Anyone found much use in the Brit. Newspaper Archive sub?

[Chris Doran]

Some areas of the country are not well covered yet, particularly London and the Soutrh East, though they're beginning to appear.

An FindMyPast sub is arguably a better buy, as you get the newspapers (albeit a little behind NA) and all the other stuff as well.

Don't forget the free overseas archives like Trove and the New York Times, as lots of UK articles were syndicated.

[jane gee]

I set up files and tab papers I am interested in after searching by surname.  Then when I have enough pages to warrant a payment I can then download.  I have found an accidental death for my 2xgt grandfather just by searching the daughters married name I hadn't got his death certificate as he was quite old and I just thought "natural causes"  The article was fascinating.  I also found details of another of my gt grandfathers suicide.  On a funnier note there was my gt granddad who was fined for leaving his horse and cart unattended!

[cristeen]

I have had varied results but some absolute gems through which I have been able to confirm family stories etc. Most recently, exploring a 'branch' on which I have had little success via the usual routes (except a marriage licence) I was able to confirm the husband's previous wife and their children, also his early death.
Articles about current events in their neighbourhood, even when they aren't mentioned, really helps to build a picture of their lives.

[Elise_CL]

I’ve made great use out of it for once of my ancestors who was a footballer. I found so many match reports for the years he played, to the point he is probably my most “”complete”” with regards to finding out their movements on an almost weekly-basis!

Otherwise I’ve found it useful more in looking up advertisements and events that happened in local areas, or news stories that my ancestors would have known about in order to get a better idea of what was happening around that time.

[Andy_T]

I find that when I search it's not like Google or Yahoo where most relevant searches come to top of the first page and first few pages are still relevant but a bit less.

With the newspaper archive there are many date filters, regions and specified newspapers to check.

I found that poaching incidents, Gamekeepers and information about and their employers names and estates seem to pop up more easily than some other search criteria.

That's just my random experience.

Andy_T

[Jackiemh]

I have a findmypast  subscription which covers newspapers & periodicals and I have managed to get some reports on my ancestors criminal activities from them and other bits and pieces. It helps to have a rough idea of dates applicable and even though one relative was before the court in London, I found more information in the Scotsman than in the London and SE papers.
Jackie

[lmfamilyresearch]

I have a FindMyPast subscription and I find it a great help with being able to access the newspaper articles.  I had a 3x g-grandmother brick wall that I broke through by googling her name.  That led me to her Toronto marriage notice in the Hereford Times (on FindMyPast, which led me to getting the subscription) and that gave me the name of her father and where he lived before moving to Toronto.  Having his name led me to marriage notices, death notices, ads for his store (one which told me when he had bought the store from someone else and when he was opening), more branches on my family tree...

Newspapers can be a great source.  Like others have said, search all sorts of ways. 

[Andy_T]

Although newspaper archive searches are hit and miss, I nevertheless found some valuable items I used in my family tree.
My father a Royal Marine sargent was a coxwain on D-Day and I found an article about half a page next to another article about Winston Churchill.
Also I found articles about my 2 times great grandfather, who was in the Birmingham police force in 1840. and arrests and court cases he attended. Later he was a gamekeeper for W.S. Dugdale at Merivale Hall, Atherstone, Warwickshire and I found a court hearing where a chimney sweep assalted him after he apprended some poachers.
Another item I found made me laugh when a slighted lady friend trampled on his intended's new hat.She followed him to the hat shop.
She was taken to court and ordered to pay 5/- compensation although one pound was the sum claimed.

Andy_T

[Nifty1]

I have found some things that are of interest to me on the BNA website, but, in spite of much searching, I have failed to locate the story/report  of Ramsay Marsh that I was told was published in The Daily Herald with a picture about when he ocassioned serious damage to his Jaguar XK Sports in an accident. The only other clue that I have to go on is that he was accompanied by a ‘lady snake charmer’ I was told this would have been abt. 1960.
The photo archive held at Bradford do not seem to have any record of the story or image..
I am still searching for this story but am begining to think that one informant was pherhaps being a bit over imaginative when he told me about it, though, he did say that he used to have the page of the paper, so, he may just have misremembered the publisher.