List of Genealogical Information in Newspapers
Revision as of 21:28, 17 June 2010 by Erinfaythebrave (talk | contribs)
This article originally appeared in "Newspapers" by Loretto Dennis Szucs, FUGA, and James L. Hansen, FASG in The Source: A Guidebook to American Genealogy
- Abandonment and missing persons announcements
- Advertisements'individuals and commercial entities advertised goods and services
- Anniversary notices'marked significant milestones in the lives of individuals and historic events and places
- Announcements'local and city government, meetings, special events, public service, many named individuals
- Arrests'names of arrested individuals, arresting officer, and cause for the arrest
- Award notices'for scholastic, sports, and occupational accomplishments, as well as heroic deeds
- Auction announcements'sometimes named individuals, slaves, household items, tools, and animals being auctioned
- Bankruptcies'legal notices named not only the principal in the case, but sometimes witnesses and relatives
- Birth announcements'provided names of newborn and parents in certain papers and certain years
- Birthdays'especially milestone birthdays
- Biographical sketches'unexpected information about individuals in the community served by the newspaper
- Business announcements'openings and closings of businesses, hiring, anniversary stories, tributes to founders
- Casualties'listed in fires, accidents, wars, etc.
- Celebrations'holidays, birthdays, anniversaries, how they were celebrated by named individuals
- Cemetery information'stories about cemeteries, cemetery removals, obituaries that lead to additional cemetery information
- Census'stories about census taking and statistical reports
- Charitable causes'announcements of events and fundraisers for various organizations and individuals
- City council reports'large and small city council proceedings often name individuals
- Civil War'battles, and lists of deaths, deserters, draftees, injured, and volunteers (see figures 12-1 and 12-2)
- Clubs'lists of people and calendars of events
- Committee reports'from social groups and governments
- Coroner reports'covered accidents, murders, unidentified bodies, and deaths where no physician was present
- Court'notices of cases filed, trials, etc.
- Crimes'stories about victims and perpetrators
- Cultural'overview of what was going on in certain times and places
- Death notices'provided by families, local government, or funeral directors (see figure 12-2)
- Deeds'announcements real estate transactions
- Divorce'sometimes in list form, sometimes in court proceedings, sometimes a gossip item
- Draft notices'especially during the Civil War, sometimes including names of substitutes
- Engagement announcements'biographical information found in some small town and large city papers
- Engravings'engravings of individuals, buildings, landscapes, advertised wares, etc. used before photography
- Entertainment'fiction articles, cartoons, reviews of books, theatre, and movies, etc.
- Epidemics'stories about epidemics and lists of individuals who lost their lives
- Estate'sales and settlements
- Ethnic'news of ethnic groups and leaders
- Events'from notices about small social groups (sewing circles, card players) to major public events
- Eyewitness accounts'stories of personal and historical events in the words of people who saw what was happening
- Firemen'stories about local heroes, rosters of firemen, promotion announcements, photos of individuals and groups
- Fires'notices of fires involving homes, businesses, or whole communities
- Floods'consequences of floods, sometimes named victims, and eyewitness accounts
- Foreclosures'legal notices of foreclosures on real estate, homes, businesses
- Foreign language news'often provided ethnic origins of local individuals
- Funeral details'sometimes available when a death announcement or obituary is not
- Fraternal organizations'events and social notes
- Gossip'small-town newspapers often filled pages with the comings and goings and non-essential news items
- Graduation'lists of graduates, sometimes includes biographical information and photographs
- Heroes'often providing biographical sketches and accounts of heroic actions
- Historical events'flashbacks to events that took place in the history of the community
- Illness'small town papers typically reported on serious illnesses of citizens
- Immigration and migration'notices of arrivals and departures
- Indentured servants'notices of legal transactions and runaways
- International news'and the effects it had on the community
- Land sales'descriptions of the land and names of grantors and grantees
- Legal notices'covering a number of case types, sometimes named more than the principals in a case
- Letters to the Editor'provided insights into the personalities of individuals
- Marriage announcements'sometimes a list of marriages in a given county for a specific time period, sometimes detailed stories (see figure 2-2)
- Missing people'notices posted about missing individuals, including physical descriptions and names and addresses of those searching
- Military'casualty lists, stories and lists of local servicemen and women
- Moved'notices of individuals moving into or out of a town
- Music programs'events named participants in church, school, and organizational programs
- Naturalizations'lists of recently naturalized American citizens
- Neighborhood news'specific information pertaining to a local area, often provided details about residents
- Obituaries'sometimes contained biographical information available nowhere else
- Other newspapers'notices, particularly in obituaries, for other city newspapers to please copy
- Parties'often including guest lists, games played, and food served
- Patents'granted for inventions
- Personals'often included rich details about just about anything about individuals
- Picnics'stories concerning the when, where, and who was involved in a picnic
- Photographs'a wide range of possibilities for finding photos of famous and non-famous, buildings, special interest
- Plays'local talent named in theatrical performances
- Policemen'stories about local heroes, rosters of policemen, promotion announcements, photos of individuals and groups
- Politicians'stories and records of achievements and wrongdoings
- Prices'the cost of goods and services in a time and place
- Probate notices'often listed the principals and others involved in a hearing
- Public announcements and advertisements
- Religious events'announcements of special religious events that were landmarks in the lives of individuals or institutions
- Reunions'class, family, and organizational reunions with names and out-of-town addresses of attendees
- Robberies'reported by local authorities or individuals themselves
- Real estate'sales of homes and business properties
- Religious'news of religious institutions, announcements of new pastors and clergy, new buildings, anniversaries, etc.
- Runaway announcements'notices (with names and physical descriptions) of apprentices or slaves who have run away
- School boards and school news'minutes, lists of members, events
- Shipping'notices and schedules of ships arriving in local ports, sometimes noting names of important passengers
- Slaves'notices about sales and runaways, sometimes the story of a slave
- Social pages'announce upcoming marriages, parties, fundraisers, social events of all types
- Statistics'population, demographics, etc.
- Tax'tax rolls and lists of delinquents
- Technological advances'stories about first trains, streetlights in towns and cities, radio, air flights, etc,
- Testimonials'recognizing and honoring individuals for various deeds
- Tornadoes'consequences of tornadoes, sometimes including victims' names and eyewitness accounts
- Transcripts'notable speeches and trials
- Visitors'stories of out-of-town guests and former residents, especially in small town papers
- Wedding stories'sometimes include family history of bride and groom, names of attendants, how they dressed, lists of guests
- Youth organizations'announcements about Boy Scouts, Girl Scouts, and other youth activities and awards
References
Coming soon...
