Newspapers
For obituary requests, please use the Ask the Heritage Center web form.
Microfilm
The Heritage Center holds microfilms of all major newspapers published in the city of Fresno, and from some other localities in Fresno County and elsewhere in California. Most important among the microfilm holdings are:
- Fresno Bee (1922 - 2019)
- Fresno Evening Expositor (1870 - 1898)
- Fresno Republican, Fresno Weekly Republican and Fresno Morning Republican (1876 - 1932)
- Fresno Evening Democrat (1902 - 1907)
- Fresno Herald and Democrat (1907 - 1913)
- Fresno Herald (1916 - 1924)
- Fresno Guide (1932 - 1978)
- Fresno Tribune (1907 - 1912)
- Fresno Vida En El Valle (1990 - 1998)
Heritage Center microfilm holdings for other localities in Fresno County are:
- Caruthers Gazette (1936 - 1961)
- Clovis Independent (1916 - 2006)
- Cooperative Californian (1921 - 1923)
- Del Rey News (1916 - 1919)
- Firebaugh-Mendota Journal (1964 - 2018)
- Fowler Courier (1894)
- Fowler Ensign (1898 - 2008)
- Fresno County Enterprise (1891 - 1912)
- Kerman News (2001 - 2018)
- Laton Argus (1913 - 1917)
- Mountain Press (Prather) (1974, 1977 - 1985)
- Orange Cove and Mountain Times (1983 - 1993)
- Parlier Progress (1927 - 1931)
- Riverdale Observer / Free Press (1915 - 1979)
- Sanger Herald (1920 - 2007)
- Twin City Times (Caruthers) 1999 - 2007
- West Side Advance (Kerman) (2001 - 2018)
There is a complete Heritage Center holdings list alphabetical by title and alphabetical by place of publication.
Newspaper microfilm held by the Fresno County Public Library system, but not present in the Heritage Center, include:
- Kingsburg Recorder (1921 - 2006; missing 1933, 1941, 1946, 1950), at the Kingsburg Branch Library.
- Reedley Ledger (1916), at the Reedley Branch Library.
- Reedley Exponent (1892 - present), at the Reedley Branch Library.
- Selma Enterprise (1891 - 2006), at the Selma Branch Library.
These are available upon request.
Newspaper Databases
These Fresno County newspapers are searchable electronically using the library's subscription to NewsBank, available online to Fresno County Public Library card holders.
- Fresno Bee (1986 - present)
- Kingsburg Recorder (2003 - present)
- Selma Enterprise (2003 - present)
There are 172 California newspapers in the NewsBank database, including other San Joaquin Valley newspapers.
Note: This resource is most useful for feature article content; some items, such as obituary rosters and paid funeral notices, might not be available from this database.
Digitized Newspapers
There are digitized California newspapers in the California Digital Newspaper Collection at UC Riverside, and the Chronicling America collection at the Library of Congress. Fresno County newspapers are not included in these collections. However, some digitized Fresno Republican/Bee issues are available on these PAID sites:
Newspaper Archive includes:
- Fresno Daily Republican (10/01 - 12/15/1887; 01/01 - 16/1892, with gaps)
- Fresno Morning Republican (01/03/1892 - 12/30/1922, with gaps). NOTE: File is mislabeled as "Fresno Bee."
- Fresno Republican (12/12/1876; 01/08, 12/18/1881; 01/02, 05/07, 08/05, 20, 27, 09/03, 10, 24, 10/01, 20, 11/26, 12/10, 17, 1886). NOTE: File is mislabeled as "Fresno Bee."
- Fresno Weekly and Morning Republican (12/16/1887 - 10/29/1921, with gaps). NOTE: File is mislabeled as "Fresno Morning Republican," but contains someWeekly Republican issues.
- Fresno Weekly Republican (09/17/1886 - 12/28/1899, with gaps). NOTE: File is mislabeled as "Fresno Republican Weekly."
- Fresno Weekly Republican (08/05/1886 - 12/28/1899, with gaps). NOTE: Repeats some issues from the mislabeled "Fresno Republican Weekly" file.
Newspapers.com includes:
- Fresno Weekly Republican (1886 - 1899)
- Fresno Republican (1876 - 1886)
- The Fresno Bee, The Republican (1932 - 1975)
GenealogyBank includes:
- Fresno Morning Republican (10/01/1887 - 12/31/1899, 09/01/1905 - 10/29/1921)
- Fresno Republican Weekly (09/23/1876 - 12/28/1899)
- Fresno Bee (10/17/1922 - 06/30/1938)
