If you are trying to add to your ancestor’s life stories, what better way than interesting newspaper articles about their lives? Absent direct accounts from your living relatives, seeking these hidden gems in old newspapers will tell you things about your ancestors that there is no other way, absent a biography or autobiographical book.
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Types of articles
The article types listed below are often missed or disregarded, yet they can provide life story tidbits that are priceless.
Parties – whether it is an engagement party, or birthday, anniversary of other occasion, often the list of attendees is included. If you examine the list carefully, you might find siblings, cousins, or other family members.
Job Ads – If you don’t know your ancestors occupation, the “Positions Wanted” section can be very useful. Just look in that section along with a full name or surname. Also if you search for a phone number or address, that might lead you to your ancestor.
Advertisements – You never know what you will find in advertisements. You might find an ancestor in a "miravcle cure" add, or more normally a business ad. Often the proprietor is named in the ad.
Hotel Arrivals – in addition to vacations or trips to visit relatives, a traveling salesman's business trips and whereabouts at certain times might be iniciated in these types of articles.
Legal Notices – did your ancestors have a business? Transfer a business? File bankruptcy? This is a good way to discover a marriage and/or a divorce.
Lodges, Clubs and Societies – was your ancestor a member or an officer in a lodge or club? There were sections in old newspapers that had meeting schedules and articles about elections of officers. Often, in an obituary, the deceased’s membership in a lodge was mentioned.
Real Estate Transactions – often titled this or “Recorder’s Office”, this may give you insight as to buying and selling of land and property by your ancestors. The transaction may indicate an upcoming death if one of the names listed was ill or hospitalized.
Letters to the Editor – was your ancestor outspoken? Did they often write a letter to the editor of the paper that was published?
Taxes Owed – often lists of taxes owed to the city or county are listed. It is surprising to find an ancestor owing 3 dollars to the county for taxes.
State or County Fair Winners – did your ancestor enter food, livestock, plants or crafts at the fair? Lists of winners and their submittals and awards are listed. This may indicate their occupation or hobbies.
Sports Results and Baseball Box Scores – did your ancestors play sports? There might be articles in the Sports section. If they played baseball at any level, there might be a situation where their names shows up in a box score.
Politics – in older newspapers, precinct captains and precinct workers were named. This is interesting to discover your anctors interest in politics.
Vacations – before the advent of air conditioning, in warmer climes, folks would travel to resorts, springs, and other spots and the names of the travelers were often listed. Like parties above, there may be an indication of a familial relationship by studying the names of the vacationers.
Missing Persons – since in the 19th century telephones were certainly not abundant, stories about missing persons were often written. This could indicate a change in rewsidence.
Church Articles – naming new church members or invitations to special services or events may be in an article.
- Getting the Scoop on Your Ancestors from Old Newspapers webinar by Moshe Etlis on Legacy Family Tree Webinars
- The Good News About Historical Newspapers webinar by Daniel Horowitz on Legacy Family Tree Webinars
- Why I Love — and How to Use — the Newspaper Collections at MyHeritage webinar by Sunny Morton on Legacy Family Tree Webinars
- A Fresh Light on Old Newspapers webinar on Legacy Family Tree Webinars