PROVINCIAL NEWSPAPERS

Hatch, match and dispatch

One of the most useful resources found in virtually every provincial newspaper was the hatch, match and dispatch columns. Birth, marriage and death notices and subsequent reports of weddings or obituaries have appeared regularly since around 1820. 

The value of these family notices is that you can find notices for those who were serving with the military abroad and those who emigrated. Marriages and milestone wedding anniversary entries often include photographs and details such as names of relatives and even addresses which help researchers to identify the wider family.

Civil and Army Promotions

If your ancestor was in the civil service or military/naval service, their promotions and movements can often be followed in the newspapers.

They are particularly useful during the First World War period because newspapers regularly printed extracts from family letters to show what was happening on the battlefields. May recipients of gallantry medals were reported in the papers.

Advertisements

In many provincial newspapers rather than report news on the front page, it was covered with trade advertisements. At the time this is what promoted local businesses - there were no other media sources.

Early advertisements relied on words rather than images to get their message across and these narrative advertisements provide an insight into your ancestor’s business dealings.

Advertisements frequently existed for the hiring of household servants, nannies, butlers and so on. Ancestors involved in trade and commerce will also have advertised in the local press and their adverts give us an idea of exactly what kind of trade they pursued.

Court reports

Reports of proceedings in the courts for both criminal and civil proceedings feature regularly in newspapers and usually contain more detail that the official records; they give the names of defendants, victims, and witnesses and often providing physical descriptions and testimonies.

In criminal trials the evidence was often reported verbatim with quotes from the police officers and other expert witnesses which bring the trials to life!

Public meetings

The minutes of all manner of public meetings are reported in newspapers including local trade union branches. various society and fraternity organisations, sports clubs, allotment associations, boards of guardians, local authorities etc.

These reports will usually be full of names, if only for committee or board members. They also provide an insight into what was currently happening in the area at the time and could easily include your ancestor.

News and Events

Provincial newspapers often included reports of national and international events, albeit that they may be slightly historic  - usually a week or so after the events. They nearly always included local events.

Finding information from a local newspaper often backs up or enhances stories that have been passed down through the family. It can be very interesting to research what exactly happened without an inevitable family bias.

They are extremely useful when reporting accidents, suicides and other traumatic events. One thing that Victorian journalist did was to report the facts. There was little false news included.