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Finding African-American Ancestors in Newspapers: Research Strategies for Success

Only $39.99 for the 2/20 session! Conducting research on African-Americans ancestors is a challenging proposition and one must use all the available resources. Newspapers can provide a critical link to research success once the genealogist learns some important general knowledge along with a few essential skills. This course will equip you with key background information for newspaper research, expose myths pertaining to the use of white newspapers, give you the skill and confidence to seek out and utilize African-American newspapers, and furnish you with invaluable tips and strategies designed to optimize your success.

The 2/20 session of this course is being offered at a special price of $39.99, made possible by:

 

This course is also available as independent study. Click here to learn more.

COURSE BEGINS: View upcoming course schedule for dates
COURSE LENGTH: 4 weeks
TUITION: $99.99 ($89.99 for VIP members)
SPECIAL PRICE: The session of this course beginning on 2/20 is being offered for a special price of $39.99, made possible by GenealogyBank.com. )
INSTRUCTOR: Tim Pinnick (Bio)

WHAT YOU’LL LEARN

  • Why newspaper research is vital for African-American researchers
  • How to locate newspapers in libraries and archives and online
  • How to find information about your family in black newspapers
  • Strategies for using newspaper indexes

WHO SHOULD TAKE THIS COURSE

  • All African-American family historians
  • Anyone who’s had trouble locating information in black newspapers

WHAT YOU’LL NEED: REQUIREMENTS & SUPPLIES

  • Recommended: Tim Pinnick’s book, Finding and Using African American Newspapers
  • You’ll get the most out of this class with access to GenealogyBank, the largest online newspaper archive for family history research and the sponsor for this course. You can sign up for an individual subscription or access the service through a library that subscribes.

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COURSE SYLLABUS

Praise for this Class

“Course was very enlightening! Not in my wildest dreams did I ever suspect that there were so many Black newspapers in the earlier centuries. I really enjoyed it.”

“The course was great! Very informative with great resources. And the instructor, Tim, was very accessible and helpful when we had questions. “

Lesson 1: Newspaper Research and the African-American

  • Why Newspaper Research is Important
  • The Myth of White Newspapers
    • What You’ll Find in White Newspapers
  • History of Black Newspapers
    • What You’ll Find in Black Newspapers
  • Other Newspapers of Interest
  • Exercise

Lesson 2: Locating Newspapers

  • Libraries and Archives
    • Local libraries
    • State archives
    • University libraries
  • Online Resources
    • Accessible Archives
    • Chronicling America
    • GenealogyBank
    • ProQuest Historical Newspapers
    • Others
  • Three Important Book-finding Aids
  • Exercise

Lesson 3: Finding Information

  • Basic Newspaper Design
    • Local columns
    • Social columns
    • Social columns in black newspapers
  • The Defender Archives
  • The Abajian Indexes
  • Exercise

Lesson 4: Research Tips and Strategies

  • Bias
  • Migration Events
  • Searching Multiple Newspapers
  • Church News
  • Social and Fraternal Organizations
  • Memorials
  • Special Columns
    • Schools and Colleges
    • Military
  • Exercise

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