Newspapers

The Syndicated Newspaper Article

19 Jun By Dwight

We are blessed to live in a time when newspapers are being scanned and, within reason, indexed. Although sometimes the indexing capacity is not as accurate or clear-cut as we would like, we still have to keep in mind the way we did research a decade ago!

I was working on a case where a murder was involved. This was in the late nineteenth century. It was a pretty bad one where the husband kills his wife and then disappears. When caught, he was tried and convicted. In my mind, that entire process from murder to conviction, spoke of a news worthy drama which would certainly make the local newspaper.

Consulting Historic Newspaper Websites

To say the least, I was disappointed when I discovered the newspaper I needed was not yet added to the collections on GenealogyBank or NewspaperArchive. However, I reasoned, there was potentially enough drama involved perhaps it was syndicated to other newspapers around the country.

I was exactly right. So taking those two main newspaper websites, I began plugging in familiar names and places as keywords in the search engines for the websites. Bingo! I found references to the murder, the manhunt and the eventual trail and conviction. It was syndicated in many newspapers around the country. Some of the states did not even border the one where the crime was committed.

Filling in the Gaps Through Syndicated Articles

Now with all the newspaper facts at my fingertips, I could begin to fill in and clarify the family lore. The information also opened up a broad range of sources. Did anybody hear me say “prison records?” Yes, one source leading to another.

Although I did not have access online to the newspaper I actually wanted; I was able to successfully substitute it with syndicated articles from other newspapers around the country. That makes for a good day in family history research!

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The Asiatic Journal

25 Feb By Dwight Leave a Comment

An often overlooked resource in tracing ancestors in British India and elsewhere is The Asiatic Journal. It went by different titles. For my present discussion I want to discuss the first three titles of this series taking the discussion from 1816-1845.

Contents and Images of The Asiatic Journal

The affairs of British India were published twice a year in The Asiatic Journal and Monthly Register for British India and its Dependencies. Each month is then divided within the journal with news of the area. This is a major source for locating news “on the ground” about British Subjects, including the Irish, in British India. This can include births, marriages and deaths, government business, military appointments, furloughs, promotions, ecclesiastical appointments, passengers on ships and interaction with the locals.

Many of these are online at GoogleBooks and Archive.org and elsewhere. You have to think of this source as a newspaper covering an extended period of time. In the beginning of the source will be a list of what is in the journal. It is divided by area presidencies. In British India there were three: Bengal, Bombay and Madras. Each office handled its own affairs and reported accordingly. The amount of Europeans coming and going from British India is amazing.

Serial Titles for The Asiatic Journal

The Asiatic Journal and Monthly Register for British India and its Dependencies (1816-1829) was sponsored by The East India Company. Within it are detailed articles on the political, economic and cultural developments in the area. It became the Asiatic Journal and Monthly Register for British and Foreign India, China and Australasia (1830-43) and was issued three times a year. It became the Asiatic Journal and Monthly Miscellany (1843-45).

Applications for Genealogy

I used The Asiatic Journal recently to trace the origins of a ship from British India on its route to the port of Valparaiso, Chile, then up to California when it was part of Mexico (1821-1848) on its way back to India. Since my subject was an Irish man who settled in Spanish California (pre-1821) I traced the route of the ship and realized it was possible his family had immigrated to Chile first, where he learned Spanish, and then as an adult moved up the coast. This source opened up new possibilities in my research!

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Strategies for Using the Boston Pilot Database

18 Feb By Dwight Leave a Comment

People looking for missing relatives and friends from Ireland would place ads in the Boston Pilot (1831-1921) newspaper because of its wide circulation. Although published in Boston, ads flooded in from everywhere. It is within these want ads you often immigrant origins preserved and where various family members settled. Databases can be found on the websites of Ancestry, Boston College and the New England Historic Genealogical Society.

What if Your Ancestor is Not Listed in the Database

When you find your ancestor, then your research really opens up. However, what if you don’t find your ancestors listed? I have found these databases are much deeper and can be used in many more ways than a simple straightforward search. Some of my favorite strategies are below.

Secondary Strategies for Using the Boston Pilot Database

Place Names: I may not know where a person was from in Ireland; however, I know where they settled. Use the search feature to identify all Irish who settled in that locality. Who was looking for people who settled in a particular state, city or with that surname? Once you study these ads, does a pattern emerge? For example, are most the ads looking for people from County Roscommon? If so, then you might have stumbled upon where your ancestor was from.

This strategy can also be used in reverse when you know the county in Ireland but you cannot identify a parish. Who from that county were placing ads for people living where your ancestor settled? Does a pattern emerge?

Associate Names: In research, we always assume the godparents at children’s christenings were friends and family of the parents. Then we wonder if they may have known them in Ireland prior to immigrating. Using this logic, take the names of the godparents as found in the immigrant parish and run them through the Boston Pilot databases. Does a pattern emerge? Who is looking for them or who are they looking for?

Religion: Do not assume everybody placing ads were Catholic or even practicing Catholic. Upon immigrating many Irish Catholics either dropped out of church or switched denominational affiliations. I see this all the time. So just because your ancestor became a Baptist, Methodist, Presbyterian, Episcopalian or Adventist, do not assume they would not place an ad in the Jesuit published Boston Pilot. Also, do not assume nobody is looking for them!

With these few extra strategies, the Boston Pilot databases may actually yield where your family came from. These are not straightforward searches, but they have worked for many in many cases.

In Search of Missing Friends Database

29 Aug By Dwight Leave a Comment

A fascinating source are newspaper advertisements for missing friends and relatives from Ireland. In order to reconnect with someone, ads would be placed with what little information that is known. Cast the net wide in a well known newspaper and see what comes back to you. The Boston Pilot was one of these newspapers.

Boston Pilot ads (1831-1920) have been published and are online. One excellent database is hosted by the New England Historic Genealogical Society: www.americanancestors.org Another database can be found on the Boston College website: infowanted.bc.edu The collection consists of 40,399 records ranging from simple to detailed.

An ad may be placed a decade or later after the immigration occurred. Also, just because the Boston Pilot was a Jesuit publication, don’t assume every ad is placed by a Catholic looking for Catholics. Not all Irish remained with the church. I have found many Protestant converts placing ads or the subject of ads. Don’t assume the Boston Pilot only went to Boston residents. It had a worldwide audience. You will find ads looking for people in almost every place imaginable.

Each database has its strengths and weaknesses. A place search may be what you need, and this can be done by county, parish, town or townland. Perhaps you need only one surname from one county. Make sure the online databases can provide you with your search parameters. If you have doubts, then certainly consult the incredible printed copies which are meticulously indexed in just about every direction possible.

I consult these ads on a regular bases, and often I do find who I am looking for. In these cases typically listed will be the origins in Ireland, when immigrated, where settled, and who is looking for them. By Irish research standards this is incredible.

Irish Newspaper Databases

14 Aug By Dwight Leave a Comment

Currently there are several websites from which to begin your search for newspapers in Ireland and Northern Ireland. None are currently complete, but together you may find what you are looking for.

One up and coming website is “Irish Newspaper Archives” The INA currently has over 2 million pages from 23 titles, making it a website to constantly refer back to see what has been added. They have microfilm for 30 additional titles to be added over the next year.

Another website is the British Newspaper Archive: www.britishnewspaperarchive.co.uk which has newspapers for both Ireland and Northern Ireland. This website is part of the British Library.

A third major website is the Newspaper Archive: http://access.newspaperarchive.com This database has a large United States presence, but also has a growing worldwide section. They currently have newspapers for both Ireland and Northern Ireland.

For any growing database, sometimes it helps to know what you are looking for. In this case I would refer you to the “Newspaper Database” on the National Library of Ireland website: www.nli.ie/en/catalogues-and-databases-printed-newspapers.aspx This database is taken from the NEWSPLAN Project which makes an effort to microfilm and preserve newspapers in Ireland and the United Kingdom. The resulting database can be viewed by locality, which will then list the newspapers published there, and what years are covered. It can also be viewed by county. From this inventory, you will then know if the newspaper you want has been placed online or if you still need to look at it on microfilm at the National Library of Ireland or another repository.

All of these re growing websites with millions of new pages added on a regular bases. Be aware that not every newspaper is currently available, and you will need to check back to each website to see if what you are looking for has been added.

TROVE as a Major Research Tool

24 Jul By Dwight Leave a Comment

If I were looking for a birth place in Ireland for my family, and I knew a branch went to Australia, TROVE would be one of the first places I’d search. The family information found in sources such as obituaries can solve where in Ireland the entire family was from.

You can do a general search or a name search. If you know a more exact locality, you can narrow your search to newspapers for that town, state or territory. With common names, this feature is helpful. As with all databases there are some quirks you need to be aware. First of all, not all newspapers published every day. So once you know the newspaper you are interested in, and say you are looking for an obituary or marriage notice, then check to see what dates around the time you need that the newspaper published. The database will tell you. In this case extend your search to one or two newspapers after the death or marriage took place.

The side bar index shows the types of articles in the newspaper. For example, if the newspaper had six pages, then the family data, such as marriage and obituaries might be listed on page four. Do not stop at the first page as the newspaper pulls up on the screen. Make sure you look at all the pages for the topic you are interested.

Yes, TROVE can be utilized for many other record types such as books, theses, journals, maps, diaries, letters and photographs. Currently, it contains over 100 million Australian and online resources. As a research tool TROVE is hard to beat.

Leaving Ulster in the 1700s: The Newspaper Trail

25 Apr By Dwight Leave a Comment

One question I’m asked as a genealogist is about passengers lists leaving Ulster in the 1700s. Usually, the reference is for Scots-Irish research. The simple answer is they don’t exist! The more complex answer is some do if you think creatively. This doesn’t mean your ancestors were listed, but you do have a few resources when you normally would ignore the topic.

One source is the “letters of thanks” published in Ulster newspapers. Between 1737 and 1772 the major newspaper was the Belfast Newsletter which published notices regarding ships from ports throughout Ulster. During the 1700s the passengers on a ship customarily signed a “letter of thanks” to the ship’s captain for a good trip. This was basically free advertising for the captain.

John C. Greene’s Belfast Newsletter Index, 1737-1800 is online at the University of Louisiana Lafayette website: www.ucs.louisiana.edu/bnl/ This database indexes every significant word and date in the 20,000 surviving pages. There are some limitations. For example, only one-quarter of the newspaper survived from 1737-1750. Yet it is nearly complete from 1750-1800. The database contains 300,000 items of news and advertisements.

The same type of emigration material may be found in the Londonderry Journal,which began publication in 1772. This material and other items dating 1772 to 1784 were abstracted in Donald M. Schlegel’s Irish Genealogical Abstracts From the Londonderry Journal, 1772-1784 (Baltimore, Maryland: Clearfield Company, 1990). This book is now a database: www.ancestry.com

My rule of thumb is to not expect to find a published passenger’s list from the 1700s, but when you do consider yourself very fortunate. This can open up many previously closed avenues for reconstructing your family history.

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