Newspapers frequently used specialized, euphemistic, or era-specific language when reporting births, infants, young children, adoptions, milestones, and early-life events. Understanding these phrases helps genealogists interpret announcements, society news, accident reports, hospital notes, church columns, and family notices. The tables in the Quicksheet list historically common terms seen in newspapers, what they meant, and how they […]
Category: QuickSheets
Coroner’s records and inquest files provide some of the most revealing details about sudden, unexpected, or unexplained deaths. These records can identify relatives, neighbors, employers, residences, and social networks, and often describe events that never appear in other sources. By understanding the structure and terminology of coroner investigations, genealogists can uncover valuable clues that help […]
Although passenger lists get all the attention, many immigrants appear in newspapers long before or long after their actual arrival. These “non-passenger” references are often richer and more revealing than the manifest itself. Article types and possible genealogical clues are included in the Quicksheet. Download the Quicksheet PDF To obtain a four-page Quicksheet PDF of […]
Many small-town and rural newspapers — especially from the 1800s through the 1930s — have no name index, weak OCR, or scans that are incomplete.But these papers are also where the richest genealogical gold lives: everyday life, community networks, small announcements, and details never printed in big city papers. This Quicksheet gives you the strategy-first […]
From 1800–1940, newspapers rarely used the modern phrases we search for today (“died,” “death notice,” “obituary”).Instead, editors relied on poetic, religious, euphemistic, or socially coded language to announce deaths, funerals, and mourning rituals.Understanding these historical expressions helps genealogists uncover death-related articles even when names weren’t directly indexed or when common search terms return nothing. These […]
Local histories are one of the most overlooked resources in genealogy — but they often contain more narrative detail about ancestors than official records. Small-town histories, county historical volumes, centennial celebration books, and community anniversary publications were written to document local people, families, events, and achievements. Because many were produced for a town’s 50th, 75th, […]
Between the mid-19th and early 20th centuries, newspapers used a wide vocabulary to describe marriage and engagement events. Many of these phrases did not include the literal word “married” — which means traditional searches often miss them. This Quicksheet has a large variety of marriage and engagement terms that help you to home in on […]
Business advertisements and trade notices were often the only printed records of small shops, family firms, or self-employed craftsmen. These seemingly routine ads provide valuable genealogical detail — names, partnerships, occupations, and sometimes even reasons for a business closing or changing hands. Phrases like “successor to,” “late of,” “retiring from trade,” or “estate of” can […]
Auction and estate sale notices were a public record of change — death, debt, relocation, or transition. When property, belongings, or livestock were sold, a legal announcement followed in the local newspaper. These notices often list names, addresses, property details, and even relationships, making them a goldmine for genealogists who read between the lines. Download […]
When your ancestor disappears from the records, don’t look for a stranger — look next door. Neighbors appear again and again in censuses, deeds, newspapers, and probate files. They often migrated together, intermarried, and served as witnesses or executors. Tracking the families around your ancestor builds a community map that can expose hidden kinship links […]