Whether you are seeking your family’s history or to understand a historical event, uncovering the information you need may be easier than you think.
Think Local
Start at the location of the event – visit the town, check out the local library or historical society, the state historical society or archives, and search local papers of the day online or via microfilm.
Search for More than Webpages
While search engines focus on webpages many are expanding into books and other information. Using these features you can keyword search for items, and depending on copyright status, see a portion, the entire book, or if it is in the public domain, download a copy.
Exit the Internet and Visit a Library
Local history sections of public libraries or historical societies often have a treasure trove of information — vertical or clipping files. Over the years library workers carefully gathered articles regarding local events, landmarks and people. These files can contain decades of information neatly arranged by topic.
Online Newspaper Archives
Newspapers and other past publications are increasingly available online. While many are subscription based, they give access to thousands of publications. While designed with family history research in mind, they can ferret out other bits of information via keyword searches.
Broaden Your Search
Don’t assume that because you have the paper from the day after the event that you have all the answers — the real story might be hiding 10 or 15 days out, when early inaccurate reports are modified by new information. Key information could also be hiding month’s before your target date.
Find The Hometown Paper
Let’s say something you are interested in happened in Philadelphia. As you research, you learn that someone from New York and another from Chicago were involved. Historians tend to focus on where events happened, but the hometown paper of your protagonist might surprise you with new information.
Shelf Reading
Picture yourself in the stacks at a library. You are holding a book on your topic. What else would be on the shelves around it? What other categories might hold useful information? Depending on the prominence of the person or event you are looking for, they many appear in countless places you might not find if you just look for them as a subject. You may find that a friend or associate of the person has a memoir, or there is a book on a related subject that contains useful information.
Beware Second Hand Information
If you are in a hurry, it is tempting to take community histories, newspaper articles, theses, obituaries and other items at face value. But beware – primary source materials like documents, period photographs, statements by participants, and other items close to an event are more likely to be accurate. News accounts can vary in accuracy, particularly for larger than life individuals.
With some luck and persistence, these strategies can help you uncover the information you are seeking – happy digging!