{"id":10831,"date":"2015-06-11T11:25:57","date_gmt":"2015-06-11T15:25:57","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/blog.genealogybank.com\/?p=10831"},"modified":"2018-06-11T13:54:00","modified_gmt":"2018-06-11T17:54:00","slug":"researching-kids-with-vintage-newspaper-ads-of-100-years-ago","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.genealogybank.com\/blog\/researching-kids-with-vintage-newspaper-ads-of-100-years-ago.html","title":{"rendered":"Researching Kids with Vintage Newspaper Ads of 100 Years Ago"},"content":{"rendered":"

Introduction<\/em><\/strong>: In this article, Mary Harrell-Sesniak shows how historical newspaper advertisements offer a fascinating insight into the stories of our ancestors\u2019 lives \u2013 such as these old ads concerning children. Mary is a genealogist, author and editor with a strong technology background.
\n<\/em><\/p>\n

If you\u2019re like most genealogists, you thrive by living vicariously through the lives of ancestors.<\/p>\n

\"montage<\/a><\/p>\n

We amass hordes of vital statistics on our ancestors \u2013 and then we look for detailed data about what happened in their lives. Who were their relatives, what did they do for a living, where did they live, when did all of this happen and why did they do what they did?<\/p>\n

And for some of our ancestors, historical newspaper advertisements offer a fascinating insight into the personal stories of their lives.<\/p>\n

Take, for instance, children.<\/p>\n

Ads for Children<\/strong><\/p>\n

As every parent knows, we do our best to provide for our children \u2013 so it should come as no surprise to find old newspapers advertisements that are targeted toward children\u2019s well-being. From schools to medical treatments, there is a wealth of information to be gleaned about what life was like back in their times.<\/p>\n

Early American Schools<\/strong><\/p>\n

According to an article on the History of Public Schools<\/a> at Wikipedia, by 1918 every U.S. state required students to complete elementary school. So what were parents to do if they wanted to arrange for more education beyond that level?<\/p>\n

They turned to tutors and private educational institutions, such as the many featured in these 1915 Pennsylvania newspaper advertisements.<\/p>\n

\"ads<\/a>
Philadelphia Inquirer (Philadelphia, Pennsylvania), 11 September 1915, page 5<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Of course, not every advertisement was for a traditional school, and not every ad was for children.<\/p>\n

\"ad<\/a>
Oregonian (Portland, Oregon), 9 April 1915, page 2<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

At the International School of Photo-Play Training in Portland, Oregon, you could learn movie acting. The allure of high salaries, such as Mary Pickford\u2019s $2,000 a week or Charlie Chaplin\u2019s $1,250 weekly pay, was a strong draw.<\/p>\n

Mary Pickford was a huge star in 1915.<\/p>\n

\"photo<\/a>
Tulsa World (Tulsa, Oklahoma), 7 February 1915, page 8<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Juvenile Apparel (Clothing)<\/strong><\/p>\n

What would you guess your ancestors paid for their children\u2019s clothing?<\/p>\n

I\u2019m not certain what the average national salary was a hundred years ago. The Social Security Administration maintains a chart of average salaries in the U.S., starting in 1951 (when it was $2,799.16), so it couldn\u2019t have been much back in 1915 (see http:\/\/www.ssa.gov\/oact\/cola\/AWI.html<\/a>).<\/p>\n

So in 1915 newspaper advertisements, when you see prices for juvenile apparel starting at a few dollars per item, that was considered expensive by many people. Note the Saturday specials for Joel Gutman & Company of Baltimore, Maryland, in the ad below:<\/p>\n