Enrollment options
Newspapers have long been an invaluable resource for genealogists. They provide not only birth, marriage, and death notices but also rich historical details that help bring ancestors’ lives into focus. Whether through obituaries, legal notices, business advertisements, or social columns, newspapers offer insight into daily life, local events, and family connections that official records often lack.
This course introduces you to modern methods of newspaper research, including:
- Where to find historical newspapers, from digital archives and online databases to provincial libraries and historical societies.
- How to search effectively, including OCR-powered keyword searches, Boolean operators, and advanced filtering techniques to locate relevant articles.
- How to evaluate and interpret newspaper content, recognizing historical context, editorial bias, and terminology shifts over time.
- How to cite and preserve newspaper discoveries to strengthen your genealogical research and storytelling.
This course explains the skills needed to navigate newspaper archives efficiently, uncover valuable genealogical information, and incorporate newspapers into your family history research with confidence. This course teaches you to maximize newspaper use for Canadian genealogical research, whether using microfilm, digital archives, or both.
Historical: This course originated September 2002. Current version copyright is December 2025.If you have older material, it needs to be replaced. Use the chat app to order your replacement materials.
Course Content
Course NotesMODULE 1
INTRODUCTION TO NEWSPAPERS- Module Notes
- Vocabulary
- A Cultural Barrier
- Citations
Newspapers in the Community
Newspapers in Canada- Finding the Right Newspaper
- Names of Newspapers
- Reading the Newspaper
Module 1 Course Assignments
MODULE 2
FINDING AND USING NEWSPAPERS
- Module Notes
- Where to Start
Historical Newspapers Online
- Interpreting a Newspaper Bibliography
- Indexes or Abstracts
- Obtaining & Viewing the Microfilm
Module 2 Course Assignments
MODULE 3
BIRTHS, MARRIAGES, AND DEATHS
- Module Notes
BMDs in Newspapers
- Births
- Marriages
- Deaths
- Other Death-related Notices
MODULE 4
SOCIAL NOTES AND NEWS ITEMS
- Module Notes
And in Other News
- The Front Page
- Social Notes
- Accidents and Illnesses
- Farm and Business News
- School Results
- Sports
- Police Reports and Inquests
- Legal Notices
- Unclaimed Mail
MODULE 5
ETHNIC AND RELIGIOUS NEWSPAPERS
- Module Notes
- Ethnic Newspapers
- Religious Newspapers
- Specialized Publications
- Recommended Reading and Resources
MODULE 6
NEWSLETTERS AND JOURNALS
- Module Notes
Introduction
- Newsletter or Journal?
- Local History
- Genealogical Society Publications
- PERSI
- Historical Publications
Module 6 Course Assignments