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Community History Archives

Community History Archive Partner

Fiske Free Library

Claremont, New Hampshire

Explore this community history collection to discover the people, places, organizations, and events of Claremont.

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12Titles

Explore publications and collections from the past.

1823 to 1946Dates represented

See individual titles for available dates.

74,756Archive pages

Historical pages reported for this collection.

Explore local history

Discover the people, places, and stories of Claremont, New Hampshire.

Discover another side of Claremont, New Hampshire through newspapers and vital records preserved in the Fiske Free Library's digital archive. Its twelve titles include material from 1823 to 1946.

You can open the archive using the link below.
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  • Selected titles

    The collection from Fiske Free Library includes “Birth Records” and “The National Eagle”.

  • Free and open access

    No subscription or payment required.

  • A closer look

    A familiar name or event takes on another dimension in the newspaper coverage of its time, alongside the stories that mattered to the readers of that issue.

The reporting of earlier years offers a way to explore how events were understood as they happened and how local experiences became part of the historical record. A family story, a classroom project or curiosity about a familiar place can lead to a closer look at the community and the lives of earlier generations. Explore the archive online for free, without a subscription.

Explore the collection

Titles in this collection

Browse twelve titles and 74,756 digitized pages, with material from 1823 to 1946. Through a partnership with Advantage Archives, Fiske Free Library shares these sources from the past. Some years or items may be missing between the dates shown.

Explore the titles below for a closer look at the places, people and everyday life of earlier generations.

Birth Records

858 pages from 1887 to 1946

Claremont Spectator

432 pages from 1823 to 1824

Death Records

544 pages from 1887 to 1946

Internment Records

64 pages from 1914 to 1946

Marriage Records

1,282 pages from 1887 to 1946

National Eagle

22,962 pages from 1834 to 1897

Northern Advocate

6,762 pages from 1850 to 1881

The Claremont Advocate

13,050 pages from 1881 to 1902

The Claremont News

356 pages in 1913

The Compendium

656 pages from 1872 to 1874

The Narrative

1,956 pages from 1875 to 1895

The National Eagle

25,834 pages from 1883 to 1933

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About the Archive

About the Fiske Free Library's History Archives

The Fiske Free Library offers free access to historical resources through its digital archives, provided in partnership with Advantage Archives . This archive features digitized collections of historical newspapers and vital records, available to the public for free. The Fiske Free Library has digitized thousands of pages, preserving Claremont’s history for all patrons to explore.

Fiske Free Library photo 1

About the Library

About the Fiske Free Library

Founded in 1873 by Samuel P. Fiske, the Fiske Free Library began with 2,000 volumes from his personal collection and a generous $10,000 donation. Since then, it has grown into a vital institution in Claremont, New Hampshire. With funding from Andrew Carnegie, the library moved into its current building in 1903. It has been expanded and renovated several times to better serve the community.

Fiske Free Library photo 2

Library History

The History of the Fiske Free Library

Initially housed in Stevens High School, the Fiske Free Library moved to the Bailey Block in 1877 and finally to its current Carnegie-funded location in 1903. The library expanded in 1922 and underwent a full renovation in 1966 to meet the growing needs of Claremont’s residents.

About the Community

About Claremont, New Hampshire

Claremont, located in Sullivan County, New Hampshire, is a historic town known for its industrial roots and scenic beauty. With a strong sense of community, Claremont has preserved its rich history through institutions like the Fiske Free Library, ensuring future generations can explore and appreciate its past.

Local History

Did You Know?

  • The Fiske Free Library started with a collection of 2,000 books from Samuel P. Fiske’s personal library.
  • The library received $15,000 from Andrew Carnegie in 1903 to build its current location.

More ways to explore and share local history

Research Guidance

Trace a name across nearby issues

Start with something you would like to understand about the past of Claremont: a person, a neighborhood, or an event remembered in your family or community. Follow that question through the newspaper titles shared by the Fiske Free Library to encounter reports from their own time. Consider how an individual story relates to the wider community and the period around it. Search a name with alternate spellings and dates around the event where the archive permits. Read the page around a match, then compare another issue or title if available; a repeated name is a lead to verify, not proof of identity.

If a name does not appear, try an alternate spelling or a related term, then read around any match. Note the issue date and page so a result stays connected to its context. Use those details to follow a story without treating one search result as a complete answer.

Build a trail through the past that someone else can follow: record the title, date, page or item reference, and a link when available. Keep historical quotations distinct from your own interpretation. If accounts disagree, note what each source supports before deciding how the details fit together in a family or community story.

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Community Partnership

Keeping local history a community resource

This community archive is made possible by the collaboration of the Fiske Free Library, its community, and Advantage Archives. Together, these partnerships preserve local sources and give people a way to explore, learn from, and share the history around them.

Advantage Archives covers ongoing archive hosting, storage, development, and maintenance. The institution and its community do not pay a subscription, seat license, annual support contract, or other recurring archive-service charge. Local history remains a community resource, not a subscription to maintain.

Would you like to see more of your community's history preserved and accessible? Start a conversation with your library, newspaper publisher, historical or genealogical society, museum, or school about the materials they would like to share and a possible partnership with Advantage Archives.

Learn about partnerships
Read All About It

Stories, research tips, and archive news

Read All About It connects archive research with the people and institutions preserving local history. Explore partner and community stories, project updates, research ideas, and perspectives on digitization, education, and working with primary sources. Use the articles as a starting point for your next question or a new way to share a discovery.

Newest published articles

March 18, 2025

It’s Your Community’s History, So Why Rent Something You Own?

We believe that history belongs to the communities where it was made - not locked behind paywalls or inaccessible due to budget restrictions. Subscription-based services and large content aggregators are generally more concerned with "content" and less concerned with the history that content contains. Their models typically involve a reoccurring charge for a plan that renews annually or licensing agreements with the library based on population served or circulation numbers. You are essentially Renting Access To YOUR History.
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