Newspaper Notices and Genealogical Research

A Baby Was Born!

Some of the nineteenth-century newspapers published a special column of birth notices or mentioned them in community columns, although they were not prevalent. Columns became more popular in the early and mid-twentieth century. They were brief: “A daughter Mary was born to John and Martha Smith of Smith Twp.” Such a notice might provide you with the first name of the mother if you didn't know it (and sometimes even her maiden name), the township, or other small bits of information you did not have.

Wedding Vows

Marriage notices were—and still are—popular newspaper fodder. First, perhaps news of the engagement was published, often with photos. Next, the couple may appear in a column of wedding licenses issued. This column usually lists the name of the intended bride and groom, their ages, and perhaps other significant details. After the wedding, there may be an article with a full description of the event and, again, a photo.

The language and details or the editorial commentary in earlier newspapers was much more intimate than we see now. In a description of the wedding of one young woman, the newspaper reports, “It was intended that the father would give the bride away, but at the last moment he faltered, as it was more than he could do.”

Silver and golden wedding announcements generate news. If you have the marriage date, add 25 or 50 years, determine where they may have been living, and check the newspaper. You may be rewarded with a photo and names and residences of close family members. There may even be a bonus: a wonderful description of the attire, the presents received, details of the original wedding, and relatives who came from afar to share the occasion.

Christenings and More

If you can identify the religion of the family, watch for church columns. The baptisms, confirmations, and other church news may provide you with another source of information on your family. Perhaps your grandfather was an elder, or Grandma taught Sunday school.

Love Gone Awry

When a couple separated, the husband sometimes published a notice to absolve himself of legal responsibility for the wife's bills. We think of this as a more modern legal maneuver, but it actually was used very early. When Ezekiel Rose and his wife separated, he published a notice: “Whereas Mary Rose, the wife of me the subscriber, has left my bed and board, without any just cause, I therefore caution all persons trusting or in any manner dealing with her on my account, as I will not be answerable for any debt she may contract, or any dealing she may make, after this date.” It was signed by Ezekiel Rose in Hampshire County, March 15, 1794, and published in the Potowmac Guardian and Berkeley Advertiser of Martinsburg, [West] Virginia, now preserved in the collection of The American Antiquarian Society. Without this notice, you might assume when reading the will he made in 1818, omitting any provision for a wife, that he was a widower, though she actually survived him by 10 years.

In the late nineteenth century, in a moment of poetic inspiration, one husband submitted the following notice to The Standard of Jackson County, Ohio: “Mr. W. S. Williams of Illinois, announces that his wife, Ann Eliza, having left his bed and board without cause, he will not be responsible for any debts she may contract.”

“Ann Eliza, Ann Eliza,
Once I loved but now despise her,
And So I no longer prize her,
I will go and advertise her,
For although I'm not a miser,
I won't pay for what she buys her.”

Sale of Property

These notices can be charming. And explicit. The executor of an estate is perhaps advertising the deceased's property, or the sheriff is selling a tract at public auction because of debt or taxes due.

In the figure, the land commonly known as T. Rose's Old Place was advertised for sale in the Maryland Herald of Hagerstown, Maryland, on 3 March 1819. The description includes details that are just about impossible to find in other sources.

In a different matter, a lengthy advertisement was published in the issue of 17 September 1817 of the Adams Centinel in Adams County, Pennsylvania. Being sold was the following:

Valuable Grist or Paper Mill Seat or any other kind of Water Works with 18 feet of head and fall, situated on Conowago Creek, in Franklin & Menallen townships, Adams county, three quarters mile from John Arendts Tavern, on the Road leading from Pine Grove to Gettysburg, with a LOT of 12 acres of land whereof 7 are excellent timothy meadow clear—the remainder is well covered with Timber. The improvements are a new two-story log dwellinghouse, with a back shed to it … for terms of sale, apply to the Subscriber living on the Premises.

It was signed by John Mackley. The precise description in the advertisement enabled the family to locate the piece of land.

Legal Notices: The Fine Print

Among newspaper items are the legal notices, those items usually in small print. They include items directed by law to be published to notify possible interested people of the action. Those items have often been omitted among modern indexes, which is unfortunate. They can provide valuable leads in your quest.

You Are Hereby Summoned

When a defendant in a suit or heirs of a decedent cannot be located, the law normally grants permission to publish the summons or citation to give notice to the parties involved. It may be published in more than one newspaper as directed by the court. Stop to examine these. You will readily see their value.

Other Miscellaneous Notices

During the gold rush to the west and other surges of expansion, the newspapers were packed with bulletins such as “John Smith, George Martin, and Gregory Morton left last Tuesday to join the train at Huntsville traveling west.” Or, “Josiah Martin finished outfitting his team and wagon and left yesterday.” The Civil War also generated many items about hometown boys who left for service, or news when they wrote home.

Those Charming Advertisements

Was your ancestor a tailor? A pharmacist? Owned a stable? Look for advertisements. They are charming. The doctor extols the cures reported from the latest herbal wonder; the tailor confidently announces that there is no workmanship that matches his own. Always make photocopies when you find advertisements placed by your ancestors. They add interest when you assemble the story of their lives, and the copies will add eye appeal when you illustrate your written account. (Remember, though, to consider copyright. Note the year of publication and determine if the copyright has run out by going to www.copyright.gov/circs/circ1.html and reading about the duration of copyright. If it has not, get permission.)

A Letter Is Waiting For …

Letters sent by anxious relatives, or others, often went unclaimed at the post office. The recipient was either unaware that the letter had been sent, or the person had moved away. The newspaper periodically published the lists; it might be the only proof that your ancestor was supposed to be in the area. In other instances, a worried relative might have written a letter to the editor of the newspaper and inquired about “my brother who I have not heard from in over five years … have your readers heard of him … please have him write to ….”

Ethnic and Religious Newspapers

If you cannot find notices, in spite of an exhaustive search of the English language newspapers, the information you seek may be in an ethnic newspaper. Was the family German, and living in a large city? The item may be there. “But I don't read German,” you may say. Doesn't matter. Watch for the name; you'll recognize it. If you find a notice, copy it and seek the assistance of a professor or student of the language at the local college or university. You can also seek assistance from an ethnic genealogical society to find others who can translate the notice for you. Some websites that offer translations can help, though personal experience with them has shown that these are not truly accurate. One that you can try is http://babelfish.altavista.com/babelfish/tr. It will at least give you a sense of what the article says, but supplement it with a true translation by someone knowledgeable.

Can the Internet Help?

You have a good chance of being in luck, at least with some of your ancestors. Many organizations are digitizing newspapers and posting the images. Some are searchable on every word. When the complete images are unavailable, there may at least be indexes, often prepared by volunteers. Some of the websites offering newspaper notices are subscription sites such as Ancestry.com. And increasingly, libraries and genealogical societies are making large databases of newspapers available to their patrons and members. Go to www.godfrey.org for a number of newspapers. Or access ProQuest's database of The New York Times 1851-1998 through your membership at organizations such as the New York Genealogical and Biographical Society at www.newyorkfamilyhistory.org. Others offering free archived newspaper access to members include the New England Historic Genealogical Society at www.newenglandancestors.org. There are many others. Start your newspaper search with www.cyndislist.com but also experiment with your Internet browser, inserting the county, state, and the word “newspaper.” See what comes up.

To locate the website of many current newspapers, try www.usnpl.com. Once there, click on the state of your choice, and peruse the links to the various websites of those of that state. Some of the current newspapers have archived past issues, though usually they are of a more recent time period.

Flavor the Times

Use newspapers routinely during your search. They offer a rare opportunity to understand the times in which your family lived. Soak up a flavor of the area: the bake sales, local pageants, and sports-event winners. A strong feeling for the people and an understanding of the community atmosphere that influenced the lives of your family will be yours after reading those pages.

Excerpted from The Complete Idiot's Guide to Genealogy © 2005 by Christine Rose and Kay Germain Ingalls. All rights reserved including the right of reproduction in whole or in part in any form. Used by arrangement with Alpha Books, a member of Penguin Group (USA) Inc.

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