#52Ancestors - In the Newspapers - tips for newspaper research

#52Ancestors – In the Newspapers

                Newspaper research is my favorite thing to do.  I love nothing more than to sit and read old issues of newspapers.  They published everything back then and can give you such a glorious glimpse of the lives of our ancestors, from Sunday dinners to special anniversaries.  Editors back in the day did not hold their feelings back and printed things that would garner them slander lawsuits in the present day. 

            I thought for this blog post I would share some of my tips for successful newspaper research.  I started searching through newspapers back when the only way to do it was a microfilm reader.  On bad days, I’d head to the library and just read old issues, not really looking for anything in particular.  It was fun to do and could take my mind off of about anything.  The editors of two local papers had a strong dislike for each other and put weekly bashes toward each other in their papers.  It was hilarious to read.  Now I have a subscription to Newspapers.com and adore it.  I’ve found so much more than I had before. 

Clyde Republican, Th 30 Dec 1915

Clyde Farmer's Voice,
Th. 30 Dec 1915

         One tip that I find very important is to read every paper in town.  Back in the old days, it was not uncommon to find two, three or more papers in each town.  Depending on the family’s relationship with the editor, there could be different viewpoints on events.  Take for example the obituaries for Genevieve Tremblay.  There were two newspapers in Clyde, Kansas and there were several in the county seat town of Concordia.    One Clyde newspaper reported that she had accidentally swallowed carbolic acid and died.  The other Clyde paper and Concordia both said that

she committed suicide.

                I always look for articles about special anniversaries – 25, 40, 50, etc.  If there was a big celebration for a landmark anniversary, there is information about the celebration, the couple, their wedding and their family.  Sometimes you can get luck and find a photo of the couple or their wedding photo.  One anniversary article I found was a full two page spread with photos of the couple, their family, their farm and the special message sent to them on the occasion of the anniversary by the Pope!  It is always worthwhile to look for them.

                We all look for obituaries, but it is important to read the papers for a month or two in advance of the death.  Many times by reading that far back, you can find mentions of the person being sick or in an accident.  You can find clippings about family members coming in for the last visit.  In the issue with the obituary and the week after, look for bits about those who came in from out of town to the funeral.  It can help you find elusive relatives that you might previously not known where they lived. 

                Weddings are another fun item to look up.  Some were not in the paper, some only had a little snippet.  Others were nice little articles about the wedding.  And occasionally you can find the granddaddy of all wedding articles that described every detail of the wedding, their apparel and flowers, the music, the food, all of the guests and a complete list of every gift.  I found one of these for a distant cousin and was thrilled to see that my great-great grandparents had gifted the newlyweds a Prize Barred Rock Rooster.  (How do you wrap that?!?)

                Early papers didn’t carry a lot of birth announcements, but it is always worth a look.  Some of the early ones that made the papers are cute.  I love using newspaper birth announcements on heritage scrapbook pages. 

                Don’t overlook the want ads!  I found a small ad my hubby’s grandfather placed, wanting to sell a Harley Davidson motorcycle when he was a young man.  I asked my father-in-law about it and made him laugh and he told me a delightful story about Grandpa Bud’s horrible Harley experience that caused him to sell the bike.  Another little ad was placed by my father-in-law’s grandma, wanting to sell strawberry plants.  She was an avid gardener and was thinning her strawberry patch.

                 If you are using microfilm to do your research, always remember to write the newspaper name and the day and date of the issue.  You will thank yourself later for the added minute or two it takes.  

                Newspapers are an amazing look back at the lives our ancestors lived, the friends they had and the activities they took part in.  I strongly urge you to spend some time with the papers in the communities your ancestors lived in.  You never know what treasures you’ll find!