Have you ever sat in front of a microfilm reader, hand on the crank, slowly scrolling through page after page of newspapers in hopes of finding a single mention of your family? Before digitized newspapers and searchable databases, that was simply part of genealogy research. Hours could be spent turning that crank, scanning headlines and columns, hoping to spot a familiar name.
Today, many of us are spoiled by the convenience of online newspapers. A quick search can locate an obituary or article in seconds. But when I first began researching my family history, newspapers were not digitized. If I wanted to find something, I had to do it the old-fashioned way — one frame of microfilm at a time.
Today’s “Friday Find” is one of the handwritten notes I made during those hours at the microfilm reader. The note preserves a brief death notice for Lida Anita Lighter, daughter of Washington Marion Crawford and Mary (Foster) Crawford. Lida was my great-grandaunt and had lived in Dodge City since 1884.
I found this notice in the Dodge City Journal, 29 December 1945, page 7. While the notice is short, it still provides valuable details, including her age, residence, and the names of two brothers.
Below is the transcription of that notice.
Deaths
“Lida Anita Lighter, 74, resident of Dodge City since 1884, sister of J. F. Crawford and Nelson Crawford died Dec. 13.”