Kathy Patrick
Newspapers have often been described as the first draft of history. They can be an excellent source for researching the lives of our ancestors. Early newspapers covered the news, reported on local events, and recorded the births, marriages and deaths of the people in their community. Newspapers are also a great source for obituaries, which can give details of a person’s life and clues to locate relatives. Articles involving suspenseful or illegal events are beneficial to genealogists and family historians.
Finding newspapers published in a city during a specific time is to consult the city directory located at most libraries. Many older select newspapers from 1600s to 2000 are online for free or fee based. The Library of Congress website (http://chroniclingamerica.loc.gov/newspapers) on Historic American Newspapers includes a directory of newspapers that are located in libraries across the nation.
Historical newspapers online website features a list of many historical U.S. newspapers by state that are available online at no cost at http://www.freenewspaperarchives.us.
Another beneficial website is https://www.cyndislist.com/newspapers/general/. This categorizes various newspapers by subject, so you can search for the name of the newspaper or by location where it was published.
Newspapers are particularly useful in countries where government records are limited or non- existent. There are several foreign language newspapers available online at the popular www.ancestry.com or www.Myheritage.com, available by personal subscription or at Fort Collins and Loveland libraries and Family History Centers for free. The local Family History Centers have the 19th Century British Library Newspapers website available too. Look for yourself to find your ancestor’s secrets!
~ Kathy Patrick is a Board member and past vice president for Larimer County Genealogical Society. Please visit our website: www.lcgsco.org or Facebook page (www.facebook.com/lcgsco) for our upcoming events.