The Tennessee Electronic Library (TEL) is a virtual online library that gives Tennessee residents access to magazines, journals, newspapers, essays, e-books, primary source materials, test preparation, homework help, genealogy records, career search, and more! TEL resources are available free to the public from any computer with Internet access in Tennessee. That’s access to more than 400,000 electronic resources including magazines, scholarly journals, podcasts, videos, e-books, test preparation materials, federal census records and Tennessee primary source materials!

The Tennessee Electronic Library is made possible through funding provided by the General Assembly of the State of Tennessee and the U.S. Institute of Museum and Library Services and TEL is administered by the Tennessee State Library and Archives, a division of the Tennessee Department of State.

If your Internet connection originates in Tennessee, you can use these resources remotely without cost or restriction.

The following databases available thru TEL may be useful for genealogical research.

Chronicling America: Historic American Newspapers – Search America’s historic newspaper pages from 1789-1963 or use the U.S. Newspaper Directory to find information about American newspapers published between 1690-present including 125 newspapers from Tennessee.

Digital Library of Tennessee – The Digital Library of Tennessee provides free access to unique materials from museums, libraries, and archives across the state.

Digital Public Library of America – The Digital Public Library of America (DPLA) brings together the riches of America’s libraries, archives, and museums, and makes them freely available to the world.

HeritageQuest Online – Collection of genealogical and historical sources, with coverage dating back to the 1700s. Search U.S. census records, full-text family and local history books, Freedman’s Bank records and more.

Knoxville News Sentinel – The Knoxville News Sentinel is a daily newspaper founded in Knoxville, Tennessee. It covers the news in Knoxville and the surrounding area from the 1880s to today.

Memphis Commercial Appeal – The Memphis Commercial Appeal is a daily newspaper founded in Memphis,Tennessee. It covers the news in Memphis and the surrounding area from the 1840s to today.

Newspapers.com Southeast Edition – Newspapers.com Southeast Edition provides access to newspapers from the southeast United States including 2000+ historical and recent newspapers in Alabama, Arkansas, Georgia, Florida, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, Tennessee, Virginia and West Virginia.

Tennessee Records on Ancestry.com – Tennessee records, including birth, death, and tax lists are available online thru a partnership with Ancestry.com. While other Ancestry.com resources require a subscription; these records are free for Tennesseans.

Tennessee State Library & Archives Digitized Books – The Tennessee State Library & Archives has digitized a selection of out-of-copyright books in order that they may be accessible online for researchers.

Tennessee Virtual Archive (TeVA) – Digital repository of Tennessee history and culture featuring historical records, photographs, documents, maps, postcards, film, audio and other original materials of enduring value.

The Tennessean (1812 – 2009) – Digitized pages of The Tennessean (1812-2009) provide unique historical insight into the regional issues and concerns, such as local government, industrialization, prohibition, and racial struggles.

The Tennessean (2010-Present) – Full color issues of The Tennessean newspaper with a seven day delay from publication. Provides Nashville and Middle Tennessee regional coverage.

Source: TN Genealogical Society blog — www.tngsblog.org