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Periodicals

Introduction

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/

Charlotte Newspapers

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

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.

NewsBank has The Charlotte Observer Full-text coverage for 1985 - 2024.

Lincoln County Newspapers

Online:

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.

Gaston County Newspapers

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

 

 

 

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

 

  • NewsBank has The Gaston Gazette Full text coverage for 2016 - Current.

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 online:

In order by earliest date:

coming soon

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

See also newspapers from nearby places for Gaston County news.

See also our current newspapers page.

Newspapers on Microfilm

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.

North Carolina Newspapers Online

Digital collections:

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. January 2024. a pdf file.
Go to: https://archives.ncdcr.gov/documents/guide-master-january-2024pdf/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

South Carolina Newspapers Online

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/

Guide to Using This Collection
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: https://chroniclingamerica.loc.gov/

African American Newspapers

  • N.C. Runaway Slave Notices 1751-1865 provides online access to runaway slave advertisements published in North Carolina newspapers.
    Go to: https://gateway.uncg.edu/dlas

  • Articles of Enslavement “new collection of newspaper articles containing details on more than 183,000 formerly enslaved people. The new collection will help descendants of previously enslaved people in the U.S. discover more about their families. They also serve as an important resource for understanding the forced movement of enslaved people in the United States and the actions that they took to seek freedom." Free Ancestry account required.
    Go to: https://www.ancestry.com/c/articles-of-enslavement

  • 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

  • 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)


  • Last Seen: Finding Family After Slavery Search for ads placed in newspapers by formerly enslaved people looking for loved ones from all over the United States. Go to: https://informationwanted.org/

  • 306.362 WIL Help me to find my people: the African American search for family lost in slavery. Williams, Heather Andrea. Chapel Hill: University of North Carolina Press. "
    After the Civil War, African Americans placed poignant "information wanted" advertisements in newspapers, searching for missing family members. Inspired by the power of these ads, Heather Andrea Williams uses slave narratives, letters, interviews, public records, and diaries to guide readers back to devastating moments of family separation during slavery when people were sold away from parents, siblings, spouses, and children."

Citation

Author: Gaston County Public Library
Title: Newspapers -- Historical
URL: http://gastonlibrary.libguides.com/serials/historical-newpapers
Revised: 5 August 2024

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