Old newspapers provide rich research material

     The recent program at the Woodford County Historical Society on the history of The Woodford Sun by former managing editor Moss Vance was a reminder of the important role old newspapers can play in genealogy research.
     Most genealogists know that newspapers can provide important dates for ancestors through birth and death announcements, obituaries, and marriage or anniversary announcements, but some researchers have discovered that newspapers can be a fertile ground for other details of an ancestor's life.
     "Newspapers can provide those everyday details that help make an ancestor more real, put flesh and bones on what might otherwise just be names and dates," said Danna Estridge, Curator for the Woodford County Historical Society. "If you know where, when and how to look, old newspapers can provide a wealth of information for the genealogist."
     Researchers can learn what was taking place in their home town, the state, the nation, and the world during a certain time period by reading the local newspaper.
     "It's important to put people in context by knowing what was going on around them in their community and in the world in general," Estridge said. "Was there a depression or an economic boom during a certain time period? Were they suffering through a bout of severe weather, or an epidemic, a tense political struggle, or maybe even a war? All this information can help put your ancestor's life in perspective."
     In addition to the previously mentioned notices, many newspapers routinely published--and still publish--information such as arrests, fines; adoptions; divorces; bankruptcies or judgments; legal notices which indicate death dates and heirs of the deceased; court dockets; lists of taxpayers; real estate transactions; election results; school, church, and political events; honor rolls; graduation exercises; sporting events; lectures; music concerts; human interest stories; fraternal organizations news; and gossip columns, to name a few.
     The "Personals" and "Society" columns can provide a sense of how people spent their time, even if your ancestors do not appear in any of them.
     Advertisements contain prices of almost everything that was used by people during that era--everything from food and clothing to coal, wood, kerosene, transportation, gardening supplies, kitchen utensils, tools, and other items they might have needed.
     "And the language used in the articles and advertisements can provide clues about how people talked," Estridge said. "Language is something that changes dramatically over time. Newspapers can help researchers better understand how their ancestors might have spoken to each other."
     The Woodford County Historical Society has the following newspapers on microfilm: The Woodford Pennant 1860-1861; The Woodford Weekly 1870-1877; The Woodford Sun 1880-present; The Blue Grass Clipper (published in Midway) 1877-1899 and 1901-1903; The Kentucke Gazette (Lexington) 1787-1802 (and abstracts 1787-1820); The Frankfort Roundabout 1886-1891; The Franklin County Tri-Weekly Commonwealth 1862-1864; The Harrodsburg Democrat 1884-1866 and 1892-1893; The Sayings (Mercer County) 1895-1896; and The Mercer Enterprise 1884-1895.
     The Woodford County Historical Society, 121 Rose Hill in Versailles, is a nonprofit organization dedicated to preserving the rich history of Woodford County and its people. The genealogy research library and historic museum are open 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Tuesday through Saturday. Both are free and open to the public. Call 859-873-6786 for more information.