Nevada County GenWeb
Nevada County Newspapers for Genealogical Research

Newspapers of the past are a prime record group for Nevada County research and finding information about your ancestors. Due to the many fires that were common to Gold Rush towns, newspapers are an important record source and substitute for original records lost by the many fires that destroyed the business district, and county seat of Nevada City several times in the early years.

A Short History of Newspapers in Nevada County

The first newspaper in Nevada County, and the first newspaper to be published in the Northern mines, and second newspaper to be published in the mines of California, the Nevada Journal, commenced in 1851 and since that time there have been about 28 newspapers published in the county. Many only lasted a short time or changed names when new oweners came on board, and the longest running paper started in 1864, The Grass ValleyUnion, with the first edition in 1865 and is still being published today.

The Doris Foley Library for Historical Research, 211 N. Pine St., Nevada City (530-265-4606) has both original bound newspapers and microfilm.

Microfilmed newspapers:

• Daily Miner Transcript (1904-1907)
• Daily National Gazette (1870-1871)
• Foothill Weekly Tidings (1877-1881, 1890-1904)
• Grass Vally Harald (1934-1935)
• Grass Valley Republican (1871-1872)
• Grass Valley Telegraph (1853-1858) 3 copies; broken file)
• Hydraulic Press (1858-1861, North San Juan area)
• Independent (1969-1982)
• Meadow Lake Weekly Sun (1866-1867;broken files)
• Mountain Messenger(Nevada County Edition, 1979-1983)
• Nevada City Nugget (1928-1950)
• Nevada County Citizen (1959-1960)
• Nevada County Morning Miner (1903-1904)
• Nevada County Nugget (1959-1979)
• Nevada Daily Gazette (1964-1969)
• Nevada Daily Transcript (1860-1904)
• Nevada Democrat (1856-1862)
• Nevada Journal (1851-1863,broken and incomplete)
• Nevada National (1859-1865,broken)
• Nevada Tri-Weekly Herald (1878-1881)
• North San Juan Independent (1863)
• North San Juan Times (1874-1884,broken and incomplete)
• Sierra Life (1978-1979)
• Villager (1984-1989,broken)
• The Union (1865-current)
• Valley Voice (1989-1993)
• Western Slopes Connection (1975-1979)
• Young America (1853-1854)

Newspapers bound, restricted access.

• Daily National lGazette (one issue only, Jan. 25, 1866)
• Grass Valley Herald (June 14, 1934-Jan. 25, 1866)
• Grass Valley Republican (Nov. 9, 1871-April 6, 1872)
• Grass Valley Union (1867-1972)
• Grass Valley Nugget (Jan 3, 1944-Dec. 28, 1944; Jan. 6, 1947-Dec. 19, 1947)
• Nevada County Daily Morning Miner (April 12, 1904-July 17, 1904
• Nevada County Nugget (Jan. 1962-Dec. 1977)
• Nevada Daily Gazette (March 9, 1864-Nov. 27, 1869)
• Nevada Daily Transcript (Sept. 6, 1860-July 16, 1904)
• Nevada Democrat (Oct. 5, 1859-Sept. 27, 1862)
• Nevada County Citizen (Oct. 14, 1959-March 9, 1960)

NEW--The Grass Valley Daily Union, 1865-1885, Online!. Visit the official Nevada County Government website for scanned images of the original newspaper. Click here

This page is in process and I will continue to post information on Nevada County newspapers.
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This Web Page is sponsored by the US Gen Web Project in California.