Delaware Online Historical Newspapers Summary

The Ancestor Hunt regularly adds and updates new collection links, as well as searches for and fixes broken links.
(This page's most recent update is
June 2024)
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Delaware is one of the states that does not have a single central online state repository for historical newspapers, but they use the Library of Congress Chronicling America site as their main site for searching old newspapers. There are a few free online newspapers on other sites and collections available on subscription sites. Below is a list of where the titles are stored and the link so that you can access them. 

There are about 300 newspapers that have been published in The First State – certainly, not all of them are searchable online. But there are several that are indeed available. So go for it – find your Delaware ancestors and all the interesting articles that capture the stories of their lives. 

Please note that I have not always entered the dates that are included in the collections, as I suspect they will change as more items are digitized. Also, I suspect that some of these links may change over time – so if there is a dead link – please use your favorite search engine to find their new location. 

(Recently added links are in BOLD)

Delaware Historical Newspapers

Free Sites:

Statewide Collections:

Chronicling America: Delaware Newspapers

The Links for Chronicling America go to the new Version 2.0

• American Watchman (Wilmington, Del.) 1814-1822
• American Watchman and Delaware Advertiser (Wilmington, Del.) 1809-1828 [Microfilm Reel]
• Blue Hens Chicken & Delaware Democratic Whig (Wilmington, Del.) 1845-1848
• Blue Hen’s Chicken (Wilmington, Del.) 1848-1854
• Blue Hen’s Chicken and Commonwealth (Wilmington, Del.) 18??-186?
• Business Index (Wilmington, Del.) 1876-18??
• Clayton Herald (Clayton, Del.) 1867-1870
• Daily Enterprise (Wilmington, Del.) 1858-18??
• Daily Republican ([Wilmington, Del.]) 1874-1890
• Delaware Advertiser & Star (Wilmington, Del.) 1832-18??
• Delaware Advertiser and Farmer’s Journal (Wilmington, Del.) 1828-1831
• Delaware City Press (Delaware City, Del.) 1913-19??
• Delaware Democrat (Wilmington, Del.) 1857-1858
• Delaware Gazette (Wilmington, Del.) 1837-1883
• Delaware Gazette and American Watchman (Wilmington, Del.) 1828-1837
• Delaware Gazette and Peninsula Advertiser (Wilmington, Del.) 1814-1820
• Delaware Gazette and State Journal (Wilmington, Del.) 1883-1902
• Delaware Inquirer (Wilmington, Del.) 1859-18??
• Delaware Journal (Wilmington [Del.]) 1827-1832
• Delaware Patriot & American Watchman (Wilmington, Del.) 1828-1828
• Delaware Republican (Wilmington, Del.) 1843-1874
• Delaware Republican, and Farmers’, Manufacturers’ and Mechanics’ Advocate (Wilmington, Del.) 1841-1843
• Delaware State Journal (Wilmington, Del.) 1870-1883
• Delaware State Journal and Statesman (Wilmington, Del.) 1855-1870
• Delaware State Journal, Advertiser and Star (Wilmington, Del.) 1832-1833
• Delaware State Reporter (Dover, Del.) 1853-1859
• Delaware Straight-Out Truth Teller ([Wilmington, Del.]) 1872-18??
• Delaware Tribune (Wilmington, Del.) 1867-1877
• Delaware Tribune, and the Delaware State Journal (Wilmington, Del.) 1877-18??
• Delaware Weekly Advertiser and Farmer’s Journal (Wilmington, Del.) 1827-1828
• Delaware Weekly Republican (Wilmington, Del.) 1841-188?
• Evening Journal (Wilmington, Del.) 1888-1932
• Every Evening, Wilmington Daily Commercial (Wilmington, Del.) 1878-1928
• Grimshaw’s Messenger (Wilmington, Del.) 1858-18??
• Holiday Journal (Wilmington, Del.) 1879-1879
• Holly Oak Journal (Holly Oak, Del.) 1889-1???
• Independent Delawarian (Wilmington, Del.) 184?-18??
• Middletown Transcript (Middletown, Del.) 1868-Current
• Milford Beacon (Milford, Del.) 1848-1855
• Milford Chronicle (Milford, Del.) 1878-1974
• Mirror of the Times & General Advertiser (Wilmington, Del.) 1799-1806
• Newark Post (Newark, Del.) 1910-1969
• Newport Enterprise (Newport [Del.]) 1889-1???
• Peninsular News and Advertiser (Milford, Del.) 1872-1904
• Saturday Visitor (Newark, Del.) 1876-1876
• Smyrna Times (Smyrna, Del.) 1854-1987
• The Advance (Wilmington, Del.) 1899-19??
• The Advertiser (Wilmington, Del.) 1879-18??
• The Advertiser (Wilmington, Del.) 1879-1879
• The Clayton Call (Clayton, Del.) 188?-189?
• The Commonwealth (Wilmington, Del.) 1858-18??
• The Daily Gazette (Wilmington, Del.) 1874-1883
• The Daily Republican (Wilmington, Del.) 1902-19??
• The Delaware Abolitionist (Wilmington, Del.) 1847-18??
• The Delaware City News (Delaware City, Del.) 188?-18??
• The Delaware Democrat (Georgetown, Del.) 1882-1905
• The Delaware Farm and Home (Wilmington, Del.) 1885-19??
• The Delaware Farmer (Milford, Del.) 1883-18??
• The Delaware Gazette (Wilmington [Del.]) 1809-1810
• The Delaware Herald (Smyrna, Del.) 1850-1854
• The Delaware Leader (Laurel, Del.) 191?-19??
• The Delaware Ledger (Newark, Del.) 1879-19??
• The Delaware Register, Or, Farmers’, Manufacturers’ & Mechanics’ Advocate (Wilmington, Del.) 1828-1829
• The Delawarean (Dover, Del.) 1859-1927
• The Delawarean, and Farmers’ and Mechanics’ Advertiser (Wilmington, Del.) 183?-18??
• The Delmar News (Delmar, Del.) 1904-19??
• The Delmarva Leader and the Seaford News (Seaford, Del.) 1944-1975
• The Diamond State (Milford, Del.) 1855-1859
• The Dover Argus and Delaware Advertiser (Dover, Del.) 1804-18??
• The Dover Herald (Dover, Del.) 1800-18??
• The Evening Republican (Wilmington, Del.) 1902-1902
• The Faulkland Quiz (Faulkland, Del.) 1892-18??
• The Herald (Smyrna, Del.) 1870-1871
• The Messenger (Georgetown, Del.) 1858-18??
• The Monitor & Wilmington Repository (Wilmington, Del.) 1800-1801
• The Monitor, Or, Delaware Federalist (Wilmington, Del.) 1801-1802
• The Morning Herald (Wilmington, Del.) 1875-1880
• The Museum of Delaware & General Advertiser (Wilmington, Del.) 1807-1809
• The Museum of Delaware (Wilmington, Del.) 1804-1806
• The New Era (Middletown, Del.) 1885-18??
• The Newark Ledger (Newark, Del.) 1877-1???
• The Odessa Herald (Odessa, Del.) 1888-1892
• The Odessa Leader (Odessa, Del.) 1892-18??
• The Smyrna Call (Smyrna, Del.) 1897-19??
• The Smyrna Telegraph (Smyrna, Del.) 1849-1850
• The Society News (Wilmington, Del.) 1883-18??
• The Statesman & Blue Hen’s Chicken (Wilmington Del.) 1854-1855
• The Sun (Wilmington, Del.) 1897-19??
• The Sunday Critic (Wilmington, Del.) 1883-19??
• The Sunday Mirror (Wilmington, Del.) 1880-18??
• The Sussex Countian and Laurel Gazette (Laurel, Del.) 189?-19??
• The Sussex Gazette (Georgetown, Del.) 1838-18??
• The Sussex Republican (Georgetown, Del.) 1888-1933
• The Union (Georgetown, Del.) 1863-1866
• The Union Republican (Georgetown, Del.) 189?-19??
• The Weekly Times (Wilmington, Del.) 1886-18??
• The Wilmington Daily Republican (Wilmington, Del.) 1890-1902
• The Wilmington Democrat (Wilmington, Del.) 18??-19??
• The Wilmington Mercury (Wilmington, Del.) 1798-1798
• The Wilmingtonian (Wilmington, Del.) 1823-1824
• The Wilmingtonian (Wilmington, Del.) 1882-188?
• The Wilmingtonian, and Delaware Advertiser (Wilmington, Del.) 1825-1827
• The Wilmingtonian, and Delaware Register (Wilmington, Del.) 1824-1825
• Weekly Delaware State Journal and Statesman (Wilmington, Del.) 18??-18??
• Weekly Delaware State Journal, Statesman and Blue Hen’s Chicken (Wilmington, Del.) 1855-18??
• Weekly Post (Wilmington, Del.) 1889-1???
• Wilmington Argus (Wilmington, Del.) 1880-18??
• Wilmington Daily Commercial (Wilmington, Del.) 1866-1877
• Wilmington Daily Gazette (Wilmington, Del.) 1872-1874
• Wilmington Expositor (Wilmington, Del.) 1831-18??
• Wilmington Lokal-Anzeiger Und Wilmington Freie Presse (Wilmington, Del.) 19??-19??

Google News Archive

• Lewes – Cape Gazette 
• Wilmington – Sunday Morning Star
• Wilmington – Wilmington Sunday Star 
• Wilmington – The Star
• Wilmington – Sunday Star

County and Library Collections:

New Castle Public Library Newspapers

• New Castle Gazette
• New Castle Weekly
• New Castle Eagle
• Weekly
• New Castle County Gazette
• Gazette
• The Weekly
• Weekly Newsletter

Seaford Historical Newspapers

• Sussex County Index
• The Delmarva Leader
• Seaford Tribune
• The Delaware Pilot
• The Leader and State Register
• The Seaford News
• Seaford High Aloha
• Seaford High Pow Wow

Student Collections:

Delaware State University – Dover

• Echo
• The Hornet

Delaware Tech – multiple campuses

• Delaware Tech Magazine
• Delaware Tech News

Goldey–Beacom College – Pike Creek Valley

• Reflections

University of Delaware – Newark

• Review
• Review

Wesley College – Dover

• Whetstone

Widener University Delaware Law School – Wilmington

• News

Wilmington University – New Castle

• WILMU

Miscellaneous Collections and Indexes:

Delaware Turnpike Scrapbook (clippings)

Delaware Archives – Newspaper Abstracts and Index

Old Fulton Postcards

• Delaware City DE News
• Dover DE Delawarean
• Dover DE Herald
• Middletown DE Transcript
• Newark DE Delaware Ledger
• Newark DE Post
• Wiilmington DE State Journal Statesman
• Wilmington DE American Watchman 1809-1817
• Wilmington DE American Watchman and Delaware Advertiser
• Wilmington DE Daily Commmercial
• Wilmington DE Daily Gazette
• Wilmington DE Daily Republican
• Wilmington DE Delaware Advertiser
• Wilmington DE Delaware Journal
• Wilmington DE Delaware Register
• Wilmington DE Delaware Republican
• Wilmington DE Delaware Tribune
• Wilmington DE Democrat
• Wilmington DE Evening Journal
• Wilmington DE Evening Republican
• Wilmington DE Gazette and State Journal
• Wilmington DE Gazette Watchman
• Wilmington DE Gazzette And Peninsula Advertiser
• Wilmington DE Mercury
• Wilmington DE Morning Herald
• Wilmington DE Patriot And American Watchmen
• Wilmington DE Republican And Farmer
• Wilmington DE State Journal
• Wilmington DE The Sun
• Wilmington DE Weekly Republican
• Wilmington DE Wilmingtonian

Small Town Papers

• Cape Gazette Lewes, Delaware

Southern School News Archive 

Other Free Sites:

Harrington

• Harrington Journal

Laurel

• State Register

Milford

• Peninsula News and Advertiser

Middletown

• Middletown Transcript

Newark

• Newark Post

Wilmington​

• Hellcat News
• Delaware Eastern Shore and Advertiser
• Delaware Advertiser and Farmer’s Journal
• Delaware Weekly Advertiser and Farmer’s Journal
• The Dialog
• Delaware Advertiser and Farmer’s Journal
• Delaware Weekly Advertiser and Farmer’s Journal​

Subscription or Pay Sites:

Ancestry.com:

There are currently 23 publications available on this site. See all the titles at Ancestry – Delaware Newspapers

Genealogy Bank:

There are currently 114 publications available on this site. See all the titles at Genealogy Bank – Delaware Newspapers

Newspaper Archive:

There are currently 83 publications available on this site. See all the titles at Newspaper Archive – Delaware

Newspapers.com:

There are currently 84 publications available on this site. See all the titles at Newspapers.com – Delaware. 

And Finally:

You also need to visit the Delaware Digital Newspaper Project site, which can tell you what is occurring in the state regarding newspaper projects and where some microfilmed newspapers are available in the state. 

Please note – even more may be available via a local library where a library card is required. And of course, there is always microfilm for those that have not been made available online as yet.

For more links for different states, provinces, and countries – please see the Newspaper Links page on this website.