{"id":10989,"date":"2015-07-06T11:54:38","date_gmt":"2015-07-06T15:54:38","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/blog.genealogybank.com\/?p=10989"},"modified":"2018-04-24T15:33:06","modified_gmt":"2018-04-24T19:33:06","slug":"tips-for-researching-birthdays-birthday-notices-in-newspapers","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.genealogybank.com\/blog\/tips-for-researching-birthdays-birthday-notices-in-newspapers.html","title":{"rendered":"Tips for Researching Birthdays & Birthday Notices in Newspapers"},"content":{"rendered":"

Introduction<\/em><\/strong>: In this article, Mary\u00a0Harrell-Sesniak finds birthday articles and notices in old newspapers to show how they can help with your family history research. Mary is a genealogist, author and editor with a strong technology background.
\n<\/em><\/p>\n

I suppose there are people who don\u2019t celebrate birthdays, but they\u2019re hard to find. Who wouldn\u2019t want to partake in this annual celebration of life?<\/p>\n

The Scottish writer Robert Louis Stevenson was the exception. In 1900, he bequeathed his birthday to Adelaide Ide, a little girl who had \u201ccarelessly\u201d been born on Leap Day (29th February). Many accounts claim that she had been born on Christmas Day, but one of the wonderful things about historical newspaper articles is that they correct mistakes like this.<\/p>\n

Not wishing for Adelaide to be cheated out of birthdays every three years out of four, Stevenson wrote:<\/p>\n

I, Robert Louis Stevenson, in a sound state of mind and body, having arrived at an age when I no longer have any use for birthdays, do give and bequeath my birthday, on the 13th of November, to Miss Adelaide Ide, to be hers from this year as long as she wishes it. Robert Louis Stevenson.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

\"article<\/a>
Daily Illinois State Register (Springfield, Illinois), 3 June 1900, page 10<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

What a delightful birthday idea!<\/p>\n

Genealogical Stories in Newspaper Birthday Notices<\/strong><\/p>\n

Newspaper articles round out our genealogical stories, so use them lavishly to learn how family celebrated festive affairs such as birthdays. Many articles, such as this one from 1895, suggest hints for planning a child\u2019s big day.<\/p>\n

\"article<\/a>
Evening Star (Washington, D.C.), 2 February 1895, page 12<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

This next newspaper article, from 1892, reminds us that high teas were in favor \u2013 but it also demonstrates that many birthday customs have not changed. As is practiced today, the child\u2019s name was written in frosting on the birthday cake, which was decorated with candles to match her age plus one to grow on.<\/p>\n

\"article<\/a>
Philadelphia Inquirer (Philadelphia, Pennsylvania), 6 November 1892, page 13<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Life Milestones<\/strong><\/p>\n

Birthday articles with the most impressive genealogical data spotlight celebrants who attain impressive milestones, such as this 1894 newspaper article reporting on the 105th birthday of Hannah Chard. This article notes where she was born, her birth date, her maiden name and some of her progeny. Facts and narratives are reported, such as how she gathered cannonballs at the Revolutionary War battlefield in Pennsylvania from the Battle of Brandywine.<\/p>\n

\"birthday<\/a>
New York Herald (New York, New York), 14 April 1894, page 14<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

This 1800s newspaper article alludes to several timelines in Hannah\u2019s life. Although she was of Pennsylvania Dutch heritage, Hannah came to live with a Quaker family around the age of five after her father passed away, and her husband\u2019s death is reported as occurring 12 years earlier. If you were searching for pertinent dates, an old news article like this provides important leads.<\/p>\n

We also learn that Hannah enjoyed exceptional health at the age of 105, despite taking great comfort in smoking a clay pipe four times a day!<\/p>\n

An interesting genealogy aside: I have an ancestor who also found cannonballs at the Battle of Brandywine battlefield.<\/p>\n

\"photo<\/a>
Photo: cannonball from the Battle of the Brandywine found by the author\u2019s ancestor, Edith Scott. Credit: Mary Harrell-Sesniak.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Surprise Birthday Parties<\/strong><\/p>\n

Surprise birthday parties frequently make the news, and those newspaper articles can identify family relationships helpful to your family history research, or sometimes describe gifts that may have become family heirlooms.<\/p>\n

This 1880 newspaper article does both, noting three generations of family in attendance and a special chair.<\/p>\n

Mrs. Evelene Laverty turned 75 in 1880, and she was kept out of the house before being surprised by her son-in-law with upwards of thirty relatives and friends at her surprise birthday party. Two of the people attending were her brother and sister-in-law, the Darlings, a useful tidbit when searching for maiden names. Their daughter, Mrs. R. C. Dart, was also present.<\/p>\n

\"birthday<\/a>
Jackson Citizen Patriot (Jackson, Michigan), 3 January 1880, page 5<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Surprise birthday parties are not always given by family members.<\/p>\n

In this 1883 newspaper article, we learn about E. B. Myers, a school teacher at Elkhart, Indiana. When his students realized it was his birthday, they surprised him with a pair of elegant slippers and a lovely note:<\/p>\n

Mr. Myers will please accept the accompanying gift as a token of the high esteem and regard of his pupils.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

\"birthday<\/a>
Elkhart Daily Review (Elkhart, Indiana), 15 March 1883, page 3<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Genealogy Tips for Researching Birthdays in the News<\/strong><\/p>\n

To recap, newspaper birthday notices may contain:<\/p>\n