Hints on searching the British Newspaper Archive

[Deirdre784]

Looking for hints on how to search the newspaper archives. I have FindMyPast and also used the Welsh newspapers online at the National library of Wales, but have only ever found one really great article on a family member. I know they were mainly ordinary folk so shouldn’t be surprised (have very few headstones too) though an amazing obituary for my great great grandfather in 1926 made me wonder if there were any other gems to discover. So i signed up for the BNA with a 30% discount, determined to make the most of a one year membership.

But my maiden name Lord seems to mean any searches return hundreds of articles about Lord this or that, even if i put eg “William Lord” in the search box. Similarly a surname of Foreman returns loads of articles about the job.

Any hints gratefully received. Thanks.

[AntonyMMM]

Try searching for addresses, not just names

[clairec666]

Try omitting the first name and just searching for surnames. I've found loads of obituaries where only the initials are mentioned, e.g. Mr. W. Walker.

If you're searching for a common surname, try narrowing it down by putting a location in the "What else?" box. If possible, narrow down the date by using information from burial registers or the probate calendar.

Another good trick I've used is to enter surnames of other relatives in the "What else?" box. E.g. if Mr. Walker had a daughter whose married name was Jones, I would search for "Walker" with "Jones" in the "What else?" box. Obituaries often listed mourners, so the two surnames would appear quite close together and hopefully would be high up the order in your search results. So even if you're looking for an obituary with a common surname, having a rare surname in the family might help you!

[Deirdre784]

Thanks both, will have another look 😀

[rosie99]

Sorry but don't you get newspapers on your FindMyPast subscription.  They are the same as BNA, both owned by brightsolid.

[Craclyn]

Sorry but don't you get newspapers on your FindMyPast subscription.  They are the same as BNA, both owned by brightsolid.

You can do the search on BNA without paying then look at the article on FindMyPast once you have narrowed down the parameters. BNA search functions better.

[Deirdre784]

Sorry but don't you get newspapers on your FindMyPast subscription.  They are the same as BNA, both owned by brightsolid.

I love FindMyPast and use it every day, but i find it much easier to search the newspapers on the BNA and it seemed to have more newspapers (but i may be wrong).

[Deirdre784]

Sorry but don't you get newspapers on your FindMyPast subscription.  They are the same as BNA, both owned by brightsolid.

You can do the search on BNA without paying then look at the article on FindMyPast once you have narrowed down the parameters. BNA search functions better.

I don’t usually find anything to look at, that’s the problem. Seemed easier to join BNA just for the one year, and see what happens.

[IJDisney]

The BNA search allows you to narrow your area of interest to country (England, Scotland, Ireland or Wales), to area of the country, to specific county, newspapers centred around specific cities, to time frames, and to type of newspaper entry (advert, article). Always try to narrow down as much as possible.

Include in the search the town or street name that your ancestor lived in, or add the occupation. "William Lord, labourer" or "William Lord" +labourer, or "William Lord" +Ipswich +labourer will help narrow the hits. Add Mr to the search - "Mr W Lord" or "Mr William Lord" or "Mr Wlm Lord" will avoid the Lord Williams.

Also think about what type of information you are looking for. Add the word +funeral, or +assize and see what comes up.

Look for unusual christian names if you have a common surname. And don't forget daughters/wives. There will be fewer Alice or Edwin Lords then William Lords. Using the female names will also avoid the peerage hits, since there are no female Lords of the realm.