Useful Newspaper Databases

19th Century U.S. Newspapers includes several hundred newspapers from urban and rural regions throughout the United States. The searchable database contains digital facsimile images of newspapers, with advertisements and illustrations included. African American Newspapers (1827-1860) includes searchable text and page images for seven African-American newspapers of the antebellum period. Americas Historical Newspapers (16901922) is a searchable full-text collection of U.S. newspapers, including Early American Newspapers series 1-3. The Civil War: A Newspaper Perspective includes searchable text and page images from the New York Herald, the Richmond Enquirer, and the Charleston Mercury, published between November 1, 1860, and April 30, 1865, including many battlefield maps and other illustrations. Chronicling America: Historic American Newspapers (1836-1922) http://chroniclingamerica.loc.gov/ includes full-text searching and images from local newspapers across the United States. Free from the Library of Congress. The Olden Times: Historic Newspapers Online (1788-1920) http://www.theoldentimes.com/ A personal collection of scanned obituaries, birth & marriage announcements, etc. from newspapers in the United States, British Isles and Australia. Aimed at genealogists, this site includes a guide to newspaper research.

HISTORICAL NEWSPAPERS
Were it left to me to decide whether we should have a government without newspapers, or newspapers without a government, I should not hesitate a moment to prefer the latter. -Thomas Jefferson, 1787.

A GUIDE FOR GENEALOGISTS AND LOCAL HISTORIANS

Proquest Historical Newspaper Database offers full-text, searchable access to articles from the New York Times (1851-2001), the Wall Street Journal (1889-1997), the Chicago Tribune (1890-1984), the Chicago Defender (1901-1975), the Los Angeles Times (18811985), and the Washington Post (1877-1987). Small Town Newspapers on the Web http://smalltownpapers.com/ Over 250 small town newspapers you can read free. Browse & search scanned newspaper archives from 1865 up to the current edition. Dates covered vary widely according to title. United States Newspaper Program http://www.neh.gov/projects/usnp.html is a cooperative national effort among the states and the federal government to microfilm newspapers published in the United States from the eighteenth century to the present.
Version 2013 - 1/4/2013 (apb/jlc)

Newspapers and Local History

Historical newspapers provide contemporary sources for births, marriages, and deaths; personal events such as education, epidemics, family visits, and military deployments; official proceedings such as trials and property transfers; announcements of slave auctions and escapes; and information on professions such as farming and other local businesses.

Newspaper Indexes
Most newspapers are not indexed.
Use the U.Va. databases at http://guides.lib.virginia.edu/newspapers or see the print indexes listed in that guide under Virginia Newspapers, U.S. Newspapers, and International Newspapers.

Historic Virginia Newspapers

The Virginia Gazette is the most famous of the newspapers in early Virginia. Browse the issues by date or search the online index (1736-1780) to the Gazette, at http://research.history.org/DigitalLibrary/ BrowseVG.cfm

Indexes to Virginia newspapers

There are very few indexes to Virginia newspapers. No index exists for the Charlottesville Daily Progress. Though not comprehensive, the Local History File--a newspaper clippings file--may serve as a partial index (1940-1990) to the Daily Progress. Ask at the Alderman Reference Desk to use this resource.

Newspaper References
Brigham, Clarence S. History and bibliography of American newspapers, 16901820. American Antiquarian Society, 1947. (Alderman Reference Z6951 .B86 1947 v. 1-2 + Additions) Cappon, Lester Jesse. Virginia newspapers 1821-1935; a bibliography with historical introduction and notes. New York, AppletonCentury, 1936. (Alderman Reference Z6952 .V8 C24) Clarke, Gertrude Avis. American newspapers, 1821-1936. New York, H. W. Wilson Co., 1937. (Alderman Reference Z6945 .A53)

Where to Begin?
Research Tips Do a Journal title search in VIRGO to search for a specific newspaper title. To browse titles, search the name of a city and the word Newspapers as a subject. For example, Charlottesville (Va.) Newspapers.
Access quick lists of newspaper microfilm titles at U.Va., arranged by state or time period (or both) by searching under U.S. Historical Newspapers Database at http://guides.lib.virginia.edu/newspapers U.Va.s newspapers in microfilm are shelved in Aldermans East Room, 3rd floor. Look for the Micfilm N-US call numbers, arranged alphabetically by state.

The Daily Progress Digital Archive for 18931923 is available at http://guides.lib.virginia.edu/Daily-ProgressDigital This project has been sponsored by the Jefferson-Madison Regional Library and the University of Virginia Library. The Richmond Times-Dispatch is indexed by the Freeman File, a microfiche index covering the period from the late 1920s to 1985. It is listed under Micfilm N-US VA-1 in the Alderman 3rd floor Microfilm Guides Area. A card index to the Cavalier Daily (1890-1994) is located at the back of the Alderman Reference Room. See also the Library of Virginia online indexes to marriage, death, and birth information for specific Virginia newspapers at http://www.lva.lib.va.us/whatwehave/news/ index.htm

For Reference Help

U.Va. Library newspaper website: http://guides.lib.virginia.edu/newspapers Alderman Reference Department: phone: 434.924.3021 email: library@virginia.edu Real-Time Reference: http://www.lib.virginia.edu/askalibrarian/