{"id":7307,"date":"2014-06-04T15:30:04","date_gmt":"2014-06-04T15:30:04","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/blog.genealogybank.com\/?p=7307"},"modified":"2014-06-04T15:30:04","modified_gmt":"2014-06-04T15:30:04","slug":"old-school-social-networking-social-brief-columns-in-newspapers","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.genealogybank.com\/blog\/old-school-social-networking-social-brief-columns-in-newspapers.html","title":{"rendered":"Old-School Social Networking: Social Brief Columns in Newspapers"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>Newspapers have been the chief \u201csocial networking\u201d tool for over 300 years\u2014and that\u2019s a good thing for genealogists.<\/p>\n<p>Newspapers\u2019 social columns reported on the comings and goings of members of the local community, providing personal details that give a glimpse into the daily lives of our ancestors.<\/p>\n<p>For example, here we have word that Dorothy Easton was visiting her sister Mrs. K. Summers in San Francisco.<\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_7308\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-7308\" style=\"width: 721px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.genealogybank.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/06\/western-outlook-newspaper-0703-1915-dorothy-easton.png\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-7308\" title=\"western-outlook-newspaper-0703-1915-dorothy-easton\" src=\"https:\/\/www.genealogybank.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/06\/western-outlook-newspaper-0703-1915-dorothy-easton.png\" alt=\"article about Dorothy Easton, Western Outlook newspaper article 3 July 1915\" width=\"721\" height=\"413\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.genealogybank.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/06\/western-outlook-newspaper-0703-1915-dorothy-easton.png 721w, https:\/\/www.genealogybank.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/06\/western-outlook-newspaper-0703-1915-dorothy-easton-300x171.png 300w, https:\/\/www.genealogybank.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/06\/western-outlook-newspaper-0703-1915-dorothy-easton-500x286.png 500w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 721px) 100vw, 721px\" \/><\/a><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-7308\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Western Outlook (Oakland, California), 3 July 1915, page 3<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>This mention is just a one-liner buried in a social briefs column\u2014just one line\u2014but it is loaded with great genealogical clues:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>the year is 1915<\/li>\n<li>one sister is Dorothy<\/li>\n<li>she\u2019s not married<\/li>\n<li>her surname is Easton<\/li>\n<li>she lives in Los Angeles<\/li>\n<li>the other sister is called \u201cK\u201d<\/li>\n<li>she\u2019s married<\/li>\n<li>her surname is Summers<\/li>\n<li>she lives in San Francisco<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>This social brief notice could be the critical clue to learn the maiden name, hometown and more about the family of K. Summers.<\/p>\n<form name=\"gbblog_search_form\" style=\"margin:0px; padding-bottom:20px;\" action=\"https:\/\/www.genealogybank.com\/gbnk\/\" method=\"get\" target=\"_blank\">\n<table cellpadding=\"0\" cellspacing=\"0\" style=\"width:578px; margin:0 auto; border:0px;\">\n<tr>\n<td style=\"background:#ffffff url(https:\/\/www.genealogybank.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/03\/ad_bg.png) no-repeat; padding:0px; margin:0px; border:0px; height:71px;\">\n<table cellspacing=\"0\" cellpadding=\"0\" style=\"width:578px; border:0px; margin:0px;\">\n<tr>\n<td style=\"height:28px; vertical-align: middle; border:0px solid #000000; padding:0px; margin:0px; border:0px;\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.genealogybank.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/03\/spacer.gif\" height=\"1\" width=\"1\" alt=\"\" \/><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td style=\"height:43px; padding:0px; margin:0px; border:0px;\">\n<table border=\"0\" cellpadding=\"0\" cellspacing=\"0\" style=\"width:288px; border:0px; margin:0px;\">\n<tr>\n<td style=\"font-family:Verdana; font-size:9px; font-weight:bold; height:43px; width:169px; padding:0px 0px 0px 13px; vertical-align: top; border:0px;\">Enter Last Name<br \/>\n                                                                                                            <input style=\"color:#333333; background:#fcde6a url(https:\/\/www.genealogybank.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/03\/txtbox_bg.png) no-repeat; border: 0px solid #e0d8b9; width:136px; padding:1px 2px 1px 2px; font-family:Verdana, Geneva, sans-serif; font-size:11px; margin-top:0px; height: 17px; border:0px;\" name=\"lname\" type=\"text\" value=\"\" \/><\/td>\n<td width=\"119\" align=\"center\" style=\"width:119px; font-size:0px; vertical-align: middle; padding:0px; margin:0px; border:0px;\"><input type=\"image\" src=\"https:\/\/www.genealogybank.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/03\/btn_search_now.png\" style=\"width:109px; height:32px;\" alt=\"Search Now\" \/><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/table>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/table>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/table>\n<p style=\"padding:0px; margin:0px; font-size:0px;\">\n            <input name=\"pq\" value=\"1\" type=\"hidden\" \/><br \/>\n            <input name=\"prebuy\" value=\"no\" type=\"hidden\" \/><br \/>\n            <input name=\"kbid\" value=\"69919\" type=\"hidden\" \/><br \/>\n            <input name=\"intver\" value=\"\" type=\"hidden\" \/><br \/>\n            <input name=\"s_referrer\" value=\"Blog\" type=\"hidden\" \/><br \/>\n            <input name=\"utm_source\" value=\"Blog\" type=\"hidden\" \/><br \/>\n            <input name=\"s_trackval\" value=\"last_name_search\" type=\"hidden\" \/><br \/>\n            <input name=\"utm_campaign\" value=\"last_name_search\" type=\"hidden\" \/><br \/>\n            <input name=\"s_siteloc\" value=\"GBBannerAd\" type=\"hidden\" \/><br \/>\n            <input name=\"utm_medium\" value=\"GBBannerAd\" type=\"hidden\" \/>\n            <\/p>\n<\/form>\n<p>Notice that the <em>Western Outlook<\/em> groups these briefs by town, with headings such as \u201cSan Francisco Items\u201d and \u201cOakland Jottings.\u201d Newspapers were written to sell. Editors made them personal by including these local social briefs to excite the local readers. Picture the impact of seeing your name or your neighbor\u2019s name written up in the paper. That was big news.<\/p>\n<p>You would take the newspaper over to give to them, talk about it with them, and mention it to your wider circle of friends. It is exactly like social media (Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, etc.) today. It holds your attention; you comment on it and share it.<\/p>\n<p>Here is another example of newspaper social networking, from 1879.<\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_7309\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-7309\" style=\"width: 417px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.genealogybank.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/06\/daily-gazette-newspaper-1118-1879-carrie-carpenter.png\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-7309\" title=\"daily-gazette-newspaper-1118-1879-carrie-carpenter\" src=\"https:\/\/www.genealogybank.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/06\/daily-gazette-newspaper-1118-1879-carrie-carpenter.png\" alt=\"article about Carrie Carpenter, Daily Gazette newspaper article 18 November 1879\" width=\"417\" height=\"167\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.genealogybank.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/06\/daily-gazette-newspaper-1118-1879-carrie-carpenter.png 417w, https:\/\/www.genealogybank.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/06\/daily-gazette-newspaper-1118-1879-carrie-carpenter-300x120.png 300w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 417px) 100vw, 417px\" \/><\/a><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-7309\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Daily Gazette (Rockport, Illinois), 18 November 1879, page 4<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>This notice provides great clues to more family information:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>the year is 1879<\/li>\n<li>Carrie Carpenter is single<\/li>\n<li>she opened her own school in Stephenson County<\/li>\n<li>her mother is Mrs. Mary L. Carpenter<\/li>\n<li>her mother is County Superintendent of Public Schools<\/li>\n<li>she has a sister<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>This article appeared on page 4, under the masthead of the newspaper just like the previous example from the <em>Western Outlook<\/em>, but in this case the social brief notices are not grouped and labeled by the town the persons mentioned lived in, or by an organization or topic.<\/p>\n<form name=\"gbblog_search_form\" style=\"margin:0px; padding-bottom:20px;\" action=\"https:\/\/www.genealogybank.com\/gbnk\/\" method=\"get\" target=\"_blank\">\n<table cellpadding=\"0\" cellspacing=\"0\" style=\"width:578px; margin:0 auto; border:0px;\">\n<tr>\n<td style=\"background:#ffffff url(https:\/\/www.genealogybank.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/03\/ad_bg.png) no-repeat; padding:0px; margin:0px; border:0px; height:71px;\">\n<table cellspacing=\"0\" cellpadding=\"0\" style=\"width:578px; border:0px; margin:0px;\">\n<tr>\n<td style=\"height:28px; vertical-align: middle; border:0px solid #000000; padding:0px; margin:0px; border:0px;\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.genealogybank.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/03\/spacer.gif\" height=\"1\" width=\"1\" alt=\"\" \/><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td style=\"height:43px; padding:0px; margin:0px; border:0px;\">\n<table border=\"0\" cellpadding=\"0\" cellspacing=\"0\" style=\"width:288px; border:0px; margin:0px;\">\n<tr>\n<td style=\"font-family:Verdana; font-size:9px; font-weight:bold; height:43px; width:169px; padding:0px 0px 0px 13px; vertical-align: top; border:0px;\">Enter Last Name<br \/>\n                                                                                                            <input style=\"color:#333333; background:#fcde6a url(https:\/\/www.genealogybank.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/03\/txtbox_bg.png) no-repeat; border: 0px solid #e0d8b9; width:136px; padding:1px 2px 1px 2px; font-family:Verdana, Geneva, sans-serif; font-size:11px; margin-top:0px; height: 17px; border:0px;\" name=\"lname\" type=\"text\" value=\"\" \/><\/td>\n<td width=\"119\" align=\"center\" style=\"width:119px; font-size:0px; vertical-align: middle; padding:0px; margin:0px; border:0px;\"><input type=\"image\" src=\"https:\/\/www.genealogybank.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/03\/btn_search_now.png\" style=\"width:109px; height:32px;\" alt=\"Search Now\" \/><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/table>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/table>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/table>\n<p style=\"padding:0px; margin:0px; font-size:0px;\">\n            <input name=\"pq\" value=\"1\" type=\"hidden\" \/><br \/>\n            <input name=\"prebuy\" value=\"no\" type=\"hidden\" \/><br \/>\n            <input name=\"kbid\" value=\"69919\" type=\"hidden\" \/><br \/>\n            <input name=\"intver\" value=\"\" type=\"hidden\" \/><br \/>\n            <input name=\"s_referrer\" value=\"Blog\" type=\"hidden\" \/><br \/>\n            <input name=\"utm_source\" value=\"Blog\" type=\"hidden\" \/><br \/>\n            <input name=\"s_trackval\" value=\"last_name_search\" type=\"hidden\" \/><br \/>\n            <input name=\"utm_campaign\" value=\"last_name_search\" type=\"hidden\" \/><br \/>\n            <input name=\"s_siteloc\" value=\"GBBannerAd\" type=\"hidden\" \/><br \/>\n            <input name=\"utm_medium\" value=\"GBBannerAd\" type=\"hidden\" \/>\n            <\/p>\n<\/form>\n<p>While the format varies from newspaper to newspaper, it has been very common for the past three centuries to include these local social briefs of such high interest to the public.<\/p>\n<p><strong><em>Genealogy Tip:<\/em><\/strong> Be sure to perform a broad search for your target ancestor, including all of GenealogyBank\u2019s deep newspaper archive. By limiting a search to only the newspapers in your town or state, you might miss key articles (like these social briefs) about your ancestor that appeared in a newspaper from across the country.<\/p>\n<p>[bottom_post_ad]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Newspapers have been the chief \u201csocial networking\u201d tool for over 300 years\u2014and that\u2019s a good thing for genealogists. Newspapers\u2019 social columns reported on the comings and goings of members of the local community, providing personal details that give a glimpse into the daily lives of our ancestors. For example, here we have word that Dorothy [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[12713],"tags":[7130,7128,7120,1939,1658,2233,12,465,7126,7129,2020,7124,7123,27,4818,7125,2416,7127],"class_list":["post-7307","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-genealogy-research-tips","tag-carpenter","tag-carrie-carpenter","tag-dorothy-easton","tag-easton","tag-family-history-2","tag-family-research","tag-genealogy","tag-historical-newspapers","tag-k-summers","tag-mary-l-carpenter","tag-newspaper-archives","tag-newspaper-social-briefs","tag-newspaper-social-columns","tag-newspapers","tag-newspapers-for-genealogy","tag-social-briefs","tag-social-columns","tag-summers"],"acf":[],"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.genealogybank.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/7307","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.genealogybank.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.genealogybank.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.genealogybank.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.genealogybank.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=7307"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.genealogybank.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/7307\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.genealogybank.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=7307"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.genealogybank.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=7307"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.genealogybank.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=7307"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}