Old Newspapers

I have spent a good bit of time on my new favorite online playground, called Newspapers.com . Initially, I spent the time looking up death notices and other items connected to anyone in my extended family tree. One can search by name, date, or any other phrase one can think of to find anything that might appear in the newspaper. The papers range in some areas from the 18th century (you can find George Washington's 'Farewell Address' as originally published) to 2017 - at least in my local area. There are some gaps in the "searchable" pages, but in many of them you can browse. You can clip and save anything you find.

There was a piece about my Grandmother's house (the house my Mother grew up in) from 1923. It seems they confiscated three 15 gallon stills and a bunch of liquor. Who knew Grandmom was a bootlegger? Or perhaps it was all for personal use. That is, from wha I hear, certainly a possibility.

There were a series of Real Estate transactions whereby my Great-grandfather's brother in law (a real estate agent) sold a property, amounting to a city block, to a man who then sold it to my Great-grandfather's brother who then sold it back to the Brother in law - all on the same day and for a nominal fee. I'm not at all sure who made out on that deal, or how, but I suspect it was the Brother in law.

There was another ad, a few years earlier, place by the fore-mentioned Brother, who was seeking employment as a club pianist. Personally, I was pleased to see this as I am unaware of many musicians in the family tree, and sometimes it feels a little lonely. There are, however, no indications that my Great great-uncle found any musical positions. He later married and moved to Washington, D.C. where he worked as a contractor.

Having exhausted most of the intersting (to me) notices connected to my family, I started looking up various historical things to read the original news reports/ I have read about several 19th century minstrels and popular composers like Septimus Winner. I looked up reports on the Aurora Borealis. I looked up news reports (from London) on the trial or Williams Burke and Hare, and Burke's confession, as well as reports of his execution. I didn't realize his remains are still on display somewhere in London. Nr did I realize that William Hare was released from jail less than a year after some of the murders, and he and his wife disappeared with the aid of the authorities.

I also looked up the history of some of my old favorite bars.

So, while it does require subscription, it is wellworth it. I have been having lots of fun.