Best Historical Newspaper Archives Online

Best Historic Newspaper Archives Online!

Newspapers contain a great deal of information for the genealogy researcher. You are probably, therefore, wondering what are the best historic newspaper archives that you can find on the Internet.

Best Historical Newspaper Archives Online

* Affiliate Disclaimer *

Here in this post, I will guide you through what the 4 top newspaper archive sites have to offer you.

And in the process hopefully, I will make your decision a whole lot easier for which one to go for.

Best Historical Newspaper Archives

British Newspaper Archive         Genealogy Bank

NewspaperArchive.com Review          Newspapers.com Review

Comparing The Competition!

British Newspaper ArchiveGenealogy BankNewspaperArchive.comNewspapers.com
RatingRating Stars - 4Rating Stars - 4Rating Star 2.5Rating Stars - 4
Free TrialNoNoNo7 Days
Pages/Records46 Million +2 BillionTens of Millions689 Million +
Bottom Line
Best For British ResearchLargest CollectionNot A ScamWorldwide Newspapers

After you have finished checking out this review why not head on over to The Ancestor Hunt website.

There you will find a guide by Kenneth R Marks showing you the 5 Best Free Sites for Online Newspaper Research for Genealogy.

Express Your Thoughts Below

Express Your Thoughts Below!

I would love to hear from you.

What To Expect From A Historic Newspaper Archive!

Before I explore each of the 4 newspaper archive sites in this review I first want to show you what this valuable resource has to offer you.

You are probably familiar with what you can expect from the newspapers of today. They will have various kinds of announcements such as births, marriages, and deaths.

But other events can be featured in a newspaper, such as engagements, wedding anniversaries, burials, and so on.

Those same events can be found within the pages of a historical newspaper. And they may be your only link to your family’s past.

That is because records may have unfortunately been lost or destroyed. And so newspapers can help you to fill that void in your research.

Newspapers may be the resource that you need to break down a brick wall that you may have encountered.

As well as vital records such as birth, marriage and death records, and census records, newspapers are a very valuable resource for the genealogist!

And there are stories too!

As well as the announcements that I have discussed above there are also the stories to be discovered. Newspapers can tell you a lot about the character of your ancestor.

Take one of my ancestors for example. I discovered several newspaper articles concerning my 2nd great grandfather, Henry Couch.

Through researching newspapers I discovered that he had a few brushes with the law. Although these were quite minor they are stories that I did not even know exist about him.

There have been plenty of stories passed down to me, and it looks like these stories slipped through the cracks of time.

So, you see newspapers can help you not only gather key details, such as names, dates, and places but also stories as well.

All of this information that you find within a newspaper can help you to discover your ancestor and know more about them.


British Newspaper Archive – The Best for British Research!

My first newspaper archive in this review explores a collection of newspapers that will help you trace your British and Irish ancestors. This is a popular choice among family historians from this sacred isle.

British Newspaper Archive

British Newspaper Archive Rating and Details

RatingRating Stars - 4(4/5)
Subscription12 Months£6.67 per month (48% saving)
3 Months£8.64 per month (31% saving)
Monthly£12.95 per month
Pay As You Go£19.95
FreeNo Free Trial
Pages46 Million +
Article Types
Advertisement, Article, Family Notice, Illustrated, Miscellaneous, or Front Page Articles
Help & SupportHints & Tips, Knowledge Base, Feedback Forums, Online Customer Support Form and Webinars
Bottom LineBest For British Research!
CHECK IT OUT  ==>
www.BritishNewspaperArchive.co.uk

What Does This Archive Offer You!

With more than 46 million pages so far this is an impressive resource for the British family historian. And the great thing is that there are plenty more pages to be added in the future, nearly double the amount more!

Credit: The British Newspaper Archive

The current pages that you will find on this site are sourced from more than 700 newspaper titles. The newspapers featured in this collection come from all areas of the United Kingdom, and Ireland as well.

What I like about this collection is that some newspapers date back to as early as 1801. So, there’s a good chance that you will discover another source of information right here from this newspaper archive.

The digitizing process is a joint venture between this website and the British Library. With uploading these pages to the public online it will make researching your ancestors much easier.

That is compared to visiting the library and trolling through the newspapers by hand. Ugh!

Tools and Features!

There are many ways that you can search for your ancestors, and also refine your searches as well.

I do not want to get into too much detail about the search process within this guide, (you can check out my full review by checking out the link at the end).

What I will say though is that you can search for your ancestor by name, and use a keyword as well to hone in on your ancestor.

To limit your results you can select dates, newspapers, countries, counties, and more that you want to appear. Utilizing this feature definitely will help you.

There is also an Advanced Search Feature that will help restrict the number of results. For example with this feature you can select what kind of Article Type you would like to see, eg. Advertisement, Article, Family Notice, and so on.

You can decide to view your results straight away or you can Bookmark them and check them out another time.

Pros

✔ Contains millions of digitized newspaper pages
✔ New pages added all the time
✔ 700 newspaper titles from the United Kingdom and Ireland
✔ Dates from the 1700s right up to the present day
✔ Find advertisements, articles, family notices, illustrations, and miscellaneous articles
✔ Choose a monthly, 3 month or 12-month subscription
✔ Or select a Pay as you go option

Cons

❌ Can be expensive but the 12-month subscription is the best option
❌ Gaps in newspaper titles and pages but these are being added all the time
❌ Errors may creep in when digitizing pages but you can highlight these to staff

My Verdict

British Newspaper Archive is worth checking out in my opinion. The number of titles and pages may not be as much as compared to archives within the States but there is something here if you look.

Check Out My British Newspaper Archive Review!


Genealogy Bank – The Largest Collection Online!

By far this is the largest collection of newspaper titles and pages that you will find on the Internet.

Genealogy Bank

With the price, you have to pay to access this resource compared to what is on offer in my opinion it is well worth the money. (Although for some the price may seem excessive.)

Genealogy Bank Rating and Details

RatingRating Stars - 4(4/5)
SubscriptionAnnual$5.83 per month (billed in one payment of $69.95)
Monthly$19.95 per month (billed separately $234.90)
30-Day Trial$9.95
Records2 Billion Genealogy Records
CollectionsNewspaper Archives, Newspaper Obituaries, Social Security Death Index, Government Publications, and Historical Books
Help & SupportOnline FAQ, email and Telephone Support, and Webinars
Bottom LineLargest Online Collection!
CHECK IT OUT  ==>
www.GenealogyBank.com

What Does This Archive Offer You!

As I have said this archive has the largest collection of newspapers that you will find in the United States. So far there are 2 billion genealogy records that are contained with their databases.

Credit: Genealogy Bank

All of these records are sourced from an impressive 95% of newspapers that have been printed in the U.S. So, there is a really good chance of finding what you’re looking for here.

But saying that there’s always a chance of discovering some gems of information that you didn’t even know about.

But isn’t that what genealogy is all about?

There are plenty of records contained within this newspaper archive that will help you with your research.

Besides birth, engagement, marriage, anniversary, divorces, and obituaries there is other useful information that you can glean. Such as military records, passenger lists, shipping, and shipping records.

And on top of that, there are photographs and images as well.

There are more records to be found at Genealogy Bank so to find out the full list why not check out the link at the end of this review?

Tools and Features!

Searching for your ancestor is quite straightforward with this site, and is pretty much similar to the first site that I have discussed in this guide.

You just start by entering your ancestor’s name. To limit the responses you can also add a keyword as well.

There are also other parameters that you can use such as setting a date range, location, and selecting the newspaper title as well if you wish.

Another method that you could try is to search for your ancestor by state. This approach may take you a while but it is worth trying if you cannot search for your ancestor by using their name.

There are also obituary records that you can explore through various collections that are available through the site.

You can save and share what you have discovered by saving the piece of information that interests you like a snippet. This snippet can then be downloaded to your computer or emailed to family or friends.

Pros

✔ Contains billions of digitized newspaper articles
✔ Over 7,000 newspaper titles from all 50 states
✔ Dates from as early as 1690 right up to modern-day
✔ Find births, marriages, engagements, and obituaries
✔ Choose monthly or annual subscription
✔ Check it out on a 30-day trial

Cons

❌ Can be expensive to research your family tree
❌ Limited to the United States

My Verdict

If you want to discover more about your U.S. ancestors then this is a resource for you. The sheer number of records that can be found on this site speaks volumes.

Check Out My Genealogy Bank Review!


NewspaperArchive.com – Is It A Scam?

I want to dispel all the claims that I have seen and say right here, right now that this site is not a scam. But because of people experiencing poor customer service and difficulty canceling their subscription it hasn’t scored highly I’m afraid.

NewspaperArchive.com Review

NewspaperArchive.com Rating and Details

RatingRating Star 2.5(2.5/5)
Premium Subscription
6 Months$49.95 (only $8.32 a month)
FreeNo Free Trial
PagesTens of Millions
NewspapersNearly 10,000 newspapers from the US, Canada, UK, and 25 other countries
Help & SupportFAQs, Instructional Videos, Email and Phone Support, Online Form
Bottom LineIt’s Not A Scam!
CHECK IT OUT  ==>
NewspaperArchive.com

What Does This Archive Offer You!

Despite the negative start to this review let’s get right into it and see what this newspaper archive can offer you.

Well, there are tens of millions of pages that you can search through. And not only will you find U.S. newspaper titles but also titles from 27 other countries from around the world.

Credit: NewspaperArchive.com (posted 2 years ago)

There are nearly 10,000 newspapers to be found on this website. So, that is in my mind an impressive amount of newspapers would you not say.

On top of the tens of millions of pages that the site already has there is a staggering 2.5 million pages added every month.

With that said if you cannot find what you are looking for on your first visit then please check the site out a few months later.

Tools and Features!

Searching for your ancestor can be carried by either entering their full name or a keyword, (not both).

However, you can perform an Advanced Search where you can enter values for these two fields as well as publication date and location.

Or you may want to check through the newspapers if you wish and try to find your ancestor that way. Using this approach you can look through the different newspapers of the world.

There are 3 cool features that I like about this site:

  • Obituaries – Search through over 100 million obituaries.
  • Clippings – Search for clippings of articles and other bits of newspaper information.
  • Family Trees – Check newspaper articles, etc that have been connected to your ancestor.

Pros

✔ Millions of pages available
✔ Over 10,000 different newspapers
✔ Vital records and others available
✔ Newspapers and records from the United States, Canada, UK, and 25 other countries
✔ Fairly simple and easy to use site
✔ FAQs, Instructional Videos, Email and Phone Support, Online Form

Cons

❌ No free trial offered
❌ Plenty of ways to search which can get confusing
❌ Poor customer service

My Verdict

I will have to say that I do recommend that you do check out NewspaperArchive.com. Despite it having such a poor review from many customers it is a valuable resource that can help you with your genealogy research.

You can check out what others have been saying about this site by clicking on the following link.

Check Out My NewspaperArchive.com Review!


Newspapers.com – Offering You Worldwide Newspapers!

This newspaper archive is a step up from the previous site I have just reviewed. It offers much more pages although not from nearly as many countries from around the world.

Newspapers.com Review

Newspapers.com Rating and Details

RatingRating Stars - 4(4/5)
Subscription Packages
Basic:
  • 6 Months$44.95 (save $2.75)
  • Month$7.95

Publisher Extra:

  • 6 Months$74.90 (save $44.50)
  • Month$19.90
Free7-Day Free Trial
Pages689 Million + pages
Newspapers19,600 newspapers from U.S., England, Canada, Australia, Scotland, Ireland, Northern Ireland, Wales, Guam, Panama
Help & SupportInstructional Videos, Articles, Online Contact Form, Blog, Facebook, and Twitter, Phone Support
Bottom LineBest Worldwide Newspapers!
CHECK IT OUT  ==>
www.Newspapers.com

What Does This Archive Offer You!

Currently, there are an impressive 689 million pages to be found on this site and that number is continuing to rise. Presently you can search for not only U.S. countries but also 9 other countries as well.

Credit: Newspapers.com

19,600+ newspapers make up the collection at Newspapers.com and some of them date from the 1700s. There are pages within the collection that date from the 2000s. So, it is quite up to date.

I must point out here that this website was bought out by Ancestry.com back in late 2012.

Now you may be thinking that if you already have a subscription to Ancestry that you will have full access to the entire collection of newspaper pages.

Unfortunately, it’s not that simple. Ancestry doesn’t make it that easy as you will find some pages on one site but not the other.

So, with that, if you can’t find what you’re looking for at Ancestry then it’s worth checking out Newspapers.com, and vice versa of course.

Oh, I must also point out that there is a 7-day free trial with this site. This is great for you because there are no free trials for the other newspaper archives in this guide.

Tools and Features!

Searching for your ancestor is a pretty much similar affair with this site. Just enter your ancestor’s name, (keyword optional), and see what results will pop up.

To limit the search results you can even enter a location for the newspaper as well as set a date or range of dates.

Or you may want to scan through the newspaper titles and find your ancestor that way.

There is an interactive map that you use if you wish to narrow down your search. You can use this feature to find any newspaper within the U.S. or the rest of the world.

You can save your search results by taking a clipping of the article, advert, or whatever you found that interests you. You can then save your clippings for future reference.

Pros

✔ Includes 300 million + pages
✔ From 7,500 newspapers
✔ Covers entire United States and some countries from around the world
✔ Find births, marriages, obituaries, and other kinds of notices
✔ Monthly or 6-monthly subscription available
✔ Basic or premium packages

Cons

❌ Only a 7-day free trial, (not 14 days)
❌ Can get expensive, (but only if you do not find time to research)

My Verdict

This is a newspaper archive that you will want to explore for your genealogy research. I would take advantage of the 7-day free trial, but only if you do have the spare time to fully utilize this offer.

Check Out My Newspapers.com Review!


My Final Thoughts

I cannot favor one website over another. Each of the 4 that I have reviewed here has its qualities and each of them caters to a different kind of genealogy researcher.

Obviously though if you are concentrating your research solely on the U.S. then Genealogy Bank is for you. If you have British ancestors then The British Newspaper Archive is worth checking out.

And with the other two archives, well you can make up your mind with those.

Overall though I hope that I have enlightened you with what these newspaper archive sites are about and what they can offer you.

Please feel free to check out the full review of each of them for a more in-depth discussion.

What do you think?

If you decide to subscribe to any of these newspaper archives then please come back and let me know what you think. I would love to hear how it is working for you.


Thank You and Please Leave A Comment

I hope you enjoyed this post reviewing The Best Historic Newspaper Archives Online. If you have any questions or comments then please leave a comment below.

Please share with family and friends if you think this post will help others by using the social media buttons below.

Summary
Article Name
Best Historic Newspapers Archives
Description
Check out the Best Historic Newspaper Archives Online to discover stories about your ancestors. I explore the top sites that you should visit.
Author
Publisher Name
The Genealogy Guide
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14 thoughts on “Best Historic Newspaper Archives Online!”

  1. I currently subscribe to newspapers.com and genealogybank. I have found almost as many discoveries on the free Library of Congress site, Chronicling America. On it, you can search newspapers from every state in the US from 1789 to 1963. It currently has 13,286,065 pages available. While the collection of newspapers may not be as large as the paid sites and it is limited to the US only, I have found newspapers there that are not available elsewhere, particularly those from more rural states. And you certainly cannot beat free.

  2. Nigel Francois

    Great article, it was a great read. It must have taken you ages to write that review. Well done.

    I find that mostly everything these days is digital. Newspapers have to be digital these days in order to survive.

    But it’s good to see that the old newspapers of yesteryear are being added online as well.

    I will have to check these out.

    Thanks.

    1. Thanks Nigel. Yes these reviews do take me a while to research and write. But I will take as long as I need to to get these reviews out here and help fellow family historians research their tree.

      It’s good to see historical newspapers being digitized and being put online. Like genealogical records they are being added to the Internet all the time.

      It’s just incredible what you can discover about your ancestors within the pages of an old newspaper.

      All the best with your genealogy research.

      Owain

  3. Good stuff you got here.

    I can’t believe I’ve never thought of using a computer to look up my family history until now!!

    Duh. Where have I been.

    Anyways, It almost seems like it wouldn’t be a bad idea to give them all a try, especially if you wanted to get down to the nitty-gritty.

    Thanks for the ideas/reviews!!

  4. Thanks for the shout out Owain. The Ancestor Hunt focuses on free online collections. There are now over 22,000 free U.S. titles referenced on my site.

    Just a slight warning though. There have been over 155,000 titles published ever in the U.S. So I think Genealogy Bank’s claim to 95 per cent seems erroneous.

    I will be sharing your above article on my FB Page. It’s a very nice analysis.

    1. You’re welcome Kenneth. I have a Free section on my site where I focus on all the resources that I have found where you can trace your family tree.

      I did think that 95% was a bit high. Whether that is the case then it maybe difficult to say, but I would assume it to be a high percentage.

      Thanks for sharing my article. It’s very much appreciated.

      1. Thanks. You ought to add my Newspaper Links page to your Free section. If you haven’t browsed my site you should. There are a ton of items that are useful to all researchers .

  5. Raymond Rodriguez

    Woa well written blog. This blog is easy to read with a mobile device. I am using a small phone to read this blog.

    There some really great archives here that I would like to check out. Definitely Genealogy Bank sounds to be the more promise. So I will be checking that one out first.

    Thank you for sharing.

    1. Thanks for the feedback Raymond. I am glad that you have found my post easy to read and you have found the information that you were looking for.

      That is the aim of my site. So I am glad that I have succeeded there.

      Genealogy Bank is quite impressive. You can always check out Newspapers.com as that is another great site that I highly recommend.

  6. caith culbertson

    I am always leary of the free trial because they ask for your credit card. Afraid that they will roll the free trial over and charge your card without authorization and keep rolling it over for months before resolution.

    So, I do not do free trialsw.

    1. Yes I know what you mean Caith. I have noticed that with every site that I have reviewed so far.

      Unless you put in your credit card details then you can’t take advantage of the free trial. It’s the way that these sites work in order to get you to sign up and be a customer.

      I think they hope that you do forget about the trial and then your membership kicks in and you have to pay.

      You can check out the site for free though.you just won’t be able to access the pages. Worth checking out.

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