NewspapersConsult newspapers, periodicals and magazines to find out more information about your ancestors. These can also give you plenty of background information. Click here for what you can find in newspapers.
This article, from 1935, includes details of relatives that attended my aunt's wedding in Louth, Lincolnshire. Where Can I Find Newspapers?1) Online...Only a few are as yet available online.
2) The county records office...This may contain issues of local papers, if you are able to visit. Many also have indexes, compiled by fellow family historians over the years.Example The Suffolk Records Office at Bury St Edmunds has a card index you can consult. I looked up my ggggrandfather, who had the common name of John King, and found numerous entries from The Bury and Norwich Post. From these, I could work out which burial for John King in Sudbury was the correct one. This notice was sadly not my John King, but for John King the draper. 22 Feb 1826: "Lately, at Sudbury, John King, one of the Society of Friends, after a long affliction, in the 65th year of his age - He was well known, and respected for the integrity of his character; his talents were, as long as health permitted, employed for the benefit of his fellow creatures; but, averse to display, he pursued the path of usefulness, often unheard and unobserved. His memory will long be had in pleasing remembrance by a large circle of friends."
3) Libraries...It’s always worth phoning your local library to see what they have to offer. Some offer free access to The Times Digital Archive, or other useful resources. For those tracing Welsh ancestors, for example, the National Library of Wales is the main centre for researching Welsh genealogy.The British Library Newspapers at Colindale houses the national archive collections for the UK, and also holds a large collection of overseas papers.
Search the catalogue to find out if the British Library holds any newspapers you are interested in:
www.bl.uk/catalogues/newspapers/welcome.asp
Should I Hire a Researcher?Newspapers can give you heaps of useful information about your ancestors. However, unless you can visit the newspaper repositories easily, it is difficult to get information. One way round this is to hire a researcher.The trouble is, what you get can be pretty hit-or-miss. Therefore, even if you do not find out any useful information, the researcher will still have carried out the work, and will still expect to be paid. Personally, I would rather pay, and find out the information, so that I can build up a fuller picture about my ancestors and their lives. The British Library does offer a newspaper search service. It will search up to four newspapers of a specified date for information, such as births, marriages, deaths, and court and crime reports. It will provide a report listing the newspapers investigated, a list of the articles found, and instructions for ordering copies (at a further cost). It charges £50 for this. For further information, contact
The British Library.
Tip Alternatively, I am likely to be cheaper than the British Library! For more information, and an estimate, click here.
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