Quebec Online Historical Newspapers Summary

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(This page's most recent update is September 2026)

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Quebec is one of the Canadian provinces that does have a single central online repository for searching historical newspapers. Also, there are hundreds of free publications available on other sites and there are collections available on subscription sites. Below is a list of where the titles are stored and the link so that you can access them. 

So go for it – find your Quebec 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. 

Free Sites:

Provincewide Collections:

Bibliotheque et Archives Nationales du Quebec – Newspapers

Canadiana

Google News Archive

French-Canadian Newspapers, 1808-1919 – Mostly single page per publication; mostly Quebec 

Student Collections:

Bishop’s University – Sherbrooke

Concordia University – Montreal

Dawson College – Montreal

École polytechnique de Montréal – Montreal

    McGill University – Montreal

    Université Laval – Quebec City

    Université de Montréal – Montreal

    Université du Québec – Montreal

      Université de Sherbrooke – Sherbrooke

      For Obituary Indexes, transcriptions, and other death/obituary information from historical newspapers, please check out the Obituaries page.​​

      Other Free Sites:

      Laprairie

      Montreal

      Quebec

      Sorel

      Trois-Rivieres

      Subscription or Pay Sites:

      Ancestry.com:

      There are currently 2 publications available at this site. See all the titles at Ancestry – Quebec Newspapers

      Paper of Record:

      There are currently 12 publications available at this site. See the titles at Paper of Record – Quebec

      NewspaperArchive:

      There are currently 2 publications available at this site. See the titles at NewspaperArchive – Quebec

      Newspapers.com:

      There are currently 17 publications available at this site. See the titles at Newspapers dot Com – Quebec

      OldNews:

      There are currently publications from 128 Qiebec cities available at this site. See the titles at OldNews – Quebec

      ​​And Finally:

      Please note – even more may be available via a local or provincial 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.​

      Good Luck and Happy Hunting!
      For all Free Quebec Links, click on the category of interest: Newspapers Obituaries BMD Records Photos Yearbooks Directories

      Online Newspaper Research FAQs

      Why is online newspaper research so challenging?

      It’s challenging due to imperfect Optical Character Recognition (OCR), inconsistent indexing, variations in spelling and nicknames, differing journalistic styles over time, and the sheer volume of fragmented, often paywalled, collections. Finding what you need truly feels like a treasure hunt!

      What can I do to overcome these OCR errors?

      Many researchers utilizing online newspaper archives may not be aware that word searches are performed against a database generated by analyzing whether minute sections of the newspaper are black or white. It is the shape of the collected dots that may (or may not) look like a letter.

      To improve search accuracy when encountering OCR errors, it is advisable to intentionally alter your search terms by substituting letters with similar shapes. For example, replacing a lowercase ‘b’ with an ‘h’, or a lowercase ‘e’ with a ‘c’.

      What other techniques will produce better results?

      In your search criteria, try entering abbreviations, nicknames, and portions of hyphenated words. Numerous other techniques can be found in The Ancestor Hunt’s “Newspaper Research Academy”, which can be accessed at https://theancestorhunt.com/academy.html

      Are any Newspaper Databases Free?

      Yes. Although some of the largest databases require a subscription, there are many that are free. The Ancestor Hunt has curated links to over 80,000 titles that can be searched for free in the U.S., Canada, and Europe. To use these links, go to its Newspaper Links Page,

      One reply on “Quebec Online Historical Newspapers Summary”

      Your Website has no copies of the Waterloo Advertiser for 1889.
      My great grand father Sylvester Jackson Allen died in August 1889 in West Bolton, Bolton Township, Brome County.
      In about 1985 I was in the Waterloo Public Library and read his obituary in the August 1889 Waterloo Advertiser – I can’t remember the format.
      I visited the Library again in about 2005 but they had no copy any more.
      It must be somewhere – can you find it.
      Frank Allen.

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