Friday Find

A Wedding Announcement from My Microfilm Research

Do you remember researching newspapers before they were digitized and searchable online? Have you spent hours scrolling through microfilm, hoping to find a mention of an ancestor or relative?

Before online newspaper collections became widely available, I made research trips to the Kansas State Historical Society in Topeka, Kansas. There, I spent time reading newspapers on microfilm, particularly those from Dodge City, Kansas, where several branches of my family lived.

Instead of printing or copying every article I found, I frequently made handwritten notes. Sometimes these notes were fairly complete transcriptions. Other times, I simply recorded the information I considered important.

Today's Friday Find comes from one of those handwritten notes.

Eileen Jones Weds Russel Horton

On Wednesday, April 17, 1941, the Dodge City Daily Globe published a wedding announcement for Eileen Jones and Russel Horton. I found the article on page 5, column 1.

My handwritten notes contain the following information:

Eileen Jones weds Russel Horton

Mr. and Mrs. Larry S. Jones of Ensign announce the marriage of their daughter Eileen to Russell Horton, jr. of Wichita a son of Mr. and Mrs. Russell Horton of South Dodge.

The double ring ceremony was performed Sun. by Dr. J. W. Abel at the Methodist parsonage.

Bride... graduate of Ensign High School, attending Wichita Business College.

Groom... attended Dodge City Schools, employed in Wichita at Rorabaugh-Buck.

Source: Dodge City Daily Globe, Wednesday, April 17, 1941, page 5, column 1. Kansas State Historical Society newspaper microfilm collection. Handwritten research notes.

My Connection to Russel Horton

Russel Horton was my first cousin once removed. His mother, Helen Crawford Horton, was my great-aunt.

Helen Crawford was the daughter of my great-grandparents, Judson Crawford and Josie Hammond. She married Russell C. Horton, and their son Russel is the groom mentioned in this announcement.

Thus, Russel and I share the same ancestors: Judson and Josie (Hammond) Crawford.

Although this wedding announcement is primarily about the Jones and Horton families, it is also a small piece of my Crawford family history.

What Can We Learn from This Announcement?

Even though my notes are relatively brief, they contain several useful pieces of genealogical information.

The announcement identifies the parents of both the bride and groom. Eileen was the daughter of Larry S. Jones and his wife, who lived in Ensign, Kansas. Russel was the son of Russell Horton and his wife, who lived in South Dodge.

It also provides information about the young couple's education and employment. Eileen graduated from Ensign High School and was attending Wichita Business College. Russel attended Dodge City schools and was employed by Rorabaugh-Buck in Wichita.

The article indicates that the wedding took place on a Sunday, with Dr. J. W. Abel officiating at the Methodist parsonage.

Since the announcement appeared on Thursday, April 17, 1941, the preceding Sunday would have been April 13, 1941. However, I would want to verify that date with another record before considering it proven.

These details help place the couple in their community at a particular point in their lives. They also suggest additional records that might be worth researching, including school records, city directories, and marriage records.

The Value of Those Old Research Notes

Looking at this handwritten transcription reminds me how much genealogy research has changed.

Today, I might search a digitized newspaper collection, locate an article, download an image, and attach it to the appropriate individuals in RootsMagic.

When I originally found this announcement, the process was quite different.

I had to travel to Topeka, locate the appropriate newspaper microfilm, load it into a reader, and scroll through the pages. Once I found an article of interest, I had to decide whether to make a copy or record the information by hand.

Thankfully, I recorded the newspaper title, publication date, page, and column. Those details make it possible to return to the original article if needed.

However, my handwritten notes are not necessarily a word-for-word transcription of the newspaper announcement. I may have abbreviated or omitted portions of the original article.

That distinction is important. While my notes preserve valuable information, they are a derivative source rather than an image of the original newspaper.

Preserving Yesterday's Research

As I continue organizing and reviewing my genealogy files, I frequently encounter these handwritten notes from my earlier research.

It would be easy to overlook them in favor of the digitized records available today. Yet they represent hours of research and contain information that may not be readily available online.

This particular note preserves the wedding announcement of a Crawford cousin and provides a glimpse into his life in 1941.

It also reminds me that research conducted decades ago can still contribute to our family histories today.

Perhaps someday I'll locate the original newspaper article in a digitized collection and compare it with my handwritten notes.

Until then, I'm glad I took the time to write down what I found!

Do you still have handwritten notes from your early genealogy research? Have you revisited those notes to see what discoveries they might contain?