Using Newspapers for Genealogy Research

I love old newspapers! The smell, the feel, the wording. All of it. But best of all, I like old newspapers when they can help me fill in the details about the lives of my ancestors. Like this one:

Glasgow Herald, Oct 19, 1872

This article refers to the mining accident that killed my 3x great grandfather and his only son. I knew from the death record that William had died as the result of an accident and that the death had occurred at Greenfield Colliery, but without the details in the newspaper article, I was unaware that William and Andrew were at the end of their shift, that they were almost at the surface, or that they died because the lift they were on broke. A true tragedy. Even sadder is that there was a third person who died in the accident. It was his first day on the job and he had said it was to be his last as mining wasn't the life for him. Sadly, he never had the chance to try any other line of work. He was dead before he got to the surface of the mine. 

The best place to get online access to newspapers for Scottish research is the British Newspaper Archive. And if you have a premium subscription to Findmypast, access to the BNA is included in the subscription!

SCOTSMAN Newspaper Archives Added to Findmypast!

Great news for those researching their Scottish Ancestors! The Scotsman Archives have been added to Findmypast and are available as part of your Premium subscription. 

The Scotsman was founded in 1817 as a weekly newspaper. In 1850, it became a daily newspaper, becoming Scotland's National Newspaper in 1873. 

The Scotsman has had a digital archive online for quite some time. But there has been a fairly hefty subscription fee. The addition of the Scotsman to the British Newspaper Archive is a welcome one for those of us researching our Scottish ancestry. 

What are you waiting for? Log in and start searching!

http://search.findmypast.co.uk/search/british-newspapers

In the News

The British Newspaper Archives (http://www.britishnewspaperarchive.co.uk) not only have national newspapers, but also local smaller newspapers. These are a great resource for:

• Birth announcements: these give names of the parents as well as maiden name of mother. They often will include other family members as well such as grandparents
• Engagement/Marriage announcements: these give names of each partner as well as parents for each person. In the older newspapers, details about the bride's dress, her bridal party and names of the groomsmen are also written about
• Social Notices: these are fantastic sources of detailed information. It can be about a child's birthday party, a card party, who is visiting from out of town...the possibilities are endless and the read is often quite informative
• Death announcements/Obituaries/Funeral notices: don't overlook the detail provided in these. Not only are family members listed, but pay attention to the name of the funeral home. If it still exists, chances are you can contact them and get details about the burial, the plot/lair which includes who paid for it and who else might be buried alongside your ancestor (spouse, children, parents)
• Financial notices (bankruptcies, estate notices, creditor notices): although these often signal a sad time for your ancestors, they can provide important information regarding the lives of your ancestors
• Police/Court/Criminal or Justice notices: another treasure trove not only for genealogical information but also for family history information. These notices are the spice of life when it comes to putting the story of your ancestors together.
• Reports of Accidents or other injury: again, while not a pleasant find, the information can be invaluable in understanding the events leading up to the accident or death and often will include information regarding witnesses, family members, addresses and other salient details

British Newspaper Archive Introduces 7 Day Credit System

The British Newspaper Archive has responded to consumer suggestions and now has a 7 day package. This allows people to have a weekend to search, regardless of when the package is purchased. The 7 day package allows 600 credits and costs just under £10 ($15 Canadian/ $13 USD).

Here's the link to get you started: http://www.britishnewspaperarchive.co.uk/

Happy Searching!

British Newspaper Archive Now Available on GenesReunited

In an earlier post, I mentioned that the British Newspaper Archive had gone live. This is an ambitious undertaking which will allow access to millions of digitized images of historic newspapers from throughout the UK, including Scotland.

Word comes this morning from GenesReunited that digitized images from the British Newspaper Archives is now available through their site.
In their press release, they state:

"We are very pleased and proud to announce that you can now access the British Newspaper Archive on Genes Reunited. This is unlike any other data set available online, and will give you an insight into what was going on in the world whilst your ancestors were alive. View articles written at the time of key events in history, such as the breaking news of the sinking of the Titanic, or the reports following the grisly murders of Jack the Ripper."

This means that you will now have access to:

• News Articles
• Family Notices
• Letters
• Obituaries
• Advertisements

The search is really very user friendly and allows you to narrow your search to a given time period as well as to a given county. The free part of the search allows you to see an unreadable thumbnail of the image as well as a few words so that you will know whether you have the correct item. If you do not have a subscription, the images can be viewed as a pay-per view, but I am unclear how many credits you will be charged.

This is certainly worth a look:

http://www.blogger.com/goog_1075623003

British Newspaper Archive is LIVE

The British Newspaper Archive talked about in an earlier blog post has gone live, havng been launched today. Scottish newspapers from Ayr (Ayr Advertiser), Aberdeen (Aberdeen Journal), Fife, Angus, Dundee (Dundee Courier, Dundee Advertiser), Edinburgh (Evening Times), Glasgow (Herald), Falkirk (Herald), and Stirling (Stirling Observer) are just a few. You can narrow your search by place, county, region, date, or name of newspaper.

You need to create an account, but it is free to join. There are various subscriptions to view the images.

Happy Searching Reading!