Front Page News

#SaturdayNightGenealogyFun

This week’s Saturday Night Genealogy Fun writing prompt is to find the front page headlines for one’s birthdate from a local newspaper.

Instead of doing this for myself, I am going to do it for my grandparents since their birthdates are public information.

As I am working on this project, I am very thankful for my Kansas roots. From its early history, the Kansas Historical Society has preserved many of the local newspapers. Many of those same newspapers have been digitized by the historical society or local library.

Thus, locating this information is relatively easy. For this project, I’m using Newspapers.com. Since I’m working with my grandparents, I’m looking for the following:

• 6 Feb 1894 in Newton where my grandfather was born or Dodge City where the family lived most of his life (Harvey and Ford Counties)
• 30 Jun 1903 in Lansing or Leavenworth (Leavenworth County)
• 21 Jun 1891 in Burington or LeRoy (Coffey County)
• 28 Mar 1896 in Yates Center or Neosho Falls (Woodson County)

Instead of searching Newspapers.com, I’m gong to use the ‘Papers’ menu to search for newspapers printed on the date in my desired location. Thus, I’m going to put the town in the ‘Narrow by Newspaper Title’ search box and the date in the ‘Enter a Date or Range’ search box. When I click on the UPDATE button, Newspapers.com shows the papers available for that location with a date range that includes my desired date.

Since I have used these papers in the past, I know that there are also papers with the county name and not the city name. Thus, I can repeat the search for the county.

I opened each of the potential papers in a new tab. Even though I entered the exact date, the search only used the year. Thus, it is possible to have a newspaper in the results that does include newspapers published in the year – but not in the month I need.

Since many of these papers were weekly papers, I likely won’t find a local paper for the exact day my grandparent was born.

Thus, I’m going to work with the first paper found in the family’s community that was printed after the birth of my grandparent.

Leon Crawford – 6 Feb 1894

• “Closing Out Sale at the New York Store” 1/4 page ad at top of first page with W. J. Fitzgerald identified as the receiver. The name of the store is NOT given, nor is any address included in the ad. Dodge City Democrat, February 10, 1894
• “Washington Gossip” Dodge City Democrat, February 10, 1894
• “They Want Revenge” Dodge City Democrat, February 10, 1894
• “Real Estate Moving: Houston, Texas, Rapidly Coming tot he Front – The Real estate Market Active,” The Newton Semi-Weekly Journal (Newton, Kansas), 9 Feb 1894
• “Elections Law: The Senate Passes the House Bill Unchanged,” The Newton Semi-Weekly Journal (Newton, Kansas), 9 Feb 1894
• “Snider Acts: Threatens Orrin T. Welch with Imprisonment” The Newton Semi-Weekly Journal (Newton, Kansas), 9 Feb 1894.
• “Bland’s Bill: It Is Taken Up by the House after Much Difficulty,” Newton Daily Republican (Newton, Kansas), 9 Feb 1894.
• “U. P. Employes: Judge Riner of the United States Court Offers a Suggestion,” Newton Daily Republican (Newton, Kansas), 9 Feb. 1894.
• “A Diabolical Deed: Bandits Wreck a Train Near Houston,” Newton Daily Republican (Newton, Kansas), 9 Feb 1894.
• “Chicago’s Fish Supply,” Newton Daily Republican (Newton, Kansas), 9 Feb 1894.

Winnie Currey – 30 Jun 1903

• “Additional Locals,” The Lansing News (Lansing, Kansas), 3 Jul 1903.
• “King-Campbell Wedding,” The Lansing News (Lansing, Kansas) 3 Jul 1903.
• “Prison News,” The Lansing News (Lansing, Kansas), 3 Jul 1903.
• “Iowa Republican Convention Opens,” The Evening Standard (Leavenworth, Kansas), 1 Jul 1903.
• “Hans’ Wyrick Badly Injured,” The Evening Standard (Leavenworth, Kansas), 1 Jul 1903.
• “Julius Sawacski Is Dismissed by Court: The Wrong Allegation Had Been Made,” The Evening Standard (Leavenworth, Kansas), 1 Jul 1903.
• “N’Nutt and Meeker Trials Tomorrow,” The Evening Standard (Leavenworth, Kansas), 1 Jul 1903.
• “Last of the Dewey Testimony Yesterday,” The Leavenworth Times (Leavenworth, Kansas), 1 Jul 1903.
• Eddie Hanlon and Benny Yanger Draw: Was a Fierce Fight from the Start,” The Leavenworth Times (Leavenworth, Kansas), 1 Jul 1903.
• “Many Miners Buried in a Mine Explosion: Over Two Hundred Lives Were Lost,” The Leavenworth Times (Leavenworth, Kansas), 1 Jul 1903.

Edward Osmond Briles – 21 Jun 1891

• “Stop and Read: What the New Store Has to Say,” (1/4 page ad) The Courier (Burlington, Kansas), 26 Jun 1891.
• “Over the County: A Large Grist of News from our Rustling Correspondents,” The Courier (Burlington, Kansas), 26 Jun 1891.
• “News of the Week: Gleaned by Telegraph and Mail,” Burlington Independent (Burlington, Kansas), 26 Jun 1891.
• “Kansas State News,” Burlington Independent (Burlington, Kansas), 26 Jun 1891.
• “The War in Chili,” Burlington Independent (Burlington, Kansas), 26 Jun 1891.
• “McDonald Dead,” Burlington Independent (Burlington, Kansas), 26 Jun 1891.
• “Spring Weather Calls for Spring Footwear: Chas, Kahnt & Co., (advertisement),” Burlington Republican (Burlington, Kansas), 26 Jun 1891
• Buy Grain: Woodford Brothers, (advertisement),” Burlington Republican (Burlington, Kansas), 26 Jun 1891.
• “To Young Men: Able Appeal to Young Men by Rev. T. DeWitt Talmage,” Burlington Republican (Burlington, Kansas), 26 Jun 1891.
• “Shot Down: Col. S. N. wood Killed in a Court Room,” Burlington Republican (Burlington, Kansas), 26 Jun 1891.
• “McDonald Dead,” Burlington Republican (Burlington, Kansas), 26 Jun 1891.
• “Furious Storms: Damage Caused by Storms in Various Parts of the County,” Burlington Republican (Burlington, Kansas), 26 Jun 1891.
• “Kansas State News,” Burlington Republican (Burlington, Kansas), 26 Jun 1891.
• “News of the Week: Gleaned by Telegraph and Mail,” Le Roy Reporter (Le Roy, Kansas), 26 Jun 1891.
• “Kansas State News,” Le Roy Reporter (Le Roy, Kansas), 26 Jun 1891.
• “The War in Chili,” Le Roy Reporter (Le Roy, Kansas), 26 Jun 1891.
• “McDonald Dead,” Le Roy Reporter (Le Roy, Kansas), 26 Jun 1891.
• “Silver Advocates,” Le Roy Reporter (Le Roy, Kansas), 26 Jun 1891.
• “A Young Deluge,” Le Roy Reporter (Le Roy, Kansas), 26 Jun 1891.

Pauline Mentzer – 28 Mar 1896

• “Notice: About two more weeks remains to close out my stock (large ad by Sam Bukofzer),” Woodson County Advocate (Yates Center, Kansas), 3 Apr 1896.
• “Spring Arrivals: Stockebrand & Stockebrand (large ad),” Woodson County Advocate (Yates Center, Kansas), 3 Apr 1896.
• “Subsoiling in Greenwood County,” Woodson County Advocate (Yates Center, Kansas), 3 Apr 1896.
• “Botkin’s Case,” Woodson County Advocate (Yates Center, Kansas), 3 Apr 1896.
• “One Farmer’s Pluck,” Woodson County Advocate (Yates Center, Kansas), 3 Apr 1896.
• “Sunday School Convention,” Woodson County Advocate (Yates Center, Kansas), 3 Apr 1896.
• 1/2 page of advertising, Yates Center News (Yates Center, Kansas), 3 Apr 1896.
• “Editorial Notes,” Yates Center News (Yates Center, Kansas), 3 Apr 1896.
• “A Mortgage Ruling,” Yates Center News (Yates Center, Kansas), 3 Apr 1896.
• “Heart of the World, by H. Rider Haggard,” The Neosho Falls Post (Neosho Falls, Kansas), 3 Apr 1896.
• “Annual Assignments: Southwest Kansas M. E. Conference Stations the Preachers for Next Year,” The Neosho Falls Post (Neosho Falls, Kansas), 3 Apr 1896.
• “Our Currency: Secretary Smith and ex-speaker Crips Meet in Debate,” The Neosho Falls Post (Neosho Falls, Kansas), 3 Apr 1896.
• “Congress,” The Neosho Falls Post (Neosho Falls, Kansas), 3 Apr 1896.
• “Mail Subsidies: A Sharp Debate Occurs Over Extending System,” The Neosho Falls Post (Neosho Falls, Kansas), 3 Arp 1896.
• “Kansas State News,” The Neosho Falls Post (Neosho Falls, Kansas), 3 Apr 1896.

Even with this abundance of local newspapers, a search of Newspapers.com for birth announcements only turns up one such announcement.

Born

To Mr. and Mrs. J. Crawford of Allison street, a son.

“Born,” Newton Daily Republican (Newton, Kansas) 9 Feb 1894

Even though looking at the front pages of these papers was informative, I prefer to search the wealth of family information that can be found in these local papers.