Monday, October 8, 2012

Frame your search in the context of the times

When searching newspapers online, keep in mind that most search options do not distinguish keywords from proper names.

GenealogyBank.com
Advanced search screen

Searching for last name COOK in the Palladium of Liberty at GenealogyBank provides us with these unfortunate results with "cook" indicating a job, not the last name.

Palladium of Liberty, Morristown, Morris County, New Jersey
27 May 1813
GenealogyBank.com

Palladium of Liberty, Morristown, Morris County, New Jersey
23 November 1820
GenealogyBank.com
Slavery was legal in New Jersey at least through the 1840s, so do not be surprised if you find this situation among your New Jersey ancestors.

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