News (Company 521)

​Small Town Papers

• Braxton Citizens News Sutton, West Virginia
• The Brooke County Review Wellsburg, West Virginia
• Charles Town Farmers Advocate Charles Town, West Virginia
• Farmers Advocate Charles Town, West Virginia
• The Glenville Democrat Glenville, West Virginia
• Grant County Press Petersburg, West Virginia
• The Hinton News Hinton, West Virginia
• The Morgan Messenger Berkeley Springs, West Virginia
• Mountain Messenger Lewisburg, West Virginia
• The Pennsboro News Harrisville, West Virginia
• Pleasants County Leader St. Marys, West Virginia
• The Pocahontas Times Marlinton, West Virginia
• The Preston County Journal Kingwood, West Virginia
• Roane County Reporter Spencer, West Virginia
• Spirit of Jefferson Unavailable, West Virginia
• Spirit of Jefferson Farmers Advocate Charles Town, West Virginia
• The St. Marys Oracle St. Marys, West Virginia
• The Times Record Spencer, West Virginia
• Wirt County Journal Elizabeth, West Virginia
• Brooke County Review Wellsburg
• Hinton Daily News Hinton
• Leader Hinton

Old Fulton Postcards

• Fairmont WV West Virginian
• Fremont WV West Virginian
• Wheeling WV Daily Intelligencer

Southern School News Archive 

The Olden Times - West Virginia

Newspaper Abstracts - West Virginia

​​For Obituary Indexes, transcriptions, and other death/obituary information from historic newspapers, please check out the Obituaries page.​

Other Free Sites:

Martinsburg

• Martinsburg Gazette 

Wheeling

• The Catholic Spirit

Subscription or Pay Sites:

Ancestry.com:

There are currently 29 publications available at this site. See all the titles at Ancestry - West Virginia Newspapers

Genealogy Bank:

There are currently 93 publications available at this site. See all the titles at Genealogy Bank - West Virginia Newspapers

Newspaper Archive:

There are currently 86 publications available at this site. See all the titles at Newspaper Archive - West Virginia

Newspapers.com:
​
There are currently 55 publications available at this site. See all the titles at Newspapers.com - West Virginia 


And Finally:

You also need to visit the West Virginia Newspapers site, which can tell you what is occurring in the state with regard to newspaper projects. They also have a nice searchable database for microfilm based collections throughout the state.

Please note - even more may be available via a local library where a library card is required. And of course there is always microfilm for those that have not been made available online as yet.

Good Luck and Happy Hunting!

For more links for different states, provinces, and countries - please see the Newspaper Links page on this website.

For other Free West Virginia Links, click on the category of interest:​​

Newspapers
Obituaries
BMD Records
Photos
Yearbooks
Directories
Divorce Records
Naturalizations
Church Records
School Records
Coroner Records
Voter Records
Probate and Wills
Immigration
Mortuary Records
Alumni Records

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Thank you for visiting The Ancestor Hunt!

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