Newspapers are a remarkable genealogical resource. Even before societies developed a system of daily news, criers would walk the streets “announcing births, deaths, marriages and divorces.” (History of Newspapers by Mitchell Stephens) The first daily handwritten news sheets can be traced to the Romans who began the practice around 59 B.C. The Chinese had government circulated news sheets as early as 202 B.C., during the Han dynasty. These were little more than experiments compared to the modern newspapers. However, sharing the latest news, whether political, economical or genealogical has always been a part of human nature.
Newspapers, for the most part, have always served a local geographical area. Newspapers are also full of names of individual who are both part of the news, and, historically, live in the same geographical area in which those people lived. Best of all, newspapers have long been archived by local and national libraries. These facts make newspapers excellent resources for genealogists.
So how can genealogists make use of newspapers. Paul Larsen has supplied the answers in his book Bring Your Ancestors to Life Using Newspapers. According to Larsen, “Archived newspapers allow you to tap into a reliable source of hundres of years of history, and give you the remarkable ability to see it through eyewitness accounts.” This book shows the reader how to explore one’s family roots through newspaper research. The reader will learn:
- “How to glimpse into the lives of your ancestors
- How to gain detailed information about them and their stories
- Best Free online newspaper repositories
- How to access millions of articles from thousands of newspapers
- How to search over 300 years of historical newspapers in seconds
- How to find vintage photos of your ancestors life
- How to trace your ancestors that fought in the Civil War
- How to tap into historic secrets of the past without the hassle of manually sorting through mounds of newspapers
- Tips for searching newspapers”
This books is presented in digital format on CD. The CD contains a high-quality digital eBook available in your choice of a 39mb PDF for Windows and Mac computers and tablets, and a 3mb PDF for smaller-screen tablets and e-readers. Both sizes contain “live” links to websites for added tutorial and active research.
Table of Contents
Preface
- Why Family History?
- The Scope of this Book
- Fast and Easy Results First
- How the Idea for the Book Developed
1. Glimpse into the Lives of Your Ancestors
2. The Power of the Internet
3. Discover More About Your Ancestors
4. A Degree of Skepticism
5. Genealogy Records Found in Newspapers
6. Tips for Searching Newspapers
7. The Evolution of Newspapers in America
8. Eye-View Visualization of the Growth of American Newspapers
9. A Quick and Easy Way to Find Your Ancestor’s Newspaper
10. Commercial Newspaper Archives
11. Best Free Online Directories and Newspaper Repositories
12. Best Obituary and Cemetery Resources
13. Learn More about Newspaper Research
Order Bring Your Ancestors to Life Using Newspapers as an eBook on CD from Family Roots Publishing; Price: $13.67.