Is there a published guide to 19th century Tennessee newspapers? If Alabama newspapers of that period can be used for example, you could expect them to be in either original or microfilm versions in University archives located in Tennessee and in other states, as well as the Tennessee State Archives and the Library of Congress. Many newspapers in Alabama ceased publication by 1862, the same probably being true for Tennessee.

According to the published census of 1860, eighty-nine "political" newspapers circulated in Alabama against sixty-six in Tennessee. A small number of religious, literary and miscellaneous types could be added. In all, Alabama produced 8,820 daily and 74,289 weekly newspapers, compared to regular issues in Tennessee of 11,300 daily and 101,839 weekly newspapers. The census doesn't tell us the name or place of publication for any of these papers, which might be recorded in Schedule VI of the 1860 census.