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Finding Bion Whitehouse: How Initials Can Help Your Ancestry Search

Illustration: a researcher using a computer

I have been looking at my Whitehouse cousins of Keene, New Hampshire, this week and was wrapping up the details of Bion Huntley Whitehouse (1858-1929) and his wife Mabel Medora (Wilder) Whitehouse (1871-1938).

In looking at GenealogyBank’s Historical Newspaper Archives, I searched using his first and last name: Bion Whitehouse. I found a handful of newspaper articles, including this one that stated he was elected secretary of the Masonic lodge: Eureka Lodge No. 9, Order of the Golden Lion in 1891.

New Hampshire Sentinel (Keene, New Hampshire), 4 February 1891, page 4

Another article reported that he “is taking a ten days’ trip about Sunapee Lake.”

New Hampshire Sentinel (Keene, New Hampshire), 5 August 1891, page 4

And this one stated that he “has bought the Amos Ross place near Wilson pond, West Keene.”

New Hampshire Sentinel (Keene, New Hampshire), 18 December 1889, page 4

On a hunch, I searched for Bion again in GenealogyBank – but this time I searched using his initials with his last name instead of using his first name.

Source: GenealogyBank.com

I am glad that I did.

By searching on this variation of his name I found the obituary of his first wife – information that I didn’t have.

New Hampshire Sentinel (Keene, New Hampshire), 9 April 1890, page 8

Genealogy Tip: Be sure you discover all of the articles about your relatives. An extra search, such as using only their initials, can sometimes yield critical information for documenting your family tree.

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