Newspapers

Local news items in the *The Estancia News (Estancia, Torrance County, N.M.)* mention citizens building houses in the community. 21 December 1906. Library of Congress Chronicling America: Historic American Newspapers.

Newspapers provide one of the best ways to learn the story of your house and its inhabitants.

Search for your address, street, town, or county, as well as for the specific people who were past residents:

Look in social columns for events at your house and the visitors who stopped by;
Find out if your street was located along parade routes or if it was a popular thoroughfare;
You may even find announcements about the property being purchased or the house being constructed.

By reading articles about the families and individuals who lived in your house or on your property over the years, you will add further context to the history your home has witnessed. For example, items that may seem personal, such as a marriage announcement, may let you know that the bridal procession marched down your staircase; describe decorations, furnishings, and arrangement of rooms; or list interesting guests.

Resources

The Library of Congress provides free access to Chronicling America, which is a word-searchable collection of historic newspapers. You can search this database to lookup area newspapers and search for articles related to your community and the people who lived in your house.

If the newspapers for your area have not been digitized yet, use the Directory of U.S. Newspapers to see which repositories house the archives.

Access further resources about available publications through the Library of Congress Newspapers and Periodicals Division.

Chronicling America: Historic American Newspapers
Chronicling America contains more than 16 million word-searchable newspaper pages from 1777-1963, covering 48 states, D.C., Puerto Rico, and the U.S. Virgin Islands. The headlines, articles and advertisements capture the life and times of the American people, shining new light on historic events as they unfolded. Chronicling America is sponsored jointly by the National Endowment for the Humanities and the Library of Congress.
Directory of U.S. Newspapers in American Libraries
Use the Directory of US Newspapers to find information about American newspapers published from 1690-present.

To search the Directory, click the "Collection Items" tab and then choose "Advanced Search." Once you generate the search results, click on each entry to learn more. Click on the "Libraries That Have It" tab to discover which repositories house the archives.

The subscription resources marked with a padlock are restricted and only available to researchers on-site at the Library of Congress. If you are unable to visit the Library, you may be able to access these resources through your local public or academic library.

African American Newspapers External This link opens in a new window
African American Newspapers provides online access to more than 350 U.S. newspapers chronicling a century and a half of the African-American experience. This unique collection, which includes historically significant papers from more than 35 states, features many rare 19th-century titles. Newly digitized, these newspapers published by or for African Americans can now be browsed and searched as never before. Part of the America’s Historical Newspapers collection, African American Newspapers was created from the most extensive African-American newspaper archives in the world. Titles in Series 1 come from the Wisconsin Historical Society, Kansas State Historical Society and the Library of Congress, while titles in Series 2 come from the American Antiquarian Society, Center for Research Libraries, the Library of Congress, and New York Public Library.
NewspaperARCHIVE External This link opens in a new window
NewspaperARCHIVE.com is the world's largest online newspaper archive, featuring billions of articles from historical newspapers around the U.S. and the world. All of our historical newspapers are full-page and fully searchable.
ProQuest Historical Black Newspapers External This link opens in a new window
ProQuest Historical Newspapers-Black Newspapers offers primary source material essential to the study of American history and African-American culture, history, politics, and the arts. Examine major movements from the Harlem Renaissance to Civil Rights, and explore everyday life as written in over a half dozen historical African-American newspapers.
ProQuest Historical Newspapers & Periodicals External This link opens in a new window
ProQuest Historical Newspapers is the definitive newspaper digital archive offering full-text and full-image articles for significant newspapers dating back to the 18th Century. ProQuest Historical Newspapers reveals the day-to-day news coverage to researchers and historical explorers, providing invaluable insights and information to users from a wide range of subjects.

The following titles link to fuller bibliographic information in the Library of Congress Online Catalog. Links to additional online content are included when available.

Family Tree Historical Newspapers Guide: How to Find Your Ancestors in Archived Newspapers by James M. Beidler
Call Number: CS21 .B395 2018
ISBN: 9781440350627
Published/Created: 2018
How to Find Your Family History in Newspapers by Lisa Louise Cook
Call Number: CS21 .C66 2012 OVERFLOWJ34
Published/Created: 2012
Searching for Your Ancestors in Historic Newspapers by Claudia Breland
Call Number: CS21 .B73 2014 OVERFLOWJ34
ISBN: 9781500407094
Published/Created: 2014

House History: A Guide to Uncovering the Stories of Local Buildings and Properties

Local History & Genealogy: Ask a Librarian

Newspapers

Resources