The newspapers published in your ancestors' days no longer exist, except as microfilm in some libraries. For a full list of currently published Nottinghamshire newspapers, go to the Regular Press site. Below is a list of the principal newspapers currently published in Nottinghamshire:
One can place "kin wanted" ads in the Newark Advertiser. The Newark Advertiser also includes an online "Past Times" feature which chronicles events that have happened over the last 100+ years in the Newark area, including some parishes in western Lincolnshire.
Nottinghamshire also once had Cresswell's Nottingham & Newark Advertiser. The years 1772-1775 were only available on 35mm microfilm but has now been scanned to CD. Cost £35 plus vat where applicable from MicroForm.
In neighboring Cambridgeshire, one can try The Chatteris Advertiser & Cambridgeshire Times. These were separate newspapers until about 50 years ago. Or try the Wisbech Standard, available at Wisbech Library.
If your ancestors lived or worked in the Fens, they may appear in a Cambridgeshire newspaper. Check out the Cambridgeshire Collection at the Library website.
For some of the older newspapers:
See the Genuki Newspaper Resources page.
The British Library Newspaper Catalogue may be able to help you find other newspapers.
Subscribers may also access Palmer's Index to the Times. To see the original entry, you need to access the microfilms or a subscription to Palmer's Full Text Online. I have no information on the cost of a subscription. In the UK they are at Guildhall, Newspaper Library, Colindale, North London and some County record offices. They do have it at Aylesbury Local Studies Library. Overseas listers can access Palmer's Index to The Times, and Palmer's Full Text Online, through university and public libraries - in Sydney, Darwin, Toronto, Edmonton, Alberta, etc.
The Online Facsimile Library of the British Library may help you find more recent newspaper articles. Note: this site was slow to load the first page when I tried it.
One can access the web site of Pathe News in the UK and search for Spalding or the village or town of your choice.
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