Searching Archived Newspapers

“Front Page News (and Beyond): Finding Archived Newspapers” was the topic presented by Drew Smith at today’s Manatee Genealogical Society Meeting. 

Most genealogists are aware of the value provided by historical newspapers.  Obituaries come first to mind, but historical newspapers have so much more.  Birth and marriage announcements were in print long before vital records were mandated.

The “Facebook of their time” was how Mr. Smith described historical newspapers.  Social columns, business news, political, religious, school and organizational news, crimes, and lawsuits were written about. People learned what was happening in the community from their newspapers. During the 1800s some rural newspapers listed the names of people who had mail waiting at the post office.

Even ads can provide substance to your family history.  Take time to peruse them to learn about the latest fashion, merchandise, and how much items cost.

Be mindful of your ancestors’ geographic location. If they lived near a state or county line, their news might appear in a paper of the other county or state.

Drew Smith’s presentation was chock full of information. In a future post I will share more of what I learned today. 

I wish every speaker was as concise, knowledgeable and entertaining as Drew Smith.

Tuesday’s Tip – Message Boards

The meeting room of the Manatee County Public Library was filled to capacity this morning for Drew Smith’s presentation on Effective Online Queries.  Drew Smith of The Genealogy Guy’s Podcast shared hints on using mailing lists, message boards, and groups/communities. 

Utilizing message boards is old news to many genealogists, but I wonder how many of those in that room utilized this way of crowd sourcing in the past, but not recently.  I’m guilty.  I also know there were a number of people there that had never used message boards. Even us seasoned genealogists came away with many helpful hints.

When posting queries Mr. Smith said make sure your query is relevant to the particular message board.  Craft your query carefully. It should contain enough information but not rambling.  The subject line should be concise – who, where and when should be stated.  Surname should be in caps. Share in your query what you know and where you have already looked. You don’t want to waste your time or that of someone trying to assist you.  Ask a specific question.  If you posted a query long ago and changed your email address, go back to that query with a reply and put in your new email address. 

Do not include your family surnames in your signature as this will confuse and interfere those researching the message boards.

Message boards can be found on Ancestry.com, GenForum.genealogy.com and Cyndislist.com/queries.