Anyone who is serious about discovering their family history should never pass up an opportunity to supplement their research by using United States newspapers. Newspapers are often the best place to find such useful sources as obituaries, notices of land sales, probate notices, birth, marriage and death notices as well as day to day historical accounts of local community members. While not considered a primary source of information, newspapers can point the way to information of when and where such events took place and where primary sources can be found.

You currently have access to tens of thousands of individual newspaper collections on the internet through FamilySearch, Ancestry, the Newspaper Archive, and Chronicling America to name a few. All for FREE!

Proof it works! Using newspaper research, an individual recently found out information on a previously long-time dead end on his grandmother’s line. He discovered his ancestor went under another name, was involved in a jewelry heist, and was also involved in the White Slave Trade in the late 1800’s. –Jason McDaniel