TIP OF THE WEEK –
NEED CONTEXT? TRY A NEWSPAPER

When you run into a word or term you don’t understand that you believe is related to the time and place your ancestors lived, but you can’t tell the meaning, try searching their local newspaper if it is available. Often some local terms, expressions and even details about policies don’t make it into history books or even Google. Here are a few examples of things that provide context that you can find in the local paper that may not be available elsewhere: the details of the state pension rules, usages of local expressions, when a community opened their poor farm, or the name of a school or church and when it opened.