One of my favorite places to research my family history is newspapers. You never know what kind of surprise you may find!

Recently, I was on newspapers.com, typing in family names and seeing if anything new had popped up. It had been a while since I had a subscription. I searched for my great-grandfather Hermann Borchert, and three different articles popped up.

 

 

I had known Hermann was a printer, from family stories and his obituary, but these articles were a surprise for me.

The first, from the Indianapolis News on January 8, 1900, announcing the election of officers for the German Typographical Union No. 14. Hermann was elected Vice-President. The second article, from the Indianapolis Journal the next day contained a similar announcement.

 

 

The final article was from the Indianapolis News on April 30, 1904. The German Typographical Union, along with other German unions, were going to hold a First of May Demonstration. Hermann is listed among those speaking.

 

 

These articles help give a little context to his work and what he did in his spare time.

Newspapers.com also provides a free trial if you have never signed up. It’s worth taking the time and seeing what kind of surprises you might find! (If you have the all-access Ancestry pass, the basic newspaper subscription is included).