My Resources – Part 5 Newspapers

As I delved deeper into my family history, I quickly realized that newspapers are among the most underrated resources in genealogy. Vital records and census data help me track dates and places, but old newspaper articles enrich the narratives—birth announcements, obituaries, wedding notices, social events, and occasional scandals. Over time, I’ve come to rely on three primary newspaper sources: Newspapers.com, NewspaperArchive, and the Boston Evening Transcript.

Newspapers.com

I use Newspapers.com the most. It has one of the world’s largest collections of digitized newspapers, with content from across the U.S., Canada, and the U.K. I can search by name, keyword, date range, or location; its filters make it easy to narrow results down to exactly what I’m looking for. I’ve uncovered obituaries, graduation announcements, legal notices, and articles that mention family members I never expected to find in print.

Newspapers.com is a subscription service with two levels: the Basic Plan, which gives access to a large number of papers, and the Publisher Extra Plan, which includes more recent content and premium publications. I started with the basic level, but as I explored more modern records and specific regional papers, I upgraded to Publisher Extra and haven’t regretted it.

One of the biggest perks is its integration with Ancestry.com. I can clip an article and attach it directly to someone in my family tree. That seamless connection really helps keep things organized.

NewspaperArchive

I also use NewspaperArchive, which covers a different but overlapping selection of newspapers. It’s perfect for smaller regional and local papers, and I’ve found it incredibly useful when Newspapers.com didn’t have coverage for a specific town or timeframe I needed. Its search isn’t quite as slick, but once I got used to it, I could pull up some real gems—anniversaries, court reports, and community news that shed light on my ancestors’ lives.

Like Newspapers.com, NewspaperArchive is a paid subscription with various pricing tiers depending on how long you sign up for. I keep it in my toolbox for gaps or regions that other databases don’t cover. Between the two, I rarely come up empty.

Boston Evening Transcript

And then there’s the Boston Evening Transcript, a unique and invaluable resource for anyone researching New England ancestry. The Transcript ran a genealogy column during the late 1800s and early 1900s where readers submitted queries and shared information about early families—especially those with colonial roots. It’s like a printed message board from a century ago, and I’ve found references to several surnames in my tree through it.

The best part is that many editions of the Boston Evening Transcript are now available for free through the Internet Archive and various university library collections. I search it when working on colonial lines or trying to verify old New England connections that don’t appear in traditional records.

Summary

Each of these newspaper sources brings something unique to my research. Newspapers.com gives me broad coverage and ease of use. NewspaperArchive fills in local and lesser-known areas. The Boston Evening Transcript offers historical insight that predates many official records. Together, they help me see not just when and where my ancestors lived but who they were, what they did, and how they were remembered. And that’s exactly the kind of depth that brings genealogy to life for me.