New Hampshire Newspapers

Newspapers publish notices of marriage, divorce, death, funerals, obituaries, and wartime casualty lists. Notices include names of the persons involved and date of the event and may contain maiden names, names of parents, and other relatives.

Newspapers also publish articles of local interest, including religious and social events in the community with the names of those involved. Some newspapers serve several communities and devote columns to the everyday happenings in the area. Newspapers also include legal notices, estate sales, and advertising for local businesses.

New Hampshire’s newspapers began in 1756 with the Portsmouth New Hampshire Gazette. The New Hampshire Historical Society and the New Hampshire State Library are major repositories of New Hampshire newspapers. For addresses of these repositories, see New Hampshire Archives and Libraries and New Hampshire Societies.

Inventory on the Internet
Over 1,800 New Hampshire newspapers are cataloged in:

New Hampshire Newspaper Project. In New Hampshire State Library [database online]. Concord, N.H.: State Library, May 1999– [cited 25 February 2000]. Available at www.state.nh.us/nhsl/network/newstitle_1.html. Briefly lists newspaper title, town, publisher, life span, and catalog and reel numbers so researchers can contact them for further details and obtain microfilm copies through interlibrary loan.

The Family History Library does not have copies of New Hampshire newspapers, but it does have some published abstracts from newspapers, such as:

Hammond, Otis G. Notices from the New Hampshire Gazette, 1765–1800. Lambertville, New Jersey: Hunterdon House, 1970. (Family History Library book 974.2 V2ho; film 908584; fiche 6051306). These notices include marriage and death notices, primarily from Portsmouth and nearby areas. The book includes indexes.

Published Indexes
New England Library Association. Bibliography Committee. A Guide to Newspaper Indexes in New England. Holden, Massachusetts: New England Library Association, 1978. (Family History Library book 974 B32n; fiche 6051391). New Hampshire indexes are included in this guide.

More resources regarding local newspapers for New Hampshire can be found in the Locality Search of the Family History Library Catalog under:

NEW HAMPSHIRE- NEWSPAPERS

NEW HAMPSHIRE, [COUNTY]- NEWSPAPERS

NEW HAMPSHIRE, [COUNTY], [TOWN]- NEWSPAPERS