Most genealogists are interested in more than genealogy, that is, the proving of bloodlines and the development of a pedigree chart. They are really interested in family history, finding out about who their ancestors were, what they did, what they were like, and what problems and joys they had in their lives - not just in dates of birth, marriage and death.
The best, and often the only, way for most of us to find out who our ancestors were is through newspapers. Information gleaned from newspapers can be put together to create a much better idea of our ancestors' lives. (Of course, the more illustrious - or notorious - an ancestor, the more information is likely to be available in newspapers.)
Historians, similarly, need details of local people, businesses, organizations, and events, for which this index is equally useful.
The problem is how to find the scattered bits of information in Niagara newspapers, which began publication in 1793. The solution is Paul Hutchinson's Niagara Newspaper Index. You may be interested to see what others have said about this service.
For the last few years, I've been compiling a selective index to newspapers of the former Lincoln County and Welland County, 1793-1918. These counties include many townships and municipalities.
Items in the index also refer to people and events outside Lincoln and Welland counties. Many references, for example, are to Dunnville, Cayuga, Caledonia and the Grand River.
So far, I've indexed over 150,000 articles and advertisements. (If printed on paper, the Index would amount to more than 2600 pages.) Items are about births, marriages, deaths, fires, accidents, business partnerships, elections, fraternal organizations, musical and other types of entertainment, construction and demolition of buildings, sports, court cases, and many other subjects.
The index consists of one line for each article or ad: name of newspaper, date, page number, column number, title or beginning words of the item, and key words or a brief indication of the contents. This amount of detail is much more than a simple index would provide. With my lists, you'll usually be able to tell what the item is about and will be able to find each item easily.
Items found in the index point to the articles or ads but do not include the text of the articles or ads themselves. Some articles, when found, may be lengthy; others may be as brief as a mere mention of a name in connection with something.
For an example, please see the search results for the name Hutt, a list created when the Index was a third of its present size.
To avoid difficulties that could slow down your research, you might also want to check some of the commonly misspelled place names.
If you're interested in my doing a search for you, just ask. I don't charge for a standard search unless you decide to take the resulting list. The computer will give me every item that includes the name or word requested for the period from 1793 to 1918 for whatever newspapers I've indexed. After the search, I'll tell you the number of items found and the charge for the list of them, at $1 for each surname searched (an additional $1 for each variation of a surname) and 25 cents per entry found. These rates are in US dollars, but Canadian residents will be charged these same rates in Canadian dollars.
If you decide that you want the list, you send a cheque. After I receive the cheque, I e-mail the list of references to you. Of course, if you decide that you don't want the list, you're under no obligation to take it: the request for a search is free of risk.
Should you be interested in a common name such as Smith or Brown, the standard search probably won't be suitable for you. In that case, I could do a manual search for you, based on an hourly rate for my time. Please contact me for details if you think that this is a better option for you: slabtown@niagara.com. I can also do specialized searches based on an hourly rate. Let me know what you need, and I'll try to provide it.
Because the Niagara Newspaper Index is an ongoing project, I'll likely find more references for your name or subject in the future. Should you request another search later, I will send you a complete, updated list but charge you for only the additional items.
Once you get the list, you need to look up the articles and advertisements in the newspapers. The main repositories for Niagara newspapers are St. Catharines Public Library Special Collections, Archives of Ontario (in Toronto) and James A. Gibson Library, Brock University, St. Catharines. In addition, a smaller selection of newspapers can also be found at smaller public libraries and at museums. Old newspapers exist in three formats: as microfilm, as photocopies and in their original form. Most, however, are on microfilm. Unfortunately, there is no single, detailed, reliable guide to what is available where.
If you can't visit Niagara or Toronto, you might be able to borrow reels of microfilm on interlibrary loan. Should this service not be available where you live, I could obtain copies of desired articles and ads for you at a reasonable price. Please e-mail me for details: slabtown@niagara.com
From time to time, I also do genealogical and historical research for an hourly fee. If you are interested in my doing this for you, please contact me to discuss arrangements.
If you have any questions about Paul Hutchinson's Niagara Newspaper Index or about research sources in the Niagara peninsula, please contact me:
Paul Hutchinson, 141 Bradley Street, St. Catharines ON Canada L2T 1R8 slabtown@niagara.com This web site was designed for Slabtown Press by Web Stitcher: pmenon@niagara.com