Georgia Newspaper Archives

Sections to explore in a Georgia historic newspaper database

While most newspapers will have generally the same sections, there will be some differences. This is even more true when you go back to some of the very early newspapers. A newspaper from the early days in Atlanta will likely be quite different from a newspaper from a small settlement near Columbus during the same time.

So, as you search Georgia newspaper archives check out these newspaper sections:

Academia

School activities have long been a favorite section in newspapers. You can learn about students, administrators, and teachers just by accessing some of these sections.

• Attendance Records
• Class Reunion Announcements
• Dean's List
• Graduate Notices
• Honor Roll Announcements
• School Events
• School Sports News and Announcements
• Teacher Records

Business

Business news is a huge interest today and throughout history. People recorded business openings, closing, and other important events. Almost always the owners and key personnel were named in the stories.

• Business Notices
• Business Openings
• Local Business News
• New Business Openings

Church

Church is an institution that has drawn people since the beginning of time. Because of this, church news is a popular section in just about every newspaper.

• Church News
• New Church or Church Plants
• New Member Announcements

Civil War, servants, slavery

Find out about slaves, Civil War events, and more by thumbing through these sections in the older papers.

• Civil War Battles
• Indentured Servants
• Runaway Slave Notices

Community

Community pages have always had a huge readership, so they tend to be very well populated. Don't skip this section!

• Club Announcements
• Community Announcements
• Letters to the Editor
• Organization Events
• Political Events
• Social Announcements
• Volunteer Announcements
• War Time Volunteers

Court and legal

You can find out a lot about your relatives through these sections. Arrests, property, civil lawsuits, and more will keep you entertained for quite a while.

• Arrest Reports
• Court Dockets
• Court Filings
• Jury Lists
• Legal Notices
• Personal Legal Notices
• Police Blotters
• Tax Delinquencies
• Tax Lists
• Unclaimed Letters

Deaths

This is an important section because you can get some precise information about dates and places regarding death and burial.

• Death Notices
• Funerals
• Obituaries

Marriages, weddings, and births

This is another section that will give you some precise information like birth dates, marriage dates, place of birth, and more.

• Anniversaries
• Birth Announcements
• Elopements
• Marriage Announcements
• Wedding Announcements

Meetings

If you have relatives who were involved in community events and wanted to help the community then you just might find some information on them here.

• Minutes of Meetings (county, city, etc.)
• "Old Settler" meetings
• School Board Meetings/Minutes

Military

Homecomings, drafts, deaths, and other military news can give you a ton of information on relatives who served their country.

• Draft Lists
• Local and Community Soldier News
• Military Lists
• News from Soldiers
• Soldier Homecomings

News

This can be a fun section because you may see your relatives in some interesting situations. You just never know.

• Accidents and Car Wrecks
• Advertisements
• Biographical Sketches
• Classified Ads
• Editorials
• Local Personality Highlights
• News Stories
• Society Pages

Property

Property is a great way to track your ancestors and get information on them.

• Bankruptcies
• Estate Settlements
• Foreclosures
• Probate Notices
• Property Transfers
• Public Auctions
• Public Sales
• Real Estate Transactions

Travel

If your relatives immigrated to the US or if they traveled from one area to another, this section could help you track them.

• Hotel Guest Lists
• Immigrant Card
• Ship Arrivals
• Stagecoach Passenger Lists
• Ship Passenger Lists
• Train Passenger Lists
• Train Schedules

Top tips for searching Georgia newspapers online

Here are a few quick tips to get you started.

• Search the towns you know your relatives were in but also search the surrounding towns.
• Search extended family like uncles, cousins, and even great aunts and uncles instead of limiting your search to only your direct ancestors.
• Narrow your search to get more precise information.
• Broaden your search if you aren't getting good results – or any at all – by removing dates or middle names and including flexible date ranges.
• Try spelling surnames in several different ways.
• Remember that many women used to take on their husband's name – literally. Mrs. Joe Brown was a common way women signed legal documents.
• Keep date ranges fairly wide. Events took time to get to press, so make sure you account for that time.