When you think of using newspapers for genealogyresearch, be honest, what do you think of first? Obituaries! In general, mostpeople automatically think of obituaries, too. However, newspapers are aresource that can be used for much more. They are a useful tool for findingyour ancestor’s unique story, as well as for building an understanding of thehistorical events that may have shaped your ancestor’s life. For example, ifyour ancestor wrote or talked about an historical event, finding contemporarydocumentation can add more depth to your family narrative. If great AuntSusannah mentioned the horrible flooding in Denver, Colorado, in July 1912,checking the local or national newspapers might reveal more details than AuntSusannah was saying.
Some of the many reasonswhy ancestors can be found in newspapers:
Birth announcements
School reports, graduation announcements,scholarships awarded
Marriage and engagement announcements
Divorce decrees
Land sales and purchases
Political associations or careers
Criminal activities, legal disputes
Military pensions granted
Invention patents recorded
Social activities
Charitable work
Church activities
Musical or theatrical performances
Notice of movement, such as a visit to a farawayrelative, relocation to a new city, a vacation or business trip
Accidents or Illnesses
Special anniversaries or birthdays
Business advertisements
Medical advertisements with testimonials
Obituaries
Funeral notices
Estate sales
Newspapers are great resources, but sometimes theyare difficult to find. The Library of Congress has a great resource forlocating newspapers, as well as their own digital collection of newspapers at Chronicling America. The website also includes the index “U.S.Newspaper Directory, 1690-Present.” This is a comprehensive database with over150,000 titles from all 50 states. Information on each newspaper ranges fromwhen and where the paper was published to which repositories contain copies ofthe paper today.
There are several resources for digital newspapers online thoughthe vast majorities remain in local archives. By starting with the U.S.Newspaper Directory, you can determine whether or not a local paper existed inthe area where your ancestor lived, and then, you can find the repository thathouses the newspaper. Some repositories have staff members that are able tohelp locate specific articles. Many have limited manpower and time restraints,and do not have hours to spend searching through reels of microfilm.
This iswhere a member from theGenealogists.com team can help. With access torepositories around the country (and the world), they can access historicalnewspapers and take the time to locate those news worthy items that highlightedyour ancestors’ lives.
Article by Deborah Sweeney, the Genealogy Lady
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