Virginia Online Historical Newspapers Summary

Virginia is one of the states that have a single 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 several of Virginia’s free newspapers are available on the Library of Congress site. There are many 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 2,800 newspapers that have been published in the Old Dominion – certainly not all of them are searchable online. But there are many that are indeed available. So go for it – find your Virginia 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.

(Updated January 2024; recently added links are in BOLD)

Virginia Historical Newspapers

Free Sites:

Statewide Collections:

Chronicling America – Virginia Newspapers

Google News Archive

Library of Virginia – Virginia Chronicle

County and Library Collections:

Buchanan County Library

  • Virginia Mountaineer
  • The Virginia Mountaineer

Carroll County Newspapers

  • The Carroll News
  • Grayson-Carroll Gazette
  • Galax Gazette

Clarke County

Clarke County Historical Association

  • The Clarke Courier

Fairfax County Historical Newspaper Index 1785-2000

  •  Alexandria Gazette (1785-1788), (July 25, 1854-December 31, 1855) and (May 3, 1860-January 20, 1865) 
  •  Arlington County Record (1932-1933) 
  •  Fairfax City Times (1961-1968) 
  •  Fairfax County Independent (1929-1932) 
  •  Fairfax Herald (1886-1973) 
  •  Fairfax News (1872-1875, includes original image) 
  •  Fairfax News – Herndon Observer (1925-1943) 
  •  The Local News (1861-1862) 
  •  The Rambler, Washington Star (1912-1928, includes transcribed text) 
  •  Reston Times (1965-1987) and (2000) 

Fauquier County

Fauquier County Library (in library only)

  • Fauquier Times

Frederick County

Handley Regional Library​​

  • Daily Independent 
  • Daily Item 
  • Morning News Item
  • Peoples Voice 
  • Philanthropist 
  • Postscript To The Winchester Advertiser 
  • Potowmac Guardian And Berkeley Advertiser 
  • Republican Constellation 
  • Virginia Centinel
  • Virginia Centinel And Gazette
  • Virginia Gazette
  • Virginia Gazette And Winchester Advertiser 
  • Virginia Journal And Alexandria Advertiser 
  • Winchester Gazette 
  • Winchester Journal 
  • Winchester Sentinel

Fredericksburg Newspaper Indexes 1736-1926 (Index only)

  • Apollo 1803=1804
  • Christian Banner, 1850 and 1862 
  • Courier 1800-1801
  • Democratic Recorder 1842-1861 
  • Fredericksburg Ledger, 1865-1874 
  • Fredericksburg New Era, 1865-1866 
  • Fredericksburg News 1847-1884 
  • Genius of Liberty 1799
  • Impartial Observer and the Rights of Man, 1811 
  • Political Arena 1827-1841 
  • The Free Lance 1885-1900 
  • The Free Lance Star 1926-1928 
  • Virginia Gazette 1736-1780 
  • Virginia Herald 1787-1876 
  • Virginia Star 1869-1884
  • Fredericksburg Star 1884-1923
  • Daily Star, 1877-1926 
  • Weekly Advertiser 1853-1860 
  • Weekly Recorder 1844-1847 

James L. Hamner Public Library

  • The Amelia Bulletin Monitor

Montgomery-Floyd Regional Library

  • The Floyd Press
  • Floyd Enterprise
  • Floyd Intelligencer
  • Mountain Boomer
  • The Floyd News
  • The Floyd Reporter
  • Weekly News
  • Weekly Union

Petersburg Public Library Newspaper Index

  • ​American Constellation
  • Charleston Courier
  • Daily Courier
  • Daily Democrat
  • Daily Express
  • Daily Index
  • Daily Intelligencer
  • Daily National Intelligencer
  • Daily Progress
  • Daily South Side Democrat
  • Morning Advertiser
  • National Intelligencer
  • Petersburg Daily Index
  • Petersburg Daily Times
  • Petersburg Index
  • Petersburg Index and Appeal
  • Petersburg Intelligencer
  • Press
  • Progress
  • Republican, Daily Republican, Petersburg Daily Republican
  • Richmond Enquirer
  • Rural Messenger
  • The Intelligencer & Petersburg Commercial Advertiser
  • The Little Cockade
  • Virginia Gazette & Petersburg Intelligencer

Mecklenburg County Public Library Digitized Newspapers

Prince William County Newspapers (1721–1986) 

Prince William County local newspaper index (1993– ) 

  • Bull Run Observer
  • Daily Journal
  • Daily News
  • Gainesville Times
  • Inside Nova/Prince William
  • Journal Messenger
  • Manassas Journal Messenger
  • Manassas Observer
  • News & Messenger
  • Old Bridge Observer
  • Other
  • Potomac News
  • Potomac News/Manassas Journal Messenger
  • Prince William Journal
  • Prince William Times
  • Prince William Today

Pulaski County Archives

Radford Public Library Newspaper Archives

Rappahannock County​
Essex Public Library

  • The Rappahannock Times
  • Tidewater Democrat
  • Rappahannock Times

Smyth County Newspapers

  • American
  • Conservative Democrat
  • Harrisonian
  • Marion Democrat
  • Marion Herald
  • Marion Journal
  • Marion News
  • Marion Record
  • Marion Times
  • Marion Visitor
  • Patriot and Herald
  • Smyth County News
  • Southern Star

Smyth County Public Library

  • Smyth County News and Messenger
  • Saltville Progress

Washington County Digitized Newspapers Index

  • Washington County Journal (1912-1926)
  • Journal-Virginian (1927-1949)
  • Glade Spring Citizen (1887-1893)
  • Washington County News
  • Political Prospect (1812-1813)

Virginia Beach Public Library Newspapers

  • Princess Anne Times
  • Virginia Beach News
  • Virginia Beach Sun News
  • Sun, Moon, and Stars
  • Heritage Discovered
  • Alexandria Gazette
  • City Gazette
  • Enquirer

Student Collections:

Basic High School – Basic

Bluefield College – Bluefield

Christopher Newport University – Newport News

College of William and Mary  – Williamsburg

Eastern Mennonite University – Harrisonburg

Fairfax Hall – Waynesboro

Fauquier High School – Warrenton

Ferrum College – Ferrum

George C Marshall High School – Falls Church

George Mason University – Fairfax

Hollins University – Roanoke

James Madison University – Harrisonburg

John Marshall High School – Richmond

Liberty University – Lynchburg

Longwood University – Farmville

Oakton High School – Oakton

Old Dominion University – Norfolk

Radford University – Radford

Randolph College – Lynchburg

Roanoke College – Salem

St. Catherine’s School – Richmond

Suffolk Collegiate Institute – Suffolk

Suffolk Female Institute – Suffolk

Sweet Briar College – Sweet Briar

Towers High School – Mount Solon

University of Mary Washington – Fredericksburg

University of Richmond – Richmond

University of Virginia – Charlottesville

University of Virginia – Wise

Virginia Commonwealth University – Richmond

Virginia Military Institute – Lexington

Virginia Tech – Blacksburg

Washington and Lee University – Lexington

Washington College – Lexington

William & Mary Law School – Williamsburg

Miscellaneous Collections and Indexes:

Independent Voices – Alternative Newspapers

  • The Ghost
  • Grapes Of Wrath
  • Rough draft
  • The Paper Bag
  • Defense Committee, The
  • Liberated Castle, The
  • Mordor News
  • On the Beach
  • Spartacus
  • Square Wheel
  • Tidewater African, The
  • Tactics

Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) Newspapers 1933-1942

Geography of Slavery in Virginia 1736-1803 (statewide)

Race & Place: Newspapers 1890-1935

  • Charlottesville Reflector
  • Richmond Planet

Richmond Newspaper Index

Southern School News Archive 

Valley of the Shadow – Civil War Era Newspapers

  • Staunton Vindicator (1859-1870)
  • Franklin Repository (1859-1870)
  • Staunton Spectator (1857-1870) 
  • Semi-Weekly Dispatch (1861-1862)
  • Valley Virginian (1865-1870) 
  • Valley Spirit (1859-1870)
  • Waynesboro Village Record (1863)

Small Town Papers

Old Fulton Postcards

Newspaper Abstracts – Virginia

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

Other Free Sites:

Alexandria

Arlington

Charlottesville

Hampton

Harrisonburg

Petersburg

Richmond

Roanoke

Virginia Beach

Warrenton

Williamsburg

Winchester

Subscription or Pay Sites:

Ancestry.com:

There are currently 32 publications available on this site. See all the titles at Ancestry – Virginia Newspapers

Genealogy Bank:

There are currently 338 publications available on this site. See all the titles at Genealogy Bank – Virginia

Newspaper Archive:

There are currently 183 publications available on this site. See all the titles at Newspaper Archives – Virginia

Newspapers.com:

There are currently 131 publications available on this site. See all the titles at Newspapers.com – Virginia 

And Finally:

You also need to check out the Virginia Memory site, which can tell you what is occurring in the state with regard to newspaper digitization projects.

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.


For all Free Virginia Collection Links in 24 Genealogy Categories, go to the By Location Page, click on Virginia, and then click on the category of interest.

Good Luck and Happy Hunting!

7 replies on “Virginia Online Historical Newspapers Summary”

My 1700’s ancestors came from Virginia, now WV. Could they be found in these Virginia’s newspapers?

Looking for obituary, death notice for Samuel Wyatt Garner born 1858. Died between 1898 and 1910?? Greensville Co
Virginia (Skippers, VA.)

If you are referring to the Virginia Chronicle website then you are mistaken. There are a few more recent than 1922 and they are active on their website.

I am looking for marriage/wedding newspaper announcements in Lynchburg between Jan and May 1918. Thank you for any help you can lend.

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