Using Newspapers for family historyGenealogy is all about creating a representative family tree for our ancestors. However real family history involves more in-depth study of those individuals. Local newspapers may well provide details no other source can and they are a key means to ‘put meat on the bones’ and bringing people back to life at least in our own imagination.

There are several major sources for newspapers online, both free to use and by subscription in the UK.

British Newspaper Archive – is a growing resource of newspapers from around the UK, adding more local newspapers every month and offering an e-newsletter to keep you posted on the newest additions. The search facility is free to use but you will have to buy credits or a package deal to actually view and save the newspapers. The BNA is found at http://www.britishnewspaperarchive.co.uk/

The cost of viewing and saving is currently (Sept 2013) as shown on the grid below. There are 12 month, 30 days, 7 days and 2 days packages available.

If you already have a World Subscription to FindMyPast (FMP) there BNA is included in the package at no extra expense. Having logged in click on ‘Search Records’ and then on ‘Newspapers, Directories & Social History’.

You will then need to click on ‘British Newspapers 1710-1965’. A search engine will then appear asking for details on ‘Who’, ‘When’, ‘Where’ and ‘What else’. Clicking search will bring up the results. Click each to view and save.

The Times ArchiveOne of the oldest newspapers in the UK and perhaps the most famous and renowned around the world, The Times is a wonderful resource for national and international news. You can access the archive at - http://archiveprints.thetimes.co.uk/

The archive is divided into several categories including Sport, and People and has a search facility for free.

The London GazetteThe London Gazette is the official publication for nationwide public announcements and news and has been so since 1665. It can be found at http://www.london-gazette.co.uk/. There is a helpful online index offered at http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia:London_Gazette_Index. You can search for dates and people and announcements about war medals, decorations etc can be found. The site is straightforward to use and needs no instructions here.

Further newspapers and magazines are available to those holding a subscription to the Genealogist Diamond Package - http://www.thegenealogist.co.uk/ and the following newspapers are available to search: War Illustrated - Weekly - 1914 to 1919, The Great War - Weekly - 1914 to 1919, Illustrated London News - 1842 to 1869, Punch - Vol 1 to 119

There are also helpful sources online for the English speaking nations such as Australia, New zealand and the USA (?). The Trove from Australia is an amazing resource for newspapers from all mover the nation and i have found the search engine very easy to use. It can be found at http://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper

For newspapers in New zealand go to Papers Past found at http://paperspast.natlib.govt.nz/cgi-

bin/paperspast. You are able to search by date, region or title.

To access the Library of Congress archives in the USA go to – http://chroniclingamerica.loc.gov/search/titles/

There are equivalent resources available in many developed nations but you will need to be able to translate to English.

Universities may also be able to offer newspaper archives locally and beyond. For example the Leicester University can be accessed at

http://www2.le.ac.uk/library/find/subjects/history/historicalnews