Newspapers provide valuable information for family historians. They publish notices of marriage, divorce, death, funerals, obituaries, and probate matters. Since about 1880 they may also publish birth notices. Notices include the names of the persons involved, dates, and places. Marriage and death notices may contain maiden names, names of parents, and names of other living relatives. Legal notices, such as the settlement of estates, appointment of guardians, filing for divorce, coroner inquests, delinquent tax lists, and other legal advertising, can be of great help, especially when a fire destroyed the records in the courthouse. Newspapers also include local and national news, advertisements for commodities, and advertisements for services. All of this material can help to add substance to a family history.

Inventory on Internet. The Indiana Division of the Indiana State Library has the state’s largest newspaper collection. They have many newspapers on microfilm and an index of names and obituaries in Indianapolis newspapers since 1898. Their newspaper microfilms are available through interlibrary loan. For a county-by-county inventory of their 16,500 reels of Indiana newspaper microfilms, see their Internet site:

www.state.lib.in.us/www/indiana/newspapers/hold/html

Miller, John W. Indiana Newspaper Bibliography: Historical Accounts of All Indiana Newspapers Published from 1804 to 1980 and Locational Information for All Available Copies, Both Original and Manuscript. Indianapolis: Indiana Historical Society, 1982. (FHL book 977.2 B32m; fiche 6087603; computer number 218482.) The newspapers are listed by county and then by town. The history of the newspaper is given along with the names of the repositories or libraries that keep original or microfilm copies. There is also an index to the towns, editors, and publishers.

To identify microfilms you can order on interlibrary loan through your local public library, see also the “Newspapers” section of the United States Research Outline for Newspapers in Microform: United States, 1948–1983. This includes newspapers published from the early 1700s to 1983.

For a list of newspaper indexes, see:

“Indexes and Abstracts of Indiana Newspapers at Indiana State Library.” The Hoosier Genealogist 36, no.1 (March 1996): 1-28. (FHL book 977.2 B2h; computer number 224685.) This lists 229 indexes or abstracts by county, then by the name of the newspaper. Shows Indiana State Library call numbers, authors, titles, a brief description of what is indexed or abstracted, years covered, and citations to the original source.

In the Locality Search of the Family History Library Catalog, you will find newspapers listed under:

INDIANA- NEWSPAPERSINDIANA, [COUNTY]- NEWSPAPERSINDIANA, [COUNTY], [TOWN]- NEWSPAPERS

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