As the new year begins, genealogists and family historians are setting resolutions to deepen their research, uncover family stories, and preserve their legacies. Whether you’re a seasoned researcher or just beginning your family history journey, online newspapers are a goldmine for discovering the untold stories of your ancestors.
Here’s how you can make online newspaper research a key part of your 2025 family history New Year’s resolutions:
1. Research One Family Member Each Month
Instead of feeling overwhelmed by your entire family tree, commit to focusing on one ancestor each month. Start by creating a timeline of their life events, then search newspapers around those dates. Look for birth announcements, marriage notices, obituaries, and mentions in local news. You might be surprised to find your great-grandmother’s high school graduation announcement or your grandfather’s little league baseball victory.
Resolution: Write at least one detailed family story each month.
How to Start:
- Collect clippings that connect to your ancestor.
- Organize them chronologically or thematically.
- Write a short narrative using the newspaper details, blending facts with your reflections.
Reflection Point: Have you thought about how to tie newspaper clippings into a story? Consider practicing with a single article to build your confidence. Here’s an example of a story from a book I compiled that included all newspaper clippings for my great-grandfather: An Incredible Life Cut Tragically Short.
2. Try Advanced Search Techniques
Mastering advanced search techniques can uncover hidden records, and adding filters can refine your results.
Resolution: Expand your skills in newspaper research.
How to Start:
- Learn the advanced search features of your chosen newspaper archive. If you use NewspaperArchive, we have an Advanced Search video on our YouTube channel that explains the different features and filters available.
- Practice combining keyword searches.
- Use date ranges and/or locations for better results.
Skill Check: Have you used advanced search techniques before? If not, start with one new method and observe how it changes your results. Check out this blog post by Kenneth Marks of The Ancestor Hunt for some search tips: The Best Way to Find Up to 20% More Pertinent Newspaper Articles Online.
3. Search for Ancestor Mentions in Newspapers
While obituaries, birth announcements, and marriage announcements are typically full of genealogical treasure, newspapers contain so much more. Make it your mission to find articles about your ancestors’ neighborhoods, churches, schools, and workplaces. Even seemingly mundane mentions can provide insights into their personalities and lives.
Resolution: Go beyond the basics of birth, marriage, and death records.
How to Start:
- Use specific keywords such as your ancestor’s name, town, and a specific event like “wedding” or “school.”
- Don’t forget to check variations of names, including initials or nicknames.
Pro Tip: If you’re not finding anything, expand your search to neighboring towns or counties where your ancestors might have been mentioned.
Let’s Reflect: Have you used different name variations in your searches? If you haven’t yet, try experimenting with initials or nicknames and note any new findings. The guest blog post Use Abbreviations and Nicknames in Newspaper Searches to Drastically Add Pertinent Results, written by Kenneth Marks of The Ancestor Hunt, is a great resource for tips and tricks.
4. Create a Newspaper Research Log
Start keeping detailed records of your newspaper searches. Tracking your newspaper research helps prevent duplicate work and identifies research gaps, making your genealogy journey more efficient and organized.
Resolution: Maintain a detailed research log of your newspaper searches.
How to Start:
- Create a spreadsheet or document to track your searches.
- Record the newspaper title, date ranges, and search terms used.
- Note any successful findings and unsuccessful attempts.
- Document any follow-up research needed.
Pro Tip: Include a “results” column in your log to quickly identify which searches were successful and which need revisiting with different search terms or strategies.
Let’s Reflect: Do you currently track your newspaper research? If not, start small by logging this week’s searches and notice how it affects your research efficiency. Read Why You Should Be Using a Newspaper Research Log for more information and two free newspaper log resources.
5. Explore Your Ancestors' Social Networks
Make 2025 the year you discover your ancestors’ friends, neighbors, and associates (otherwise known as FAN club) through newspaper coverage. Social columns and community news can reveal fascinating connections between families and provide insights into your ancestors’ social circles that aren’t found in traditional genealogical records.
Resolution: Map out your ancestors' community connections through newspaper research.
How to Start:
- Search for your ancestor in society columns and local news sections.
- Create a list of names that appear alongside your ancestor.
- Look for patterns in social events, church activities, and community gatherings.
- Document family connections mentioned in wedding announcements and party guest lists.
Pro Tip: Build a simple network diagram to visualize how different families are connected through social events, church activities, and community organizations.
Let’s Reflect: Have you considered how your ancestors’ social connections might lead to new research paths? Try focusing on one social event and mapping all the people mentioned – you might discover unexpected family connections. For further reading, try the blog post, Social Sleuthing: How to Find Your Ancestors in Newspaper Society Pages.
6. Document Family Businesses
If your ancestors owned or worked in local businesses, newspapers can provide fascinating insights into their professional lives. Business advertisements, commercial announcements, and local commerce coverage can paint a vivid picture of your ancestors’ professional lives and their role in the community economy.
Resolution: Build a comprehensive profile of your family's business ventures and working lives.
How to Start:
- Search for business names and addresses associated with your family.
- Collect advertisements and business announcements.
- Look for mentions in “Local Business” or commerce sections.
- Track changes in business locations, partnerships, and services offered.
Pro Tip: Create a timeline of business activities – from grand openings to special sales events – to understand how your family’s business evolved and adapted over time.
Let’s Reflect: What do you know about your ancestors’ business ventures? Start with one family business and see how newspaper research might expand your understanding of their business legacy. Want to learn more? Read Ancestor Job Hunt for hacks to uncover your family’s career secrets.
7. Focus on Breaking Down Brick Walls
Newspapers often contain unique clues that can help solve genealogical mysteries and breakthrough research barriers that traditional records haven’t resolved.
Resolution: Tackle one brick wall challenge using intensive newspaper research.
How to Start:
- List your most stubborn research questions.
- Brainstorm related keywords and events to search.
- Expand your search to include things like social columns and legal notices.
- Create a timeline of known facts to identify research gaps.
8. Organize and Save Your Newspaper Finds
As you research, it’s easy to lose track of what you’ve found. Create an organization system tailored to your needs. This might include folders labeled by family name, digital spreadsheets, or genealogy software to track your sources.
Resolution: Create a system for preserving discoveries.
How to Start:
- Decide on a storage method: digital folders, cloud storage, or physical binders.
- Save newspaper clippings with proper citations, including the paper name, date, and page number.
Pro Tip: If you use NewspaperArchive, create folders to save your clippings. Think about organizing them by surname or even person.
Pro Tip: If you use Storied, make sure to tag the people mentioned in the article to people in your family tree, even non-familial relationships. That makes finding the article a snap!
Ask Yourself: Have you reviewed your current organization system? Does it support easy retrieval of articles? If not, what can you improve this year?
9. Share Your Discoveries
Sharing family history keeps it alive for future generations. Whether through a family history site, blog, social media, or a printed book, sharing your newspaper discoveries can inspire others and preserve your work.
Resolution: Inspire others with your research.
How to Start:
- Choose one interesting newspaper clipping and write a short story or caption about it.
- Share it with family members and/or online communities.
- Invite others to contribute their memories or clippings.
Engage Others: How will you encourage your family or community to connect with your research? Brainstorm ways to involve others.
Tips for Success
Remember these key points as you pursue your newspaper research resolutions:
– Set aside regular time each week for newspaper research
– Save and properly cite every article you find
– Be persistent – sometimes the most valuable discoveries come after multiple searches
Your Turn to Make History
As you embark on your newspaper research journey in 2025, remember that every discovery, no matter how small, adds to your family’s story. These resolutions aren’t about perfection – they’re about progress. Each article you find helps reconstruct the daily lives, personalities, and experiences of your ancestors.
Ready to start? Log in to NewspaperArchive and begin exploring the millions of pages waiting to tell your family’s story. Who knows what fascinating discoveries await in the next article you find?
Happy searching, and may 2025 be your most successful year of family history research yet!
Need more ways to incorporate newspapers into your family history journey? Explore the Storied YouTube channel for helpful tutorials.
