Finding and Using
African American Newspapers, By Timothy N. Pinnick. Published by The Gregath
Publishing, P.O. Box 505, Wyandotte, OK 74370. <www.gregathcompany.com>,
2008, 71 pp. Softcover $12.
This booklet provides
guidelines, samples and strategies for locating Black newspapers. It is an
excellent companion to The Bibliographic Checklist of African American
Newspapers by Barbara K. Hertize. Mr. Pinnick makes the case that newspaper
research can help find: an exact or nearly exact event date for an ancestor;
additional information on the event that will not be found in vital records; and
the names and location of immediate family members including the married names
of daughters or sisters.
Additionally African
American Newspapers may help reveal the slave owner, which is often the most
difficult aspect of African American genealogy. Identification might come from a
run-away slave ad, placed in newspapers in the North or the South. Or
researchers might associate an ancestor with a specific white family or owner
through an article or obituary. Other gems include the notices published by
former slaves after the Civil War seeking information on family members, and the
social columns of African American newspapers that tell of the comings and
goings of African Americans in the community.
Pinnick's tips on usage
remind us that some newspapers are available online. Also, a large Northern city
may have had more than one Black newspaper, so check all newspapers in the
metropolitan area.
Overall, this is a
practical and useful guide which clearly displays the author's attention to
detail.
Kenyatta D. Berry
Los Gatos, California
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