A very helpful and detailed PowerPoint presentation with great search examples by past VTDNP Project Librarian Tom McMurdo on how to search Chronicling America for genealogy purposes.

1. Using Chronicling America and Other Freely Available Online Newspapers for Genealogical Research
Tom McMurdo, VTDNP Project Librarian
An address to the Vermont Genealogical Society, Oct. 20, 2012

2. This slide show is archived on the VTDNP website:
http://library.uvm.edu/vtnp/presentations

3. The Vermont Digital Newspaper Project (VTDNP)
The VTDNP is a statewide, collaborative effort based at the UVM Libraries. The VTDNP is funded by NEH, and is part of the National Digital Newspaper Program at Library of Congress.

4. The Vermont Digital Newspaper Project (VTDNP)
During our first grant, 2010-2012, the VTDNP scanned approximately 130,000 Vermont newspaper pages from 1836-1922.

5. The Vermont Digital Newspaper Project (VTDNP)
The VTDNP sends our scans to the National Digital Newspaper Program at Library of Congress.

6. The Vermont Digital Newspaper Project (VTDNP)
The scanned newspapers we submit to Library of Congress are freely available on the Chronicling America website. They are part of a collection of 26 states’ newspapers, with more states set to add content in 2013.

7. Chronicling America
Chronicling America now contains over 5 million pages. The pages are freely available and keyword searchable.

8. Chronicling America
http://chroniclingamerica.loc.gov/

9. Chronicling America

10. Basic Search On Chronicling America

11. Basic Search On Chronicling America

16. Dr. James H. Ingalls Married Ella J. McMurdo in 1905.

17. Dr. James H. Ingalls Married Ella J. McMurdo in 1905.

34. Okay, enough about my family tree. I am sure many of you are more interested in Vermont newspapers, where many of your ancestors lived.

35. There are twelve Vermont newspaper title families now or soon to be available online:
•
Bennington Banner, 1877-1904
•
Burlington Free Press (Weekly) 1836-1922
•
Caledonian, St. Johnsbury, 1837-1884
•
Middlebury Register, 1837-1922
•
Rutland Daily Globe, 1873-1877
•
Rutland Herald, 1836-1854
•
Spirit of the Age, Woodstock, VT, 1840-1913
•
Vermont Farmer, Newport & St. Johnsbury, 1870-1877
•
Vermont Phoenix, Brattleboro, 1836-1922
•
Washington County Democrat, Brattleboro, 1837-1853
•
Watchman and State Journal, Montpelier, 1836-1910

43. Notes about searching and browsing in Chronicling America
Keywords are generated by using a computer program to “read” the scanned pages. With old newspapers and 19th century hand-set, hand-pressed pages, some keywords are missed. Don’t think that when you are searching you are getting EVERY instance of your keyword.

44. Notes about searching and browsing in Chronicling America
Searching is improving all the time with advances in Optical Character Recognition (OCR) software. Still, there are just some old newspapers that are going to be missed. I encourage you to use the browse function in addition to the keyword search.

45. That is why browsing can be such a useful tool for genealogical research in online newspapers.
Now, let’s go back to the Vermont Phoenix issue from 1847 we were looking at just a minute ago.

48. So here we get listings of the marriages in the area for Late December 1846 and January 1847.

50. As you can see, with 5 million pages available and a variety of ways to search, Chronicling America can be a very useful tool for genealogical research. Best of all, it is free—because your tax dollars paid for it.

55. Here we find an article about a retiring postmaster, Mrs. Rose Phalen who was first appointed under the Cleveland administration.

57. That is an introduction to basic and advanced searching and browsing on Chronicling America
Now, let’s take a look at some interesting and amusing images from historical Vermont newspapers.

58. Civil War News
Burlington Free Press, July 26, 1861.
Browsing Civil War era VT newspapers is a great way to get Vermont’s perspective on the war.

59. Sports
Burlington Free Press, July 30, 1886.
This profile features the Detroit Wolverines, with Hall of Famer Dennis “Big Dan” Brouthers, who was the greatest slugger of the 19th century.

60. Why We Have Medical Regulations
Burlington Free Press, Nov. 14, 1851.
In the 19th and early 20th century, newspapers are full of cure-all potions and traveling “doctors” that would cure virtually any illness.

61. Railing Against Government Spending is Not New
Burlington Free Press, Aug. 31, 1838. Complaints were widely aired about the cost of Vermont’s Second State House. This column decries the cost of “carpets, cushions, and chairs, at the rate from eight to sixteen dollars each!”

62. Why We Have Police
Burlington Free Press, Sept. 2, 1836.
If you are familiar with the VTDNP blog you may have seen this one.
The blog can be viewed here: http://vtdnp.wordpress.com/ .

63. Partisanship was the Rule of the Day
Rutland Herald, Sept. 4, 1838.
Much like some websites on today’s internet, 19th century newspapers were openly partisan organs of political parties. This front page promotes Whigs running for office in Vermont.

64. Vermont Farmer, June 12, 1874.
The traveling circus was a big deal in the 19th century.

65. Middlebury Register, June 8, 1869.
Campbell’s New York and Philadelphia Zoological and Equestrian Institute.

66. The Advent of “One-Size-Fits-All”
Middlebury Register, Sept. 16, 1892. This smart looking gentleman can now go buy “off the rack” hats!

67. One of Many Long Gone Automakers
Vermont Phoenix, Oct. 1, 1920.
Dort was an auto manufacturer in Flint, MI, from 1915-1924.

68. Conclusion
From these images you can see that there are so many topics that one can research in these great old newspapers.
From genealogy to circuses to cars, the raw material is here waiting for you to find it.

69. Reminder

70. Questions?

71. Thank you!
Tom McMurdo,
VTDNP Project Librarian
tmcmurdo@uvm.edu