Searching Digital Newspaper Archives: Don't stop with the names

My great grandfather's name is Barney Newmark, with a 'W.' How do you think I found the below article in my search of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch archives at Newspapers.com?

 Not by being creative with surname spellings. As you can see below, a search on the page yields no results for 'Neumark' (or, for that matter, 'Noumark'). Why not? I'm not sure. The search engine does just fine ignoring commas in places such as obituaries. I suspect it's just that Optical Character Recognition can be finicky, and will at times miss stuff.

Because of this, it's important to search for more than just an ancestor's name. If you know it, search for their address as well. The article above doesn't reveal much about my ancestor, but the classified below, from the August 10, 1952 edition, tells me when my great-great uncle, David Cruvant, put his pawnshop up for sale before moving to Louisiana, an approximate date for when the shop opened (I don't trust that it was exactly 1920), and it tells me his move was for health reasons.

Classified ads from 1954 also tell me that the business that bought the location and moved in was Veterans Linoleum and Tile, which became Becky's when the next generation of the family-owned business took over. Becky's Carpet and Tile closed in 2012, but had become an extremely well-known local business, so knowing that their first store was in the same store front as my great-great uncle's pawnshop means something to me. (And I'm looking for a photograph of Veterans Linoleum's Collinsville Avenue location to compare it to this 1920s-1930s photo.)

Also search for business names. The classified ad below, from May 4, 1902, doesn't say much, but it is the only appearance I've found other than in the City Directories of my second great grandfather, Selig Feinstein's, junk store, which he operated 1901-1902.

Maybe you know a relative was an officer of a local organization, and there is a newspaper article that mentions them by title and  not by name?

Finally, a search for names of neighborhoods can also yield important information. My research on the neighborhoods of Little Jerusalem and Carr Square has uncovered descriptions of the conditions my paternal ancestors lived in during the late 19th early 20th century. I even discovered a photograph which could be of family, though it isn't definite.

In short, search for everything you can think of connected with your ancestor. You don't know when your ancestor may be referred to, or even photographed, but not named. And you can't control mistakes made by faulty Optical Character Recognition.

Amanuensis Monday: Max Newmark Killed by Robbers - 1931

Amanuensis: A person employed to write what another dictates or to copy what has been written by another.

I continue my project to transcribe family letters, journals, newspaper articles, audiotapes, and other historical artifacts. Not only do the documents contain genealogical information, the words breathe life into kin - some I never met - others I see a time in their life before I knew them.

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This week I look at a newspaper artcile from the St. Louis Post-Dispatch mentioning the murder of my great great uncle, Max Newmark - brother of my great grandfather, Barney Newmark. (I previously transcribed the St. Louis Globe Democrat's report, but this provides additional information.)

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St. Louis Post Dispatch, Feb 1, 1931, page 2

EAST SIDE GROCER SHOT BY ROBBERS DIES OF WOUNDS

Max Newmark and a Customer Fired on in Store When Dog Tries to Defend Its Master.

Max Newmark, East St. Louis grocer, died late yesterday afternoon of bullet wounds suffered early yesterday in a holdup, when three Negroes opened fire after a small dog attacked one of the robbers.

Newmark, who was 38 years old and lived over his store at 512 South Twentieth street, was shot in the right side, right shoulder and abdomen. A Negro customer, Walter Hurnton, 26, 1927 Piggott avenue, who was shot in the right breast, is in serious condition at St. Mary's Hospital, where Newmark died.

Newmark armed with a revolver in a holster at his side, opened the store at 6 a.m. and was walking from the rear with a cigar box containing about $60 when the robbers entered with drawn revolvers.

At the command "Stick 'em up," Newmark placed the box on the counter and raised his hands. At the same moment, his dog, Peggie, darted from behind the counter, barking viciously at the leader of the robbers.

The robber kicked the dog away and fired two shots as it advanced again. One bullet grazed the dog's shoulder and it fled to the rear of the store.

Hurnton walked into the store as the leader, with his back to the door, fired three shots at Newmark, who was standing with hands raised. A second robber fired two shots at Hurnton, one of which struck him, while the third robber fired one shot in the direction of Newmark.

The leader seized the money box and snatched Newmark's revolver from its holster. Hurnton ran outside and collapsed on the sidewalk, followed by the robbers who fled south in Twentieth street on foot.

Newmark's wife and two sons, sleeping upstairs, were awakened by the shots and heard the grocer crying for them to call an ambulance.

Notes:

1) Max and Dora's sons Nelson and Harold were 16 and 12 at the time.

2) Compared to the Globe Democrat article, this report provides greater detail of the sequence of events, and indicates the family's residence was above the store -  his wife and sons awakened by the shots. It also consistently gets the spelling of the surname correct.

My Ancestral Location Chart

Lots of genealogy bloggers are posting ancestral birth charts illustrating where their ancestors were born through five generations. I figured it would be an interesting thing to do, so I borrowed a template that Judy G. Russell, the Legal Genealogist offered. I decided to add the locations of death for my grandparents and earlier generations. (My parents, and I, are living.) I thought it would better illustrate the migration. The colors represent location of birth.

I don't have birth certificates for most of my ancestors in the fourth and fifth generation, but the locations are likely accurate.

My paternal grandfather was on vacation when he died, but otherwise the location of death matches where the ancestor lived at the time.

Amanuensis Monday: Morris Blatt Burglarized Three Times - 1897

Amanuensis: A person employed to write what another dictates or to copy what has been written by another.

I continue my project to transcribe family letters, journals, newspaper articles, audiotapes, and other historical artifacts. Not only do the documents contain genealogical information, the words breathe life into kin - some I never met - others I see a time in their life before I knew them.

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This week I look at a newspaper artcile from the St. Louis Post-Dispatch mentioning my second great grandfather, Morris Blatt.

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St. Louis Post Dispatch, May 17, 1897, page 2

THEY LIKE HIM

Burglars Have Thrice Visited Morris Blatt's Store.

Morris Blatt, a dry goods dealer at 800 Carr street, has been made a mark for burglars, according to the story he told at the Four Courts Monday.

Blatt says that his place was entered Sunday night by burglars and $200 worth of goods carried away. He said there were four dozen skirts and a number of silk waists taken. The thieves gained entrance be breaking the windows on the Eighth street side.

Three weeks ago, Blatt said, burglars visited his place and using the same method to gain entrance, took forty-one yards of velvetine and a lot of laces and ribbons, the total value of which is $50. Another time thieves broke the windows, but were frightened away before they entered.

Blatt's store is in the building formerly occupied by Harry M. Sheolink, who is now serving a jail sentence for receiving property stolen from the Malinckrodt Chemical Works.

Notes:

1) According to the 1897 City Directory, my 2nd great grandfather had a tailor shop at 1401 North 7th Street, which is about 3 blocks north of Carr. There is only one Morris Blatt in Missouri in the 1900 census. (None near St. Louis in Illinois, either.) Could he have had two businesses?

Corned Beef on Rye (repost)

Corned Beef and Cabbage on Rye

To the left is a bio my great-grandfather Barney Newmark submitted to the North St. Louis Businessman's Association for their 1925 publication.

Are such bios trustworthy sources? Let's take a look.

Proprietor of a tailor shop, 1520 St. Louis avenue;
Yes.

Native of Dublin, Ireland;
Attended public schools in Ireland;
Not quite. While we don't have a birth certificate, all evidence suggests he was born in what I like to call a suburb of Dublin, known as Warka, Poland. Google Maps will provide driving directions, and it will only take you 23 hours. (With the help of some ferries.)

Student at Oxford;
Barney doesn't say "Oxford University" or "Oxford College". During the 14 years spent in London, England, he lived within walking distance of Oxford Street, and the Oxford Circus Railway Station. He was a student of life. Perhaps there was even a local school on Oxford Street.

Learned the tailoring trade at the London Polytechnic, London, England;

For a while it was assumed this was also a stretch of his imagination. But research revealed that the London Polytechnic was short for The London Polytechnic Young Men's Christian Institute, and like some branches of its American cousin, they provided skills training to local youth. Certainly, Barney learned the tailoring trade from his father, who was also a tailor. However, he may have had instruction at the local Y as well.

***

Everything after that is also true. So the only outright fib was his country of origin. There was a large Irish community in St. Louis, and my suspicion is that since "Barney" isn't an uncommon Irish name, many of his customers would ask him if he were Irish, and he finally decided to say "yes." (With his fourteen years in England as an explanation of the absence of the accent.)

He also would say that his birthday was March 17th. His birthday appears as March 25th and April 14th on a few documents. The Gregorian and Julian calendars might partially account for the different dates. He also said the year was 1886, so this is (or it will soon be) his 130th birthday.

Nine years ago, after I discussed my great grandfather's 'blarney', a friend sent me a link to an online census document. I had always been interested in my ancestry, but had no clue what was available online. The rest, as they say, is family history.

Happy St. Patrick's Day



Past St. Patrick's Day posts

March 17, 2015: Corned Beef on Rye
March 16, 2014: Happy St. Patrick's Day 2014
March 16, 2013: Happy St. Patrick's Day
March 17, 2012: Happy 126th Birthday to my Great Grandfather
March 17, 2011: Happy St. Patrick's Day
March 17, 2010: Barney's Birthday and Birthplace
March 17, 2009: On St. Patrick's Day Everyone is Irish
March 17, 2008: My 'Irish' Great Grandfather
March 15, 2007: Corned Beef and Cabbage on Rye

Amanuensis Monday: Barney Newmark Denies Knowledge of Stench Activity

Amanuensis: A person employed to write what another dictates or to copy what has been written by another.

I continue my project to transcribe family letters, journals, newspaper articles, audiotapes, and other historical artifacts. Not only do the documents contain genealogical information, the words breathe life into kin - some I never met - others I see a time in their life before I knew them.

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This week I look at a newspaper article from the St. Louis Post-Dispatch, which mentions my great grandfather, Barney Newmark.

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St. Louis Post Dispatch, December 1, 1937, page 3.

STENCH FLUID SPRAYED INTO CLEANER'S SHOP

Owner Says Two Men Previously Tore Down Notice of Cut Prices, Threatened Him.

Police discovered early today that stench fluid had been sprayed into the shop of the Best Cleaners, 2825 North Vandeventer avenue.

A hold had been broken in the glass in a rear door and stench liquid introduced into the shop with a sprayer, officers reported. Members of the bombing squad said this was an effective means of saturating clothing with the offensive odor.

Tony Christopher, owner of the shop, told police that two weeks ago he cut prices. Subsequently two men visited his shop, tore down signs advertising the reduced prices and threatened to blow up the place, Christopher said.

Barney Newmark, 5946 Kingsbury avenue, business agent for the Local Union 27, Cleaners & Dyers, was taken into custody at his home for questioning. The union affiliated with the A. F. of L. is an organization of small cleaning shop owners. Newmark denied knowledge of the stench activity at the Best Cleaners.

[Deleted paragraph] ... Both men were released after questioning.

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Notes:

1) From this news article I have recorded the 1937 address for my great grandfather, and that he was a business agent for Local Union 27, Cleaners & Dyers.

He denied any knowledge of the 'stench activity,' and was released after questioning. I have found no other news articles concerning this case.

2) Barney celebrated his birthday on March 17th, and claimed to have been born in 1886. Thus, Thursday would be his 130th birthday. (There is some question as to the exact date of his birth; three different dates appear on separate documents. But with lack of a birth certificate, the day he chose to celebrate with family is as good as either of the other two.)

Wordless Wednesday: Myrtle Deutsch at the YWCA - 1947

St. Louis Post-Dispatch, February 7, 1947, page 1D
(Position the mouse over the photo for additional information.)

Amanuensis Monday: Melvin Newmark's Mustache and Sideburns

Amanuensis: A person employed to write what another dictates or to copy what has been written by another.

I continue my project to transcribe family letters, journals, newspaper articles, audiotapes, and other historical artifacts. Not only do the documents contain genealogical information, the words breathe life into kin - some I never met - others I see a time in their life before I knew them.

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This week I look at a newspaper article from the St. Louis Post-Dispatch, which not only mentions my grandfather, Melvin L. Newmark, but provides a photograph, as well.

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St. Louis Post Dispatch, November 6, 1969, p. 71

Top Photo Caption: Lawyer Melvin L. Newmark has received lots of attention from young women since he grew his flowing silver mustache and long sideburns. At left he chats with three women in an elevator. They are (from left): Mrs. Ronald Oestreich, Mrs. Robert Miller and Miss Karen Scherr. At left is the elevator operator, Van Dyke Johnson.

Hair Apparent In New Establishment Styles
By Connie Rosenbaum
Of the Post-Dispatch Staff

Hair is here and not just among hippies. The most Establishment men are sprouting long sideburns, mustaches and beards to join the current young swing to the sensual and tactile.

Throughout the city, middle-aged men are challenging their sons’ claims to be far out and freaky. As a result, fuzzy growths are turning up in the most unexpected places. They are still above the upper lip,  beside the ears or over the chin but they are now decorating faces in doctors’ and dentists’ offices, in lawyers’ chambers, behind executive desks and in funeral parlors.

Inspired by such varied figures as Gen. Ulysses S. Grant, Luther Burbank, the Smith Brothers and Abraham Lincoln, older modern men are imitating famous faces.

Motivated by fashion and fun rather than rebellion, many fathers reported that their new look has given them a different outlook on life. Melvin L. Newmark, an over-50 lawyer, said that increased attention from young women has more than offset the ribbings from contemporaries.

Newmark reports that suddenly, after he grew his flowing silver mustache and long bushy sideburns, young women started flocking around him. In elevators, on the street, in gasoline stations, in stores and in restaurants his appearance attracts attention from the younger set.

“I was never really noticed before in my life,” he said, a big smile clearly visible below his mustache. “Now all of a sudden, I am.”

His wife doesn’t mind.

“Life is much more fun now,” she said. “Melvin loves to shop for colored shirts and we both like to dress young. People tease him sometimes, but I think they’re just jealous.”

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Notes:

1) I was born in 1969 and never knew my grandfather before he grew his mustache and sideburns. He kept them after the fashion subsided. It was fun reading about his decision to grow them.