TIP of the WEEK –  CHRONICLING AMERICA

Launched by the Library of Congress and the National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH) in 2007, Chronicling America provides enhanced and permanent access to historically significant newspapers published in the United States between 1836 and 1922. It is part of the National Digital Newspaper Program (NDNP), a joint effort between the two agencies and partners in 40 states and territories.

Chronicling America is worth frequent visits as more newspapers are added to the project. Newspapers have traditionally been underused as a genealogical resource because it if often difficult to access them. Chronicling America has changed that.

If you’ve never used the site or haven’t been there recently, be sure to check it out.  They posted their 10 millionth page in October 2015! As of today, there’s 10,366,488 pages. These are lesser known newspapers; the ones you will not find digitized somewhere else.  Imagine the thrill of finding your 3xgreat-grandmother’s death notice in the Dakota Territory and learning she left behind 63 grandchildren and 26 great-grandchildren.

There’s a basic search at “Search Pages”, or to narrow your results try the “Advanced Search”, and finally under “All Digitized Newspapers 1836-1922” there is a search by State or Ethnicity or Language, where you are provided a drop-down menu.  Cool.

Thirty-two newspapers in French are digitized, not surprisingly mostly from Louisiana.  Under Ethnicity for African American, there are 50 newspaper titles, spread out from Washington, DC’s  “The Washington Bee” (1886-1912) to Seattle, Washington’s  “Cayton’s Weekly”  (1917-1921).  For the state of Ohio,  there are 129 titles ranging from “Anti-Slavery Bugle” (1845-1861, New-Lisbon, OH) to “The Western Reserve Chronicle” (1855-1873, Warren, OH) and “The Xenia Sentinel” (1863-1865, in where else, Xenia, OH).

Enjoy; this is a site for genealogists and history buffs alike ; here’s the url:   http://chroniclingamerica.loc.gov/search/titles/