RootsChat.Com

General => The Common Room => Topic started by: Paulo Leeds on Saturday 16 June 18 15:28 BST (UK)

Title: Anyone found much use in the Brit. Newspaper Archive sub?
Post by: Paulo Leeds on Saturday 16 June 18 15:28 BST (UK)
currently paying for one
Title: Re: Anyone found much use in the Brit. Newspaper Archive sub?
Post by: Jebber on Saturday 16 June 18 15:31 BST (UK)
Yes, I have found a great deal about various members of most branches of my family, none of them were notorious, mainly ordinary folk.
Title: Re: Anyone found much use in the Brit. Newspaper Archive sub?
Post by: Paulo Leeds on Saturday 16 June 18 15:33 BST (UK)
Thanks Jebber.

What kind of things?
Title: Re: Anyone found much use in the Brit. Newspaper Archive sub?
Post by: Josephine on Saturday 16 June 18 15:40 BST (UK)
I've made some great discoveries and found useful information in the newspapers on that website.

A lot depends on timeframe and location.

For example, I've noticed that prior to a certain point in the 1800s, BMDs were usually only mentioned for the "special" people (in the newspapers I've looked at, that is).
Title: Re: Anyone found much use in the Brit. Newspaper Archive sub?
Post by: Paulo Leeds on Saturday 16 June 18 15:53 BST (UK)
and this is all from just putting names in?
Title: Re: Anyone found much use in the Brit. Newspaper Archive sub?
Post by: Josephine on Saturday 16 June 18 16:08 BST (UK)
and this is all from just putting names in?

Sometimes you have to be creative with your search terms. I've used spelling variations of names, titles (e.g. Dr.), town names with surnames, addresses, street names, property names, business names, occupations with either surnames or town names, etc.
Title: Re: Anyone found much use in the Brit. Newspaper Archive sub?
Post by: Jebber on Saturday 16 June 18 16:19 BST (UK)
Thanks Jebber.

What kind of things?

BMD's, suicides,  supplying food to the workhouse, the same person lost possessions in a fire in his  bakery. Others were deaths in a house fire, petty crime  such as poaching, letting his employer's donkeys stray on the public highway, trade advertisements and a myriad other little snippets. you just have to persevere and don't restrict your researches to where your family lived. many items can be found in papers mile from where they lived.
Title: Re: Anyone found much use in the Brit. Newspaper Archive sub?
Post by: stanmapstone on Saturday 16 June 18 17:07 BST (UK)
Another free newspaper site worth a look is Welsh Newspapers Online http://newspapers.library.wales/

Stan
Title: Re: Anyone found much use in the Brit. Newspaper Archive sub?
Post by: Rena on Saturday 16 June 18 19:12 BST (UK)
I have free access from my home computer via my local lending library.

I've also found adverts, plus bmd's and was surprised to find the death of an ordinary blacksmith was announced in the 1850s.  I've found mention of landlords of taverns - even found one such landlord was targetted by thieves in the late 1700s when they tried to steal the bed curtains.  As transport was mainly by ship most newspapers gave information about arrivals/departures and names of captains which I found useful.   

Prior to being a member I could see from bmds that family members moved about.  Now that I have access to online newspapers I've discovered most reasons for the moves, e.g. one man followed his employer when he sold his tannery/leather works in Thornhil, Perthshire in 1794 (per newspaper adverts) and transferred the business to Lanarkshire, Scotland.
 
Title: Re: Anyone found much use in the Brit. Newspaper Archive sub?
Post by: Paulo Leeds on Monday 18 June 18 17:05 BST (UK)
I've tried putting the names of everyone listed in my family tree in and barely found anything bar the odd death or birth listing, but 90% nothing
Title: Re: Anyone found much use in the Brit. Newspaper Archive sub?
Post by: Josephine on Monday 18 June 18 17:32 BST (UK)
I've tried putting the names of everyone listed in my family tree in and barely found anything bar the odd death or birth listing, but 90% nothing

Have you checked the website to make sure they have newspapers from the right area in the right timeframe? That has happened to me when searching for specific obits (in more than one online newspaper archive).

Is it possible that the local library might have newspapers that haven't made it to the internet yet?

It can be a good thing if they didn't make the papers -- it might mean they lived quiet, law-abiding lives -- but it can be frustrating for us as family researchers.

If they weren't mentioned much in the newspapers, perhaps there are other sources of information that you can consult. Have you checked city directories? Sometimes you can learn approximately when someone has died, or when young adults have left their parents' home and if/when they got married.

In my experience, results can vary greatly from family to family. I've found zero newspaper mentions for one extended family but lots of coverage in the church records. With another family, each time more issues of the local newspaper are uploaded, I find more articles, but they all concern court appearances. (Rascals, the lot of them!)

Good luck in your search!
Title: Re: Anyone found much use in the Brit. Newspaper Archive sub?
Post by: Jool on Monday 18 June 18 18:32 BST (UK)
Try not to be too specific with your search.  For example if you search "Thomas Frederick Smith" you may not get any results, however he may be mentioned in the newspaper as Mr. T. Smith or Tom Smith.   I found more results by searching just the surname and town for each family group, or surname and occupation.

Good luck
Title: Re: Anyone found much use in the Brit. Newspaper Archive sub?
Post by: Mart 'n' Al on Monday 18 June 18 18:46 BST (UK)
Remember also that names like Thomas George and James might be abbreviated to Thos, Geo and Jas, etc.  Middle names were often included in newspaper articles so if you're searching for John Smith you won't find John Williams Smith and vice versa.

An occasional subscription like this is wonderful, just for reading about your own own, village or county in the past. I found all sorts of amazing things from 100 years ago. The filtering is quite good, allowing you to remove or add counties, regions, newspaper editions, decades, etc.

Remember also that if you search for a long string, and there is more than one letter blurred or not recognised it might not find the string, so search for a small string rather than something very detailed.

Also remember that many roads, such as Village Road might have been hyphenated 100 years ago. Search for the name of the road, but without adding road, street, avenue etc.  Definitely leave out house numbers.

Martin
Title: Re: Anyone found much use in the Brit. Newspaper Archive sub?
Post by: Paulo Leeds on Tuesday 26 June 18 12:35 BST (UK)
thanks guys.

I'm guessing they must have led quiet lives.

However, in terms of wedding or death or birth mentions - I would say only 10%  get a search result even then
Title: Re: Anyone found much use in the Brit. Newspaper Archive sub?
Post by: Top-of-the-hill on Tuesday 26 June 18 14:37 BST (UK)
    I have not found much more than the odd funeral report, especially in earlier times, but then I knew my family had always kept a low profile! But I did find a lot of interesting pieces relating to the ancestral village; accidents, minor court cases, house sales. Again, more as you move through the 19th century.
Title: Re: Anyone found much use in the Brit. Newspaper Archive sub?
Post by: Milliepede on Tuesday 26 June 18 14:44 BST (UK)
Law abiding is good but it would be nice to find something.  95%+ of my searches don't bring up anything.
Title: Re: Anyone found much use in the Brit. Newspaper Archive sub?
Post by: River Tyne Lass on Tuesday 26 June 18 16:16 BST (UK)
I am one of the 'fortunate' ones as I have been able to find loads of press coverage about my ancestors.  My ancestors appear to have been of the colourful type - there are stories of law breaking, drunkeness, tragedies, war deaths, you name it - there was even a murder trial with my Great x 2 ancestors as the accused in the 1850s. :o   Thankfully, they were acquitted as I believe they were innocent.  There are some more positive articles too.
 
However, although on a positive I have many interesting articles to read - the downside is I believe my ancestors had more than a fair share of suffering, angst and drama in their lives.  If I could wave a magic wand and change things for the better for them I would even if this would mean losing all these colourful stories.

I think you have been given a lot of good advice on here.  You could also try putting in just 'Mr' or 'Mrs' so and so.  For example, a couple of ancestors of mine were referred to as 'Mr Senior' and 'Mrs Young'.  Other things mentioned in articles such as the address assured me that these are my ancestors. 

Or you could try just putting on an initial and a surname  or reversing this to find a war mention.   

I would also look for mistakes in spelling of names.  For example, if your ancestor is called Watson they may have accidentally appeared with a spelling error such as being called Witson or Wetson. I have known this to happen.  Other things mentioned in write ups may  be able to clarify if they are person you are looking for.

If you know the address try just putting in just that in search box.  I did that and I discovered a great x 2 Grandfather who appears to have given himself a completely different first name for a while - he was called Philip but was going under the name of Ralph which was his wife's Father's name.  I know for definite this is him because of the address and other things referred to in articles.  I have another ancestor who went by an alias.  In my research I have found that other people sometimes used an alias too . My ancestor James Conroy was also known as Gilroy (according to a newspaper report) and I also found one record where he appears as Kilroy! I do not know if this was by accident or design. His wife was Elizabeth but in an odd newspaper she was referred to as Bessie and Betty.

I have a brother of a bloodline ancestor who had a nasty  boiler explosion in the late 19th century which unfortunately killed his housekeeper.  Most newspapers spell his name correctly as Richard but one refers to him mistakenly as Robert.

So to sum up - try researching for known addresses, name changes, possible errors in print, etc.

Good luck with your searching! :)

Added: I sometimes wonder how my ancestors can be my ancestors as some of them do seem a bit wild.  I, on the other hand tend to go a bit wild only when I am playing monopoly.  ;D I wonder if I was a Founding and I have just never been told. Or perhaps my ancestors may have been able to lead much more calmer lives if they had been able to spend as much time as I do in archives, libraries and on RootsChat.  Oh well, I suppose this keeps me out of mischief. ::) ;)
Title: Re: Anyone found much use in the Brit. Newspaper Archive sub?
Post by: Deirdre784 on Tuesday 26 June 18 16:23 BST (UK)
In general I’m one of the ‘not found much’ brigade, though i have found a couple of obituaries, one especially good.

Probably not helped in that my maiden name was Lord, and a few generations back - when i was hoping to find snippets in the papers - his wife was a Foreman. 99.9% of the entries were for Lord this or that, or a foreman at a works. Specific names generally found nothing 🙁   
Title: Re: Anyone found much use in the Brit. Newspaper Archive sub?
Post by: Chris Doran on Tuesday 26 June 18 16:43 BST (UK)
Some areas of the country are not well covered yet, particularly London and the Soutrh East, though they're beginning to appear.

An FindMyPast sub is arguably a better buy, as you get the newspapers (albeit a little behind NA) and all the other stuff as well.

Don't forget the free overseas archives like Trove and the New York Times, as lots of UK articles were syndicated.
Title: Re: Anyone found much use in the Brit. Newspaper Archive sub?
Post by: jane gee on Tuesday 26 June 18 17:07 BST (UK)
I set up files and tab papers I am interested in after searching by surname.  Then when I have enough pages to warrant a payment I can then download.  I have found an accidental death for my 2xgt grandfather just by searching the daughters married name I hadn't got his death certificate as he was quite old and I just thought "natural causes"  The article was fascinating.  I also found details of another of my gt grandfathers suicide.  On a funnier note there was my gt granddad who was fined for leaving his horse and cart unattended!
Title: Re: Anyone found much use in the Brit. Newspaper Archive sub?
Post by: cristeen on Tuesday 26 June 18 18:28 BST (UK)
I have had varied results but some absolute gems through which I have been able to confirm family stories etc. Most recently, exploring a 'branch' on which I have had little success via the usual routes (except a marriage licence) I was able to confirm the husband's previous wife and their children, also his early death.
Articles about current events in their neighbourhood, even when they aren't mentioned, really helps to build a picture of their lives.
Title: Re: Anyone found much use in the Brit. Newspaper Archive sub?
Post by: Elise_CL on Tuesday 26 June 18 20:08 BST (UK)
I’ve made great use out of it for once of my ancestors who was a footballer. I found so many match reports for the years he played, to the point he is probably my most “”complete”” with regards to finding out their movements on an almost weekly-basis!

Otherwise I’ve found it useful more in looking up advertisements and events that happened in local areas, or news stories that my ancestors would have known about in order to get a better idea of what was happening around that time.
Title: Re: Anyone found much use in the Brit. Newspaper Archive sub?
Post by: Andy_T on Sunday 17 February 19 07:00 GMT (UK)
I find that when I search it's not like Google or Yahoo where most relevant searches come to top of the first page and first few pages are still relevant but a bit less.

With the newspaper archive there are many date filters, regions and specified newspapers to check.

I found that poaching incidents, Gamekeepers and information about and their employers names and estates seem to pop up more easily than some other search criteria.

That's just my random experience.

Andy_T
Title: Re: Anyone found much use in the Brit. Newspaper Archive sub?
Post by: Jackiemh on Sunday 17 February 19 08:34 GMT (UK)
I have a findmypast  subscription which covers newspapers & periodicals and I have managed to get some reports on my ancestors criminal activities from them and other bits and pieces. It helps to have a rough idea of dates applicable and even though one relative was before the court in London, I found more information in the Scotsman than in the London and SE papers.
Jackie
Title: Re: Anyone found much use in the Brit. Newspaper Archive sub?
Post by: lmfamilyresearch on Sunday 17 February 19 13:34 GMT (UK)
I have a FindMyPast subscription and I find it a great help with being able to access the newspaper articles.  I had a 3x g-grandmother brick wall that I broke through by googling her name.  That led me to her Toronto marriage notice in the Hereford Times (on FindMyPast, which led me to getting the subscription) and that gave me the name of her father and where he lived before moving to Toronto.  Having his name led me to marriage notices, death notices, ads for his store (one which told me when he had bought the store from someone else and when he was opening), more branches on my family tree...

Newspapers can be a great source.  Like others have said, search all sorts of ways. 
Title: Re: Anyone found much use in the Brit. Newspaper Archive sub?
Post by: Andy_T on Thursday 07 March 19 18:54 GMT (UK)
Although newspaper archive searches are hit and miss, I nevertheless found some valuable items I used in my family tree.
My father a Royal Marine sargent was a coxwain on D-Day and I found an article about half a page next to another article about Winston Churchill.
Also I found articles about my 2 times great grandfather, who was in the Birmingham police force in 1840. and arrests and court cases he attended. Later he was a gamekeeper for W.S. Dugdale at Merivale Hall, Atherstone, Warwickshire and I found a court hearing where a chimney sweep assalted him after he apprended some poachers.
Another item I found made me laugh when a slighted lady friend trampled on his intended's new hat.She followed him to the hat shop.
She was taken to court and ordered to pay 5/- compensation although one pound was the sum claimed.

Andy_T
Title: Re: Anyone found much use in the Brit. Newspaper Archive sub?
Post by: Nifty1 on Saturday 09 March 19 22:07 GMT (UK)
I have found some things that are of interest to me on the BNA website, but, in spite of much searching, I have failed to locate the story/report  of Ramsay Marsh that I was told was published in The Daily Herald with a picture about when he ocassioned serious damage to his Jaguar XK Sports in an accident. The only other clue that I have to go on is that he was accompanied by a ‘lady snake charmer’ I was told this would have been abt. 1960.
The photo archive held at Bradford do not seem to have any record of the story or image..
I am still searching for this story but am begining to think that one informant was pherhaps being a bit over imaginative when he told me about it, though, he did say that he used to have the page of the paper, so, he may just have misremembered the publisher.
Title: Re: Anyone found much use in the Brit. Newspaper Archive sub?
Post by: CelticAnnie on Monday 11 March 19 21:52 GMT (UK)
Oh goodness, yes!  I would be completely stuck tracing a gg grandmother's family, were it not for a flowery Victorian newspaper marriage announcement mentioning her father's address and a brother's address, since her father was living in Inverness and she (for completely unknown reasons) in Lancashire!  I have no other way of tying her definitively to her father.

Found a lot of information on her father: properties he was advertising for sale/rent at various points; a farming competition that he features in.  Found a lot that has added extra colour to his life in Inverness and helped with what he was doing when. 

As others have mentioned, local newspapers can also help you build up a good picture of what an area was like at a particular period.

In relation to other family members, I have a burglary, an automobile accident, obituaries, military announcements, bankruptcy announcements, advertisements with information about the nature of businesses carried out at addresses of interest  -- tons of stuff, in fact.


I'm certainly one of the lucky ones!


CELTICANNIE