Welcome to the Newspaper Keyword Helper
Your Customized Newspaper Keyword Thesaurus
Searching historical newspapers is powerful — but only if you use the right keywords.
This free tool instantly suggests 1,700+ genealogy-focused newspaper keywords across 29 major topics, including Births, Marriages, Deaths, Obituaries, Immigration, Military, Crime, Community News, Probate, and more.
Type one keyword, click “Get Ideas,” and instantly receive dozens of historically accurate terms actually used in old newspapers.
Use these variations to improve your searches, save time, and uncover articles you may have never found before.
How to Use This Search Tool
Type a word related to what you’re searching for
(e.g., marriage, obituary, accident, immigration).
Click Get Ideas.
You’ll instantly see 40–100 related newspaper keywords for that topic.
Copy any terms and paste them into your favorite newspaper site’s search criteria.
Want the Full Keyword Collection?
The Newspaper Keyword Helper includes 1,700+ common genealogy search terms — but the full Newspaper Keyword Compendium (NKC) goes even deeper.
The NKC includes:
- 5,000+ total keywords used in historical newspapers
- Abbreviations for given names, occupations, military ranks, organizations, street types, and more
- Nicknames in 13 languages
- Old state & place abbreviations
- Rare variants, spelling shifts, terminology changes, and era-specific vocabulary
- Keyword categories not included in this free tool
Abbreviations alone can unlock as much as 100% more results — especially for names, occupations, military titles, legal notices, and addresses.
If you want the complete keyword reference for deep newspaper research, learn more here:
👉 Newspaper Keyword Compendium — Details & Purchase
https://theancestorhunt.com/newspaper-keyword-compendium.html
Use the current discount code BFRG to save a few bucks
Thanks for using the Newspaper Keyword Helper — part of the Newspaper Research Academy.
Helping genealogists search smarter, one keyword at a time.