Nova Scotia Newspapers

Resources for Nova Scotia Newspapers
Newspapers are a helpful source when church and community records do not exist or are incomplete. Up to the late 1800s, few births were reported, and most marriages and deaths reported were of people in high social positions.

Newspaper Directories

 * Tratt, Gertrude E. N. A Survey and Listing of Nova Scotia Newspapers, 1752–1957, with particular reference to the period before 1867. Halifax, Nova Scotia: Dalhousie University 1979. (Family History Library ; fich.)


 * Lynn Murphy. Nova Scotia Newspapers: A Directory and Union List, 1752–1988. Halifax, Nova Scotia: Dalhousie University, School of Library and Informational Studies, 1990. (Family History Library .)


 * A union list of Nova Scotia newspapers compiled by the Blue Pond Collaborative. 1987. This is difficult to find, but the National Library has a copy.


 * Thomas Brewer Vincent.An historical directory of Nova Scotia newspapers and journals before Confederation. Kingston, Ontario: Royal Military College of Canada, 1977.


 * Nova Scotia Genealogy Network Association -Nova Scotian Newspapers


 * Acadia University - Vaughan Memorial Library - Maritime Newspapers on Microfilm at Acadia

Libraries and Archives
The majority of the early newspapers for the whole province of Nova Scotia are at the Public Archives of Nova Scotia (large microfilm collection).

Nova Scotia Archives 6016 University Avenue Halifax, Nova Scotia B3H 1W4 (corner of University Avenue and Robie Street) Telephone: (902)424-6060 Email: [mailto:nsarm@gov.ns.ca nsarm@gov.ns.ca]

A good listing of their newspaper holdings can be found in Terrence Punch’s Genealogical research in Nova Scotia (New revised edition, Halifax: Nimbus, 1998).

Digital Issues Online

 * 1752-1780 (gaps) - The Halifax Gazette at Google News - free.


 * 1783-1853 - The Nova-Scotia Gazette and the Weekly Chronicle aka The Royal Gazette at Google News - free.


 * 1784-1799 - The Royal St. John's Gazette at Google News - free.


 * 1784-1799 - St. John's Gazette at Google News - free.

Genealogical Association of Nova Scotia

 * Nova Scotia vital statistics from newspapers. Halifax: Genealogical Association of Nova Scotia, 1978-1988. The volumes cover 1769-1812, 1813-1822, 1823-1828, 1829-1834, 1835-1839, 1840-1843, 1844-1847, 1848-1851, 1852-1854; ; ; a full list and details are available at their website.


 * Mildred Howard. Early Cape Breton newspapers: vital statistics and items. Cape Breton Genealogical Society, 1992.


 * Roger MacPherson. Vital statistics from the Colonial patriot (Pictou), Dec 1827-May 1834. Nepean, Ont: MacPherson, 2001. Another version of this was published on the website of the Genealogical Association of Nova Scotia.

Nova Scotia Unpublished Indexes

 * Halifax Mail-Star obituary index at the provincial archives (from 1949).