New York Newspapers

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New York

Newspapers

Online Resources

• New York Online Historical Newspapers
• Newspaper Archive ($)
• Online New York Newspapers
• New York Newspapers Online
• Historic American Newspapers 1836-1931 in New York
• America Historical Newspapers
• America’s Newspapers
• Brooklyn Daily Eagle Online
• Brooklyn Genealogy
• BuffaloResearch.com: Online and Offline Newspapers: A page with links
• Genealogy Bank
• Hudson River Valley Heritage (HRVH) Historical Newspapers
• Nassau County Libraries Historic Newspaper Collections
• New York Newspapers by county
• Newspapers.com has newspapers in full text from multiple cities in New York State ($)
• Northern New York Historical Newspapers
• NYS Historical Newspapers
• Old Fulton NY Post Cards
• Suffolk Historic Newspapers
• 1800s-1999 U.S., Newspapers.com Marriage Index, 1800s-1999 at Ancestry - index ($)
• 1801-1890 New York Evening Post: Death Notices, 1801-1890 at American Ancestors - index and images, ($)
• 1801-1890 New York Evening Post: Marriage Notices, 1801-1890 at American Ancestors - index, ($)
• 1806-2007 New York Newspapers, 1806-2007 at MyHeritage - index & images, ($)

Introduction and History

Newspapers mention births, marriages, deaths, anniversaries, family gatherings, family travel, achievements, business notices, engagement information, probate court proceedings, and other news items. Some newspapers are indexed.

The earliest known newspaper published in New York State was the New York Gazette which commenced publishing in New York City in 1725.  It was followed in 1733 by John Peter Zenger’s New York Journal, made famous in a 1735 court decision that established freedom of the press in the province (colony) of New York. For more details.

Colonial Newspapers

In the colonial period, most of the newspapers in the New York were published in New York City. Below is a list of all known colonial newspapers (Pre-1775).  Websites or any known transcriptions were included.  All of these newspapers can be obtained on microfilm through inter-library loan from the New York State Library.

Albany

• 1771-1772 Albany Gazette – no known transcripts have survived
  

New York City

• 1733-1751 New-York Weekly Journal - GenealogyBank.com
  

• Grace Kneale. “Early Death Notices from Zenger’s New York Journal," New York Genealogical and Biographical Record, 47-49 (1916-1918). [serialized] - At various libraries; FS Library Book 974.7 B2n
  
• Kenneth Scott. "Genealogical Data from Colonial New York Newspapers: A Consolidation of Articles from the New York Genealogical and Biographical Record"(Baltimore: Genealogical Publishing Co., 1977). - At various libraries (WorldCat); FS Library book 974.71 D28s [Info about New York Gazette[pp. 1-13] compiled from New York Genealogical and Biographical Record, Vol. 95 (October 1964): 220-232; Info about New York Weekly Journal [pp. 14-28] compiled from New York Genealogical and Biographical Record, Vol. 96 (January 1965): 1-15. - At various libraries; FS Library Book 974.7 B2n
  

• 1743-1773 Parker’s New-York Gazette or, The Weekly Post-Boy
  

• Kenneth Scott, Genealogical Data from the New York Post-Boy 1743-1773 (Washington: National Genealogical Society, 1970). - At various libraries; FS Library book 974.71 B38s 1980
  

• 1744-1752 New-York Evening Post - GenealogyBank.com
• 1752-1768 The New-York Mercury - GenealogyBank.com
  

• Issues from 1753, 1755-1756, and 1829 are online at Google News - free.
• Kenneth Scott. "Genealogical Data from Colonial New York Newspapers: A Consolidation of Articles from the New York Genealogical and Biographical Record"(Baltimore: Genealogical Publishing Co., 1977), 29-128. At various libraries (WorldCat); FS Library book 974.71 D28s; Compiled from New York Genealogical and Biographical Record 96-99 (1965-1968), [serialized] - At various libraries; FS Library Book 974.7 B2n
  
• “Vital Records from Old New York Newspapers.” Journal of American Genealogy, Vol. 1 (1921): 66-70, 160-161, 255-260, 325-330. - At various libraries (WorldCat); FS Library book 973 B2agj

• 1752-1753 The Independent Reflector - GenealogyBank.com
  
• 1753 The Occasional Reverberator
  
• 1755 The Instructor
  
• 1755 John Englishman
  
• 1766-1775 The New-York Journal or, The General Advertiser
  
• 1759-1775 The New-York Gazette - GenealogyBank.com
  
• 1762 The American Chronicle
  
• 1763 The New-York Pacquet
  
• 1768-1775 The New-York Gazette and the Weekly Mercury - GenealogyBank.com
  

• • Kenneth Scott. "Genealogical Data from Colonial New York Newspapers: A Consolidation of Articles from the New York Genealogical and Biographical Record"(Baltimore: Genealogical Publishing Co., 1977), 129-243. - At various libraries (WorldCat); FS Library book 974.71 D28s; Compiled from New York Genealogical and Biographical Record, Vols. 99-107 (1968-1976).[serialized] - At various libraries; FS Library Book 974.7 B2n

• 1769-1770 New-York Chronicle - GenealogyBank.com
  
• 1773-1775 Rivington’s New-York Gazetteer; or the Connecticut, Hudson’s River, New Jersey, and Quebec Weekly Advertiser - GenealogyBank.com
  

• Kenneth Scott, Rivington’s New York Newspaper: Excerpts from a Loyalist Press, 1773-1783, (Binghamton, N.Y.: The New-York Hist. Soc., 1973). - At various libraries

• 1775 The Constitutional Gazette - GenealogyBank.com
  

Resources for New York Newspapers

Digital Newspaper Issues Online

New York Times

• 1851-1922; 1987-present New York TimesNew York Times website - free
  
• 1923-1986 New York Times New York Times website - ($)
  

New York Historical Newspapers

• America Historical Newspapers – ($), replaces the old Readex Microcard for American newspapers from 1700 to the mid 1800s. Nearly 400 newspapers have been imaged, with more in progress. Some libraries and genealogical societies subscribe to this website.
  
• America’s Newspapers – ($), 76 newspapers have been imaged, with more in progress. Has a fully searchable online database.
  
• Brooklyn Daily Eagle Online – free, images from 1842 to 1901.
  
• Brooklyn Genealogy – free, contains links to images and indexes from other Brooklyn, Long Island, and New York City newspapers.
  
• Chronicling America – free, contains images of ten New York City newspapers from 1841 to 1931, coverage per newspaper varies. Also contains listings of locations where New York newspapers are on microform and can be obtained through interlibrary loan.
• Genealogy Bank – ($), images of “historical” articles from 46 New York State newspapers from 1733 – 1998, and of obituaries from 136 New York State newspapers from 1986 to the present. Some libraries subscribe to this website.
  
• Hudson River Valley Heritage (HRVH) Historical Newspapers – free, will eventually include major newspapers from the counties of Columbia, Dutchess, Greene, Orange, Putnam, Rockland, Sullivan, Ulster, and Westchester from 1831-2001. Not all counties listed are currently represented.
  
• Infotrac – ($), contains digital images of 29 19th Century New York Newspapers, mostly from New York City, one from Rochester.  Some libraries subscribe to this website.
  
• Nassau County Libraries Historic Newspaper Collections – free, images of 9 Nassau and Queens County newspapers from the late 19th and 20th centuries. Coverage varies.
  
• New York Newspapers - New York Genealogy – free and ($), contains links to websites for newspapers from 54 of 57 of New York State’s counties. The links may be to commercial websites.
  
• New York Online Historical Newspapers – free, provides a comprehensive listing by county and publication dates.
  
• NewspaperArchive.com – ($), has over 4 million pages of New York newspapers (mostly Syracuse) online. Some libraries subscribe to this website under the name Access NewspaperArchive.
• Newspapers.com has full text newspapers from multiple cities in New York State ($)
• NYS Historic Newspapers The NYS Historic Newspapers project provides free online access to a wide range of newspapers chosen to reflect New York's unique history. To search the entire collections, use the Search Tab. Or, click on a county to search or browse geographically.
  
• Old Fulton NY Post Cards – free, includes hundreds of 19th and 20th century New York newspapers (17,000,000+ images) in Central, Upstate and Western New York. Collection is continuiously growing.  How to search the Old Fulton NY Post Cards website
  
• Suffolk Historic Newspapers – free, images of twelve Suffolk County newspapers from with coverage from 1822 to the present (coverage varies), also contains links to six other New York State newspaper websites 
  

New York Current Newspapers

• 50States.com – free, links to current newspaper websites and online copies contains links to over 100 New York State newspapers. There is no site wide search engine, clicking on the newspaper’s link will connect to the most recent edition of the newspaper.
  
• News Link – contains images and OCR articles from 2011 and 2012 from daily newspapers in 45 cities, from business newspapers in 7 cities, from non-daily newspapers in 47 cities, and from various types of newspapers – alternative, “specialty,” and campus in various cities. There is site wide search engine, but it is also possible to browse each paper on the site. Clicking on the newspaper’s link will connect to the most recent edition of the newspaper. 
  
• USNPL – free, links to current newspapers websites and online copiescontains links to over 100 New York State newspapers. There is no site wide search engine, clicking on the newspaper’s link will connect to the most recent edition of the newspaper. Also contains links the “archives” (coverage varies) of nearly 100 New York State newspapers
  

Newspaper Indexes

Newspaper Indexes Online

In addition to newspapers that are imaged online, there are also newspaper indexes and abstracts. USGENWEB for New York has many links to newspaper indexes on the individual county pages.

They are sometimes found under the category “Vital Records” instead of “Newspapers” or “Obituaries.” These indexes usually indicate at least the event (death, marriage, or genealogically significant mention), the date of the event, and the date of the newspaper. Since they are indexes, they do not link to images.

Individual city and county library websites may also have newspaper indexes. For example, the Rochester (NY) Public Library has posted its “Rochester Newspaper Index” covering the years 1818 to 1897 on its website.

Originally a W.P.A. Project, the index is to personal names and covers more than births, deaths, and marriages. The website has a form that can be sent to order copies of the original articles in which the name was mentioned.

Newspaper Indexes in Book Form

• B-Ann Moorhouse, "Notices of Irish-Born Persons in New York City Newspapers," The Irish Ancestor. V, no.1. (1973): 24-27. FS Library book 941.5 B2i vol. 5 - article covers death, original Parish and County where deceased person was born in Ireland, relationships, and place of burial. Years covered 1819-1891.
  
• Fred Q. Bowman, 8000 More Vital Records of Eastern New York State, 1804-1850 (Rhinebeck, New York: Kinship Books, 1991). At various libraries (WorldCat); FS Library Book 974.7 V2bfqa.
  
• Fred Q.Bowman, 7000 Hudson-Mohawk Valley, (NY), Vital Records, 1808-1850 (Baltimore, Maryland: Genealogical Pub. Co., 1997). At various libraries (WorldCat); FS Library Book 974.7 V2bo.
  
• Fred Q. Bowman,10,000 Vital Records of Central New York, 1813-1850 (Baltimore, MD:Genealogical Pub. Co., 1986).Ancestry ($); At various libraries (WorldCat); FS Library Book 974.7 V2bf.
  
• Fred Q. Bowman,10,000 Vital Records of Eastern New York, 1777-1834 (Baltimore,MD: Genealogical Pub. Co., 1987). Ancestry ($); MyHeritage ($) At various libraries (WorldCat); FS Library Book 974.7 V2bfq - This is continued in "1,100 Vital Records of Northeastern New York, 1835–1850," The New York Genealogical and Biographical Record 118 and 119 (July 1987–July 1988).
  
• Fred Q. Bowman,10,000 Vital Records of Western New York, 1809-1850 (Baltimore,MD: Genealogical Pub. Co., 1985).Ancestry ($); MyHeritage ($); At various libraries (WorldCat); FS Library Book 974.7 V2b.
  
• Joseph Gavit, American Deaths and Marriages, 1784–1829 (Albany, New York: New York State Library, 1977). FS Library films 1022833–34 - has 40,000 entries alphabetical by surname of husbands and wives from sixty-five newspapers.  Additional index: Kenneth Scott, Joseph Gavit's American Deaths and Marriages, 1784–1829: Index to Non-Principals (New Orleans, Louisiana: Polyanthos, Incorporated, 1976) FS Library book 974.7 B32s) - an index to people other than the brides and grooms
  
• Kenneth Scott, Genealogical Data From Colonial New York Newspapers: A Consolidation From the New York Genealogical and Biographical Record. (Baltimore, Maryland: Genealogical Publishing Company, 1977). FS Library book 974.71 D28s - indexes newspapers from 1726–1783.
  
• Kenneth Scott, Genealogical Data from the New York Post-Boy 1743–1773 (Washington, D.C.: National Genealogical Society, 1980). FS Library book974.71 B38s
  

New York Times Book Indexes

• Byron A. Falk, Jr., and Valerie R. Falk, Personal Name Index to "The New York Times Index, 1851–1979" (Succasunna, New Jersey: Roxbury Data Interface, 1976 and 1975–1989 1993) FS Library book 974.71 B3f - indexes The New York Times Index
  
• The New York Times Obituaries Index(New York, New York: The Times, 1970). FS Library book 974.71 V42n - this index covers 1858–1978.

Published Newspaper Notices of Marriages and Deaths

For New York City's five boroughs and some other counties, many newspaper notices of births, marriages, and deaths have been published. See New York Newspapers for a partial list. In the Place Search of the FamilySearch Catalog, these notices are listed under:

NEW YORK, [COUNTY], [TOWN] - NEWSPAPERS

NEW YORK, [COUNTY], [TOWN] - OBITUARIES

Check also under the state and county levels.

You will also find that many church marriage records have been published or have been microfilmed for the five boroughs. You can look for these in the FamilySearch Catalog Place Search under:

NEW YORK, [COUNTY], [TOWN] - CHURCH RECORDS

Examples include:

• New York City Methodist Marriages, 1785–1893 contains a groom index and a bride index, each of which has about 41,000 names.

• Marriage Notices from the New York Evening Post, 1801-1890 at American Ancestors ($)
  

• New York: Death Notices from the New York Evening Post, 1801-1890 at American Ancestors ($).
  

• Marriages and Deaths in New York State from the New Canaan (CT) Era at American Ancestors ($).
  

• 1801 - Stifel, Carolyn G. "Deaths from The Lady's Magazine and Musical Repository, New York, 1801," The New York Genealogical and Biographical Record, 1801: Vol. 133, No. 4 (Oct. 2002):279-285; 1801: Vol. 139, No. 4 (Oct. 2008):275-280. Digital version at New York Family History ($); FS Library Book 974.7 B2n v. 133, 139.

• 1801-1802 - Stifel, Carolyn G. "Deaths from The Lady's Monitor, New York, 1801-1802," The New York Genealogical and Biographical Record, Vol. 134, No. 1 (Jan. 2003):61-66. Digital version at New York Family History ($); FS Library Book 974.7 B2n v. 134.

• 1801-1803 - Stifel, Carolyn G. "Marriages from The Ladies' Monitor and The Weekly Visitor or Ladies' Miscellany, New York City, 1801-1803," The New York Genealogical and Biographical Record, Vol. 140, No. 1 (Jan. 2009):55-62. Digital version at New York Family History ($); FS Library Book 974.7 B2n v. 140.

• 1802-1811 - Stifel, Carolyn G. "Deaths and Marriages from The Weekly Visitor Or, Ladies' Miscellany, New York," The New York Genealogical and Biographical Record, Vol. 134, No. 2 (Apr. 2003):136-147; Vol. 134, No. 3 (Jul. 2003):198-206; Vol. 134, No. 4 (Oct. 2003):271-278; Vol. 135, No. 1 (Jan. 2004):56-67; Vol. 135, No. 2 (Apr. 2004):136-145; Vol. 135, No. 3 (Jul. 2004):212-219; Vol. 135, No. 4 (Oct. 2004):303-307; Vol. 136, No. 1 (Jan. 2005):30-32; Vol. 136, No. 2 (Apr. 2005):110-118; Vol. 136, No. 3 (Jul. 2005):215-221; Vol. 136, No. 4 (Oct. 2005):296-302; Vol. 140, No. 2 (Apr. 2009):127-130; Vol. 140, No. 3 (Jul. 2009):230-238; Vol. 140, No. 4 (Oct. 2009):295-307; Vol. 141, No. 1 (Jan. 2010):72-79. Digital version at New York Family History ($); FS Library Book 974.7 B2n v. 134-136, 140.

New York Newspaper Bibliographies

Online Bibliographies

New York State Library
The New York State Newspaper Project catalog and microfilmed any known New York newspaper. Copies of the microfilms are at the New York State Library and can be accessed onsite and through inter-library loan. 

New York State Library holdings

• New York Cities newspapers
   
• New York County newspapers
   
• Title list of all New York newspapers
  

Holdings in other New York locations

• New York Cities newspapers
   
• New York County newspapers
   
• Title list of all New York Newspapers
  

Library of Congress
 

• U.S. Newspaper Directory, 1690-Present - national directory of over 140,000 newspaper titles. Includes list of libraries from around the country that have the newspapers in their collections.
  

Book Bibliographies

• New York State Library, A Checklist of Newspapers in Microform in the New York State Library (Albany, New York: New York State Library, 1979); At various libraries - outdated, New York newspapers have been microfilmed, and can be borrowed through inter-library loan.
  
• Sylvia G. Faibisoff and Wendell Tripp, compilers, A Bibliography of Newspapers in Fourteen New York Counties (Cooperstown, New York: New York Historical Association, 1978); At various libraries; book 974.7 B33f - this source lists newspapers of Allegany, Broome, Cayuga, Chemung, Chenango, Cortland, Delaware, Otsego, Schuyler, Seneca, Steuben, Tioga, Tompkins, and Yates counties.

US Newspaper Bibliographies

• U.S. Newspaper Directory, 1690-Present - national directory from the Library of Congress containing over 140,000 newspaper titles. The directory provides a list of libraries from around the country that have the newspapers in their collections. 
• Clarence S. Brigham, History and Bibliography of American Newspapers, 1690-1820 (Worcester, Massachusetts: American Antiquarian Society, c1947, c1975); At various libraries;FS Library Book 973 A3bc
• Library of Congress, Catalog Publication Division, Newspapers in Microform: United States: 1948-1983, Washington, District of Columbia : Library of Congress, 1984); At various libraries; FS Library Book 011.35 N479 1984 – gives location of microfilm copies for use of inter-library loan.

References

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