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Quick Reference Guide - Nicknames to Use to Find More Newspaper Articles About People

7/29/2021

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Searching for people is one of our primary goals in searching old newspapers.  There is an art to finding as many results as we can, beyond the limitations of OCR.

The problem is that most people went by many names: initials, shortened names, maiden names, and of course nicknames. Nicknames were often "assigned' when a person was a child or young adult and they then appeared in a newspaper rather than the actual given name of the person. These names are different than name abbreviations, such as Wm for William or Eliz for Elizabeth. These were often assigned by the typesetter to save space, rather than the author of the newspaper article. Billy or Liza would be nicknames in this example.

Below is a link to a Quick Reference Guide that provides some examples of common nicknames and their associated given name. To obtain the one-page Quick Reference Guide pdf for easy reference, you can view or download it by clicking on the link  below.
Nicknames to Use to Find More Newspaper Articles About People pdf
File Size: 216 kb
File Type: pdf
Download File

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Quick Reference Guide - 4 Challenges in Downloading Historical Newspaper Articles

7/29/2021

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Performing research with online historical newspaper collections is a challenge unto itself, especially considering that the source material (sometimes over a hundred year old newsprint) creates an unreadable index.

But another challenge is sufficient downloading of a "found" article or page that you wish to keep. Unfortunately, the software suppliers provide  different ways to download the article or page that you want.

Below is a link to a Quick Reference Guide that provides what you need to consider before you download, so that you can read the article or page that you downloaded, and also find the article again in the future.. To obtain the one-page Quick Reference Guide pdf for easy reference, you can view or download it by clicking on the link  below.
4 Challenges in Downloading Historical Newspaper Articles pdf
File Size: 256 kb
File Type: pdf
Download File

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West Virginia Online Historical Newspapers

7/23/2021

0 Comments

 
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There are over 1,100 newspapers that have been published in the Mountain State - certainly not all of them are searchable online. But there are several that are indeed available. So go for it - find articles about the events, history, and people that capture the stories of West Virginia. 

Please note that I have not always entered the dates that are included in the collections, as I suspect they will change as more items are digitized. Also I suspect that some of these links may change over time - so if there is a dead link - please use your favorite search engine to find their new location. 

(Updated July 2021; recently added links are in BOLD)

Statewide Collections:
Chronicling America – West Virginia Newspapers
  • Bluefield, W. Va., 1906-1911 – Bluefield evening leader.
  • Bramwell, W. Va., 1890-???? – Flat Top monitor
  • Ceredo, Va., 1857-1861 – Ceredo crescent.
  • Ceredo, W. Va., 1885-1939 – Ceredo advance. [volume
  • Charles Town, Va. [W. Va.], 1844-1948 – Spirit of Jefferson.
  • Charles Town, W. Va., 1885- – 1890 – West Virginia Democrat. [volume.
  • Charleston, Va. [W. Va.], 1856-1861 – Kanawha Valley star.
  • Charleston, Va. [W. Va.], 1862-186? – The guerilla.
  • Charleston, W. Va., 1864-1877 – The West Virginia journal.
  • Charleston, W. Va., 1874-1874 – The temperance star.
  • Charleston, W. Va., 1894-189? – The Charleston advocate.
  • Charleston, W. Va., 1901-1913 – The advocate. [volume]
  • Charleston, W. Va., 1906-1915 – The labor argus.
  • Charlestown, Va. [W. Va.], 1827-1832 – Virginia free press & farmers’ repository.
  • Charlestown, Va. [W. Va.], 1832-1916 – Virginia free press.
  • Clarksburg, Va. [W. Va.], 1851-1861 – Cooper’s Clarksburg register.
  • Clarksburg, W. Va., 1874-1926 – The Clarksburg telegram.
  • Clarksburg, W. Va., 1901-1926 – The daily telegram
  • Clarksburg, W. Va., 1914-1927 – The Sunday telegram.
  • Fairmont, W. Va., 1904-1914 – The Fairmont West Virginian.
  • Fairmont, W. Va., 1914-1974 – The West Virginian.
  • Gauley Bridge, W. Va., 1863-1863 – The knapsack.
  • Grantsville, W. Va., 1883-1984 – The Calhoun chronicle.
  • Hinton, W. Va., 1882-???? – The Hinton Republican.
  • Huntington, W. Va., 1871-1874 – Huntington independent. [volume]
  • Huntington, W. Va., 1872-1905 – The Huntington argus. [volume]
  • Huntington, W. Va., 1874-1921 – Huntington advertiser. [volume]
  • Huntington, W. Va., 1911-1915 – The Socialist and labor star.
  • Keystone, W. Va., 1904-1941 – The McDowell times.
  • Kingwood, Va. [W. Va.], 1861-1861 – The Kingwood chronicle. [volume]
  • Kingwood, W. Va., 1877-1946 – West Virginia argus.
  • Lewisburg, Va. [W. Va.], 1853-1854 – The Greenbrier era.
  • Lewisburg, Va. [W. Va.], 1854-1861 – Greenbrier weekly era.
  • Lewisburg, Va. [W. Va.], 1859-1980 – Greenbrier independent.
  • Martinsburg, Va. [W. Va.], 1826-1833 – Martinsburg gazette and public advertiser. [volume]
  • Martinsburg, Va. [W. Va.], 1833-1855 – Martinsburg gazette. [volume]
  • Martinsburg, Va. [W. Va.], 1861-1861 – The American union.
  • Martinsburg, W. Va., 1873-1875 – Martinsburg weekly independent. [volume]
  • Martinsburg, W. Va., 1875-1900 – Martinsburg independent. [volume]
  • Martinsburg, W. Va., 1881-1920 – Martinsburg herald. [volume]
  • Martinsburg, W. Va., 1882-19?? – Pioneer press. [volume]
  • Martinsburg, W. Va., 1907-1913 – Evening journal. [volume]
  • Martinsburg, W. Va., 1913-1920 – Martinsburg W Va evening journal. [volume]
  • Martinsburgh, Va. [W. Va.], 1810-1825 – Martinsburgh gazette. [volume]
  • Morgantown, Va. [W. Va.], 1849-1855 – Monongalia mirror.
  • Morgantown, Va. [W. Va.], 1855-1859 – American union.
  • Morgantown, Va. [W. Va.], 1863-1864 – The Morgantown monitor.
  • Philippi, W. Va., 1861-18?? – The old flag.
  • Point Pleasant, Va. [W. Va.], 1862-1909 – The weekly register.
  • Point Pleasant, W. Va., 1909-1939 – The Point Pleasant register.
  • Pruntytown, Va. [W. Va.], 1858-1860 – The family visitor.
  • Romney, Va. [W. Va.], 1830-1896 – South Branch intelligencer.
  • Shepherdstown, Va. [W. Va.], 1849-1955 – Shepherdstown register.
  • Sistersville, W. Va., 1894-1902 – West Virginia daily oil review.
  • Sistersville, W. Va., 1896-1901 – Sistersville oil review.
  • Sistersville, W. Va., 1902-1905 – Sistersville daily oil review.
  • Sistersville, W. Va., 1905-1907 – Sistersville daily review.
  • Thomas, W. Va., 1905-1913 – La sentinella del West Virginia.
  • Volcano, W. Va., 1871-1879 – The Volcano lubricator.
  • Volcano, W. Va., 1879-188? – West Virginia walking beam.
  • Weston, W. Va., 1868-1874 – The democrat.
  • Weston, W. Va., 1875-current – The Weston Democrat.
  • Weston, W. Va., 1875-current – The Weston Democrat.
  • Wheeling, Va. [i.e. W. Va.], 1829-1831 – Wheeling compiler. [volume]
  • Wheeling, Va. [W. Va.], 1807-1808vThe Wheeling repository. [volume]
  • Wheeling, Va. [W. Va.], 1839-1849 – Wheeling times and advertiser.
  • Wheeling, Va. [W. Va.], 1852-1859 – Wheeling daily intelligencer.
  • Wheeling, Va. [W. Va.], 1859-1865 – Daily intelligencer.
  • Wheeling, W. Va., 1863-1864 – The daily register.
  • Wheeling, W. Va., 1864-1878 – The Wheeling daily register.
  • Wheeling, W. Va., 1865-1903 – The Wheeling daily intelligencer.
  • Wheeling, W. Va., 1878-1935 – Wheeling register.
  • Wheeling, W. Va., 1903-1961 – The Wheeling intelligencer.
  • Wheeling, W. Va., 1882-1934 – Wheeling Sunday register.
Google News Archive
  • Berkeley Springs – The Morgan Messenger
  • Charles Town – Spirit of Jefferson Farmer’s Advocate
  • Charles Town – The Spirit of Thanksgiving
  • Charles Town – Farmers Advocate
  • Elizabeth – Wirt County Journal
  • Glenville – The Glenville Democrat
  • Lewisburg – Mountain Messenger
  • Marlinton – ​Pocahontas Times 
  • Pennsboro – The Pennsboro News
  • Petersburg – Grant County Press
  • Point Pleasant – Point Pleasant Register 
  • Spencer – The Times Record
  • Spencer – Roane County Reporter
  • St. Marys – The St. Marys Oracle
  • St. Marys – ​Pleasants County Leader 
  • Sutton – Braxton Citizens’ News
  • Wellsburg – The Brooke County Review
  • Westwood – The Preston County Journal
  • Williamson – Williamson Daily News
Library of Virginia – Virginia Chronicle – West Virginia Newspapers
  • American Union (Martinsburg, VA [W. Va.], 1861)
  • American Union (Morgantown, VA [W. Va.], 1855-1859)
  • Calhoun Chronicle (Grantsville, W. Va., 1896)
  • Ceredo Crescent (Ceredo, VA, 1857-1860)
  • Cooper’s Clarksburg Register (Clarksburg, VA [W. Va.], 1851-1858)
  • Daily Intelligencer (Wheeling, VA [W. Va.], 1859-1865)
  • Daily Register (Wheeling, W. VA, 1863-1864)
  • Democrat (Weston, W. VA, 1868-1874)
  • Family Visitor (Pruntytown, VA [W. Va.], 1860)
  • Greenbrier Era (Lewisburg, VA [W. Va.], 1854)
  • Kanawha Valley Star (Charleston, VA [W. Va.], 1858-1861)
  • Monongalia Mirror (Morgantown, VA [W. Va.], 1852-1855)
  • Shepherdstown Register (Shepherdstown, VA [W. Va.], 1849-1890)
  • Sistersville Daily Review (Sistersville, W. Va., 1905)
  • Sistersville Oil Review (Sistersville, W. Va., 1898)
  • Spirit of Jefferson (Charles Town, VA [W. Va.], 1844-1867)
  • Volcano Lubricator (Volcano, W. Va., 1871-1874)
  • Weekly Register (Point Pleasant, VA [W. Va.], 1862-1908)
  • West Virginia Journal (Charleston, W. Va., 1866)
  • West Virginia Walking Beam (Volcano, W. Va., 1879-1880)
  • Weston Democrat (Weston, W. VA, 1875-1880)
  • Wheeling Daily Intelligencer (Wheeling, VA [W. Va.], 1852-1859)
  • Wheeling Daily Intelligencer (Wheeling, W. VA, 1865)
  • Wheeling Daily Register (Wheeling, W. VA, 1864-1878)
  • Wheeling Register (Wheeling, VA [W. Va.], 1878-1888)
  • Wheeling Sunday Register (Wheeling, VA [W. Va.], 1882-1888)
County and Library Collections:
Mercer County
Mercer County – Princeton Public Library
  • Princeton Times
Mineral County
Mineral County – Potomac State College Mary Shipper Library​
  • Elk Garden News
  • Frankfort Beacon
  • Grant County Press
  • Hardy County News
  • Keyser Tribune
  • Mineral County Gazette
  • Mineral Daily News
  • Mineral Daily News and Keyser Tribune
  • Mineral Daily News Tribune
  • Mineral Daily News Tribune and Echo
  • Mineral Daily News Tribune and Mountain Echo
  • Mineral News Tribune and Echo
  • Moorefield Examiner
  • Mountain Echo
  • News Tribune and Echo
  • News Tribune and Mountain Echo
  • Pasquino
  • Piedmont Herald
  • Potomac State Pasquino
  • South Branch Intelligencer
  • The Firecracker
  • The Hampshire Review
  • The Hardy County News
  • The Herald
  • The Moorefield Examiner
  • The Mountain Echo
  • The Siren
  • The Weekly Examiner
  • The West Virginia Advocate
  • Tribune
  • Virginia Argus and Hampshire Advertiser
  • Wheeling Evening Standard
Ohio County
Ohio County – Ohio County Public Library
  • Daily Intelligencer
  • Intelligencer
  • Intelligencer And Wheeling News Register
  • Intelligencer Wheeling News Register
  • The Intelligencer and Wheeling News Register
  • The Intelligencer And Wheeling News-Register
  • Wheeling Daily Intelligencer
  • Wheeling Intelligencer
  • Wheeling News-Register
  • Wheeling Register
  • Intelligencer Wheeling News Register
Student Collections:
Alderson-Broaddus College – Philippi
  • ​Battler Columns
Bethany College – Bethany
  • Tower Online
Bluefield State College – Bluefield
  • BSC News
Concord University – Athens
  • ​The Concordian
Davis and Elkins Colege – Elkins
  • Senator
Fairmont State University – Fairmont
  • Maroon and White Alumni Publication
Glenville State College – Glenville
  • The Tower
  • The Mercury
  • The Phoenix
Hampshire High School – Romney
  • The Trojaneer
Marshall University – Huntington
  • Marshall University Parthenon
Ohio Valley University – Vienna
  • Thoughts for Scots
Potomac State College – Keyser
  • Pasquino
Shepherd University – Shepherdstown
  • ​The Picket
University of Charleston – Charlestown
  • The Comet
West Liberty University – West Liberty
  • The Trumpet
West Virginia State University – Institute
  • Yellow Jacket
West Virginia University – Morgantown
  • The Daily Athenaeum
West Virginia University Institute of Technology – Beckley
  • News
West Virginia Wesleyan College Newspapers – Buckhannon
  • Pharos
  • Seminary Herald
  • Seminary Collegiate 
  • West Virginia Wesleyan College Bulletin: 1909-1966
  • West Virginia Wesleyan College Alumni Magazine: 1936-1938
  • Sundial: 1955-present​
Wheeling University – Wheeling
  • WU News
Miscellaneous Collections and Indexes:
Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) Newspapers 1933-1942​
  • Alpena – Panther Cry (Company 566)
  • Clifftop – Camp Crazy Critics (Company 532)
  • Clifftop – Camp Lee Traveler (Company 532)
  • Glady – Laurel Leaf (Company 520)
  • Hinton – Bluestone Outlet (Company 524)
  • Hinton – Roosevelt (Company 524)
  • Parsons – Hollow Stump (Company 518)
  • Parsons – Parsons CCC Times (Company 518)
  • Petersburg – Builder (Company 519)
  • Petersburg – Builder (Company 519)
  • Petersburg – North Fork News (Company 519)
  • Richwood – Gold Brick (Company 525)
  • Richwood – Puttin’ ‘Em In The Middle (Company 525)
  • Richwood – Woodland News (Company 521)
​Small Town Papers
  • Braxton Citizens News Sutton, West Virginia
  • The Brooke County Review Wellsburg, West Virginia
  • Charles Town Farmers Advocate Charles Town, West Virginia
  • Farmers Advocate Charles Town, West Virginia
  • The Glenville Democrat Glenville, West Virginia
  • Grant County Press Petersburg, West Virginia
  • The Hinton News Hinton, West Virginia
  • The Morgan Messenger Berkeley Springs, West Virginia
  • Mountain Messenger Lewisburg, West Virginia
  • The Pennsboro News Harrisville, West Virginia
  • Pleasants County Leader St. Marys, West Virginia
  • The Pocahontas Times Marlinton, West Virginia
  • The Preston County Journal Kingwood, West Virginia
  • Roane County Reporter Spencer, West Virginia
  • Spirit of Jefferson Unavailable, West Virginia
  • Spirit of Jefferson Farmers Advocate Charles Town, West Virginia
  • The St. Marys Oracle St. Marys, West Virginia
  • The Times Record Spencer, West Virginia
  • Wirt County Journal Elizabeth, West Virginia
  • Brooke County Review Wellsburg
  • Hinton Daily News Hinton
  • Leader Hinton
Old Fulton Postcards
  • Fairmont WV West Virginian
  • Fremont WV West Virginian
  • Wheeling WV Daily Intelligencer
Southern School News Archive
The Olden Times – West Virginia
Newspaper Abstracts – West Virginia
Other Free Sites:
Harpers Ferry
  • The Ladies Garland
Martinsburg
  • Martinsburg Gazette 
Wheeling
  • The Catholic Spirit
  • The Daily Fair Journal
0 Comments

Connecticut Online Historical Newspapers

7/23/2021

0 Comments

 
Picture

There are over 2,000 newspapers that have been published in the Constitution State - certainly not all of them are searchable online. But there are several that are indeed available. So go for it - find articles about the events, history, and people that capture the stories of Connecticut.

Please note that I have not always entered the dates that are included in the collections, as I suspect they will change as more items are digitized. Also I suspect that some of these links may change over time - so if there is a dead link - please use your favorite search engine to find their new location. 

(Updated July 2021; recently added links are in BOLD)

Statewide Collections:
Chronicling America – Connecticut
  • Bridgeport, Conn., 1866-1917 – The Bridgeport evening farmer.
  • Bridgeport, Conn., 1901-190? – Connecticut workman.
  • Bridgeport, Conn., 1906-1908 – La Tribuna del Connecticut. [volume]
  • Bridgeport, Conn., 191?-1948 – La sentinella = The sentinel. [volume]
  • Bridgeport, Conn., 1918-1924 – The Bridgeport times and evening farmer.
  • Danbury, Conn., 1803-192? – Republican farmer.
  • Hartford, Conn., 188?-190? – The weekly examiner.
  • Hartford, Conn., 1881-188? – The examiner.
  • Hartford, Conn., 1894-189? – Hartford labor.
  • Hartford, Conn., 1908-192? – The labor standard.
  • Hartford, Conn., 193?-193? – The Connecticut craftsman.
  • Hartford, Conn., 194?-194? – Connecticut chronicle.
  • Hartford, Conn., 194?-1947 – Hartford chronicle.
  • Hartford, Conn., 1949-19?? – New England bulletin.
  • Litchfield, Conn., 1826-1829 – The Litchfield County post. [volume]
  • Litchfield, Conn., 1829-current – Litchfield enquirer. [volume]
  • New Britain, Conn., 1890-1976 – New Britain herald.
  • New Haven [Conn.], 1848-1894 – Morning journal and courier.
  • New Haven, Conn., 1883-1891 – Workmen’s advocate.
  • New Haven, Conn., 1894-1907 – The daily morning journal and courier.
  • New Haven, Conn., 1903-193? – L’indipendente.
  • New Haven, Conn., 1907-1913 – The morning journal-courier.
  • New Haven, Conn., 191?-1921 – The Connecticut labor press.
  • New Haven, Conn., 1921-1925 – The Connecticut labor news.
  • Newtown, Conn., 1877-1877 – The bee.
  • Newtown, Conn., 1877-current – The Newtown bee.
  • Norwich, Conn., 1849-18?? – American mechanic and home journal.
  • Norwich, Conn., 1867-186? – The Liberty bell and workingmen’s advocate.
  • Norwich, Conn., 1895-2011 – Norwich bulletin.
  • Norwich, CT., 1836-1837 – Mechanics’, operatives’, and laborers’ advocate.
  • Ridgefield, Conn., 1892-189? – The Connecticut citizen.
  • Salisbury, Litchfield Co., Conn., 1871-1970 – Connecticut western news.
  • Stafford Springs, Conn., 18??-1883 – Tolland County press.
  • Stafford Springs, Conn., 1883-1935 – The Press.
  • Stamford, Conn., 1906-190? – The Stamford American.
  • Waterbury [Connecticut], 1900-1903 – Waterbury Democrat. [volume]
  • Waterbury [Connecticut], 1903-1917 – Waterbury evening Democrat. [volume]
  • Waterbury, Conn., 1887-1895 – Waterbury evening Democrat. [volume]
  • Waterbury, Conn., 1895-1897 – Waterbury Democrat. [volume]
  • Waterbury, Conn., 1897-1900 – Waterbury evening Democrat. [volume]
Google News Archive
  • Branford – The Branford News
  • Branford – The Branford Opinion
  • Bridgeport – Bridgeport Morning News
  • Bridgeport – Bridgeport Herald
  • Bridgeport – Sunday Herald 
  • Bristol – The Bristol Herald
  • Georgetown – The Redding Pilot
  • Hartford – The Hartford Times
  • Hartford – Hartford Weekly Times
  • Hartford – The Catholic Press
  • Hartford – Greater Hartford News
  • Meriden – The Morning Record
  • Meriden – The Morning Record and Journal
  • Meriden – Meriden Record
  • Meriden – Meriden Weekly Republican
  • Meriden – Meriden Morning Record
  • Meriden – The Meriden Daily Journal
  • Meriden – Meriden Morning Record and Republican
  • Meriden – Meriden Daily Republican
  • Meriden – The Journal
  • Meriden – Meriden Journal
  • Meriden – Record-Journal
  • Meriden – Wallingford Edition
  • Meriden – Sunday Record-Journal
  • New London – The Day
  • Norwalk – Connecticut Sunday Herald
  • Norwalk – The Sunday Hour
  • Norwalk – The Hour
  • Norwalk – The Evening Hour
  • Norwalk – The Norwalk Hour
  • Ridgefield – The Ridgefield Press
  • Wilton – The Wilton Bulletin
Newspapers of Connecticut 1821-1929
  • Banner and banquet (1870-1871, 1873)
  • Berlin news (1892)
  • Berlin weekly news (1891-1892)
  • The Castigator (Middletown, Conn.) (1840)
  • Charter oak (Hartford, Conn. : 1838) (1838-1843)
  • Charter oak (Hartford, Conn. : 1846) (1846-1848)
  • Collinsville Star (1858-1860)
  • Connecticut eastern news (East Lyme, Conn.) (1894-1897)
  • The Connecticut fifth (1862)
  • Connecticut organ (1854)
  • Connecticut press (Hartford, Conn.) (1856-1862)
  • The Connecticut war record (1863-1865)
  • Coventry local register (1876 & 1883)
  • Daily advertiser and farmer (Bridgeport, Conn.) (1861)
  • Daily Norwalk Gazette and Saturday’s Norwalk Record (1890-1891, 1893-1896)
  • Daily palladium (New Haven, Conn. : 1859) (1862)
  • East Haddam journal (1859-1861)
  • East Lyme star (1866-1867)
  • The Elm leaf (East Hartford, Conn.) (1863-1865, 1870-1871)
  • The Evening farmer (Bridgeport, Conn.) (1865)
  • Evening gazette (Norwalk, Conn.) (1896-1899)
  • Fairfield County times (1879)
  • Free soil advocate (1848)
  • The Free soil pioneer (1848)
  • Griswold Atom (1947)
  • The Harrisonian (1840)
  • The Home Guard news (1918)
  • The Hopevale spectator (Hebron, Conn.) (1893)
  • Housatonic Republican (Canaan, Conn.) (1857-1860)
  • Independent (Canaan, Conn.) (1858)
  • Jewish ledger (Springfield, Mass. : Hartford ed.) (1935 & 1938)
  • The Knapsack (Hartford, Conn.) (1873-1875)
  • Law and order (1893)
  • Litchfield Republican (Litchfield, Conn. : 1847) (1847-1855)
  • Local register (Coventry, Conn.) (1897)
  • Meriden daily monitor (1872)
  • Meriden literary recorder (1865-1870)
  • Meriden recorder (1863-1865)
  • Middlesex explorer (1856)
  • National issue (1886)
  • New Britain times (1859-1860)
  • New-England examiner (1834)
  • New Haven Daily Palladium (1862)
  • New London chronicle (1862-1869)
  • New-London daily star(1859-1860, 1862-1868)
  • New Milford journal (1873-1874)
  • New republic (1895-1896)
  • Niantic herald (East Lyme, Conn.) (1888)
  • The North and South (New Britain, Conn.) (1858)
  • The North and South, and New Britain journal (1858-1859)
  • Norwich spectator (Norwich, Conn. : 1829) (1829-1830)
  • People (Danbury, Conn.) (1878)
  • The People (New London, Conn.) (1821)
  • Plainville News (Plainville, Conn. : 1874) (1874, 1877)
  • Plainville News (Plainville, Conn. : 1889) (1889, 1897, 1907)
  • The Rising star (Canton, Conn.) (1858)
  • Riverside intelligence (Essex, Conn.) (1888)
  • The Rockville republican (Vernon, Conn.) (1860)
  • The Simsbury echo (1887-1888)
  • The Simsbury siftings (1887)
  • The Slaves cry (1844)
  • The Soldiers’ record (1868-1871)
  • The Southington news (1919)
  • The Southington news, Northampton valley times (1907)
  • Southport times (Fairfield, Conn.) (1879-1881)
  • Stafford news letter (1859 & 1865)
  • State guard (1855-1856)
  • The State Guard News (1918-1919)
  • State temperance journal (Meriden, Conn.) (1868-1870)
  • State temperance journal (New London, Conn.) (1866-1867)
  • State temperance journal and home visitor (1868)
  • State temperance journal and Meriden weekly Republican (1868)
  • Sunday herald (Waterbury, Conn.) (1889-1896)
  • Temperance gem (1878)
  • Thompsonville press (1880-1897, 1899-1922)
  • Tolland County gazette (1854-1855, 1859-1860)
  • Tolland County herald (1864-1865)
  • Tolland County news (1865)
  • Tolland County press (1871, 1873, 1875-1876)
  • The Tolland County press and Stafford news letter (1867)
  • Tolland County record (1861)
  • The True citizen (1862-1866)
  • Twenty-sixth (Camp Parapet, La. and New London, Conn.) (1863-1865)
  • Ultimatum (New London, Conn.) (1837, 1838, 1842)
  • Veterans journal and State Guard news (1919-1920)
  • Voter (1909-1911)
  • Weekly phoenix (Southington, Conn.) (1893)
  • The West Hartford press (1929)
  • Wethersfield farmer (Wethersfield, Conn. : 1886) (1886)
  • Wethersfield farmer (Wethersfield, Conn. : 1889) (1889)
  • Wethersfield weekly farmer (1886-1889)
  • The Willimantic journal (1863-1865)
  • Windsor herald (1886)
  • Winsted sentinel (1907-1908)
County and Library Collections:
Fairfield County
Weston Library

  • Weston Forum
  • The Weston Forum
  • Westport News
Hartford County
The Farmington Libraries
  • Farmington Daily Herald
  • Farmington Valley Herald
  • Farmington Valley Herald And Journal
Windsor Locks Historical Society Digital Archive
  • Windsor Locks Journal
Litchfield County
Scoville Memorial Library
  • Lakeville Journal
  • Millerton News
  • Winsted Journal
  • Connecticut News
  • Connecticut Western News
  • Sharon News
  • The Lakeville Journal
Thomaston Public Library
  • Thomaston Express 
  • Express 
  • Thomaston Express And Terryville Eagle 
  • Connecticut Western 
Middlesex County
East Hampton Public Library 
  • East Hampton News
  • Oracle
New Haven County
Ansonia Historical Commission
  • Evening Sentinel
  • Ansonia Evening Sentinel
  • The Evening Sentinel
James Blackstone Memorial Library 
  • Branford Review 
  • Branford Scrapbooks – New Haven Evening Register
  • Branford Scrapbooks – New Haven Journal Courier 
  • Branford Review And East Haven News
  • Branford Opinion 
  • Branford Opinion And Guilford Echo
  • New Haven Journal and Courier
  • Branford Gleaner 
  • Suburban Spokesman 
  • Branford Semi-Weekly Record 
  • Branford News
  • The Branford Record 
  • East Haven News
  • Guilford Echo
North Haven Public Library 
  • Post 
  • North Haven Post
  • The North Haven Post
  • North Haven Citizen
New London County
Stonington Historical Society
  • Mirror-Journal
  • Mystic Journal
  • Mystic News
  • Stonington Mirror
  • Stonington Mirror and Mystic Journal
  • The Mystic Journal
  • The Mystic Standard
  • The Mystic Standard and Stonington Review
  • The Mystic Times
  • The New London Chronicle
  • The People
  • The Stonington Mirror
Southington Library Historic Newspapers (1859-2009) 
  • Southington Observer
  • Southington Phoenix
  • Southington News
  • Canal Line Times
  • Cheshire Courier
  • Southington Mirror
  • Southington Press
  • Southington Reporter
  • Connecticut journal
  • Southington Sentinel
  • The Southington Citizen
West Hartford Library Newspapers
  • West Hartford News
  • West Hartford Metropolitan News
  • Metropolitan News
  • Metropolitan Shopping News
  • West Hartford LIFE
Student Collections:
Amity Regional High School – Woodbridge
  • The Amity Trident
Berlin High School – Berlin
  • Redcoat Review
Central Connecticut State University – New Britain
  • Inferno
  • Recorder
Charter Oak State College – New Britain
  • The Update
Connecticut College – New London
  • ConnCensus
  • Satyagraha
  • The College Herald
  • The College Voice
  • The Connecticut College News
  • The Pundit
Fairfield University – Fairfield
  • Tentative
  • Fulcrum
  • Stag
  • University Voice 
  • Mirror (1977-2013)
Glastonbury High School – Glastonbury
  • Hawks Eye
Mitchell College – New London
  • News
Northwest Catholic High School – West Hartford
  • Northwest News
Post University – Waterbury
  • Student News
Quinnipiac University – Hamden
  • Quinnipiac Chronicle
Sacred Heart University – Fairfield
  • Obelisk
Sacred Heart University – Fairfield
  • Spectrum
Southern Connecticut State University – New Haven
  • Southern News
  • The Laurel Leaf
  • The New Haven State Normal School Quarterly
Staples High School – Westport
  • Inklings News
State Normal School at New Haven
  • Laurel Leaf
Trinity College – Hartford
  • Tripod
University of Bridgeport – Bridgeport
  • The Scribe
University of Connecticut – Storrs
  • Storrs Agricultural College Lookout (1896-1899)
  • Connecticut Agricultural College Lookout (1899-1914)
  • Connecticut Campus and Lookout (1915-1917)
  • Connecticut Campus (1917-1955)
  • Connecticut Daily Campus (1955-present)
University of Hartford – Hartford
  • The Informer
University of New Haven – West Haven
  • Charger Bulletin
University of St. Joseph – West Hartford
  • Outlook
  • News
Wesleyan University – Middletown
  • Argus
  • Argus
Western Connecticut State University – Danbury
  • Echo
Yale University – New Haven
  • Yale Daily News Historical Archive 
  • Yale Banner
  • Yale Herald
Miscellaneous Collections and Indexes:
Manchester Historical Society
  • Manchester Evening Herald
Shelton Library System newspaper clipping scrapbooks
  • Plumb Memorial Library Scrapbook (1923-1930) multiple newspapers
  • Servicemen’s Scrapbook of Shelton Men & Women Serving in World War (1943-1945)
Watertown Historical Society Collection
  • The Post – 12-03-1881
  • The Post Boy – 1887
  • Watertown Journal – 1888-1891
  • The Sunday Republican – 09-15-1918
  • Watertown News – 1913-1929
  • Watertown Argus – 1-22-1937
  • Town Times – 1947-2000
Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) Newspapers 1933-1942
  • Cobalt – Jenkins Journal (Company 181)
  • Danbury – Squantz Reveille (Company 172)
  • East Hampton – Camp Stuart Courier (Company 1194)
  • East Hampton – Camp Stuart Courier (Company 1194)
  • East Hampton – Stuart Gusher (Company 1194)
  • East Hartland – Robinson Mountaineer (Company 180)
  • East Hartland – Robinson Register (Company 180)
  • East Hartland – Spectator (Company 180)
  • East Hartland – Spectator Magazine (Company 180)
  • East Hartland – Tunxis Press (Company 180)
  • East Hartland – Tunxisonian (Company 180)
  • Eastford – In Fernow (Company 183)
  • Hampton – Camp Fernow News (Company 183)
  • Hampton – Fernow Forum (Company 183)
  • Killingworth – The Roosevelt Rambler (Company 171)
  • New London – Thames Tattler (Company 190)
  • Niantic – Camp Chapman Clarion (Company 177)
  • Niantic – Camp Chapman News (Company 177)
  • Niantic – Chapman Clarion (Company 177)
  • Stafford Springs – Camp Graves News (Company 174)
  • Stafford Springs – Nipmuck Sentinel (Company 174)
  • Thomaston – Black Rocker (Company 175)
  • Torrington – Camp Walcott Windbag (Company 176)
  • Torrington – Mohawk Lookout (Company 173)
  • Torrington – Walcott Warrior (Company 176)
  • Torrington – Walcott Windbag (Company 176)
  • Voluntown – Lonergan (Company 179)
  • West Cornwall – Camp Cross Clarion (Company 182)
  • West Cornwall – Cross Cut (Company 182)
  • West Cornwall – Owl (Company 182)
  • Winsted – Camp White Echo (Company 106)
  • Winsted – Camp White Echo (Company 106)
  • Winsted – Camp White Static (Company 106)
  • Winsted – Camp White Transcript (Company 106)
  • Winsted – Echo (Company 106)
  • Winsted – Echo (Company 106)
  • Winsted – Static (Company 106)
  • Winsted – White Eagle (Company 106)
Independent Voices – Alternative Newspapers
  • Living Hand
Old Fulton New York Postcards
  • Bridgeport CT Connecticut Workman (1901)
  • Bridgeport CT Evening Farmer (1909-1917)
  • Bridgeport CT La Sentinella (1920-1930)
  • Bridgeport CT La Tribuna (1906-1908)
  • Canaan CT Western News (1884-1922)
  • Fairfield CT Record (1894-1899 )
  • Hartford CT Bulletin (1949)
  • Hartford CT Chronicle (1946-1948)
  • Hartford CT Connecticut Courant (1788-1820)
  • Hartford CT Connecticut Craftsman (1932)
  • Hartford CT Examiner (1881-1888)
  • Hartford CT Labor Standard (1894-1922)
  • Hartford CT Weekly Examiner (1890-91,1894,1901)
  • New Britan CT Herald (1920)
  • New Haven CT Connecticut Labor Press (1918-1920)
  • New Haven CT Indipendente (1906,1916-17,1922,1936)
  • New Haven CT Labor News (1922-1923)
  • New Haven CT Labor Press (1921-1925)
  • New Haven CT Morning and Courier (1880-1908)
  • New Haven CN Morning Journal and Courier (1880-1889)
  • New Haven CT Workmens Advocate ()
  • Newtown CT Bee (1907-1909)
  • Norwich CT American Mechanic (1849)
  • Norwich CT Bulletin (1910-1922)
  • Norwich CT Liberty Bell (1867)
  • Norwich CT Mechanics Operatives Laborers Advocate (1836-1837)
  • Norwitch CT Bulletin (1910-1922)
  • Ridgefield CT Citizen ()
  • Salisbury CT Western News (1883)
  • Southport CT Chronicle ( 1867-1903 )
  • Southport CT Fairfield Advertiser (1884-1890 )
  • Southport CT Pequot Record (1890)
  • Southport CT Times (1879-1881 )
  • Stafford CT News Letter (1865)
  • Stafford CT News Letter 1865 (1865)
  • Stafford Springs CT Press (1883-1922)
  • Stafford Springs CT Tolland County Press (1883)
  • Stamford CT American (1906)
  • Waterbury CT Evening Democrat (1877-1908)
  • Wilton CT. Bulletin (1937 -2003 
Small Town Papers
  • The Hartford News
The Olden Times – Connecticut
Newspaper Abstracts – Connecticut
Other Free Sites:
Bethany
  • Amity Star
Bridgeport
  • Fairfield County Catholic
Hartford
  • The Catholic Transcript – 2008-present
  • Catholic Transcript 1958-1978
  • Connecticut Courant Index 1764-1799
New London
  • The Repository
Norwich
  • Four County Catholic
  • Norwich Spectator 1863
Waterbury
  • Scovill Bulletin
Wilton
  • Wilton Bulletin 
Windsor
  • Windsor Town Crier
0 Comments

17 Do's and Don'ts When Researching Old Newspapers

7/19/2021

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When searching old newspapers, there are some things you should try (Do's) and things that you shouldn't try (Don'ts).  Pat attention to this list and you will be much more successful:

  • DO Misspell search criteria words on purpose. The OCR process tries to create letters from dots, not words
  • DO Search in the nearest big city or county seat
  • DO Add the word(s) beloved, dear, or loving to help find obituaries
  • DO a search with syllables rather than whole words to take advantage of the significant use of hyphenated words in older newspapers
  • DO take advantage of free trials with subscription newspaper sites before you buy
  • DO use abbreviations, such as Wm,  Jos, Eliz, Ave, or Sgt, etc. in your search criteria
  • DO search for husbands name with Mrs. for married women
  • DO a search for a few weeks prior to death date in the newspaper for hospitalization, illness or accident - helps determine the cause of death
  • DO try to exchange a "b" for an "h", or a "c" for an "e' and many other combinations since they are very similar to the OCR process many times
  • DO search for a street address. You might be surprised.
  • DON'T just select a newspaper subscription database just because it's on sale
  • DON'T assume that the newspaper collection has what you want just because the title is from your chosen city or town. Check the collection's date range
  • DON'T search just surnames
  • DON'T just search U.S. newspapers based on ethnicity. Search newspapers in the person's homeland
  • DON'T rush out and purchase a subscription to newspaper collections. Libraries often subscribe to the same pay sites and if you have a library card, you may be able to search from home.
  • DON'T assume that because an obituary states someone is a "native of" that it means that they were born there.
DON'T - Ever. Give. Up.
0 Comments

Nicknames to Use to Find Lots More Historical  Newspaper Articles About a Person

7/13/2021

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People often are recorded in old newspapers with a nickname instead of their given name.  There are countless examples; often used are Bill for William, Jack for John, Liz for Elizabeth, etc. Make sure that you not only search for "William Jones", but also with a given name, such as Bill, Will, or Willie. You will get lots more results.  Here is a list of common ones. 

  • Abraham - Abe, Abra
  • Alexander - Alec, Alex
  • Archibald - Arch, Archie
  • Augustus - Augie
  • Bartholomew - Bart, Bat
  • Cornelius - Con
  • Cyrus - Cy
  • Richard - Dick
  • Phineas - Finney
  • August - Gus
  • Harold, Henry - Hal
  • Hamilton - Ham
  • Henry - Hank
  • Henry - Harry
  • Hiram - Hy
  • Isaac - Ike
  • Jackson, John - Jack
  • Jacob - Jake
  • Jedidiah  - Jed
  • Christopher - Kit 
  • Malachi, Malcolm - Mal 
  • Nathaniel - Nat, Nate
  • Edwin, Edward - Ned
  • Newton - Newt
  • Oliver - Olli
  • Patrick - Paddy
  • Alexander - Sandy
  • Josiah, Cyrus - Si
  • Thaddeus - Tad
  • Virgil - Virg
  • Wiley, William - Willie
  • Abigail, Tabitha - Abbie, Abby
  • Alice - Allie
  • Elizabeth - Bess, Betsey
  • Caroline - Callie, Carrie
  • Clarissa, Clarinda - Clara
  • Dorothy - Dolly, Dot
  • Edith - Edie
  • Alice - Elsie
  • Henrietta, Louetta - Etta
  • Frances - Fanny, Frankie
  • Florence - Flora, Flossie
  • Harriet - Hatty, Hattie
  • Janet, Virginia - Jenny 
  • Katherine, Kathleen - Kate, Kay 
  • C/Katherine - Kitty
  • Charlotte - Lollie, Lottie 
  • Margaret, Margery - Madge 
  • Mary - Mamie
  • Martha - Mattie
  • Margaret - Meg, Maggie 
  • Mindwell, Wilhelmina  - Mina
  • Mary, Wilhelmina - Minnie 
  • Martha, Mary, Amelia  - Mollie 
  • Eleanor, Ellen, Helen - Nellie 
  • Antoinette, Henrietta - Nettie 
  • Martha - Patsy
  • Martha, Patience - Patty
  • Margaret - Peggy
  • Mary - Polly
  • Sarah - Sadie, Sally
  • Winifred, Edwina - Winnie

Give it a try.  You will be surprised how many more search results that you get!
0 Comments

7 Ways to Overcome OCR Errors when Searching Newspapers

7/1/2021

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Everyone who has searched newspapers online will fail to find something. It happens incredibly often. 

I have often heard researchers say “I can’t find a single article about a person or an event, even though I have searched for hours!”

Laying competency aside as a factor, the biggest reason is that scanning of one and two hundred year old newspapers, either from paper or from microfilm, produces way less than optimal results.

More importantly, one must know that searching through an index created by humans who have read the source material and then typed the index is far superior to having a machine/software scan and process a dusty old newspaper. Yet the massive size of newspaper collections prevents the creation of the index manually. You must expect inferior results and set your expectations accordingly.

Please take a look at the following list, and hopefully some of these errors and anomalies will provide you with some hints to overcome them and actually find what you are looking for. There are many others – but these are ones that I have personally experienced:
​
  1. Hyphenated words were often used because of fixed width type as well as the experience and capability of the typesetter. Hyphens are less utilized today but were a staple years ago. Take that into consideration if you are searching for a surname or other search criteria with many letters in one word. Try splitting the search into two words where the hyphen may have been normally used.
  2. If there is an “h” in your search term, try exchanging a “b”, since b’s and h’s are quite similar and can “confuse” the OCR process. As an example, searching the California Digital Newspaper Collection for one of my surnames – “Braunhart” yields 1,507 results. Replacing the “h” with a “b”, hence searching for “Braunbart” yields 96 results – for the SAME person. That is approximately another 6%!
  3. For a similar reason as “h” and “b” are confused – the same holds true of “c” and “e”.  I have not had as many difficulties with this pair as with “h” and “b”.
  4. Likewise, lower case m’s and n’s are often confused. The m’s are often converted to several combinations of letters.  Also r’s and n’s can be confused.
  5. I’s in lower as well as upper case can often be converted to slashes or exclamation points and the numeral 1. And vice versa.​
  6. if the original newspaper is “dirty,” by that I mean there is excessive ink or the scan is dark – many times spaces will be scanned but not presented as spaces. There are a variety of strange characters that may be picked up.
  7. If the newspaper was scanned and then processed directly with OCR, that is one pass. If the newspaper was scanned to microfilm and scanned again and then OCR’d that is two passes. Thus a two pass operation has the potential to have a decreased quality of results. There isn’t much that you can do about it – but it is nice to know.

So don’t be discouraged by “lack of results” from doing online newspaper searches. You just need to “outsmart” OCR and try various combinations to get to those elusive ancestors. Be persistent.

A crowdsourcing example that I personally have used is that of correction on the actual online newspaper site, such as the aforementioned California Digital Newspaper Collection. In this example, registered users can provide edited text that is then incorporated into future searches. Kind of like a newspaper-related “pay it forward.” This capability is provided on that site and many others from the fine folks at DL Consulting who created the software used by the California collection as well as many other online newspaper sites.

For many more details about scanning, OCR and related subjects please read 
an old article that is very informative -  Analysing and Improving OCR Accuracy in Large Scale Historic Newspaper Digitisation Programs, from the March/April 2009 publication of D-Lib magazine.

Good luck – be persistent and have reasonable expectations.
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