Illinois Online Historic Newspapers

Today’s post features links for Illinois Online Historic Newspapers to help your genealogy research. I’ve included both free and pay resources. Non-English and minority-focussed papers (like the Chicago Defender) are included. If you have additions to this list, please let me know here. And use the comments to let me know what state you’d like me to feature next.

Illinois Online Historic Newspapers at Public Libraries:

• Barrington Review (1914–1930) Free
• Bloomingdale (DuPage County) Public Library obituary index includes PDFs of many obits Free
• Chicago Defender; Chicago, Illinois; (1905–1975)
• Chicago Foreign Language Press Survey (1855–1938) Free transcriptions
• Chicago Sentinel (1911–1949) Free
• Chicago Sun-Times; Chicago, Illinois; (1986– ) in text Pay
• Chicago Tribune; Chicago, Illinois; (1852–1984) in images and (1985– ) in text Pay
• The Chicagoan magazine (1926–1935) Free
• Dziennik Zwiazkowy, Chicago Polish-language newspaper (1908–1917) Free
• Evanston Review Online Index (Evanston Public Library) (Obituaries, death notices and Evanston wedding/engagement announcements from current editions and articles from earlier years are continuously being added. Articles from 1925 and 1966-1972 are currently included in the index. A card file index to the Evanston Review, covering the years 1972-1999, and an obituary index, covering the years 1925-1999, are located in the Reference Department of the library. Call (847) 448-8600 for assistance.
• Flora Digital Newspapers (1883–1926) Free
  • Southern Illinois Journal & Weekly Journal (1883–1917)
  • Southern Illinois Journal (1907–1908)
  • Southern Illinois Record, Flora Record, and Flora Journal Record (October 1912–December 1926)
• Geneseo Public Library newspaper collection (1856–1977) Free
  • Geneseo Daily Arena
  • Geneseo Enterprise
  • Geneseo Journal
  • Geneseo News
  • Geneseo Republic
  • Geneseo Republic and Henry County News
  • Geneseo Weekly Sun
  • Henry County Arena
  • Henry County News
  • People’s Union Mission
  • Republic
  • Standard
  • Sun
  • Union Advocate

Historic Illinois Newspapers Online at Chronicling America

• • Click here for links to 22 online Illinois newspaper titles and span dates, including the following:
    • The Cairo Bulletin.
    • The Cairo Daily Bulletin.
    •  The Cairo Evening Bulletin.
    • The Broad Ax. Chicago and SLC
    • Chicago Eagle.
    • Day Book. Chicago
    • Juliet (Joliet) Signal.
    • The Free Trader and Lasalle County Commercial Advertiser
    • The Illinois Free Trader. Ottawa, Ill.
    • The Ottawa Free Trader.
    • The Argus. Rock Island, Ill.
    • Rock Island Argus.
    • Rock Island Daily Argus.
    • The Evening Argus. Rock Island
    • The Rock Island Argus And Daily Union.
    • Union Advocate

• Illinois Digital Newspaper Collections (University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign) (1831–2011) Free

  • List of All Newspaper Titles in the IDN Collections
  • American Eagle
  • Banker Farmer
  • Berkshire World and Cornbelt Stockman
  • Better Farming
  • Chicago Eagle
  • Chicago Livestock World
  • Chicago Packer
  • Daily Illini
  • Daily Pantagraph
  • Express
  • F&M College Reporter
  • Farm Home
  • Farm Press
  • Farm, Field, and Fireside
  • Farm, Field, and Stockman
  • Farmer’s Wife
  • Farmers Voice
  • Farmers’ Review
  • Farmers’ Weekly Review
  • The Hoya
  • Illinois Farmer
  • Ithacan
  • Juliet Signal
  • Lancaster Farming
  • Lincoln News
  • The National Rural and Family Magazine
  • New York Clipper
  • Ohio Farmer
  • Prairie Farmer
  • Sangamon Journal
  • The Broad Ax
  • The Cairo Bulletin
  • The Day Book
  • The Ottawa Free Trader
  • The Rock Island Argus
  • True Republican
  • Urbana Daily Courier
  • Vaudeville News
  • Wallace’s Farmer
  • Gettysburgian
  • Western Rural and American Stockman
  • Western Rural and Livestock Weekly
  • Western Rural
• NE Winnebago and Boone counties (North Suburban Library) Obituary Index (~1881–1982) index only Free
• Quincy, Illinois; Quincy Historical Newspaper Archive (1835–1919) Free
  • Quincy Daily Herald, 1853–1890
  • Quincy Daily Whig, 1835–1891
  • Quincy Daily Journal, ??–1919
  • Illinois Bounty Land Register, 1835–1836
• Rock Island County obituary index (2005–2013) index only Free
• Rockford Register Star (1855– )
• Sterling Newspaper Archives (1854–2007) Free

Know of more Illinois Online Historic Newspapers? Let me know.

For more Sassy Jane posts on finding and using historic newspapers, click here.