Connecticut's Ethnic Newspapers

Many immigrants came to Connecticut in the 1800s and early 1900s. There was a need to have news and discuss issues in the language of the home country, and as a result, ethnic newspapers arose.

The first recorded ethnic newspaper published in the Connecticut was a German paper called the Hartforder Zeitung (1858). In all, 30 German newspapers were published during the last half of the nineteenth century, but by 1900 only eight were still in operation. There were also 30 Italian newspapers published in Connecticut. Most started production after 1900 and ceased publication by the end of World War II.

The Hartford Herald (1918) is the earliest African-American newspaper recorded as being published in Connecticut, but no issues have been found. The number of African-American newspapers increased greatly in the 1970s and continues at a high level to this day.

The Connecticut Newspaper Project, in its survey of the holdings of newspapers in Connecticut libraries, found newspapers covering over 20 ethnic groups. The following list, extracted from the Newspaper Project's database, shows ethnic newspapers published in Connecticut for which at least one issue survives in a Connecticut library. It includes the name of the ethnic group, titles published, and dates of each title's existence, as far as could be determined. If your ethnic group of interest is not shown below, you may assume that no newspapers for that group are known to have been published in Connecticut.

Complete runs exist for some of these ethnic newspapers; in other cases there may be only a few surviving issues. Please consult reQuest, the statewide online bibliographic database, to determine current holdings in Connecticut libraries.

A number of Connecticut ethnic groups received newspapers from ethnic presses in New York, Boston, or other large cities in the country. They may be identified by searching reQuest or by looking under the name of the ethnic group in the Connecticut Newspaper Project's Newspapers in Connecticut Institutions. Volume 3, pages 1-319 of this set provides a general overview of ethnic newspapers (as well as other subjects) published both in and out of Connecticut, as held by Connecticut repositories. However, titles only are shown on those pages. Full information on a publication can be obtained by consulting volumes 1 and 2 of the set.

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Ethnic Newspapers Published in Connecticut with Existing Issues in Connecticut Libraries

African-American The Hartford Herald (1918) is the earliest African-American newspaper recorded as being published in Connecticut, but no issues have been found. The number of Afro-American newspapers increased greatly in the 1970s, and continue at a high level to this day.

City and Title	General Dates of Existence
Bridgeport The AfroVoice Review	April 1988-July 1991 (Continued by Afri-Voice Review-no issues existing of the latter.)
Harambee	Aug-Sept 1969
Harambee Union	1970-1976
Hamden Elm City Trader	Hamden / New Haven 1991-1992. (Continues Ad Haven)
Hartford Connecticut Chronicle	ca. 1945-1948
Hartford Chronicle	ca. 1940-1947
The Hartford Inquirer	June 1975-1988?
The Hartford Star	1969-1974
The Hartford Voice	Nov. 1974-1975
The Informer	1977-1978
North Hartford Truth	Oct. 1971-1974
Northend Agent's	1975- present
New Haven Black Coalition Weekly	Aug-Sept 1972 (Continues Greater New Haven Black Coalition Weekly)
The Crow	Jan 1969-July 1970
Elm City Trader	Hamden / New Haven 1991-1992. (Continues Ad Haven)
Greater New Haven Black Coalition Weekly	ca. 1971-72 (Continued by Black Coalition Weekly)
The Heritage Hall Crow	1968-?
The Inner City	1991 - 1994?
New Haven Local News	Jan 1987-Dec 1990
Open Gate News	Oct. 1961-June 1963
Waterbury Black Voice	1970-1971
People's Weekly	June-August 1972

French / French-Canadian

City and Title	General Dates of Existence
Le Programme (Hartford, CT)	1929

 

German
As mentioned above, the first recorded ethnic newspaper published in the state was a German paper called the Hartforder Zeitung (1858). In all, 30 German newspapers were published during the last half of the 19th century, but by 1900 only eight were still in operation.

City and Title	General Dates of Existence
Bridgeport Bridgeporter Zeitung	May 23, 1877-Apr. 10,1878
Hartford Connecticuter Zeitung	Ceased 1863. (Published in Hartford and Boston)
Hartforder Anzeiger	1877-1878
Der Hartforder Herold	1907 (1883-1885 was an ed. of New England Staaten Zeitung)
Hartforder Zeitung	April 1858-?
Der Hartforder Stadt-Bote	1881-?
New Haven Connecticut Beobachter	ca. 1865-)ct 1871?
Connecticut Freie-Press	ca. 1875-1907
Connecticut Republikaner	1867-1901
New England Anzeiger	ca. 1876-1884
New Haven Anzeiger	ca. 1891-1910
Waterbury Waterbury Beobachter / Waterbury Observer	ca. 1898-1917
Westport Westporter Herald	1898-1951

Hispanic Americans

City and Title	General Dates of Existence
Hartford El Extra News	1991-1993,1996 (Continued by El Xtra News; continued the same.)
Hispano	Nov 26, 1975-?
Imparcial	March 16-31, 1989
Observador	1977-1981
El Periodico	March 1983-?1985
La Prensa Grafica	Nov 1974-Aug 1975
Que Pasa	July 1977-1992?
El Transcrito Catolico	ca. 1990-1997
La Vanguardia	1989 -1991? (Puerto Rican)
El Xtra News	Nov. 1993-1995 (Continues El Extra News; continued by the same)
Meriden El Tiempo	1992-1997
New Haven Los Andes	ca. 1989-1994?
La Voz Hispana de Connecticut	1993-1995?
Stamford La Voz Hispano-Americana	April-Nov 1978
La Union Hispano-Americana	Dec 1979

Hungarian

City and Title	General Dates of Existence
Bridgeporti usjag / Bridgeport News	March 1907

Italian
There have been 30 Italian newspapers published in Connecticut. Most started production after 1900 and ceased publication by the end of World War II.

City and Title	General Dates of Existence
Bridgeport The Connecticut American	May 1935-Aug 1936?
Corriere di Bridgeport	Mar 16,1903-Dec 3, 1904 as a section in Il Corriere del Connecticut, of New Haven
La Sentinella /the Sentinel	ca. 1920-Sept 1948
Il Sole	ca. 1901-1907?
La Tribuna del Connecticut	March 1906-Dec 1908
La Vittoria	March 1929-?
Hartford The CT Italian Bulletin	1974-ca.1980
The CT Italian Bulletin and Review	1950-1974
Hartford Bulletin	Apr 21, 1950-Dec 1956
La Capitale Tribuna di Hartford	1934
Middletown The Middletown Bulletin	1949-1967,1968-?
New Britain Il Messaggero di New England/ The New England Messenger	1931
New Haven Il Corriere del Connecticut	ca. 1896-1955? (Limited assoc. w. Hartford Bulletin March 25- May 27, 1955. For other eds., see Corriere di Bridgeport; La Verita, Corriere del Connecticut of Waterbury.)
Italian-American Weekly News	ca. 1929-1938
L'Indipendente	ca. 1903-1922?
La Parola Cattolica	ca.1904-1907
San Carlino	1907
Newington La Voce	Dec 1973-1974?
Waterbury Il Progresso di Waterbury	1907
La Verita	1911-1925; for 1926-1939, see below La Verita, Corriere del Connecticut
La Verita, Corriere del Connecticut	1926-1939 was the Waterbury ed. of Il Corriere del Connecticut of New Haven

Jewish

City and Title	General Dates of Existence
Bridgeport Bridgeport Jewish Ledger	1977-1996
Hartford The Connecticut Hebrew Record	1923;1925-Sept.1938 regional ed. of The Jewish Advocate
The Connecticut Jewish Ledger	Oct 1996-present
The Jewish Advocate	1925-1970; Boston paper but CT ed. 1925-1938
The Jewish Ledger	ca. 1929-July 1955
New Haven New Haven Jewish Ledger	1977-1996
New London Jewish Leader	ca. 1974-present
Stamford Stamford Jewish Ledger	1977-1996

Lithuanian

City and Title	General Dates of Existence
Lietuviu kelias /	Lithuanian Way (Watertown, CT) 1950

Native American

Tribe and Title	General Dates of Existence
Multi-Tribal Eagle Wing Press (Meriden,CT)	ca. 1981-1987
The Indian Bulletin (Hartford, CT)	1888-April 1901 /CT Indian Association Monthly news of Indians in CIA missions.
The Indian's Friend	1888-Jan 1902 Philadelphia, Women's National Indian Association Feb 1902-1907 New Haven, CT; National Indian Association 1907-1951, New York, National Indian Association Pro-Indian newspaper, monthly.
Pequot Pequot Record (Southport, CT)	July 1,1890
Pequot Times (Ledyard ,CT)	Oct. 1992-present / Mashantucket Pequot

Polish

City and Title	General Dates of Existence
The Catholic Leader /Przewodnik Katolocki (New Britain, CT)	Dec. 21, 1907 - 1964
Przeglad	?1996 (Albert will call in exact dates)

Russian

City and Title	General Dates of Existence
Fashist (Putnam, CT)	1933-1940

Swedish

City and Title	General Dates of Existence
The Eastern Herald / Osterns Harold (New Britain, CT)	1907

• Bibliography

Originally prepared by the Connecticut Newspaper Project, Connecticut State Library, November, 1996. Revised by the History and Genealogy Unit, November-2000.