Many newspapers will give 2-3 generations back of Surnames/dates/areas/State-Towns etc. and have archived for 30-365 days - [a full year] http://dmoz.org/News/Newspapers/Regional/United_States Top: News: Newspapers: Regional: United States (1,898) and this direct to 100 in Mass. http://dmoz.org/News/Newspapers/Regional/United_States/Massachusetts/ If you have an ancestor you seek, key in the name - even if they were just mentioned as 'dear friend' or companion in someone else's obit, the name will surface, so it pays to read through your 'search' results. Mimi Taylor