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From: "Sally Rolls Pavia" <>
Subject: Historical Newspapers and the Insights Within
Date: Mon, 9 May 2005 18:25:13 -0700

Historical Newspapers and the Insights Within
- Juliana Smith

History and family history naturally go hand in hand, and since I've always
loved learning about history, I've always been drawn to historical
newspapers. They are the diaries of days gone by.

I can remember one of my first research outings with my mother, as a teen
(more years ago than I'd care to count!), when we went to the Chicago Public
Library to search microfilms of Chicago newspapers for a client she was
working for. I knew what I was supposed to be looking for, but, much to her
chagrin, I was constantly getting distracted and reading everything but that
targeted information.
One of the most enlightening parts of my job as editor of the Ancestry Daily
News is choosing the Clipping of the Day. And since I still haven't outgrown
my tendency to wander off the path, it can also be one of the most
time-consuming tasks. I still get lost in the pages of these periodicals,
and with more information available at the click of the mouse, the next
thing you know I'm following up articles with research on other websites as
I seek to learn more about some interesting event that I've run across. On
more than one occasion, I've been embroiled in some fascinating era of long
ago, only to discover that my deadline is fast approaching (or occasionally
has past!). "Newsletter, what newsletter? Was I supposed to be working?"

Despite the logistical problems it can create, I refuse to change my ways.
These daily meanderings have really given me a feel for the times in which
my ancestors lived. It allows me to see the "big picture" when I try to
place my ancestors in the context of history. So in today's column, I
thought I'd take a look at how you can access historical newspapers (both
free and for fee) and how you can find unexpected gems that can advance your
family history research within their pages.

Easier Access Now
The collection of historical newspapers on Ancestry.com now includes over
8.8 million pages of historical newspapers, with dates ranging from the late
1700s to the present. In addition, there are a number of other websites that
host digitized images for a particular area. Many of you will recall me
referring to the Brooklyn Daily Eagle, 1841-1902, which was made available
online by the Brooklyn Public Library (www.brooklynpubliclibrary.org/eagle/)
in previous columns. Sherry Irvine recently wrote a column for the "Ancestry
Daily News" with information about three resources for Scottish newspapers
available online. Many more can be found through Cyndi's List
(www.cyndislist.com/newspapr.htm#A).

Venturing out into the real world of libraries and archives will lead you to
even more newspapers, typically via microfilm. For newspapers in the United
States, check out the U.S. Newspaper Program
(www.neh.gov/projects/usnp.html), which inventories newspapers help in
various repositories by state. Microfilm copies can often be accessed
through interlibrary loan. Granted, this isn't as convenient as browsing
from your home computer, but it does bring these newspapers closer to home.

Even if the online offerings currently don't pertain to your area of
interest, don't dismiss them out of hand. Just as our current newspapers
carry news from other locations, so did those of our ancestors, albeit a bit
delayed.

Skip the Obits for Now
To really get a feel for a particular era, pretend you don't know there's an
obituary section (or at least save them for last). Take it all in. Browse
through the editorials, which are rarely "politically correct," and discover
the news of the day. Knowing what you do about your ancestors, how would the
events and sentiments of the times have impacted them?

Weather events, disease, economic factors, and natural disasters may have
had a profound effect on your ancestors. Make a note of these type of
articles and include them in your timelines. By including them, you may be
able to surmise your ancestor's reason for some action. Did he and his
family migrate to a new home following a severe weather event, such as a
drought--"moving on to greener pastures." Or perhaps they left in search of
work, following the closure of a factory or a strike. Can an estimated death
date be narrowed through an article that references an epidemic that struck
their area?

News That Can Impact Your Research
The clipping on Friday, 6 May 2005 was from an article on legislation that
would make it more difficult to obtain divorces in Indiana, by adding the
requirement that the parties live in Indiana for three years prior to the
divorce. Apparently, before this 1871 legislation, Indiana was a popular
destination for those in surrounding states seeking to be relieved of their
marital obligations.

The 15 March 2004 newsletter ran a clipping regarding the nativity of George
W. Matsell. Even though I'm not related to Mr. Matsell, the comment made by
the defense in this case caught my attention. The attorney tells the court
that,

"It had led at times to discussions as momentous as those which formerly
occurred at the polls on election days about the question of residence, and
which finally settled down to this, that a man was decided to live in New
York who had his washing done there."
This clipping has reminded me to widen my search of New York naturalizations
when searching for my immigrant ancestors.
Reminders of Living Conditions

Other clippings just serve to remind us of how vastly different living
conditions were then as opposed to now. Household tips on delousing beds
with pennyroyal oil, the "evils" of bathing, and the miraculous cures that
can be wrought from any number of patent medicines, opiates and "pure"
whiskey, make you wonder how our ancestors survived.

When you think of the streets of New York City, you typically don't think of
dusty dirt roads in need of watering (see the 29 April 2005 clipping), and
pigs roaming the streets freely in search of food. (Of course this clipping
escapes me now that I need it, but more information on this "garbage
disposal system" can be found at http://memory.loc.gov/ammem/papr/nyc.html.)
Newspaper articles point to these conditions and give us a clearer picture
of life 150 years ago. (Remind me to thank our Streets and Sanitation
Department this week!)

Locating These Gems
Try searches using the city or town name in which your ancestor lived,
rather than that ancestor's name, and don't overlook papers from other
areas. They frequently picked up stories from other locations and you might
find information about the devastating flood in your ancestor's Iowa town in
a Pennsylvania newspaper, with details that can include whose barn was
washed away and who lost their prize bull.

If there is a particular subject that you'd like to learn more about, try
searching for insights that were written at the time, rather than reading
later perspectives in reference books. For example, do a search for a
disease and see how it was looked at during the period in which a family
member might have died from it. Speculation about the causes for many
illnesses was rampant, and the "cures" recommended often were worse than the
disease.

Sometimes, the best insights are found accidentally. They are those items
that you would have never thought to search for. Why not make a browse of a
historical newspaper part of your daily routine? Pick one and start a log.
After you finish reading your current newspaper, hop online and take a quick
journey into the past.
I promise, you won't be disappointed.

Juliana Smith is the editor of the Ancestry Daily News and author of The
Ancestry Family Historian's Address Book. She has written for Ancestry
Magazine and Genealogical Computing. Juliana can be reached by e-mail at
, but she regrets that she is unable to assist with
personal research.

Copyright 2005, MyFamily.com.
[reprinted with prior permission of Juliana Smith, Ancestry Daily News]

Sally Rolls Pavia

"You cannot unsay a cruel word."
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