For those of you who have Protestant ancestors in your family tree, there are lots of newspapers that have been published in the past that may help you find some information and stories about your ancestors. So not only are the city or town newspapers great to research, but also the “specialty” newspapers, such as church newspapers, for example.
Take a look at these sites and search them for info about your ancestors. If you know of any others, please let me know in the comments.
(Updated August 2023; recently added links are in BOLD)
Alabama
Arizona
California
- Right On!
- California Southern Baptist Convention Digital Archive
- California Southern Baptist 1901-1916
- Pacific
Colorado
District of Columbia
Florida
Georgia
- Atlanta, Ga., 1909-1931 – The Presbyterian of the South : [combining the] Southwestern Presbyterian, Central Presbyterian, Southern Presbyterian. [volume]
- Atlanta, 1963-current – The Georgia bulletin
- Atlanta, Ga., 186?-1??? – The Baptist banner.
- Atlanta, Ga., 186?-186? – The Banner and Baptist.
- Atlanta, Ga., 1863-1??? – The soldier’s friend.
- Atlanta, Ga., 1866-1871 – Christian index and South-western Baptist.
- Atlanta, Ga., 1869-???? – The Methodist advocate.
- Atlanta, Ga., 1872-1881 – The Christian index.
- Atlanta, Ga., 1881-???? – The Atlanta universalist.
- Atlanta, Ga., 1881-1892 – The Christian index and southern Baptist.
- Atlanta, Ga., 1906-1915 – The Golden age.
- Atlanta, Ga., 1909-1931 – The Presbyterian of the South : [combining the] Southwestern Presbyterian, Central Presbyterian, Southern Presbyterian.
- Augusta, Ga., 1864-1865 – The Pacificator.
- Augusta, Ga., 1920-1957 – The bulletin
- Covington, Ga., 1851-1862 – Southern Baptist messenger.
- Cumming, Ga., 18??-1??? – The Baptist banner.
- Gainesville, Ga., 1887-1??? – The Baptist sun.
- Guyton, Ga., 18??-current – The Baptist reporter.
- Macon, Ga., 18??-18?? – Southern Christian advocate.
- Macon, Ga., 1831-18?? – Georgia Christian repertory.
- Macon, Ga., 1863-1865 – Army and Navy herald.
- Macon, Georgia, 1872-1886 – Kind words for the Sunday school children.
- Monroe, Ga., 1958-1958 – The Savannah bulletin.
- Monroe, Ga., 1958-1962 – Bulletin
- Mt. Zion, Hancock County, Ga., 1819-182? – The missionary.
- Rome, Ga., 1859-186? – Landmark banner & Cherokee Baptist.
- Savannah, Ga., 1875-1877 – Southern cross.
- Valdosta, Ga., 1893-1918 – The Pilgrim’s banner.
- Washington, Ga., 1835-1866 – The Christian index.
- Baptist Banner
- Georgia Reporter And Christian Gazette
- Mount Zion Presbyterian Church
- Bulletin
- Covington GA Southern Baptist Messenger
- Penfield GA Christian Index
- Presbyterian of the South (Atlanta, 1909-1922)
Iowa
Illinois
- Western Cumberland Presbyterian
- Illinois Christian Advocate
- Our youth, a paper for young people and their teachers
- Standard
- Syndicalist
- The Interior
Indiana
Kansas
- Arcadia – The Christian Worker
- Arkansas City – Christian Speculator
- Atchison – The Atchison Church Visitor
- Belleville – Belleville Christian
- Chapman – Christian Endeavor
- Chase – Church Worker
- Dodge City – Our Methodist
- Douglass – Church Record
- El Dorado – Church Messenger
- Emporia – Christian Visitant
- Eureka – The Lutheran
- Fort Scott – The Christian Sower
- Fort Scott – The Church Advocate and Holiness Banner
- Fort Scott – The Church Herald and Holiness Banner
- Galena – The Christian Polemic
- Garnett – The Presbyterian Church Bulletin
- Great Bend – Christian Educator and God’s Defender
- Greensburg – The Christian
- Harper – The Christian Helper
- Hutchinson – The Christian Bugle
- Hutchinson – The Church Messenger
- Junction City – Junction City Methodist
- Junction City – The Methodist
- Kanopolis – The Kansas Methodist
- Kansas City – The Church Life
- Kansas City – The Methodist Record
- Lindsborg – The Christian Messenger
- Lindsborg – The Kansas Young Lutheran
- Manhattan – Kansas Methodist Times
- Manhattan – Kansas Presbyter
- Manhattan – Manhattan District Methodist and World-Wide Mission
- Manhattan – Manhatten Methodist
- Manhattan – Methodist Student
- Minneapolis – The Church Gleaner
- Oswego – The Kansas Christian Advocate
- Peabody – Church of the New Jerusalem
- Salina – The Open Church
- Smith Center – Norton District Methodist
- South Haven – Methodist Lever
- Stockton – Christian Call
- Tonganoxie – The Christian Recruiter
- Topeka – Christian Church Helper
- Topeka – First Methodist
- Topeka – Kansas Church Tidings
- Topeka – Kansas Methodist-Chautauqua
- Topeka – Methodist News
- Topeka – Midland Christian Advocate
- Topeka – Monthly Christian Blade
- Topeka – North Topeka Christian Messenger
- Topeka – The Christian Blade
- Topeka – The Christian Citizen
- Topeka – The Christian Courier
- Topeka – The Christian News
- Topeka – The Church News
- Topeka – The Kansas Methodist
- Topeka – The Kansas United Presbyterian
- Topeka – The Presbyterian News
- Topeka – Topeka First Presbyterian
- Topeka – Western Cumberland Presbyterian
- Walton – Church Herald
- Wamego – The Presbyterian Herald
- Wellington – The Christian Reminder
- Wellington – The Primitive Christian
- Wichita – Christian Companion
- Wichita – Christian Helper
- Wichita – Christian Worker
- Wichita – Kansas Presbyterian
- Wichita – Primitive Christian
- Wichita – The Church Builder and Western Evangelist
- Wichita – Western Methodist
- Winfield – The Christian Herald
- Christlicher Bundesbote
Kentucky
- Louisville – American Baptist 1879-19??
- Danville – Western Presbyterian
- Lexington – Blue-grass blade
- Lexington – Lexington record (The)
- Louisville – American Baptist
- Louisville – Christian observer (Louisville, Ky.)
- Louisville – Christian observer and free Christian commonwealth
- American Baptist (Louisville, Ky.)
- Christian Observer (Louisville, Ky.)
- Christian Observer And Free Christian Commonwealth
- Free Christian Commonwealth
- Louisville KY American Baptist
- Louisville KY Christian Cmmonwealth
- Louisville KY Western Presbyterian
- Western Luminary
- Baptist Argus/Baptist World
- Pentecostal Herald
Louisiana
- New Orleans Advocate
- New Orleans Christian Advocate
- Southwestern Christian Advocate
- Southwestern Christian Advocate
- Southwestern Advocate
Massachusetts
- Boston MA Christian Science Monitor
- Banner of the Church
- Christian Register
- Congregationalist
- The Watchman
Maryland
Maine
- Christian Intelligencer and Eastern Chronicle (1827-1834) – Gardiner, Maine
- Christian Intelligencer and Eastern Chronicle
- Congregationalist
Michigan
Minnesota
Missouri
Mississippi
Nebraska
North Carolina
- Wilmington, N.C., 1879-1938 – Africo-American Presbyterian. [volume]
- Africo-American Presbyterian (Wilmington, N.C.)
- Carolina Baptist (Hendersonville, N.C.)
- Gaston County Baptist Messenger (Gastonia, N.C.)
- North Carolina Baptist Missionary Worker (Raleigh, N.C.)
- North Carolina Baptist Sunday School Chautauquan (Raleigh, N.C.)
- North Carolina Christian Advocate (Raleigh, N.C.)
- Southwide Baptist News and Ridgecrest Reporter (Marshall, N.C.)
- The Baptist Messenger (Newton, N.C.)
- The Baptist Messenger (Wingate, N.C.)
- The Baptist Sunday School Monthly (Henderson, N.C.)
- The Baptist Worker (Gastonia, N.C.)
- The Blue Ridge Baptist (North Wilkesboro, N.C.)
- The Free Will Baptist (Ayden, N.C.)
- The Helper (Wilmington, N.C.)
- The Stanly Baptist (Big Lick, N.C.)
- West Chowan Baptist Messenger (Winton, N.C.)
- Atlantic Christian College Student Newspaper
- Methodist University Student Newspaper
- Presbyterian Junior College Student Newspaper
- Highland Churchman
- NC Christian Advocate
- Carolina Baptist News
- Ashe Presbyterian
- Baptist Informer
- Biblical Recorder
- Primitive Baptist
- Zion’s Landmark
New York
- Fayetteville, Onondaga Co., N.Y., 1839-1841 – Fayetteville luminary, and Reformed Methodist intelligencer.
- Auburn NY Christian Advocate
- Auburn NY Christian Ambassador
- New York NY Christian Intelligencer
- New York NY Christian Intellingencer 1851-1854
- Gospel Advocate and Impartial Investigator
- Northern Christian Advocate
- Progressive Christian
- Methodist Reformer
- Family Journal and Christian Philanthropist
- American Messenger 1912-1921
- Christian Intelligencer 1920
- The Christian Work and the Evangelist 1881-1910
Ohio
- Columbus – Ohio State Monitor – 1919-1920
- Dayton – Gospel Herald – 1859-1861
- Salem Evangelical Lutheran Church
- The Ohio State Monitor
- The Brethren’s Evangelist
- Western Christian Advocate
- Religious Telescope 1898-1908
- Oberlin Evangelist
Oklahoma
- Carter – Baptist Signal (Ardmore, Indian Terr. [Okla.]) 1897-19??
- Carter – The Baptist Rival (Ardmore, Oklahoma) ????-????
- Lincoln – The American Methodist (Stroud, Okla.) 1905-19??
- Logan – The Oklahoma Christian (Orlando and Guthrie, Okla.) 1896-190?
- Muskogee – Creek Baptist Herald (Muskogee, Okla.) 1911-191?
- Muskogee – The Baptist Informer (Muskogee, Okla.) 1909-19??
- Muskogee – The Baptist Sunday School Evangel (Muskogee, Indian Terr. [Okla.]) 1907-19??
Oregon
- Monmouth, Or., 1870-1877 – The Christian messenger.
- Monmouth, Or., 1877-1881 – Pacific Christian messenger.
- Portland ;, 1882-18?? – Christian herald.
Pennsylvania
- American Presbyterian 1/5/1860 – 12/30/1869*
- Presbyterian Banner and Advocate 9/27/1856 – 3/3/1860*
- Presbyterian Banner 3/10/1860 – 9/14/1864*
- Pittsburgh – Presbyterian banner & advocate.
- Pittsburgh – Presbyterian banner.
- Christian Observer (Philadelphia) 1840-1850
- Philadelphia Christian Observer Newspaper
- The Lutheran Observer 1901-1904
- Church Advocate
- Christian Ambassador
- Christliche Botschafter 1840-1849
- Christian recorder of the African Methodist Episcopal Church
- Church Standard
- The Christian Recorder
- The Columbian Star and Christian Index 1829-1831
Rhode Island
Tennessee
- Baptist Press news releases 1948-1996
- Christian Chronicle
- Tennessee Baptist/Baptist and Reflector
- The Baptist
Texas
- Baptist Young People’s Union Assembly News (6)
- Texas Presbyterian (49)
- The Christian Banner (1)
- The Christian Messenger (553)
- The Christian Visitor (1)
- The Gulf Coast Baptist (1)
- The Jeffersonian (34)
- The Lone Star and Southern Watch Tower (4)
- The Lone Star Lutheran (644)
- The Megaphone. (2,410)
- The Texas Baptist-Herald (2)
- The Texas Christian Advocate (1)
- The Texas Methodist (1)
- Lone Star Lutheran
- Texas Baptist, 1858-June 7, 1861
Utah
Virginia
- Atlanta, Ga., 1909-1931 – The Presbyterian of the South : [combining the] Southwestern Presbyterian, Central Presbyterian, Southern Presbyterian.
- Afro-American Churchman (Petersburg, VA, 1886-1890)
- Baptist Union (Danville, VA, 1895-1914)
- Central Presbyterian (Richmond, VA, 1856-1908)
- Children’s Friend (Richmond, VA, 1865-1884)
- Christian Observer (Richmond, VA, 1863-1864)
- Church Advocate (Baltimore, MD, 1892-1893)
- Church Bells (Richmond, VA, 1893)
- Church News (Roanoke, VA, 1934)
- Junior Life (Richmond, VA, 1916-1917)
- Missionary Weekly (Richmond, VA, 1889-1890)
- Onward (Richmond, VA, 1913-1919)
- Our Church Paper (New Market, VA, 1875-1904)
- Our Sunday School (New Market, Shenandoah County, VA, 1881)
- Presbyterian of the South (Atlanta, GA, 1909-1922)
- Primitive Baptist (Tazewell C.H., VA, 1890)
- Richmond Christian Advocate (Richmond, VA, 1841-1868)
- Roanoke Baptist Union (Danville, VA, 1888-1894)
- Tazewell Baptist (Tazewell C.H., VA, 1890)
- Tazewell Baptist (Tazewell, VA, 1890)
- Watchman of the South (Richmond, VA, 1837-1844)
- Madison Hall Notes
Vermont
Good Luck and Happy Hunting!
5 replies on “Historical U.S. Free Online Protestant Newspapers”
Thank you.
Thanks for providing this great, informative blog! Three of the Georgia papers on this page don’t have links. Will those be added eventually?
The Baptist Inquirer…published in New York during late 1800’s?
Husbands god Robert Brady publisher. Unable to locate any digital copies or where original copies located.
Thank You!
There are many copies of The Primitive Baptist, published in North Carolina, on archive.org.
Thanks Sharon. I’ll check it out and add to the list