12 genealogists in 7 States have passed away.
Baker, Francis J. (1916-2009)
News Journal (Mansfield, OH). May 1, 2009
Beeson, Myron. (1926-2009)
Salt Lake Tribune (UT). May 3, 2009
Cantwell, Nancy Carolyn McKissack. (1933-2009)
Denton Record-Chronicle (TX). May 3, 2009
Clever, Evelyn L. (1910-2009)
Deseret News (Salt Lake City, UT). May 2, 2009
Davis, Pauline Rose. (1931-2009)
Deseret News (Salt Lake City, UT). May 2, 2009
Heck, Glenn Eugene. (1929-2009)
Macon Telegraph (GA). May 3, 2009
Hoff, Marjorie Doris. (1921-2009)
Idaho Statesman (Boise, ID). May 4, 2009
Lister, Nancy Lou. (1940-2009)
Hartford Courant (CT). May 3, 2009
Lloyd, Bud D. (1927-2009)
Idaho Statesman (Boise, ID). May 3, 2009
Robinson, Norma Garrett. (1918-2009)
Deseret News (Salt Lake City, UT). May 2, 2009
Stevens, Zina Greene Campbell. (1915-2009)
Standard-Examiner (Ogden, UT). May 5, 2009
Williams, Virginia Johns. (1929-2009)
Free Lance-Star (Fredericksburg, VA). May 2, 2009
GenealogyBank with over 130 million obituaries is the largest source of obituaries and death records online.
Tag Archives: New Hampshire
Old Man of the Mountain – RIP 3 May 2003
It was six years ago that the Old Man of the Mountain fell.
His passing is as deeply felt today as when I heard the shocking news in 2003. It came across as a cable news bulletin. Hikers had heard the awful rumble in the early hours while it was still dark and when the sun came up they realized what had happened.
The next morning the quiet phone calls began … to my folks, my brothers – had they heard the news. They had.
We were all born and mostly raised in New Hampshire. Old “Sawyer” prints of the Old Man of the Mountain hang on the wall. He’s on the license plates – the NH edition of the quarter. He was a solid part of our lives. Familiar. Always there. A part of the family, our heritage.
Newspapers have been commenting on the impact of his image for centuries.
Samuel Adams Drake wrote “This gigantic silhouette which has been christened the Old Man of the Mountain is unquestionably the greatest curiosity of this or any other mountain region” (St. Alban’s Messenger (VT) 16 July 1881).
The Old Man was first “discovered” in 1805 by Luke Brooks and Francis Whitcomb who were charged by the town of Franconia, NH to survey the town. See NH Gazette 25 June 1805.
One of the earliest descriptions of the Old Man was published in the Salem Gazette (MA) 22 Nov 1825.
By 1827 a new stage line had “purchased good horses and carriages … and procured a careful driver” and organized the “Plymouth and Franconia” stage line, with runs twice a week past the Old Man – “a very level and pleasant route”. (NH Patriot 15 Jan 1827).
Do you have a favorite search? Bookmark it!
As you plan your research – genealogists often find that they are actively searching the newspapers for one state, city or a specific newspaper. You may speed up your research by bookmarking the newspaper or location you want to repeatedly search.
TIP: Say you are researching family lines in Philadelphia and that you expect to repeat a search for Philadelphia newspapers or only the Philadelphia Inquirer. Now you can bookmark that search page and with one click from your favorites list begin searching immediately.
Here’s how you do that
As you narrow your search in the Historical Newspapers move through your options, narrowing your search to the state, city or newspaper you want to search:
The Historical Newspapers – All 50 States
Select just Pennsylvania newspapers
Select just Philadelphia newspapers
Select specific newspaper(s)
At any point “save” the search page you want to repeat in the future to your favorites.
Then the next time you want to search those same newspapers simply click and the targeted search page will come right up for you.
Here are some examples you may use:
Search Philadelphia Newspapers – Click Here
Search only the (Philadelphia) Public Ledger – Click Here
Search only the Philadelphia Inquirer – Click Here
You can make as many quick links as you need.
One click and you can begin searching.
Let us know what you find!
How to deal with heirloom, oversize portraits
This weekend’s Wall Street Journal (February 14-15, 2009 pp. R6) has a terrific article by Kathleen A. Hughes – “The Person over the Mantle”.
Hughes tells the experiences of families in preserving and displaying their old family portraits and her own change of heart in displaying the image of her 3rd Great Grandmother, Mary Plumb Fairchild.
Early on she was offered Mary’s portrait but decided that she didn’t want that “stern” looking woman over the mantle of her fireplace. Thirty years later she had a change of heart and looked into her genealogy and remembered that old family heirloom. Turns out that Mary Plumb Fairchild was “one of the first women to attend Oberlin College, and an early abolitionist. She died at 29 after giving birth to her fourth child”. Now not accepting the offer of the family portrait is one of her regrets – but the portrait is preserved and hangs in the home of a cousin across the country. (Portrait of Mary Plumb Fairchild is from the article).
We have a wall of old family portraits in our home along the landing at the top of the stairs – much like the walls at Hogwarts in a Harry Potter movie – they are hard to miss. The really oversize family portraits still hang at my uncle’s home in New Hampshire.
If you have early family portraits – be sure to make a digital copy of each one – identify them and post them online. eMail copies to members of your family. You could post them for free at Facebook.com; on Scribd.com or similar sites …. and you can join online genealogy sites like Ancestry.com and post the digital images there. 
But – what do you do if you don’t have a portrait of any of your ancestors?
You could scour the Internet looking to see if a historic image of your relative is already online. You could also search sites like GenealogyToday – a terrific site that regularly posts funeral cards, early printed items and photographs etc.
Another source is old newspapers. I have found thousands of images – photos, etchings of people in 19th & 20th Century newspapers. GenealogyBank is a great source for tracking down old family photos that the family lost track of decades ago.
GenealogyBank adds 100 newspapers from 31 States
GenealogyBank adds 100 newspapers from 31 States – over 3.8 million articles, documents and records.
Alaska
Juneau. Daily Record-Miner. 174 Issues. 1903-02-03 to 1911-04-29
Arizona
Tucson. Fronterizo. 9 Issues. 1892-05-07 to 1892-12-10
Tucson. Tucsonense. 3 Issues. 1920-07-01 to 1922-04-20
Arkansas
Helena. Western Clarion. 2 Issues. 1865-04-08 to 1865-09-23
Hot Springs. *Hot Springs Village Voice. 2008-09-03 to Current
Jonesboro. Jonesboro Evening Sun. 1,976 Issues. 1904-09-03 to 1921-12-14
Little Rock. Arkansas Gazette. 3,354 Issues. 1821-01-06 to 1891-12-11
Russellville. *Courier. 2008-08-23 to Current
California
Colton. Chicano. 2 Issues. 1973-02-08 to 1974-03-07
Los Angeles. Prensa. 177 Issues. 1932-03-06 to 1937-01-02
Sacramento. *Prensa Libre. 15 Issues. 1969-03-21 to 1970-11-12
San Francisco. Mefistofeles. 2 Issues. 1918-04-06 to 1918-07-06
San Francisco. *Voz de Chile y de las Republicas Americanas. 41 Issues. 1867-10-11 to 1868-05-26
San Francisco. Voz del Nuevo Mundo. 2 Issues. 1882-04-29 to 1882-11-18
Colorado
Colorado Springs. Gazette-Telegraph. 501 Issues. 1903-01-01 to 1922-12-02
San Luis. Adobe. 1 Issue. 1978-06-01
Connecticut
New London. New London Daily Chronicle. 3 Issues. 1860-07-02 to 1861-07-13
New London. New London Democrat. 19 Issues. 1845-04-05 to 1852-02-21
Florida
Tampa. *Informacion. 1 Issue. 1858-10-21
Tampa. *Nueva Republica. 2 Issues. 1897-07-24 to 1897-07-31
Tampa. *Revista de Cuba Libre. 5 Issues. 1897-12-25 to 1898-06-11
Idaho
Idaho City. Idaho Register. 1,350 Issues. 1886-09-25 to 1916-10-17
Twin Falls. Twin Falls News. 666 Issues. 1918-04-08 to 1921-12-17
Illinois
Centralia. Centralia Sentinel. 1 Issue. 1865-01-19
Chicago. Vida Latina. 2 Issues. 1953-05-21 to 1960-04-21
Chicago. Vorbote. 88 Issues. 1874-02-28 to 1875-12-25
Iowa
Centerville. *Ad Express & Daily Iowegian. 2008-01-02 to 2008-02-14
Louisiana
New Orleans. Abeja. 1 Issue. 1830-02-19
New Orleans. Times Picayune. 9,277 Issues. 1837-01-25 to 1900-12-28
New Orleans. *Times Picayune. 96 Issues. 1901-01-03 to 1901-07-21
Maryland
Baltimore. Baltimore American. 383 Issues. 1904-01-24 to 1912-02-25
Massachusetts
Boston. Boston Journal. 146 Issues. 1868-07-01 to 1917-10-06
Haverhill. *Observer. 8 Issues. 1833-03-23 to 1835-02-14
Northampton. *Daily Hampshire Gazette. 2008-07-18 to Current
Springfield. *Hampshire Herald. 93 Issues. 1784-07-27 to 1786-09-26
Springfield. Massachusetts Gazette. 17 Issues. 1782-05-14 to 1784-07-20
Springfield. Springfield Republican. 153 Issues. 1886-05-01 to 1891-12-31MA.
Stoughton. Stoughton Sentinel. 8 Issues. 1871-05-13 to 1876-08-26
Michigan Mississippi Greenville. *Delta Democrat. 2002-01-08 to Current Missouri Nebraska New Hampshire New Mexico New York
Ludington. *Ludington Daily News. 1998-02-05 to Current
Kansas City. Kansas City Times. 129 Issues. 1884-05-01 to 1895-10-30
Nebraska City. Daily Nebraska Press. 81 Issues. 1868-08-07 to 1876-12-28
Concord. Republican Gazette. 13 Issues. 1801-02-05 to 1803-04-28
Dover. Phoenix. 5 Issues. 1792-02-08 to 1795-08-22
Las Cruces. Mesilla Valley Bulletin. 6 Issues. 1934-02-02 to 1938-10-21
Santa Fe. Daily New Mexican. 42 Issues. 1871-04-17 to 1874-05-21
Santa Fe. *Weekly New Mexican. 22 Issues. 1919-08-10 to 1920-01-25
Springer. Estandarte de Springer. 3 Issues. 1890-04-03 to 1891-01-15
Las Vegas. Las Vegas Daily Gazette. 26 Issues. 1881-10-09 to 1884-02-29
New York. Albany. Albany Evening Journal. 187 Issues. 1850-06-11 to 1873-01-14
Brooklyn. *Curioso. 23 Issues. 1934-04-07 to 1935-06-01
Brooklyn. Espana Libre. 2 Issues. 1941-04-18 to 1941-10-31
Garden City. *Eco. 1 Issue. 1932-03-01
New York. *Alba de Nueva York. 1 Issue. 1954-03-20
New York. Americana. 1 Issue. 1948-06-01
New York. *Cine Variedades. 3 Issues. 1953-07-21 to 1954-04-21
New York. *Crisol. 1 Issue. 1949-05-28
New York. *Cronica. 1 Issue. 1950-01-04
New York. *Eco de Mundo. 2 Issues. 1960-08-06 to 1960-08-13
New York. *Liberacion. 9 Issues. 1946-05-10 to 1949-04-09
New York. *Mensaje. 3 Issues. 1957-08-25 to 1958-03-25
New York. *Nueva Voz. 8 Issues. 1962-10-01 to 1965-03-01
New York. *Nueva York al Dia. 1 Issue. 1945-05-01
New York. *Prensa. 91 Issues. 1925-05-01 to 1925-08-31
New York. Pueblos Hispanos. 49 Issues. 1943-03-06 to 1944-08-05
New York. *Puerto Rico en Marcha. 4 Issues. 1954-05-21 to 1968-10-21
New York. Puerto Rico y Nueva York. 3 Issues. 1954-05-21 to 1968-10-21
New York. Republican Watch-Tower. 15 Issues. 1800-03-19 to 1810-11-16
New York. *Semanario Hispano. 2 Issues. 1946-03-09 to 1946-05-25
New York. *Seminario. 1 Issue. 1955-12-10
New York. *Voz. 5 Issues. 1960-04-01 to 1962-10-01
Troy. Troy Gazette. 53 Issues. 1802-09-15 to 1808-12-27
North Carolina
Rockingham. *Richmond County Daily Journal. 2003-05-05 to Current
Ohio
Cincinnati. *Cincinnati Commercial Tribune. 121 Issues. 1873-05-01 to 1873-08-31
Cleveland. *Plain-Dealer. 229 Issues. 1914-10-20 to 1920-05-20
Dayton. *Ohio Republican. 63 Issues. 1813-11-01 to 1816-10-02
Ravenna. *Portage County Advocate. 54 Issues. 1854-04-05 to 1855-03-28
Wooster. Wooster Republican. 43 Issues. 1862-12-18 to 1872-12-19
Oklahoma
Duncan. *Duncan Banner. 2008-01-11 to Current
Oregon
Eugene. Oregon State Journal. 268 Issues. 1864-03-12 to 1880-12-25
Pennsylvania
Harrisburg. *Oracle of Dauphin. 67 Issues. 1821-02-03 to 1824-07-17
Rhode Island
Pawtucket. Pawtucket Times. 30 Issues. 1920-03-16 to 1921-02-06
Tennessee
Murfreesboro. *Daily News Journal. 1999-02-12 to Current
Texas
Beaumont. Beaumont Enterprise and Journal. 265 Issues. 1906-03-28 to 1911-09-30
Beaumont. Galveston News. 2 Issues. 1881-09-29 to 1882-10-26
Brownsville. Daily Metropolitan. 30 Issues. 1893-10-22 to 1893-11-30
Brownsville. *Daily Republican. 2 Issues. 1884-09-20 to 1884-09-26
Brownsville. Heraldo de Brownsville. 5 Issues. 1939-04-17 to 1939-11-22
Brownsville. Republican. 38 Issues. 1862-10-09 to 1868-07-16
Cleburne. Cleburne Morning Review. 283 Issues. 7/14/1911 to 12/20/1914
El Paso. Continental. 2 Issues. 1959-07-01 to 1959-08-29
El Paso. Independiente. 1 Issue. 1896-08-07
El Paso. Monitor. 1 Issue. 1897-07-10
San Antonio. Prensa. 540 Issues. 1918-06-10 to 1955-09-20
San Antonio. *Revista Mexicana. 19 Issues. 1919-08-03 to 1919-08-31
Utah
Salt Lake City. Salt Lake Telegram. 1 Issue. 1909-03-20
Salt Lake City. Salt Lake Tribune. 1 Issue. 1877-6-16
Virginia
Richmond. Virginia Argus. 211 Issues. 1799-07-23 to 1814-07-25
Vermont
Putney. Argus. 17 Issues. 1797-03-16 to 1799-02-26
St. Albans. St. Albans Daily Messenger. 1,420 Issues. 1839-05-09 to 1921-11-19
Special Anniversary Savings – Save up to 50% on memberships.
To celebrate its expansion and success over the past two years, GenealogyBank is now offering a 30-day trial for only $9.95 along with membership savings up to 50% after the trial period. Click here and give it a try.
GenealogyBank Adds Over 4 Million Records & Documents
GenealogyBank announced today that over 4 million historical newspapers records and documents from 24 States have been added to its database.
This constantly growing collection now features over 221 million family history records – I estimate that to contain over 1.3 Billion names.
You can search GenealogyBank for free and see a small slice of every record for your ancestors but you must join GenealogyBank to view the complete documents – 30 day trial memberships are available for only $9.95.
Here’s what’s new on the site:
Alaska
Juneau. Daily Alaska Dispatch. 5/1/1917 to 8/31/1917
Alabama
Montgomery. Montgomery Advertiser. 10/1/1912 to 12/31/1912
California
Anderson Valley Post. 5/3/2006 to Current
Connecticut
Bridgeport. Republican Farmer. 1/5/1814 to 12/20/1815
Georgia
Cordele. Cordele Dispatch. 11/14/2007 to Current
Savannah. Savannah Tribune. 12/4/1875 to 12/27/1913
Illinois
Danville. Commercial News. 11/6/2007 to Current
Massachusetts
Boston. Boston Journal. 7/1/1880 to 10/6/1917
Boston. Daily Atlas. 7/1/1841 to 4/11/1857
Lowell. Lowell Daily Citizen and News. 3/21/1857 to 1/24/1879
Springfield. Springfield Republican. 5/17/1900 to 11/15/1910
Worcester. Worcester Daily Spy. 7/6/1903 to 9/22/1903
Maryland
Baltimore. Baltimore American. 9/1/1917 to 12/31/1922
Baltimore Sun. 7/1/1847 to 1/3/1848
Maine
Portland. Portland Daily Advertiser. 1/1/1863 to 6/30/1863
Minnesota
St. Paul. St. Paul Daily Pioneer. 9/23/1854 to 4/12/1855
Missouri
Hannibal. Missouri Courier. 1/18/1849 to 2/17/1853
St. Louis. St. Louis Republic. 10/1/1889 to 4/30/1900
Montana
Anaconda. Anaconda Standard. 1/2/1898 to 4/30/1915
Nevada
Ely. Ely Times. 10/10/2007 to Current
New Hampshire
Portsmouth. Portsmouth Journal of Literature & Politics. 6/2/1838 to 12/31/1842
New Jersey
Bridgeton. Washington Whig. 1/7/1821 to 12/27/1822
New Mexico
Albuquerque. Albuquerque Journal. 9/1/1910 to 12/31/1910
Gallup. Gallup Independent. 10/11.2007 to Current
New York
New York Herald. 8/1/1858 to 12/31/1858
North Carolina
Halifax. North Carolina Journal. 1/2/1797 to 9/11/1797
Ohio
Ashtabula. Star Beacon. 10/20/2007 to Current
Oklahoma
Altus. Altus Times. 1/14/2008 to Current
Bartlesville. Bartlesville Examiner Enterprise. 10/18/2007 to Current
Knight. Frontier Index. 4/14/1868 to 4/14/1868
Oklahoma City. Daily Oklahoman. 5/1/1913 to 6/30/1913
Pauls Valley. Pauls Valley Daily Democrat. 9/8/2007 to current
Oregon
Portland. Oregonian. 8/8/1920 to 8/29/1920
Pennsylvania
Philadelphia. North American. 1/1/1845 to 6/30/1879
West Virginia
Bluefield. Bluefield Daily Telegraph. 12/28/2007 to Current
Fairmont. Times West Virginian. 1/11/2008 to Current
Logan. Logan Banner. 7/8/2007 to Current
And more – big news is on the way! Stay tuned.
Newspapers are terrific!
Newspapers are terrific! They give us the real details of our ancestor’s lives.
This week I found an article about the estate sale for my first cousin, Thomas Huse (1742/43-1816).
It was published in the Newburyport (MA) Herald, 16 July 1816.
Everything was being sold – his household effects; a covered sleigh; ox cart, an ox wagon; an eight day clock, a share certificate in the Merrimack Bridge, a grindstone and various tools.
It would be great to have these items as family heirlooms.
Was that “eight day clock” a Grandfather clock? Apparently most “eight day clocks” in that day were Grandfather or banjo clocks.
My Grandfather Huse made a banjo clock that still hangs in my uncle’s home in New Hampshire. Who knows, maybe Thomas Huse made the clock that was sold in his estate sale.
Thomas Huse owned a share of the Merrimack Bridge – that was one of the first suspension bridges built in America. The original was built in 1792 and it was replaced in 1810 with a wrought iron suspension bridge designed by Judge James Finley.
Thomas didn’t live long enough to see it, but eleven years after his death, February 6, 1827, the bridge collapsed under the weight of six oxen and two horses that were pulling a cart “loaded with wood” across the bridge.
The animals, wood and the two drivers all went into the water. Only the two drivers and horses survived. Who knew that oxen were so heavily used in early Newburyport.
See: Essex (MA) Register 8 Feb 1827. There are also articles describing the collapse of the bridge and the bridge that was built to replace it.
I think of my family and ancestors as “regular” people and I don’t expect to find them mentioned in newspapers but now that I’ve found hundreds of articles about them, I see how “local” papers used to be.
These old newspapers show us clearly who they were and how they lived their lives. You just can’t find this level of detail in any other source – newspapers are a terrific tool for genealogists.
GenealogyBank has over 2,400 historical newspapers from the 1600s to today. Give GenealogyBank a try (click here) right now.
Be sure to take advantage of GenealogyBank’s special price: only $69.95 for an annual subscription – but hurry, this special ends soon.
It’s a great day for genealogy!
