Genealogists lament women being named as “Mrs. Husbandfirst Husbandlast” in records without their first name being used. Complaining about newspaper practices from 100 years ago will not change how those items appear in the original newspaper. Researchers simply need to work around the challenges. One problem with these references is that the genealogist needs to make certain to which Mrs. the reference is being made. Cecil Wetzel of Hancock County, Illinois, had two wives. The second was my aunt. The first was an individual to whom I am not related. I need to keep their marriage date in mind when searching for newspapers so I know to which woman “Mrs. Cecil Wetzel” is referring. Don’t assume that “Mrs. Hisname Hisothername” is always referencing the same woman. It may […]
Going through the expenses listed in your relative’s probate may give insight into their life and may also suggest additional places to look for information. This list of 1924 expenses for the late Heipke Dirks of Coatsburg, Illinois, mentions a newspaper subscription, a “church subscription,” a publishing company, the “Good Shepherd Home,” and the pastor who gave her funeral. Searching for more information on these people and organizations may prove fruitful. GoogleBooks (books.google.com) and other sites of digitized print materials may provide some additional information on some of the items or people mentioned, particularly if county or local histories are included. Local newspapers would also be a good place to look for more information as well. Heipke’s subscription to the Ostfriesische Nachrichten also suggests that her obituary may […]
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