240,000 extra newspaper pages now online

For immediate release

240,000 extra newspaper pages now online

Thousands of historical newspaper pages are added to The British Newspaper Archive (www.britishnewspaperarchive.co.uk) every week, so the coverage keeps getting better and better.

In the last month, 240,000 extra pages from 1790-1954 were made searchable. 56 English and Scottish newspaper titles were updated, including the Aberdeen Journal, the Kent & Sussex Courier and the Morpeth Herald.

The additions also included three brand new titles:

·         Dundee, Perth and Forfar People’s Journal, covering 1858-1861

·         Folkestone, Hythe, Sandgate & Cheriton Herald, covering 1913, 1915 and 1924

·         Penny Illustrated Paper, covering 1862-1870

You’ll find more information and a full list of recent additions at http://blog.britishnewspaperarchive.co.uk/2014/06/09/240000-extra-newspaper-pages-now-online/

ENDS

Did You Hit the Ad's?

One of the joys I find in genealogical research is digging through historic newspapers. It's fun! Yes, we can gain a great deal of insight and real life experiences of our ancestors from these incredible resources, but there is more. Scanning the headlines, reading the quick notices, the short articles; all of that comes together to create an astonishing experience  placing yourself in that moment in time.

Summit County Journal, Breckenridge, Colorado.
1 Sep 1917, Page 8.

One thing I make sure to look for in newspaper searches is the advertisements. Have you stopped to investigate these as genealogy source? Just this advertisement for the Rogers Furniture & Undertaking Company from Breckenridge, Colorado tells you so much information: location, what they did, note the Proprietress is Mrs. J. GOUGH, and the year the business began. Knowing what I do about Breckenridge history, the date given of 1880 makes sense; the town was created in 1859 and by 1880, it was thriving. Now I know where else to look: 1880 Federal Census, 1885 Colorado State Census, cemetery records (because they acted as Undertakers and Funeral Directors), etc.

Consider the other aspects as well. As a business, they were doing well enough to afford a reasonably sized advertisement in the local paper, but not well enough to get it on the first page (it was found on page 8). In 1917, Mrs. Gough felt confident enough in her role to list herself as the "manager"; or was it that she felt a feminine touch was necessary in this particular industry?

Try a series of dates to learn more!  We can use Robert "Bob" Lott, former resident of Breckenridge, as a fantastic example. When he passed away in 1913, his friends in the community gathered to give him a proper headstone, in the "Pauper Section" of Valley Brook Cemetery. His headstone was so fascinating, it absolutely demanded more attention:

Copyright Jen Baldwin, Ancestral Journeys, 2011.

Although there is little mention of Mr. Lott in standard newspaper articles of the time period, and even less in community historical documents, there are a lot of ad's. I have learned that he went from catering - delivering meals to your home - to owning his own restaurant, partnering with at least three other men in town of varying degrees of status and luck, finally moving back to his original spot in town, where he ran a successful steak house for several years. He was the only African American living in Summit County, Colorado at the time of his death (per his obituary). Just from the newspaper pieces alone, I have been able to establish a decent timeline of his adult life, leading to further investigation. I hope to someday have his life story; where he came from, and how he ended up in the mountains of Colorado. His is one story of our community that deserves to be remembered, and its up to me, since he left no descendants. 

I have to wonder: Oysters or "Rocky Mountain Oysters"?
Summit County Journal, Breckenridge, Colorado.
5 Jan 1907, Page 5.

Have you gained invaluable data from newspaper articles? Do you have one to share? Please let me know! Leave a comment or a link, and I'll be sure to connect with you. 

Ghost Tales

I thought it was appropriate for Halloween to contribute a few thoughts on ghosts. These are all courtesy of our friends from Summit County, Colorado, 1903 - 1919. Enjoy.




Breckenridge Bulletin, 6 Apr 1907, page 1

Breckenridge Bulletin, 21 Apr 1906, page 2

Breckenridge Bulletin, 27 Apr 1907, page 6

Summit County Journal, 19 Jul 1919, page 4

Breckenridge Bulletin, 14 Mar 1903, page 2

Historic Newspapers

You may have seen something like this on other blogs recently, but just in case, here's my contribution!

I recently received an email from Thomas Walker with www.historic-newspapers.co.uk offering an opportunity to have an original historic newspaper sent to me if I would just write a blog post about the company and the items received in return. I thought it was a hoax. Scam. 100%.

Then I saw another blog post. Unfortunately, I have lost track of where, but the author responded to the email and got her newspaper, and you could feel the excitement coming from the screen.

So, I went back to my email and pulled up that deleted item, thinking why not give it a try? I responded back  to the author, whose initial contact I read much more carefully this time. Here's what they asked for:

• A link back to their website or a blog post. 

That's it! Pretty simple, I'm thinking, possibly too easy? You can see I'm not a real trusting soul, at least not right away. 

My response included this: anything from Colorado, Nebraska or Washington, and as old as possible. On their website, I also saw they offered free "teacher resource packs", and although I wasn't sure what that was, I wanted to find out. I spend time volunteering with local youth organizations, talking about genealogy and family history, and I thought it might be helpful. 

About two weeks after I sent in my request, I was once again contacted by email, indicating that a newspaper had been located that met my "requirements". By this time, I was greatly looking forward to seeing what they had come up with. 

I received the package not long after, via UPS, and was impressed immediately. It was obvious, the care they had taken to ensure I received a quality product that had been carefully handled. The box was stamped as a flat item, and the newspaper itself was wrapped carefully in more than one layer, down to a plastic sleeve I'm assuming I can store it in, as it is obviously designed for larger documents like this (I'll have to check with my archivist friends to make sure this is ok). Even the teaching pack of replica newspapers was bundled well. All in all, it was very well done. 

So, the most exciting part: what did I get? 

A copy of The Rocky Mountain News, printed in Denver, Colorado, on 12 September 1934, Vol 75, No. 255. (If anybody needs a look up, just let me know!)  Perhaps not as old as I was hoping, but hey, it's a free paper! The headline reads: GOV. JOHNSON TAKES STRONG LEAD OVER ROCHE IN OFFICIAL RETURNS, which relates back to the fight for the Democratic nomination for Colorado State Governonr. I was suprised to find that "Roche" is really Miss Josephine Roche - a female running for that office in 1934? Awesome. 

Other newsworthy items that day? "Love-Sick Heiress Missing From Wyoming Ranch Exile", "Sensational Disclosures Made in Ship Fire Probe" and "ALL RHODE ISLAND GUARD CALLED AS RIOTERS ARE SHOT". 

This really is a treasure. 

All images copyright Ancestral Journeys, 2012. Please ask permission. 

The teaching pack. This included copies of newspapers, from England, that covered significant historic events. Examples are the coronation of the Queen in 1953, "Man on the Moon" in 1969, the first time the summit of  Everest was accomplished in 1953, the Titanic disaster or 1912, and several from the World War II era, including "HITLER DEAD" IN 1945. These will come in handy indeed.

Overall, I was extremely pleased with the entire exchange. To be as clear as possible, I received all of this in exchange for this review and a link to their website.