Connecticut Newspapers by Town

There have been 2087 newspapers published under different banners in Connecticut. The earliest known Connecticut newspaper was the Connecticut Gazette published in New Haven from 1755-1768.

While known primarily to genealogists for their birth, marriage, and death announcements, newspapers can also provide local news items, probate court and legal notices, real estate transactions, political biographies, announcements, notices of new and terminated partnerships, business advertisements, and notices for settling debts.

The following is a list of 258 Connecticut newspapers, both historical and current, that are available online. Not all Connecticut towns have a newspaper currently digitized. In the event your ancestors town does not, try to find a nearby town with a digitized paper.

I have sorted these papers first by town published, and then in order by date first published, oldest to newest. This will make it easier for you to identify which listing you should consult.

At the bottom of the page are current Connecticut newspapers and a series of helpful blogs and/or videos which can help you make more out of your newspaper search.

The range of years available for each newspaper will differ. I have included the range for each listing, but the run of newspapers available may not be complete for all the years. Keep that in mind as you search for a specific newspaper on a specific date.

When there is a charge associated with viewing any of these historical Connecticut newspapers, we have included a $ beside the listing. All others are free.

The Norwich Bulletin from 1910-1922 is a goldmine for those researching family history. Once a week, the newspaper carried a feature called “100 Live Correspondents.” In this feature are to be found accounts of local news, including social visits from one resident to another, from nearly 100 towns, villages, and crossroads in Eastern Connecticut.

Historical Connecticut Newspapers

State Papers

• The Connecticut fifth (1862)
• The Connecticut war record (1863-1865)
• The Home Guard news (1918)
• The State Guard News (1918-1919)
• Temperance gem (1878)

Ansonia

• Ansonia Evening Sentinel (1896-1898)
• Evening Sentinel (1898-1924)

Berlin

• Berlin news (1892)
• Berlin weekly news (1891-1892)

Branford

• The Branford News (1878)
• Branford Gleaner (1878-1880)
• Branford Scrapbooks – New Haven Evening Register (1895-1975)
• Branford Opinion(1896-1913)
  • The Branford Opinion (1896-1903) (1905-1913)
• Branford Semi – Weekly Record 1898-1899
• Branford Semi – Weekly Record 1898-1899
• Branford Opinion And Guilford Echo (1906-1912)
• Branford Review (1928-1980)
• Branford Review And East Haven News (1932-1952)
• Suburban Spokesman 1957-1958

Bridgeport

• Daily advertiser and farmer (Bridgeport, Conn.) (1861)
• The Evening farmer (Bridgeport, Conn.) (1865)
• Bridgeport Morning News (1885-1891)
• Law and order (1893)
• Bridgeport Herald (1897-1910)
• Connecticut workman (1901)
• La Tribuna del Connecticut (1906-1908)
• The Bridgeport evening farmer (1909-1917)
• Republican farmer (1909-1920)
  • Republican Farmer (1909-1920) $
• Evening Farmer (1911-1917)
• The Bridgeport times and evening farmer (1918-1922)
  • The Bridgeport Times and Evening Farmer (1909-1917) $
• The Bridgeport Telegram (1918-1977) $
  • The Bridgeport Telegram (1918-1956) $
• La sentinella = The sentinel (1920-1930)
• The Bridgeport Post (1947-1977) $
• Sunday Herald (1949-1963)
  Note: Earlier issues (pre 1900) are for the Baltimore Maryland, Sunday Herald, not Bridgeport Connecticut.
• Bridgeport Sunday Post (1954) $
  • Bridgeport Sunday Post (1954) $
• The Bridgeport Post (1956-1977) $
• Journal Inquirer (1977) $

Bristol

• The Bristol Herald (1888-1901)

Brooklyn

• The Harrisonian (1840)

Canaan

• Housatonic Republican (Canaan, Conn.) (1857-1860)
• Independent (Canaan, Conn.) (1858)
• Connecticut Western (1971)

Canton

• The Rising star (Canton, Conn.) (1858)
• Collinsville Star (1858-1860)

Cheshire

• Cheshire Newspaper Articles Collection Index (1756 – 1922)
  From its settlement in 1694, until 1953, Cheshire did not have a long standing local newspaper.  There is no ‘paper of record’ that contains the town’s day-to-day news for over 250 years. The Cheshire Newspaper Articles Collection is drawn from state and national newspapers that printed articles about the town and its residents.
• Cheshire Courier (1877)

Coventry

• Coventry local register (1876 & 1883)
• Local register (Coventry, Conn.) (1897)

Danbury

• People (Danbury, Conn.) (1878)

East Haddam

• East Haddam journal (1859-1861)

East Hampton

• East Hampton News (1887-1952)

East Hartford

• The Elm leaf (East Hartford, Conn.) (1863-1865, 1870-1871)

East Lyme

• East Lyme star (1866-1867)
• Niantic herald (East Lyme, Conn.) (1888)
• Connecticut eastern news (East Lyme, Conn.) (1894-1897)

Enfield

• Thompsonville press (1880-1897, 1899-1922)
• The Thompsonville press, 1923-1936

Essex

• Riverside intelligence (Essex, Conn.) (1888)

Fairfield

• Southport Chronicle (1867-1871)
• Southport Chronicle (1868)
• Fairfield County times (1879)
• Southport times (Fairfield, Conn.) (1879-1881)
  • Southport Times (1879-1881)
• Southport Advertiser (1884-1890)
• Pequot Record (1890)
• Southport Chronicle (1891-1893)
• Southport Chronicle (1894-1895)
• Southport Chronicle (1896)
• Southport Chronicle (1897-1899)
• Southport Chronicle (1900-1901)
• Southport Chronicle (1901-1903)
• Southport Chronicle (1902-1903)

Farmington

• Farmington Valley Herald And Journal (1894-1901)
• Farmington Valley Herald (1908-1975)

Griswold

• Griswold Atom (1947)

Guilford

• Branford Opinion and Guilford Echo (1906-1912)
• Guilford Echo 1905-1905

Hartford

• Hartford Courant (1764-2019) $
• Hartford Courant (1788-1820)
• The Hartford Times (1828, 1830-1835, 1839-1846)
• The Catholic Press (1829-1832)
• New-England examiner (1834)
• Charter oak (Hartford, Conn.) (1838-1843)
• Charter oak (Hartford, Conn.) (1846-1848)
• Hartford Weekly Times (1847-1890)
• Free soil advocate (1848)
• Connecticut organ (1854)
• Connecticut press (Hartford, Conn.) (1856-1862)
• State temperance journal and home visitor (1868)
• The Soldiers’ record (1868-1871)
• The Knapsack (Hartford, Conn.) (1873-1875)
• Morning Journal and Courier (1880-1889)
• The examiner (1881-1888)
• National issue (1886)
• The weekly examiner (1890-1901)
• Hartford labor (1894)
• Voter (1909-1911)
• The labor standard (1910-1922)
• Catholic Transcript (1925-1978)
• The Connecticut craftsman (1932)
• Jewish ledger (Springfield, Mass. : Hartford ed.) (1935 & 1938)
• Hartford chronicle (1946-1947)
• Connecticut chronicle (1948)
• New England bulletin (1949)
• Greater Hartford News (2006)

Hebron

• The Hopevale spectator (Hebron, Conn.) (1893)

Kent

• State guard (1855-1856)
• Banner and banquet (1870-1871, 1873)

Litchfield

• Litchfield Republican (Litchfield, Conn. : 1847) (1847-1855)

Manchester

• Journal Inquirer (1977)

Meriden

• Meriden recorder (1863-1865)
• Meriden literary recorder (1865-1870)
• State temperance journal and Meriden weekly Republican (1868)
• State temperance journal (Meriden, Conn.) (1868-1870)
• Meriden daily monitor (1872)
• Meriden Journal (1886-1888)
• The Meriden Daily Journal (1887-1953)
• Meriden Weekly Republican (1892-1917)
• The Morning Record (1892-1899)
• Meriden Morning Record and Republican (1899-1900)
• Meriden Morning Record (1899-1924)
• Meriden Record (1925-1963)
• Meriden Journal (1953-1972)
• The Morning Record (1963-1978)
• The Journal (1973-1977)
• The Morning Record and Journal (1977-1980)
• Record-Journal (1980-2009)
• Record-Journal (Oct 1989)

Middletown

• The Castigator (Middletown, Conn.) (1840)
• Middlesex explorer (1856)
• New republic (1895-1896)

Naugatuck

• Naugatuck Daily News (1897-1977) $
  • Naugatuck Daily News (1897-1977) $

New Britain

• The North and South (New Britain, Conn.) (1858)
• The North and South, and New Britain journal (1858-1859)
• New Britain times (1859-1860)
• The True citizen (1862-1866)
• New Britain herald (1920-1926)

New Haven

• Daily palladium (New Haven, Conn. : 1859) (1862)
• New Haven Daily Palladium (1862)
• Morning journal and courier (1880-1894)
  • The Morning Journal-Courier (1880-1894) $
• Workmen’s advocate (1883-1891)
• The daily morning journal and courier (1894-1907)
• The morning journal-courier (1907-1908)
• L’indipendente (1907-1936)
• Veterans journal and State Guard news (1919-1920)
• The Connecticut labor press (1918-1921)
• The Connecticut labor news (1921-1925)
• New Haven Journal and Courier 1935-1936

New London

• The People (New London, Conn.) (1821)
• Ultimatum (New London, Conn.) (1837, 1838, 1842)
• The Slaves cry (1844)
• The Repository (1858-1861)
• New-London daily star (1859-1860)
• New London chronicle (1862-1869)
• New-London daily star (1862-1868)
• Twenty-sixth (Camp Parapet, La. and New London, Conn.) (1863-1865)
• State temperance journal (New London, Conn.) (1866-1867)
• The Day (1881-2008)

New Milford

• New Milford journal (1873-1874)

Newtown

• The bee (1877)
• The Newtown bee (1877-1909)

North Haven

• North Haven Post (1970-2007)
• The North Haven Post (1984-1990)
• Post (1984-2005)
• North Haven Citizen (2008-2011)

Norwalk

• Daily Norwalk Gazette and Saturday’s Norwalk Record (1890-1891, 1893-1896)
• The Evening Hour (1895-1900)
• Evening gazette (Norwalk, Conn.) (1896-1899)
• The Norwalk Hour (1901-1971)
• The Hour (1971-2008)
• Connecticut Sunday Herald (1972-1973)
• The Sunday Hour (2000-2007)

Norwich

• Norwich spectator (Norwich, Conn.) (1829-1830)
• Mechanics’, operatives’, and laborers’ advocate (1836-1837)
• The Free soil pioneer (1848)
• American mechanic and home journal (1849)
• The Liberty bell and workingmen’s advocate (1867)
• Norwich bulletin (1909-1922)
  • Norwich Bulletin (1909-1922) $

Plainville

• Plainville News (Plainville, Conn. : 1874) (1874, 1877)
• Plainville News (Plainville, Conn. : 1889) (1889, 1897, 1907)

Ridgefield

• The Connecticut citizen (1892)
• The Ridgefield Press (1940-1941)

Salisbury

• Connecticut Western News (1871-1923)
  • Connecticut western news (1871-1922)
• Connecticut News (1873-1873)
• Lakeville Journal (1897-2017)
• Winsted Journal (1999-1999)

Sharon

• Sharon News (1910-1910)

Simsbury

• The Simsbury siftings (1887)
• The Simsbury echo (1887-1888)

Southington

• Southington Press (1859)
• Southington Mirror (1863-1868)
• Southington Reporter (1873-1876)
• Southington Phoenix (1878-1901)
• Weekly phoenix (Southington, Conn.) (1893)
• The Southington news, Northampton valley times (1907)
• The Southington news (1919)
• Southington News (1921-1974)
• Canal Line Times (1975)
• Southington Observer (1976-2000)

Stafford

• Stafford news letter (1859 & 1865)
• The Tolland County press and Stafford news letter (1867)
• Tolland County press (1883)

Stamford

• The Stamford American (1906)

Thomaston

• Thomaston Express (1880-2000)
• Thomaston Express And Terryville Eagle (1955-1955)
• Express (1970-1991)

Thompson

• Thompsonville press (1880-1897, 1899-1922)

Vernon

• Tolland County gazette (1854-1855, 1859-1860)
• The Rockville republican (Vernon, Conn.) (1860)
• Tolland County record (1861)
• Tolland County herald (1864-1865)
• Tolland County news (1865)
• Tolland County press (1871, 1873, 1875-1876)

Wallingford

• Wallingford Edition (1935)

Waterbury

• Waterbury evening Democrat (1887-1895)
• Sunday herald (Waterbury, Conn.) (1889-1896)
• Waterbury evening Democrat (1897-1900)
• Waterbury Democrat (1900-1903)

Watertown

• Watertown News (1913-1929)
• The Times (1947-2000)

West Hartford

• The West Hartford press (1929)

Wethersfield

• Wethersfield farmer (Wethersfield, Conn.) (1886)
• Wethersfield weekly farmer (1886-1889)
• Wethersfield farmer (Wethersfield, Conn.) (1889)

Wilton

• The Wilton Bulletin (1937-2003)
• The Wilton Bulletin (1981-1997)
• Wilton Bulletin Archive Search 1997-2005

Winchester

• Winsted sentinel (1907-1908)

Windham

• The Willimantic journal (1863-1865)

Windsor

• Windsor herald (1886)
• The Windsor town crier (1916-1917)

Windsor Locks

• Windsor Locks Journal (1880-1974)

Current Connecticut Newspapers

Current newspapers still being published in Connecticut. Includes online only newspapers.

“Current newspapers are especially useful in locating unknown relatives. Distant relatives may still be living in old hometowns though the direct ancestor moved away. Obituaries in current papers may provide biographical details not available elsewhere.” ^[1]Szucs, Loretto Dennis and Hansen, James L. The Source: A Guidebook to American Genealogy.

• Berlin, Connecticut – Berlin Citizen
• Bloomfield, Connecticut – Bloomfield Messenger
• Bloomfield Connecticut – Catholic Transcript
• Bridgeport, Connecticut – Connecticut Post
• Bridgeport, Connecticut – Fairfield County Catholic
• Bristol, Connecticut – Bristol Press
• Danbury, Connecticut – News Times
• Darien, Connecticut – Darien Times
• Fairfield, Connecticut – Fairfield Citizen News
• Hamden, Connecticut – Post Chronicle
• Hartford, Connecticut – Hartford Courant
• Madison, Connecticut – Shoreline Times
• Manchester, Connecticut – Journal Inquirer
• Meriden, Connecticut – Record Journal
• Middletown, Connecticut – Middletown Press
• New Britain, Connecticut – The Herald
• New Haven, Connecticut – New Haven Register
• New London, Connecticut – New London Day
• New Milford, Connecticut – The Spectrum
• North Haven, Connecticut – Post Chronicle
• Rocky Hill, Connecticut – Rocky Hill Patch
• Stamford, Connecticut – Stamford Advocate
• Torrington, Connecticut – Register Citizen
• Waterbury, Connecticut – Republican-American
• West Hartford, Connecticut – West Hartford News
• Westport, Connecticut – Westport News
• Wethersfield, Connecticut – New Britain Herald

Helpful Articles and Videos

Helpful blogs and/or videos which can help you make more out of your newspaper search.

Articles

• Newspaper Research from the Genealogy Roadshow
• How to Use Chronicling America to Find Your Ancestors’ Hometown Newspapers
• The Archive Lady: Search the Whole Newspaper
• How to Use Newspaper Society Pages in Your Genealogy Research

Videos

• The Basics of Using Newspapers.com for Genealogy Research – Tutorial
• Genealogy Research Tools: Top Tips for Using Newspapers.com
• Using Newspapers to Research AROUND the 1890 Census loss in Genealogy
• Researching Newspapers to Find Genealogy Gold
• How to Do More Effective Old Newspaper Searches