Those newspaper databases are giving you control options. Use them!
Newspapers are so tempting, we often just dive into the digital archives with names and keywords and don’t consider CONTROL. If you control your search, you’ll be able to weed and assess your results in a much more efficient fashion.
Here are a few thoughts on controlling your search:
Utilize quotation marks in the search box to keep your search terms together. Most search boxes default to keyword, so when you utilize quotation marks, you’re asking it to function as an “exact phrase” search.
Control the locality if you’re in a database that represents many locations.
Utilize the date range feature AND deploy incremental searching for best results.
When you control your search, you can squeeze the newspapers for all they’re worth! Combine that with a variety of search terms pertaining to your ancestor and you’re leveling up your research big time.
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