Newspaper Searches

On By mcphilbrickIn Currey, Ohio

Have you searched newspapers for your ancestors? If so, have you ever done a search for a time period outside of their lifespan?

While trying to ‘clean’ up my citations for Hiram Mirick Currey of early Ohio, I came across a citation from the book, Pioneer Ohio Newspapers, 1793-1810. According to my notes, ‘Rev. Hiram Miram Curry will preach a sermon after the Masonic oration.’ Hoping to find the original article, I started looking in newspapers.

While I haven’t found the original article, my ‘generic’ search for Curry in Ohio newspapers turned up some wonderful articles that appeared in newspapers well after his death.

Some of these articles were written as ‘anniversary’ articles.

“Church reaches 150th year,” The Newark Advocate (Newark, Ohio), 24 October 1975, page 8; digital images, Newspapers.com (www.newspapers.com : viewed online 8 September 2023).
“Since 1873,” The Urbana Daily Citizen (Urbana, Ohio), 13 April 1948, page 2; digital images, Newspapers.com (www.newspapers.com : viewed online 8 September 2023).

Others were ‘reprints’ of information found in the county histories. Since Hiram Curry was a minister, many of these ‘reprints’ refer to marriages that he performed, Not only did I find several of these marriages, but I also found the information for one of his daughters, Rachel Currey who married Samuel Colvor.

“History of Champaign County, Ohio,” Urbana Union (Urbana, Ohio), 31 July 1867, page 3; digital images, Newspapers.com (www.newspapers.com : viewed online 8 September 2023).

Since Hiram M. Curry was fairly famous in early Ohio, I expected to find articles during his lifetime. I did not expect to find this wealth of articles in more recent papers. I was particularly surprised by the articles recounting the early marriages in Champaign county.

While I may not try such a broad search for more common names, these results do show that such searching can prove beneficial.

  • “Solons of the Past,” The Urbana Daily Citizen (Urbana, Ohio), 26 March 1889, page 2; digital images, Newspapers.com (www.newspapers.com : viewed online 8 September 2023).
  • “Marriages in Champaign County 1805,” Urbana Citizen and Gazette (Urbana, Ohio), 20 January 1881, page 1; digital images, Newspapers.com (www.newspapers.com : viewed online 8 September 2023).
  • “History of Champaign County, Ohio,” Urbana Union (Urbana, Ohio), 11 December 1867, page 3; digital images, Newspapers.com (www.newspapers.com : viewed online 8 September 2023).
  • “Ohio Sketches,” Springfield News-Sun (Springfield, Ohio), 18 March 1929, page 4; digital edition, Newspapers.com (www.newspapers.com : viewed online 8 September 2023).
  • “John Boggs Owned All of DeGraff Area in 1805,” Sidney Daily News (Sidney, Ohio), 19 May 1950, page 8; digital images, Newspapers.com (www.newspapers.com : viewed online 8 September 2023).
  • “Church reaches 150th year,” The Newark Advocate (Newark, Ohio), 24 October 1975, page 8; digital images, Newspapers.com (www.newspapers.com : viewed online 8 September 2023).
  • “History of Harmony Lodge No. 8, F. & A. M.,” Urbana Citizen and Gazette (Urbana, Ohio), 2 August 1877, page 3; digital images, Newspapers.com (www.newspapers.com : viewed online 8 September 2023).
  • “The Centennial History of Ohio,” Democratic Northwest and Henry County News (Napoleon, Ohio), 12 January 1888, page 2; digital images, Newspapers.com (www.newspapers.com : viewed online 8 September 2023).
  • “History of Champaign County Ohio,” Urbana Union (Urbana, Ohio), 15 May 1867, page 3; digital images, Newspapers.com (www.newspapers.com : viewed online 8 September 2023).
  • “History of Champaign County, Ohio,” Urbana Union (Urbana, Ohio), 4 December 1867, page 3; digital images, Newspapers.com (www.newspapers.com : viewed online 8 September 2023).
  • “History of Champaign County, Ohio,” Urbana Union (Urbana, Ohio), 31 July 1867, page 3; digital images, Newspapers.com (www.newspapers.com : viewed online 8 September 2023).
  • “Stories from Old Ohio,” The Sandusky Register (Sandusky, OH), 27 December 1934, page 4; Newspapers.com (www.newspapers.com : viewed online 8 September 2023).
  • “Since 1873,” The Urbana Daily Citizen (Urbana, Ohio), 13 April 1948, page 2; digital images, Newspapers.com (www.newspapers.com : viewed online 8 September 2023).

2 thoughts on “Newspaper Searches”

  1. Yes, I have searched outside of the dates when my ancestors lived for the reasons you cite. I too found church histories shared in local papers that mention my ‘Deacon’ or ‘Preacher’ ancestors. As well as mentions of those who served in the military, were local leaders, or founders. Also, there was a time when newspapers had a regular genealogy feature, many included inquiries, and the (much fewer) answers to the queries. Thanks for sharing this and encouraging researchers to think outside the lifespan.

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