An Aid to Researching Residents of the Southwestern United States

by Delia Cothrun Bourne

Newspapers are a wonderful genealogical source, but researchers often limit their search for relevant publications to a specific town or county. Even broadening the search to surrounding counties may not be enough. A wonderful compilation by the El Paso Genealogical Society perfectly illustrates the point that in wide open spaces, where towns were far apart, the newspapers of the largest city in the area may well have served the functions of a local paper for a very large territory. El Paso was one such city, its papers providing news of people who lived in and moved through the area on their way west. “Births, Deaths & Marriages from El Paso Newspapers for Arizona, Texas, New Mexico, Oklahoma, and Indian Territory” (call number 979 B539) was the result of a twenty year project and consists of four volumes covering newspapers to 1900.

Each volume is divided into sections by event. Death notices are by far the most numerous and normally include the decedent's name, age, and place, date, and cause or circumstances of death, but can also provide names of survivors, birth place, residence or destination, and occupation. Some entries are brief, such as that for Boatman, a Negro who “dropped dead” in San Antonio in 1884. Others include detailed biographical information. Entries are arranged alphabetically, but there is an index of other names mentioned at the end of each volume. So, if one knows only that Frank Middleton killed someone in Smithville, Texas, in 1895, looking up his name will lead you to the citation for Alexander Jenkins, the victim.

Marriage notices include the names of bride and groom, place and date of marriage, and might include birth places, officiant's name, and the names of other family members. These notices can also supply unexpected details, as in the 1897 report that Laura E. Flint married Thomas W. Wiggins, after obtaining a divorce from her former husband the same day.

Birth notices normally include parents' names (usually Mr. and Mrs.), birth date and place, or other information about the family, but may not name the child, only note its gender. The birth sections also include announcements for birthdays, baptisms, and adoptions, as well as items such as the 1885 note that Fannie, Adolph, and Helen Schultz were being educated in New York City.

Additional sections, labeled “oddities” or “funnies” appear in some volumes, and volume two includes a UFO section with a sketch of an airship that appeared in El Paso in 1897. So, as with all newspapers of the time, one never knows what treasure one will find.

Genealogy Gems[1]: News from the Fort Wayne Library
No. 59, January 31, 2009