How can I find a person's name in the newspapers?
Watch this short video tutorial to see how you can search the newspapers for a person's name, or read the handy hints below:
1) Search the whole country
News stories were reported widely, so you may find a person from London mentioned in an Aberdeen newspaper.
2) Put "quote marks" around a person's name
Searching for "Elsie Tanner" will only find articles in which the first and last names appear together, giving you more relevant results.
3) Try alternative names
Elsie Tanner could have been recorded as E Tanner, Mrs Tanner, Mrs Arnold Tanner or Elsie Grimshaw (her maiden name). Elsie could also be short for a lot of longer names, so try any variants of the name you can think of.
4) Search for an event instead of a name
Remember that a person's name may not have been recorded. For example, Elsie Tanner may have been referenced as 'the wife of the deceased'. If you're not having any luck with a name, try a more general search using the type of event and location - Wetherfield death, for example.
Search the newspapers for a person's name