Friday Funny - A Census Chuckle!

Marysville Tribune, 13 January 1851,
page 4, column 1; Ohio Historical Society,
microfilm 46242.

"Census Anecdote.

'What is your age, miss?' inquired a gallant marshal of a young lady about sixty, in the — district, the other day.

'What's that to you, Mr. Impertinence?' said the fair one, drawing up and exhibiting a formidable chevaux de frieze of broken teeth.

It is a very unpleasant question but it must be asked. What age shall I place you at? twenty, I should think.

'Yes,' said the old girl, completely molified, 'I think I was twenty last spring,' and the gratified damsel invited our friend to take a glass of wine and call again before he left town."

© 2012 Denise Spurlock, Ancestral Trees Research

Tuesday's Tip - Newspapers Can Provide Data Missing from Records

Historical newspapers can provide information about events that are missing from the record books. For example, if you have a marriage license, but no return, check the local newspapers to see if a marriage announcement was printed (click here for an example from my own family). In small town papers, you may find other useful information; in city papers, there may only be the names of the bride and groom with the date of marriage.

© 2012 Denise Spurlock, Ancestral Trees Research

Tuesday's Tip - Finding the Obituary

I didn't find David Franklin's obituary for a long time. Why? Because I was using the year of death as part of my search criteria. David died on 29 December 1932; his obituary was not published until 5 January 1933.

Since many of the smaller newspapers were weekly or biweekly, it could be several weeks after a death before an obituary was published.

Lesson learned: If your ancestor died in December, the obituary may not be published until January!



© 2012 Denise Spurlock, Ancestral Trees Research