Newspapers
Local newspapers can be an invaluable source of information when it comes to doing research about individuals or families. Many small town papers provide a variety of information including activities of individuals, their new jobs, their health, and so on. It's rather amazing to read small papers and see how much in depth information they provide about local residents.
You'll also find other information including weddings, births and deaths. Many times, information about visitors to the town will be included. This sometimes can provide insight into someone's friends and relatives that you hadn't known about before.
The best collection of historical newspapers offered online is available through a subscription with World Vital Records. WVR provides a fully searchable database of historical newspapers with tens of millions of newspaper pages from 1759 to present. You can view the actual page from the newspaper that you've searched, and then print it out or email it to friends and family.
You can Sign Up for a 3 Day Free Trial at WVR. They will ask you for a credit card, but you won't be charged if you cancel before the three day free trial is over. If you want to try a search on your own before signing up, just enter the person's first and last name that you're looking for below: