Using Finding Aids to Discover Newspapers Around the World

Findingaidsfornews

You’re ready to do some newspaper research. Maybe you’re hoping to find mentions of an ancestor or you just need to add some historical context to their story. How do you find a historical digitized newspaper for a country you aren’t as familiar with? A finding aid might be the answer. 

What is a finding aid? In this case, it’s a resource to help you find websites and repositories with the newspapers you need. It’s an important first step in research especially when you are unfamiliar with the research in a particular place. Instead of going straight to a newspaper website, consider searching a finding aid first to learn more about what is available.

Here are a few resources to help you find historical newspapers worldwide. Remember the following websites don’t have the actual newspapers, they merely provide links to direct you to the website that does.

Cyndi's List

First things first. Cyndi’s List is most likely a familiar website no matter what your genealogical interest. Since 1996, Cyndi has indexed links to websites and today her website boasts over 300,000 genealogical related links. To find newspaper links on Cyndi's List, search for the country and then the category “newspapers.” Some examples include: 

FS Research Wiki

The FamilySearch Research Wiki is another must-see for trying to locate newspapers. Conduct a search for the place of interest and then you may find the category “newspapers” in the Records Type box. You can also conduct a search for the topic of newspapers (without a specific location) and find pages like Digital Historical Newspapers.

While FamilySearch does not have digitized newspapers they do have newspaper content that includes indexes and abstracts as well as some newspaper titles on microfilm.

Online Historical Newspapers

In the genealogy world there are so many people who work hard to uncover and share resources. Many times this is a volunteer effort and three such examples are:

On the Online Historical Newspapers website, you will find links to newspaper content for Australia, Ireland, Mexico, United Kingdom, and the United States. The Ancestor Hunt includes links for Australia, Canada, Europe, the Caribbean, and the US. CanGenealogy includes historical Canadian newspaper links by Province as well as other Candian genealogy links.

Wikipedia newspaper archives

Wikipedia is where you expect to find articles on a variety of topics. But it’s also a great resource find finding websites including newspaper archives. Wikipedia – List of Online Newspaper Archives is a list of online newspaper archives by country.

Newspapers are such an essential source for telling the story of your ancestor. Make sure to take some time to peruse newspaper finding aids to find the newspaper that will help you learn more about your family history.

You can watch my recent webinar "In Black and White: Finding Historical Newspapers From Around the World" on the Legacy website for FREE through Wednesday, November 4, 2020.

 

Gena Philibert-Ortega is an author, instructor, and researcher. She blogs at Gena's Genealogy and Food.Family.Ephemera. You can find her presentations on the Legacy Family Tree Webinars website.

 


New "Member Friday" Webinar - Get With the Times: German Newspaper Research by Teresa Steinkamp McMillin, CG

New "Member Friday" Webinar - Get With the Times: German Newspaper Research by Teresa Steinkamp McMillin, CG

Every Friday we're pleased to offer Legacy Family Tree Webinar subscribers a new bonus webinar just for them!   This Friday enjoy "Get With the Times: German Newspaper Research" by Teresa Steinkamp McMillin, CG. If you're not a member, remember the webinar previews are always free.

Get With the Times: German Newspaper Research

Germany does not have large subscription-based websites for accessing newspapers for genealogical research. In spite of that fact, there are thousands of digitized German newspapers available online. Many of them are free. Learn where they are and how to access them.

Get With the Times: German Newspaper Research by Teresa Steinkamp McMillin, CG


_WatchVideo

_WatchPreview 

About the Presenter

Teresa Steinkamp McMillin, Certified Genealogist®, author of the Guide to Hanover Military Records, 1514-1866 on Microfilm at the Family History Library, is the owner of Lind Teresa McMillinStreet Research, a company dedicated to helping people discover their German ancestry. She is a popular speaker for national, regional, and local genealogical societies. Recently she created and recorded two courses for Ancestry Academy at Ancestry.com. She has taught at the Institute of Genealogy and Historical Research (IGHR). Reading German gothic script found in German records prior to the mid-1900s is second nature to her. Researching ancestors in Chicago and other areas of the Midwest is another of Teresa’s specialty areas. She is a multi-year attendee of the Institute of Genealogy and Historical Research (IGHR) and the Salt Lake Institute of Genealogy (SLIG). Teresa is a member of the National Genealogical Society, the Association of Professional Genealogists, as well as many German and local genealogical societies. Teresa chairs the committee for the Board for Certification of Genealogists monthly webinar series. She is the webmaster for the Northwest Suburban Genealogy Society in Arlington Heights, Illinois and is a genealogy volunteer at the Arlington Heights Memorial Library.

 

See all the webinars by Teresa Steinkamp McMillin in the Legacy library.

 
Not a member yet?

Legacy Family Tree Webinars provides genealogy education where-you-are through live and recorded online webinars and videos. Learn from the best instructors in genealogy including Thomas MacEntee, Judy Russell, J. Mark Lowe, Lisa Louise Cooke, Megan Smolenyak, Tom Jones, and many more. Learn at your convenience. On-demand classes are available 24 hours a day! All you need is a computer or mobile device with an Internet connection.

Subscribe today and get access to this BONUS members-only webinar AND all of this:

  • All 968 classes in the library (1,242 hours of quality genealogy education)
  • 4,334 pages of instructors' handouts
  • Chat logs from the live webinars
  • Additional 5% off anything at FamilyTreeWebinars.com
  • Chance for a bonus subscribers-only door prize during each live webinar
  • Additional members-only webinars

It's just $49.95/year.


New "Member Friday" Webinar - A Nose for News: 20+ Tips for Getting the Most Out of Newspapers by Mary Kircher Roddy

New "Member Friday" Webinar - A Nose for News: 20+ Tips for Getting the Most Out of Newspapers by Mary Kircher Roddy

Every Friday we're pleased to offer Legacy Family Tree Webinar subscribers a new bonus webinar just for them!   This Friday enjoy "A Nose for News: 20+ Tips for Getting the Most Out of Newspapers" by Mary Kircher Roddy. If you're not a member, remember the webinar previews are always free.

A Nose for News: 20+ Tips for Getting the Most Out of Newspapers

Newspaper research can help further genealogy research. A name in a newspaper can pinpoint a location for an ancestor at a particular time. Mentions in the legal notices, property records or shipping notices columns provide clues for additional research. Learn 20+ tips for getting the most out of newspaper research. And discover the one name you need to look for in every obituary!

New "Member Friday" Webinar - A Nose for News: 20+ Tips for Getting the Most Out of Newspapers by Mary Kircher Roddy


_WatchVideo

_WatchPreview 

About the Presenter

Mary Kircher RoddyMary Roddy, a Certified Public Accountant, has been a genealogist since 2000, becoming interested in the subject in anticipation of an extended trip to Ireland. She earned a certificate from the Genealogy and Family History program at the University of Washington in 2005. She lectures frequently on various genealogical topics in the Seattle area and at conferences across the country.  She has written a number of articles for Internet GenealogyFamily Chronicle (now Your Genealogy Today) as well as Speak! (the publication of the Genealogical Speakers Guild) and FGS Forum. Mary also writes a regular blog at www.mkrgenealogy.com/searching-for-stories-blog. She is a participant in ProGen 31.
 

See all the webinars by Mary Kircher Roddy in the Legacy library.

 
Not a member yet?

Legacy Family Tree Webinars provides genealogy education where-you-are through live and recorded online webinars and videos. Learn from the best instructors in genealogy including Thomas MacEntee, Judy Russell, J. Mark Lowe, Lisa Louise Cooke, Megan Smolenyak, Tom Jones, and many more. Learn at your convenience. On-demand classes are available 24 hours a day! All you need is a computer or mobile device with an Internet connection.

Subscribe today and get access to this BONUS members-only webinar AND all of this:

  • All 843 classes in the library (1090 hours of quality genealogy education)
  • 3622 pages of instructors' handouts
  • Chat logs from the live webinars
  • Additional 5% off anything at FamilyTreeWebinars.com
  • Chance for a bonus subscribers-only door prize during each live webinar
  • Additional members-only webinars

It's just $49.95/year or $9.95/month.

Subscribe

Look at our lineup of speakers for 2019! All live webinars are free to watch.

Print the 2019 webinar brochure here.