When searching historical newspapers online, there are many "Do's and Don'ts", that if followed will help you find more pertinent results and make for a better search experience.
Research your ancestors on MyHeritage
What to do
DO misspell search criteria words on purpose. The OCR process tries to create letters from dots, not words. The shapes of letters are what you want to focus on when creating your search criteria. Exchange a "b" for an "h", or a "c" for an "e' and many other combinations since they are very similar in shape.
DO search in the nearest big city or county seat.
DO search for titles in a bordering county or state or province
DO add the word(s) beloved, dear, or loving to help find obituaries as they are typically written in an obituary
DO add the words "born to" or born to the wife of" to hone in on birth announcements.
DO a search with beginning or ending syllables rather than whole words to take advantage of the significant use of hyphenated words in older newspapers
DO take advantage of free trials with subscription newspaper sites before you buy
DO use abbreviations, such as Wm, Jos, Eliz, Ave, or Sgt, etc. in your search criteria. You will be amazed at the increased number of pertinent results.
DO search for a husbands name with Mrs. for married women. Prior to the 1970s, it was commonplace to ignore a married woman's given name in the newspaper.
DO a search for a few weeks prior to the death date in the newspaper for hospitalization, illness or accident - helps determine the cause of death
DO search for a street address or a phone number. You might be surprised.
DO Have fun. It's rewarding to find out that your great uncle was shot at.
What not to do
DON'T just select a newspaper subscription database just because it's on sale
DON'T assume that the newspaper collection has what you want just because the title is from your chosen city or town. Check the collection's date range
DON'T assume that the cemetery stated in the obituary has not changed since the obituary has been published
DON'T assume that the published obituary location is only published in the newspaper where the death has occurred. The deceased might have died on a trip elsewhere. Or they may have spent years in a prior location where an obituary is also published.
DON'T assume that the newspaper collection has titles in the location that you are searching just because it is a large collection with millions of pages.
DON'T search just surnames. Include given names, abbreviated names and titles. Include occupations or other possible identifying criteria
DON'T just search newspapers in the country where they died. Search newspapers in the ancestor's homeland if they immigrated
DON'T rush out and purchase a subscription to newspaper collections. Libraries often subscribe to the same pay sites and if you have a library card, you may be able to search from home
DON'T assume that a wedding happened because your ancestor is listed in the Marriage Licenses Issued section. Cold feet does happen
DON'T assume that because an obituary states someone is a "native of" , does not mean they were born there.
DON'T - Ever. Give. Up.
See also
- Hidden articles in old newspapers that amplify your ancestors’ life stories
- Tips on analyzing the Vitals section of historical newspapers
- How to optimize searching for obituaries in online newspapers
- How to search for people in newspapers
- OCR techniques for newspaper records research
- Newspaper records
- Newspaper records in the United States
Explore more about Newspaper research do's and don'ts
- 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