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From Africa to America
People of Color South
In Old
Tennessee
 
 

Newspapers As Genealogical Research Tool
A Step by Step Guide

by Sandra G. Craighead
Presented before the African-American Genealogical Society,
Cleveland, Ohio on November 18, 1995

 Reprinted with permission

  1. Determine and list geographical area of research
    1. name of state and county
    2. name of city or town or township
  1. Determine what time periods you wish to research for each geographical area

    2. ( i.e. 1880-1900 or 1901-1910 or 1920-1925)
  1. Determine what newspapers existed in that area in that time period.
    1. List as many titles as possible.
    2. Call or write the public library in the county seat of the county you are researching.
    3. Call the local newspaper presently existing -- their staff historian usually will know the titles of their predecessors and competitors; also the current newspaper may have existed for many years under a succession of different titles
    4. Call or write the genealogical or historical society in each county being researched and request the titles of historical newspapers(newspapers which existed about 50 years ago, but are now extinct) and years duration of publication
    5. Call the local Chamber of Commerce and state your request. If they don't have the titles in a Chamber publication, they will refer you to citizens in the county who would know the titles.
    6. Obtain a history for each county being researched -- they almost always list a number of newspaper titles for their county and their duration. County histories may be obtained through the Interlibrary Loan Department of your local library.
    7. Check the Newspaper Index in the Western Reserve Historical Society Collection
    8. Go to "General Reference Division" at the Downtown Public Library and locate the following sources if you do not have a computer and are not "on-line" to access the "Internet" or you do not know how to use a computer. A library assistant will also help you locate these sources:
      1. OCLC (On-line Computer Library Center database)USNP National Union List (4th Edition)
      2. Ayer's Newspaper Directory 1880-1994
      3. Rowell's Directories from 1867-1912
      4. Standard Periodical Index from 1967-1994
      5. Editor and Publisher Yearbook (1935-1993)
      6. Gregory's American Newspapers 1821-1936:A Union List
      7. Newspapers in Microform (1983 Edition) by the Library of Congress
      8. Gale's Directory of Media Publications
      9. The National Union Catalog
      10. Listings for African-American newspapers:
        1. Bibliographic Checklist of African-American Newspapers by Barbara K. Henritze;
        2. Negro Newspapers on Microfilm
        3. Checklist of Negro Newspapers in the U.S. 1827- 1946 by Warren Brown;
        4. Blacks in Selected Newspapers, Census and Other Sources: An Index to Names and Subjects by James de T. Abajian;
        5. Antebellum Black Newspapers: Indices to NY Freedom's Journal 1827-1929, Weekley Advocate 1837, and The Colored American 1837- 1841 by Donald Jacobs;
        6. Black Newspaper Index and also called Index to Black Newspapers by University Microfilm
  1. Once you have newspaper titles and their duration dates, you proceed to locate repositories for existing copies which most likely will be on microfilm
    1. Some of the above listed sources will indicate what institutions possesses the newspapers you wish to research and what issues are available -- some will not
    2. Call General Reference at the Library and give them the titles you wish to obtain and they will give you the newspapers' OCLC number. Ask to be transferred to their Inter-Library Loan Department.
    3. Give the Inter-Library Loan clerk the titles and OCLC numbers you wish ordered and names of institutions which have the issues. If you do not know which institutions have them, the clerk will look them up for you and attempt to borrow the newspaper s on microfilm for you. In 3-4 weeks you will receive a postcard notifying you if your film is in or if it could not be obtained through Interlibrary Loan.
    4. The Inter-Library Loan clerk will attempt to order your film at 5 institutions at a time, repeating the process if all 5 institutions refuse to loan out the film If the Inter-Library Loan Department fails to obtain the microfilm, do the following: 
      1. Write the Head Librarian of the libraries/institutions refusing to loan out the film and explain your project, the titles of the newspapers you need and make a personal appeal that an exception be made -- this has been known to work.
      2. Purchase a copy of the microfilm from the institution which refuses to loan it out. Rates vary, but the average microfilm duplication costs for 16 mm film is $15-25 per roll and for 35 mm film $25-45 per roll.
      3. Hire a local* researcher to research the desired microfilm for you. Librarians usually have a list of names and telephone numbers of people who do this for a living or are retired and do this to supplement their retirement income. The fees vary ($5 an hour to $40) and there is no guarantee as to their competency, efficiency or thoroughness.Proceed with caution.
      4. Call one of the local high-schools and ask for a senior-class counselor. Explain your project and your desire to hire a student who is especially scholarly, mature and would find this research project interesting, challenging and would accept minimum wage in payment.
      5. If you have relatives in the town of the library which has the film you wish to research, but can't interest them in doing this research for you, determine if they can borrow the microfilm for you. Some libraries will loan out microfilm to local library patrons or residents of the State, such as the policy at the Tennessee State Archives in Nashville. Have your relative borrow the microfilm you want and mail it to you.
      6. Visit the institution and research the microfilm yourself. You are the best person to do your research. A week's vacation spent at the state archive or library may yield some of your most treasured discoveries!
      * "Local" refers to the location of the institution/library which owns the microfilm you need.

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