Newspaper Databases

One of the best ways to enhance your family’s history is to examine their place in local history. What was happening in the town where they lived during specific time periods? Did your ancestors participate in political, social, business, or athletic activities?

Utilizing a newspaper database can help flesh out details about family histories, particularly if you can locate publications specific to the area related to the family. There are subscription services that are useful, but I would urge you to consider two free options. The Library of Congress’ Chronicling America: Historic American Newspapers is entirely free and can be accessed here: Chronicling America « Library of Congress. This database provides access to newspapers through 1963. Many public libraries also offer newspaper database options. The Taylor County Public Library offers its patrons access to Newspaper Archives, with a wide variety of small West Virginia newspapers Resources | Taylor County Public Library | United States.  

My grandmother grew up in Kasson (Barbour County), West Virginia on a family-run dairy farm. She was the only child born into a blended family and lost her mother at a young age. Even small snippets about their life are helpful to building an image of what life with her mother may have looked like.  Newspaper Archives provided some nice clues. On November 27, 1924, the Grafton Sentinal included a small item in its social reporting for the Dent community that “Mrs. D.F. Bolyard and children of Locust Grove, are visiting relatives and friends of Mt. Pleasant at this writing.”

It's just one small clue – but it aligns with my grandmother’s stories of her mother taking all of the children in the home to church at Mt. Pleasant – which was several miles from their home!  

Using newspapers can help you build in small pieces of context and, in some cases, may point you towards information that was previously unknown about your family.