Periodicals

Gaston County was created in 1846 from Lincoln County which had been created in 1779 from Mecklenburg County.   Below is a list of "local" newspapers for this area which have survived.  Newspapers in the 18th and 19th centuries reprinted many of their articles from other newspapers.   Therefore searching all the newspapers available for the time period may help in locating news items.

Dates given here are the earliest and latest available for each title, but there may be missing issues in any newspaper.

During the early years, the nearest newspaper was in Salisbury.  Even though this was more than 50 miles away, occasional Lincoln County court-ordered notices were published there as the nearest newspaper.  
Visit Early Newspapers from the State Archives of North Carolina to search.
Go to: http://www.digitalnc.org/exhibits/early-newspapers-sanc/

These Charlotte papers contain many mentions of Lincoln and later Gaston Counties, both official notices and news items.

• Miner's & Farmer's Journal, Sep 27, 1830 -- Jun 19, 1835.
• Mecklenburg Jeffersonian, Mar 9, 1841 - Apr 11, 1849.
• North Carolina Whig, Jan 26, 1852 - Dec 24, 1862.
• Western Democrat, Jan 28, 1853 - Dec 29, 1868.
• Charlotte Messenger (Charlotte, N.C.) June 17, 1882 – January 5, 1889
• The Charlotte Observer (Charlotte, N.C.) October 26, 1886 – December 31, 1922
• The Charlotte News, Dec 11, 1888 – Dec 31, 1922.
• More Mecklenburg County Newspaper Titles

The Charlotte newspapers below can be searched at the Chronicling America site at the Library of Congress:

• Charlotte Journal, Jan 1, 1836 - Dec 17, 1851
• Western Democrat, Jan 28, 1853 - Dec 29, 1868.
• Charlotte Democrat, Dec 22, 1870 - Sep 30, 1881.
• Charlotte Home and Democratt, Oct 7, 1881 - Jul 8, 1887.
• Charlotte Messenger, Jun 30, 1883.
• Charlotte Democrat, Jul 15, 1887- Oct 7, 1897.

Online:

• Lincoln Republican, Jan 23, 1840 - May 25, 1842.
• Lincoln Courier, Jul 30, 1845 - June 28, 1851; 1867; Sept. 16, 1887 - Sep 20, 1895.
• Carolina Republican, Sep 5, 1848 - Jan 27, 1853.
• The Constitution (Lincolnton, N.C.) - 1880
• The Trumpet (Lincolnton, N.C.) - 1886-1888
• The Lincoln Democrat (Lincolnton, N.C.) – 1895-1896
• The Lincoln Journal (Lincolnton, N.C.) – 1895-1906
• The Lincoln Courier (Lincolnton, N.C.) – 1891
• Lincoln Transcript (Lincolnton, N.C.) – 1836
• The Western Whig Banner (Lincolnton, N.C.) – 1840
• Lincoln Progress (Lincolnton, N.C.) – 1873-1882
• The Lincoln Times (Lincolnton, N.C.) - 1907-1962
• The Lincoln County Times (Lincolnton, N.C.) November 6, 1908 – December 15, 1908
• Lincoln Times, June 20, 1935 - April 28, 1955.

Microfilm at the Jonas Library, Lincolnton:

• Lincoln Republican, Jan 23, 1840 - May 25, 1842.
• Lincoln Courier, 1845-1851 and 1867.
• Carolina Republican, Sep 5, 1848 - Jan 27, 1853.
• Lincoln Progress, May 17, 1873 - Mar 11, 1882.
• Lincoln Courier, Sep 16, 1887 - Sep 20, 1895.
• Lincoln Democrat, Sep 27, 1895 - Dec 24, 1896.
• Lincoln County News, Jan 2, 1925 - Dec 29, 1939.
• Lincoln Times, Jan 3, 1938 - Dec 30, 1940.
• Lincoln County News, Jan 2, 1941 - Sep 30, 1965.
• Lincoln Times News, Jan 3, 1963 - May 27, 1985; Jan 1, 1986 to date.
• "Miscellaneous" issues of papers including: Lincoln Transcript, 1836; Western Whig Banner, 1840; Hokeville Express, 1855; The Trumpet, 1887; The Constitution, 1880; The Plow, Forge & Grip, 1891; and the Lincoln Journal, 1898-1901.

The Gastonia Gazette (later The Gaston Gazette starting January 2, 1989). 

Microfilm

• The Main Library has the Gastonia Gazette on microfilm beginning with the February 21, 1880 issue. However, there are many missing issues in the early years. 

Online

• The Historic North Carolina Digital Newspaper Collection has digitized online content from some of the issues of the Gastonia Gazette. (More issues are available on microfilm at the Gastonia Main Library) Log in to NC Live with your library card number for online access.

• The Gastonia Gazette (Gastonia, N.C.) has various issues from the years: 1880, 1881, 1882, 1886, 1887, 1888, 1891, 1892, 1893, 1894, 1895, 1896, 1897, 1898, 1899, 1900, 1901, 1902, 1903, 1904, 1905, 1906, 1907, 1908, 1909, 1910, 1911, 1912, 1913, 1914, 1915, 1916, 1917, 1918, 1919, 1920, 1921, 1922, with some issues that are only available online at DigitalNC North Carolina Newspapers Collection.

• The Center for Research Libraries has The Gastonia Gazette 1929 as part of its digitized CRL collections.

• NC Live ProQuest Central has The Gastonia Gazette Full text coverage for Oct 26, 2012 - Jun 10, 2015.

Indexing

• At this time, there is only limited indexing to the Gazette and/or to the obituaries:
  • 1880 - 1889.  929.5 GAS NCC. The Gastonia Gazette Obituary and Marriage Index: “Gaston in the Eighties” (1880s).  From 1915 to 1919 the Gazette occasionally reprinted notices from its earlier issues in the 1880s. These are useful because in some cases the original issue was not microfilmed.
  • 1880 - 1899.  929.5 GAS NCC. The Gastonia Gazette Obituary and Death Notices Index, 1880 - 1899.
  • 1900 - 1969.  No indexing.
  • 1970.  Ask at the North Carolina Collection Desk at Gastonia Main Library.
  • 1971 - 1979.  No indexing.
  • 1980 - Present.   Ask at the North Carolina Collection Desk at Gastonia Main Library.
  • The Gaston Gazette Microfilm INDEX: This index covers The Gaston Gazette microfilms from 1998 - 2017.

Miscellaneous Gaston County papers

In order by earliest date:

• The Highlander and Shelby News (Shelby, N.C.) (29 issues from 1875 to 1921)
• The Dallas Eagle (Dallas, N.C.) (1 issue) March 5, 1891.
• Shelby Aurora (Shelby, Cleveland County, N.C.) July 2, 1891.
• Bessemer City Messenger (Bessemer City, N.C.) May 25, 1895. [State Library of North Carolina in Raleigh, N.C. has June 9, 1892.]
• The Baptist Worker, (Gastonia, N.C.) December 1, 1900.
• The Truth (Dallas, N.C.) April 18, 1903
• The Carolina Union Farmer, Gastonia, N.C. (90 issues) July 8, 1911 – May 1, 1913.
• The Dispatch (Bessemer City, N.C.) (42 issues from 1912)
• Gaston Progress, Gastonia (1 issue) Jul 4, 1912.
• The Kings Mountain Herald, (3501 issues) Jul 9, 1914 – Oct 30, 1919; January 3, 1935 – September 23, 2015.  Kings Mountain is in both Gaston and Cleveland Counties. Kings Mountain Herald. 2012-2021.
• The Gastonian, Gastonia (5 issues)  Jun 3, 1915; Nov 22, 1915; Nov 25, 1915, Nov 29, 1915, Feb 28, 1916.
• The Eagle, Cherryville (264 issues) January 7, 1915 – May 9, 1956.
• Gaston Republican, Gastonia (2 issues)  Apr 27, 1916, May 1, 1916.
• The Gaston Times (Gastonia, N.C.) December 31, 1920.
• The Community Survey (Gastonia, N.C.) January 1, 1921.
• Shelby Daily Star (Shelby, N.C.) December 14, 1923 –  December 31, 1936; 1945.
• Gaston County Baptist Messenger, (Gastonia, N.C.) December 14, 1923.
• Mount Holly News: "1950 in review." (Mount Holly, N.C.) 1950. (The volume included only select pages of each issue)
• Gaston Citizen, Oct 25, 1951 - Mar 21, 1956. Microfilm only at the Main Library.  There is no index.
• Firestone News, May 5, 1952 -- May 1, 1993.  Newsletter of the Firestone Mills, Gastonia.   
• Fine Yarns (1957-1959, various issues) Biblioboard Collection includes the Frank L. Ashley Senior High School (Gastonia, N.C.) newspaper, Fine Yarns, and more.
• Fine Yarns (1958-1960, various issues) Frank L Ashley High School Class Of 1960 includes issues of the Fine Yarns newspaper.
• Bessemer City Record (Bessemer City, N.C.) Jan. 2, 1964 through Dec. 28, 1967; 1969; 1971-1972; 1979-1982.
• Gaston College Student Newspaper, Oct 1, 1964 through May 1, 1984.  Also titled The Gas Light.
• A & E News and Views (Mount Holly, N.C.) September 1, 1966; March 1, June 1, December 1, 1968.
• W.P. Grier Jr. High School Student Newspaper (12 issues) November 20, 1968 – April 1, 1981
• Crossroads (Belmont, N.C.) Belmont Abbey College. November 1, 1971 – October 1, 1979
• Kings Mountain Herald. 2012-2021.
• Banner News. 2013-2021.
• The (Cherryville) Eagle. Oct. 7, 2020-2021.

See also company papers of mills outside of Gaston County for possible Gaston County textile news.

• The Fieldcrest Mill Whistle (Spray, N.C.) (Rockingham County)

See also newspapers from nearby places for Gaston County news.

• The Mooresville Enterprise (Mooresville, N.C.) (Iredell County)

See also our current newspapers page.

Microfilm copies of the following newspapers are in the North Carolina Collection at the Gastonia Main Library.

• Charlotte Observer, April 1, 1929 - September 30, 1929;
• Gaston Citizen, Oct 25, 1951 - Mar 21, 1956;
• Gastonia Gazette, 21 Feb 1880 - 1 Jan 1989 (minus some issues in the early years);
• Gaston Gazette, Feb 1989 - April 2019;
• Greensboro News (NC), March 1929 - October 1929;
• Wilmington Daily Herald (Wilmington Daily Journal), April 9, 1857 - July 14, 1866.

Guide to Newspapers on Microfilm in the North Carolina State Archives.
Go to: https://archives.ncdcr.gov/guide-newspapers-microfilm-0/open

Also search the North Carolina Newspaper Locator for newspaper microfilm by county, town, title, or date range housed at the N.C. Government & Heritage Library.
Go to: https://statelibrarync.org/newspaper/

Visit the Newspapers - Historical LibGuide for more print and online historical newspapers.

Digital collections:

• Historic North Carolina Digital Newspaper Collection. 3.5 million pages of digitized content from over 1,000 NC county newspapers. Log in to NC Live with your library card number.
  Go to: https://www.nclive.org/cgi-bin/nclsm?rsrc=411
• Digital NC North Carolina Newspaper section.
  Go to: http://www.digitalnc.org/collections/newspapers/
• Early Newspapers from the State Archives of North Carolina. These materials include papers dating from 1752-1890s.
  Go to: http://www.digitalnc.org/exhibits/early-newspapers-sanc/
• Index to the Raleigh News and Observer, 1926-1992.
  Go to: https://statelibrarync.org/noi/
• Baptist Newspaper Collection: A collection of Baptist newspaper titles published within North Carolina made available via DigitalNC.org. Issues date from 1857. Go to: zsr.wfu.edu/special/collections/nc-baptist/newspapers/
• The Biblical Recorder, official journal of the North Carolina Baptist State Convention, 1834-1970:
  Go to: http://digital.olivesoftware.com/Olive/APA/Wakeforest/default.aspx#panel=home
  For the Biblical Recorder 1835-1903 from DigitalNC:
  Go to: https://www.digitalnc.org/newspapers/the-biblical-recorder-raleigh-n-c/ 
• Chronicling America, searchable historic newspaper pages from 1789-1924. Includes North Carolina.
  Go to: http://chroniclingamerica.loc.gov/
• Newspaper Navigator Search 1.56 million historic newspaper photos.
  Go to: https://news-navigator.labs.loc.gov/search
• Google News Archive has North Carolina newspapers including The Alamance Gleaner, The Bladen Journal, The Fayetteville Observer, The Davidson Dispatch, The Polk County News, The Times-News (Henderson Co.), The Robesonian (Lumberton), and The Wilmington Morning Star News.
  Go to: https://news.google.com/newspapers
• Obituary Daily Times is an Index of published obituaries. Use the Database Advanced Search for better index results. Each entry contains basic information, such as, name, date of publication, etc.
  Go to: https://sites.rootsweb.com/~obituary/using_db.html
• Elephind is a search engine for searching free historic digitized newspaper collections from the United States, Australia, New Zealand, and elsewhere. Contains South Carolina newspapers which reported on news in neighboring states.
  Go to: https://elephind.com/
• The Ancestor Hunt: Newspaper Links Go to: https://theancestorhunt.com/newspaper-research-links.html
  • North Carolina
• Cyndi's List contains a list of North Carolina newspaper databases. Search by geographic location such as by U.S. State, to locate newspapers for other areas or search by Title. Go to: https://www.cyndislist.com/us/nc/newspapers/

State Library of North Carolina Library Card

"As a resident of North Carolina, you can sign up for a library card at the Government & Heritage Library, part of the State Library of North Carolina (SLNC).  To get your library card, fill out the online library card application form.

https://ghl.nccardinal.org/eg/opac/register#librarycardsignup

Card holders can access many online resources and databases including Newspaper databases.

https://statelibrary.ncdcr.gov/research/online-resources

North Carolina Newspapers Index 

Find what North Carolina newspapers were printed in a county or city: North Carolina Newspaper Index, a pdf file.
This is NOT an index to newspaper contents.
Go to: https://digital.ncdcr.gov/Documents/Detail/north-carolina-newspaper-index/3280828

Guide to Newspapers on Microfilm in the North Carolina State Archives 

Guide to Newspapers on Microfilm in the North Carolina State Archives. August 2022. a pdf file.
Go to: https://archives.ncdcr.gov/guide-newspapers-microfilm-0/open

North Carolina Newspaper Locator 

Also search the North Carolina Newspaper Locator for newspaper microfilm by county, town, title, or date range housed at the N.C. Government & Heritage Library.
Go to: https://statelibrarync.org/newspaper/

Genealogical Indexes and Abstracts of Newspapers 

Search the State Library of North Carolina's Genealogical Indexes and Abstracts of Newspapers to find indexes to genealogical information in Newspapers. These indexes are located in the State Library's Genealogical Research Room unless otherwise indicated.
Go to: http://statelibrary.ncdcr.libguides.com/c.php?g=151279

Historical Newspapers of South Carolina (University of South Carolina Libraries) provides free online access to historical local and regional newspapers originating throughout South Carolina since 1815. (Some of the archived issues are also available in digital format as part of the Library of Congress Chronicling America online collection.)

Go to: https://historicnewspapers.sc.edu/

Go to: https://digital.library.sc.edu/collections/historical-newspapers-of-south-carolina/

South Carolina Digital Library provides free access to historic materials from over 40 cultural heritage institutions across the state. Over 200,000 items have been added so far. Includes Periodical collection.

Chronicling America, searchable historic newspaper pages from 1789-1924. Includes South Carolina.
Go to: http://chroniclingamerica.loc.gov/

• African-American Newspapers in North Carolina,
  Go to: http://www.digitalnc.org/exhibits/african-american-newspapers-in-nc/
• Chronicling America (Select State and Ethnicity to search for African-American newspapers)
  Go to: http://chroniclingamerica.loc.gov/#tab=tab_newspapers
• N.C. Runaway Slave Notices 1751-1865 provides online access to runaway slave advertisements published in North Carolina newspapers.
  Go to: http://libcdm1.uncg.edu/cdm/landingpage/collection/RAS
• Historic North Carolina Digital Newspaper Collection. 3.5 million pages of digitized content from over 1,000 NC county newspapers. Log in to NC Live with your library card number.
  Go to: https://www.nclive.org/cgi-bin/nclsm?rsrc=411

• Ancestry Library Edition "U.S., African American Newspapers, 1829-1947" contains issues of African-American newspapers printed in the 19th and early 20th century. (Available in Library)

Author: Gaston County Public Library
Title: Newspapers -- Historical
URL: http://gastonlibrary.libguides.com/serials/historical-newpapers
Revised: 19 May 2023