Newspaper Clippings ~ N

This post is part of a series for the April Blogging from A to Z Blogging Challenge. My theme is Newspaper Clippings in relation to my family history. These have come from both microfilmed and digitized newspapers I've searched over the past 25 years. Click to enlarge any clipping.

Neighbors

Those juicy gossip columns of social news are great for learning more about an ancestors neighbors! If you read many of these, over time you can learn the relationships between a lot of them. Remember that most likely your ancestor knew and were friends with most of the people in their own neighborhoods back then. 

Hamilton County [NE] Advocate, April 23, 1912

I've posted this clipping before with the transcription if you want to see it. Here you can learn that Ray Galetly has a cousin named Stull Swearengen. It tells you that Mrs. R. Bilslaugh and son came from Iowa and you see more than once a woman is mentioned visiting her mother or vice versa. It's a great way to learn a woman's maiden name, but keep in mind if a mother was a young widow, she may have gotten remarried. 

Beatrice [NE] Daily Sun, April 23, 1932

In this clipping you see groups of people who celebrated events together. Reading these columns over a period of time, you can eventually learn more about the relationships between the people as they are mentioned in different ways.  The last paragraph here says Fred Fielder was visiting his parents, but doesn't mention them by name.  In the issue below, you get the name of his father anyway, and some hints to the little Camp boy's relation. It can take a lot of time if you're only access is microfilmed papers, but with digitized papers you can more easily find these.

Beatrice [NE] Daily Sun, April 6, 1932

Nowadays newspapers don't print this type of column. Nevertheless, neighbors and friends I've known for years have occasionally had nice articles written about them in the local newspaper. Necrologies are something else to look for, usually at the end or beginning of a year, listing deaths and major events from the current or previous year. And remember that Nuptials is a word often used for weddings. What news stories that name your ancestors can you find? Good luck with your search!