Microfilm

Do you remember microfilm? Do you remember hand cranking the film to get to what you wanted to read? Or, do you remember the long row of microfilm cabinets storing all of that film.

If you have been lucky enough to venture to the Family History Library in Salt Lake or some of the other major genealogical libraries you may have even recently used microfilm.

But have you recently used microfilm to ‘read’ a newspaper? Living in Kansas, I have benefited from the large collection of newspapers in the collection of the Kansas State Historical Society. While I have had the opportunity to read some of those old newspapers in print, most of their collection is on microfilm. With the advent of digitization of newspapers, the historical society has digitized their holding thru 1923 on Newspapers.com. (See: Kansas Digital Newspapers)

While they are working to get newer editions digitized, copyright restrictions are limiting some of that work. Thus, their microfilm holdings are still an important resource.

My husband was recently ‘reading’ a roll of microfilm of the Kensington Mirror from 1948 looking for articles regarding his parents, their siblings and families. In the process, he came across several ‘articles’ regarding CURREY family members. Knowing that my great grandfather was a CURREY, he clipped several of those articles and shared them with me.

One of those clippings was an obituary for James Hiram Currey who died in Kensington, Kansas in 1949.

James Hiram Currey
James Hiram Currey, only son of a family of seven children, was born to Enos and Catherine Currey at Galley’s Landing. Perry county, Indiana, on September 11, 1876, and departed this life at his home in Kensington. Kans , February 12, 1948. after an illness of several years, at the age of 71 years, 5 months and 1 day Preceding him in death are, his father and mother, and three sisters, Alice Bennett, Molly Hobison and Bell Smull.

At the age of five, with his parents, they moved to Mowesqua, Illinois. Two years later. they, by covered wagon, came to Kansas, location on a farm southwest of Ce[d]ar, living there until April 18 1905. with the exception of four years spent in Smith Center, attending school.

August 20, 1902, be was united in marriage to Marie Landman, and a few years later moved to the farm of half mile east of Claudell, Kansas, which was his home for forty one years. After retiring from the farm two years ago, he had made his home in Kensington.

A kind and loving father, he leaves to mourn: His wife, Mrs James Currey; three daughters, Hilda Van Dewege of Almens, Christine Kusel of Smith Center, and Margaret Currey of the home; four sons, James Currey Jr of Claudell, Enos Currey of Kensington, Lenole Currey of Kirwin, Carl Currey of Greeley. Colo.; three sisters, Corda Jones of Fairview, OK,  Grace Plerrard of Drakesville, Iowa, and Kate Smith of Willow Springs, Mo ; eight grandchildren; other relatives and a host of friends.

During bis span of life he became a member of the Kensington Methodist Church and the Masonic and Royal Arch Lodges of Kirwin.

Funeral services were held from the Methodist Church Sunday after noon in charge of  W. Carl Greene of Stockton, assisted by Rev Bishop of the local church and Rev. Wyley of Kirwin. The burial service at the Cedar Cemetery, was in charge of the Kirwin Masonic Lodge assisted by members of the local Lodge.

James Hiram Currey is a second cousin four times removed to me. I believe our common ancestor is Thomas Currey of Adams County, Ohio. James’ line goes thru Thomas’ son William C. Currey and his wife Hannah Adkins while my line goes thru Hiram Mirick Currey and his wife Sarah Reagan. Since I tend to research descendants of my ancestors, I happen to have James Hiram Currey in my RootsMagic file.

Thanks to my husband, I now have an obituary to add as a source for James Hiram Currey.

While hmy husband’s file name included the name of the paper and date of the paper, it did not include the microfilm number – or – even any indication that the image came from microfilm. After verifying that the image was from a microfilm copy of the paper, I used the Kansas State Historical Society’s search of their newspaper database to figure out the number for the roll of microfilm.

Since the name of the file was “KS_KensingtonMIrror_1948-2 Feb 19_p1_Jams HIramCurrey.pdf”, I knew the obituary was found in the 1948 issue of the Kensington Mirror. Thus, it was on roll number K 830.

I then used my RootsMagic program and the source templates to add a source for the microfilm version of the Kensington Mirror.

Once my source was created, I then added the information from this clipping.

That created the following citation for the source:

“James Hiram Currey”, Kensington Mirror, (Kensington, Kansas), 19 February 1948, Page 1, microfilm K 830; Kansas State Historical Society, Topeka, Kansas.

Now that I have the clipping cited in RootsMagic, I can add it along with the image to the profile for James Hiram Currey on FamilySearch.

While many don’t take advantage of these newspapers because they are on microfilm, they contain a wealth of family information.