Tennessee 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)
______________________________________

​Tennessee is one of the states that does not have a central online state repository for searching historical newspapers. Several states use the Library of Congress Chronicling America site as their main central online site for searching old newspapers, and many of Tennessee’s free online newspapers are available on the Library of Congress site. There are several free online newspapers 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. 

There are over 2,500 newspapers that have been published in the Volunteer State – certainly, not all of them are searchable online. But there are quite a few that are indeed available. So go for it – find your Tennessee 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)

Tennessee Historical Newspapers

Free Sites:

Statewide Collections:

Chronicling America – Tennessee Newspapers

Note: The Links for Chronicling America go to the new Version 2.0

• Blount County Democrat (Maryville, Tenn.) 1879-1883
• Bristol News (Bristol, Va. & Tenn.) 1867-189?
• Brownlow’s Knoxville Whig (Knoxville, Tenn.) 1855-1861
• Brownlow’s Knoxville Whig (Knoxville, Tenn.) 1866-1869
• Brownlow’s Knoxville Whig (Knoxville, Tenn.) 1868-18??
• Brownlow’s Knoxville Whig and Independent Journal (Knoxville, Tenn.) 1849-1855
• Brownlow’s Knoxville Whig, and Rebel Ventilator (Knoxville, Tenn.) 1863-1866
• Brownlow’s Weekly Whig (Knoxville, Tenn.) 1861-1861
• Carroll County Democrat (Huntingdon, Tenn.) 188?-1971
• Carthage Courier (Carthage, Tenn.) 1913-Current
• Clarksville Chronicle (Clarksville, Tenn.) 1857-1865
• Clarksville Chronicle (Clarksville, Tenn.) 186?-1872
• Clarksville Daily Chronicle (Clarksville, Tenn.) 1884-188?
• Clarksville Evening Chronicle (Clarksville, Tenn) 1886-1890
• Clarksville Evening Tobacco Leaf-Chronicle (Clarksville, Tenn.) 1890-1890
• Clarksville Weekly Chronicle (Clarksville, Tenn.) 1865-1867
• Clarksville Weekly Chronicle (Clarksville, Tenn.) 1873-1890
• Crossville Chronicle (Crossville, Tenn.) 1894-Current
• Daily Nashville Patriot (Nashville, Tenn.) 1857-1858
• Daily Nashville Patriot (Nashville, Tenn.) 1860-1862
• Daily Nashville Union (Nashville, Tenn.) 1862-1862
• Daily Tobacco Leaf-Chronicle (Clarksville, Tenn.) 1890-1895
• Daily Union and American (Nashville, Tenn.) 1865-1866
• Daily Union Appeal (Memphis, Tenn.) 1862-186?
• Dresden Enterprise and Sharon Tribune (Dresden, Tenn.) 1907-1997
• Fayetteville Observer (Fayetteville, Tenn.) 1850-1966
• Grainger County News (Rutledge, Tenn.) 1917-Current
• Herald and Tribune (Jonesborough, Tenn.) 1869-Current
• Jackson County Sentinel (Gainesboro, Tenn.) 1914-Current
• Johnson City Comet (Johnson City, Tenn.) 1918-19??
• Justice (Chattanooga, Tenn.) 1887-18??
• Knoxville Daily Chronicle (Knoxville, Tenn.) 1870-1882
• Knoxville Tri-Weekly Whig and Rebel Ventilator (Knoxville, Tenn.) 1864-1866
• Knoxville Weekly Chronicle (Knoxville, Tenn.) 1870-1875
• Knoxville Whig and Chronicle (Knoxville, Tenn.) 1875-1882
• Lawrence Democrat (Lawrenceburg, Tenn.) 1884-1925
• Loudon Free Press (Loudon, Tenn.) 1852-1855
• Maryville Daily Times (Maryville, Tenn.) 1884-1884
• Maryville Republican (Maryville, Tenn.) 1867-187?
• Maryville Republican (Maryville, Tenn.) 187?-1877
• McNairy County Independent (Selmer, McNairy County, Tenn.) 1902-1969
• Memphis Daily Appeal (Memphis, Tenn.) 1847-1886
• Mrs. Grundy (Tracy City, Tenn.) 1903-1930
• Mrs. Grundy of Grundy (Tracy City, Tenn.) 190?-1903
• Nashville Daily Patriot (Nashville, Tenn.) 1855-1857
• Nashville Patriot (Nashville, Tenn.) 1858-1860
• Nashville Union ([Nashville, Tenn.]) 183?-186?
• Nashville Union and American (Nashville, Tenn.) 1853-1862
• Nashville Union and American (Nashville, Tenn.) 1868-1875
• Nashville Union and Dispatch (Nashville, Tenn.) 1866-1868
• Negro World (Knoxville, Tenn.) 1888-1???
• Plateau Gazette and East Tennessee News (Rugby, Tenn.) 1883-1884
• Polk County News (Benton, Tenn.) 191?-1983
• Polk County News-Gazette (Benton, Tenn.) 190?-191?
• Public Ledger (Memphis, Tenn.) 1865-1893
• Putnam County Herald (Cookeville, Tenn.) 1903-1922
• Savannah Courier (Savannah, Tenn.) 1885-1979
• Sequachee Valley News (Sequachee [Sequatchie], Tenn.) 1896-1952
• Southern Standard (McMinnville, Tenn.) 1879-Current
• Tennessee Staatszeitung (Nashville, Tenn.) 1866-187?
• Tennessee Staatszeitung (Nashville, Tenn.) 1867-1869
• The Athens Post (Athens, Tenn.) 1848-1917
• The Bolivar Bulletin (Bolivar, Hardeman County, Tenn.) 1865-1888
• The Bolivar Bulletin (Bolivar, Tenn.) 1888-1946
• The Camden Chronicle (Camden, Tenn.) 1890-Current
• The Chattanooga Daily Rebel (Chattanooga, Tenn.) 1862-1864
• The Chattanooga News (Chattanooga, Tenn.) 1891-1939
• The Chilhowee Echo (Knoxville, Tenn.) 1899-19??
• The Clarksville Weekly Chronicle (Clarksville, Tenn.) 18??-185?
• The Colored Tennessean (Nashville, Tenn.) 1865-1866
• The Columbia Herald (Columbia, Tenn.) 18??-1935
• The Columbia Herald (Columbia, Tenn.) 1850-1873
• The Comet (Johnson City, Tenn.) 1884-1916
• The Comet (Johnson City, Tenn.) 1917-19??
• The Commercial (Union City, Tenn.) 190?-193?
• The Commercial Courier (Union City, Tenn.) 1897-190?
• The Covington Leader (Covington, Tenn.) 18??-Current
• The Daily Bulletin (Winchester, Tenn) 1862-1863
• The Daily Nashville True Whig (Nashville, Tenn.) 1851-1855
• The Dickson County Herald (Dickson, Tenn.) 1907-1979
• The Fayette Falcon (Somerville, Tenn.) 190?-Current
• The Greeneville Daily Sun (Greeneville, Tenn.) 1918-1920
• The Herald and Mail (Columbia, Tenn.) 1873-188?
• The Home Journal (Winchester, Tenn.) 1857-1857
• The Home Journal (Winchester, Tenn.) 1858-188?
• The Jackson Headlight (Jackson, Tenn.) 1900-19??
• The Johnson City Comet (Johnson City, Tenn.) 1916-1917
• The Knoxville Independent (Knoxville, Tenn.) 1894-Current
• The Knoxville Negro World (Knoxville, Tenn.) 1887-1888
• The Lexington Progress (Lexington, Tenn.) 1884-Current
• The Maryville Times (Maryville, Tenn.) 1884-1944
• The Memphis Appeal (Memphis, Tenn.) 1886-1890
• The Memphis Union Appeal (Memphis, Tenn.) 1862-1862
• The Milan Exchange (Milan, Gibson County, Tenn.) 1874-1978
• The Morgan County Press (Wartburg, Tenn.) 1916-1926
• The Morristown Gazette (Morristown, Tenn.) 1867-1920
• The Nashville Daily Union (Nashville, Tenn.) 1862-1866
• The Nashville Globe (Nashville, Tenn.) 1906-193?
• The Nashville Weekly Union (Nashville, Tenn.) 1862-1866
• The Newport Plain Talk (Newport, Tenn.) 1909-1939
• The News (Bristol, Tenn.) 1865-1867
• The News Scimitar (Memphis, Tenn.) 1907-1926
• The Parisian (Paris, Tenn.) 1907-1962
• The Polk County Republican (Ducktown, Tenn.) 1914-191?
• The Progressive Farmer and Southern Farm Gazette (Starkville, Miss.) 1910-1920
• The Pulaski Citizen (Pulaski, Tenn.) 1866-Current
• The Republican (Maryville, Tenn.) 187?-187?
• The Rugbeian (Rugby, Morgan Co., Tenn.) 1881-1882
• The Rugbeian and District Reporter (Rugby, Tenn.) 1882-1883
• The Rugby Gazette and East Tennessee News (Rugby, Morgan Co., Tenn.) 1884-188?
• The Rugby News (Rugby, Morgan County, Tenn.) 1890-189?
• The Sequachee News (Sequachee [Sequatchie], Tenn.) 189?-1896
• The Sneedville News (Sneedville, Tenn.) 191?-19??
• The States-Graphic (Brownsville, Tenn.) 1???-1984
• The Sweetwater Enterprise (Sweetwater, Tenn.) 1869-187?
• The Sweetwater Forerunner (Sweetwater, Tenn.) 1867-1869
• The Tennessean (Nashville, Tenn.) 1866-1867
• The Tennessee Star (Nashville, Tenn.) 1886-18??
• The Union (Greeneville, Tenn.) 1877-18??
• The Union Flag (Jonesborough, Tenn.) 1865-187?
• The Weekly Herald (Cleveland, Tenn.) 1876-1888
• The Weekly Negro World (Knoxville, Tenn.) 1887-1887
• The West Tennessee Star (Bolivar, Tenn.) 1888-1888
• The Winchester Appeal (Winchester, Tenn.) 1856-1856
• The Winchester Home Journal (Winchester, Tenn.) 1857-1858
• The Winchester Weekly Appeal (Winchester, Tenn.) 1856-1856
• Tri-Weekly Union and American (Nashville, Tenn.) 1866-186?
• Tri-Weekly Whig (Knoxville, Tenn.) 1859-1861
• Union and American (Greeneville, Tenn.) 1875-1877
• Weekly Clarksville Chronicle (Clarksville, Tenn.) 185?-1857
• Whig and Tribune (Jackson, Tenn.) 1870-1877
• Winchester Army Bulletin (Winchester, Tenn.) 1863-1863
• Winchester Daily Bulletin (Winchester, Tenn) 1863-1863
• Wochenblatt Der Tennessee Staatszeitung (Nashville, Tenn.) 1867-1867

Google News Archive

• Church Hill – Hawkins County Post
• Cleveland – The Cleveland Banner
• Elizabethton – Elizabethton Star
• Kingsport – Post Daily News
• Kingsport – Daily Post News
• Kingsport – The Sunday Post
• Kingsport – Post Weekender
• Kingsport – Kingsport Post 
• Knoxville – The Sunday Chronicle
• Knoxville – Chronicle Daily Knoxville
• Knoxville – ​Knoxville Daily Chronicle 

Tennessee State Library and Archives (available in library only)

• Chattanooga Daily Gazette 1864-1865
• Chattanooga Daily Rebel 1862-1863
• Chattanooga Advertiser 1844-1862
• Jonesborough Whig, and Independent Journal 1839-1843
• Memphis Appeal  1892-1899
• Nashville Union 1845-1868
• Maryville Republican 1876

County and Library Collections:

Carter County

Elizabethton Carter County Library

• Spinnerette
• The Spinnerette
• The Watauga Spinnerette
• Watauga Spinnerette

Coffee County

Coffee County Library

• Manchester Times
• Coffee Countys New Leader
• The Independent

Coffee County Lannom Library

• The Apalachian
• The Bugle
• The Independent
• The Lynchburg Banner
• The Lynchburg Falcon
• The Lynchburg Sentinel
• The Moore County Hustler
• The News
• The Tullahoma News
• The Tullahoma News And Guardian
• Tullahoma Standard
• Tullahoma Times

Chattanooga Newspapers

• Chattanooga Advertiser
• Chattanooga Commercial
• Chattanooga Daily American Union
• Chattanooga Daily Commercial
• Chattanooga Daily Gazette
• Chattanooga Daily Press
• Chattanooga Daily Rebel
• Chattanooga Daily Times
• Chattanooga Evening News
• Chattanooga News
• Chattanooga Press
• Chattanooga Sunday Commercial
• Chattanooga Sunday News
• Chattanooga Times
• Chattanooga Weekly Press
• Commercial
• Crabtrees Saturday Press
• Daily American Union
• Daily Commercial
• Hamilton Gazette
• Republican Press
• South Pittsburg Hustler
• The Chattanooga Daily Rebel
• The Chattanooga Daily Times
• The Chattanooga Dispatch
• The Chattanooga Gazette
• The Chattanooga Star
• The Chattanooga Sunday Times
• The Chattanooga Times
• The Chattanooga Daily Times
• The Daily Chattanooga Rebel
• The Daily Rebel
• The Daily Republican
• The Daily Times
• The Rebel
• The Southern Press
• The Times

Henderson County

Lexington Public Library Publications Archive

• Kentucky Almanacs
• Kentucky Gazette (1787-1840)
• The Reporter (1808-1817)
• The Kentucky Reporter (1817-1830)
• The True American (1845-1846)
• Daily Lexington Atlas (1847-1848)
• The Daily Argonaut (Lexington, KY – 1896-1898)
• Kentucky Pioneer Genealogy and Records
• Kentucky Progress Magazine (1928-1936)
• The Cochran Chronicle (1960)

Marshall County

Marshall County Library

• Lewisburg Gazette
• Lewisburg Tribune
• Marshall County Tribune
• Marshall Democrat
• Mashall County Tribune
• The Marshall Gazette
• The Southern Messenger

Student Collections:

Austin Peay State University – Clarksville

• All State

Baptist Health Sciences University – Memphis

• Whats Happening

Belmont University – Nashville

• Belmont Vision
• Ward-Belmont Hyphen

Bethel University – McKenzie

• Bethel University News

Bryan College – Dayton

• The Triangle

Christian Brothers University – Memphis

• CBU News

Cumberland University – Lebanon

• Cumberland News

East Tennessee University – Johnson City

• East Tennessean

Fisk University – Nashville

• Herald

Freed-Hardeman University – Henderson

• Sky Rocket

Harpeth Hall School – Nashville

• Ward-Belmont Hyphen

Johnson University – Knoxville

• News and Events

King University – Bristol

• King News

Knoxville College – Knoxville

• Aurora

Lane College – Jackson

• News

Lee University – Cleveland

• Clarion

LeMoyne-Owen College – Memphis

• News

Lincoln Memorial University – Harrogate

• Newsroom

Lipscomb University – Nashville

• Lumination Network

Maryville College – Maryville

• Highland Echo

Memphis University School – Memphis

• Owl’s Hoots

Middle Tennessee State University – Murfreesboro

• Skylines
• Sidelines 
• MTSU Magazine Archive

Milligan College – Elizabethton

• Stampede

Montgomery Bell Academy – Nashville

• Bell Ringer
• Montgomery Bell Bulletin
• Top of the Hill
• MBA News and Views

Rhodes College – Memphis

• The Sou’wester

Southern Adventist University – Collegedale

• Southern Accent
• Southland Scroll

Tennessee State University – Nashville

• The Broadcaster
• The Bulletin
• The Cupolian
• The Meter

Tennessee Tech University – Cookeville

• The Tech Oracle

Tennessee Wesleyan College – Athens

• News

Trevecca Nazarene University – Nashville

• TrevEchoes

Tusculum University – Greeneville

• News

Union University – Jackson

• Cardinal and Cream
• Classic Union

University of Memphis – Memphis

• Daily Helmsman
• Daily Helmsman

University of Tennessee – Chattanooga

• Echo 
• University Lookout (1888-1889)
• University Echo (1906-1987)
• Student Echo (1988-1992)
• University Echo (1992-Present)

University of Tennessee – Knoxville

• UT Air Scoop
• UT Daily Beacon
• UT Independent Truth
• UT Mugwump
• Tennessee Alumnus
• The UT Humming Humbug
• The UT Torchbearer
• The UT Vocational Voice

University of Tennessee – Martin

• Pacer
• Volette
• The Volunteer Spirit

University of Tennessee Junior College – Martin

• Volette

University of Tennessee Southern – Pulaski

• News

University of the South- Sewanee

• Sewanee Daily Purple, 1894-1903
• Sewanee Daily Times, 1894
• Sewanee Life, 1884
• Sewanee Times, 1892-1894
• The College Widow, 1896 – 1903
• The Daily Connoisseur, 1893
• The Dot, 1883
• The Flea, 1882
• The Mountain, 1891-1892
• The Mountain News, 1878-1880
• The News, 1876-1877
• The Semi-Weekly University News, 1878
• The Sewanee Purple, 1894 – present
• The Sewanee Purple
• The University Bulletin, 1879-1880
• The University Gossip, 1875
• The University News, 1875-1876
• The University Record, 1872-1875
• The University Record, 1879
• The Weekly Mountain News, 1878
• Sewanee News
• Sewanee Purple

Vanderbilt University – Nashville

• Vanderbilt Hustler​

Ward Belmont School – Nashville

• Chimes

Miscellaneous Collections and Indexes:

Independent Voices – Alternative Newspapers

• Chahta Anumpa – The Choctaw Times
• Napalm
• The Spread Eagle
• The People’s Press

Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) Newspapers 1933-1942

• Adamsville – Camp Silver Creek (Company 498) 
• Arthur – Pinnacle Press (Company 1262) 
• Chattanooga – Scenic Center News (Company 420)
• Dyer – Camp Chat (Company 490) 
• Ivy – Ivy Leaves (Company 417) 
• Jackson – Blue Denim (Company 499) 
• Jackson – Camp Pat Harrison Review  (Company 499) 
• Jackson – Cam-Pat-Chatter (Company 499) 
• Jamestown – Pickett Park Pioneer (Company 447)
• LaFollette – Lafollette Lafrivol (Company 448) 
• LaFollette – Reamer (Company 448)
• Lexington – Horseshoe (Company 496) 
• Loyston – Dam Overflow (Company 297) 
• Maynardville – Inkspot (Company 492) 
• Maynardville – Lakeland Echo (Company 492) 
• New Tazewell – 19 Times (Company 491) 
• Norris – Camp Arrowhead News (Company 494) 
• Norris – Norris Dam Advancer   (Company 495)
• Norris – See See See (Company 284)
• Norris – Shadow (Company 253)
• Powell Station – Broadcaster From Camp Frank Maloney (Company 495) 
• Powell Station – Co. 495 News (Company 495) 
• Powell Station – Nu News  (Company 495)
• Powell Station – Planter (Company 223)
• Powell Station – Rising Son (Company 292)
• Rutledge – Bob White (Company 3465) 
• Sevierville – Pinnacle Echo (Company 1460) 
• Sharps Chapel – Wiley Post (Company 448)
• Speedwell – Take Five (Company 267)
• St. Elmo – Liaison (Company 420) 
• Thorn Hill – Camp Arrowhead News (Company 254) 
• Tiptonville – Company Star (Company 1453) ​

Index to Early Memphis Newspapers

• American Eagle [newspaper] index
• Civil War in Memphis Newspapers – Index, 1860-1866
• Early Memphis Newspapers, Guide and Index
• Memphis Appeal [newspaper] index, 1843-1870
• Memphis Argus [newspaper] index, 1860-1866
• Memphis Avalanche [newspaper] index, 1860-1861, 1866-1870
• Memphis Bulletin [newspaper] index
• Memphis Eagle [newspaper] index
• Memphis Eagle and Enquirer [newspaper] index
• Memphis Enquirer [newspaper] index
• Memphis Public Ledger [newspaper] index, 1866

The Story of Marion County – Index

Southern School News Archive 

TNGenWeb Historical News Index

Small Town Papers

• The News-Democrat Waverly, Tennessee

Old Fulton Postcards

• Chattanooga TN Daily Times
• Clarksville TN Gazette
• Clarksville TN Watchman
• Memphis TN Daily Appeal
• Nashville TN Union and American
• Rogersville TN Review

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

Other Free Sites:

Chattanooga

• Southern Worker 

Jackson

• The Jackson Headlight

Gallatin

• The Union

Knoxville

• East Tennessee Catholic
• Brownlow’s Knoxville Whig, and rebel ventilator 1863-1864
• Brownlow’s Knoxville Whig 1858-1861
• Brownlow’s Weekly Whig 1861

​Memphis

• Tri-State Defender Archives
• The Southern Farmer
• The Memphis Daily Appeal
• The Commercial appeal  
• The new tri-state defender  
• Gaiety
• Gaze
• Triangle Journal
• Triangle Journal News
• Family & Friends
• Mid-South GLBT News Press

Murfreesboro

• Cemetery News (1907-1918)
• Classic Union 

Nashville

• Baptist Press news releases 1948-1996 
• Christian Chronicle
• Confederate Veteran
• Nashville Banner
• Nashville Jewish Observer
• Spirit of ’76
• Star spangled banner
• Tennessee Baptist/Baptist and Reflector
• Tennessee Register
• The American
• The Baptist 
• The Colored Tennessean
• The Colored Tennessean
• The Daily American
• The Opposition
• The Tennessean
• The Tennessean
• Whig banner

Oak Ridge

• Oak Ridge Journal

​Somewhere

• Hellcat News

Subscription or Pay Sites:

Ancestry.com:

There are currently 26 publications available on this site. See all the titles at Ancestry – Tennessee Newspapers

Genealogy Bank:

There are currently 271 publications available on this site. See all the titles at Genealogy Bank – Tennessee Newspapers

Newspaper Archive:

There are currently 32 publications available on this site. See all the titles at Newspaper Archive – Tennessee

Newspapers.com:

There are currently 491 publications available on this site. See all the titles at Newspapers.com – Tennessee

And Finally:

You also need to check out the Tennessee Newspaper Digitization Project site, which can tell you what is happening in the state with regard to the newspapers that are available via microfilm.

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.