The Web disseminates up-to-the-minute happenings, but it's also a good source of yesterday's news. Many large papers, including The New York Times <www.nytimes.com>, offer archive searches on their Web sites. Typically, you'll get an article abstract and a citation, and you can either download the article for a fee or view it on microfilm at the library. Though you might not think your Kansas ancestor did anything to justify a death notice in the Times, you never know.

Look, too, for smaller papers indexed, abstracted or digitized on library, genealogical society or volunteer Web sites. A few examples: Newspaper Abstracts <www.newspaperabstracts.com>, Small Town Papers <www.smalltownpapers.com> and Utah Digital Newspapers <www.digitalnewspapers.org>. Peruse sites for your ancestral state archives and area libraries and historical societies, and type your ancestor's town or city plus newspaper into a search engine such as Google.