Finding the Good and Bad in Newspapers



Using hometown or neighboring town’s newspapers can provide a treasure chest of information which you might or otherwise wish you never knew. There are several newspaper subscription databases, just make sure they have the hometown, home county or at least neighboring towns and counties where your ancestors lived. Here is a library guide to many of the databases available which might be carried by your local public library or you can have the subscription on your own computer.

NewspaperArchives is another very good database of various newspapers for big and small towns.

Here is an online list of newspapers and their link from around the globe and the United States. This site also shows which are free, the years covered and the fee if there is one for a needed subscription.

When searching for a specific ancestor, use their full name, their first name with middle initial and surname or with both given names using the initials. Try different combinations. Once you have located some news articles related to a family line or a specific ancestor, NEVER be surprised at what you might learn from the article. Due note the newspaper name, the full date and SAVE the article also your your computer.

Here is an excellent example of an actual news article on my own 2nd great granduncle.

On May 4, 1905, Henry Jackson Sherman was a penniless, broken man. He was discovered tampering with the safe in the office of Bowman & Huff Cigar Factory on York Street of Hanover, PA. Henry managed to escape from the store. He was later arrested by Officer Dutters. He was put in the York County jail on May 6th. His last words on Tuesday, May 23 at 4 PM was, “Here’s where I get some of that good bread, the kind that mother used to bake.”

He died of a heart attack while in the York County Jail. The coroner David H. Smyser pronounced him dead. (Sources: Hanover Herald, Sat., May 27, 1905; and Wed., May 31, 1905, York County newspaper-Sentinel). There were also articles about this event in the Frederick and Baltimore, Maryland newspapers.

Photos: York Daily newspaper banner 1905 and Baltimore Sun newspaper banner 1905.

Related FamilyTree.com Blogs:

Newspapers ONLINE

Newspapers Researched

Details in Newspapers

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