In a message dated 02/13/2002 10:20:56 AM Central Standard Time, 4nimity@mo-net.com writes: << Ralph Poore wrote: > The Genealogy and Local History Division of the Mobile Public Library keeps > a vertical file of clippings, but I'm fairly certain they don't go back > anywhere near that far. > > Many of the old clippings, including obits, from the Mobile Press Register > were given to the City of Mobile Archives. However, for the most part the > paper didn't have clippings going back that far. There's a small chance > there may have been one for your ancestor, but I largely doubt it. (I'm a > former editor at the paper.) > > There are usually exceptions in both cases for prominent people. >> Ralph, Would you know if the "paper" itself keeps such information and is it available to the public. I have always understood papers kept a "morgue" and somehow one could have access to the information. Best, Bob RE Speese ********************************************************************* Researching SPEESE, STREET, McWATTERS and BALLENTINE. Norton 2001 Updated Virus System and ZoneAlarm. GOD BLESS AMERICA

Hi Bob and list, Most (but probably not all) newspapers will allow a person to come to the "office" and look through the morgue, but few will do lookups for anyone??? just my 2 cents, Jabe Fincher RESpeese@aol.com wrote: > > In a message dated 02/13/2002 10:20:56 AM Central Standard Time, > 4nimity@mo-net.com writes: > > << Ralph Poore wrote: > > > The Genealogy and Local History Division of the Mobile Public Library > keeps > > a vertical file of clippings, but I'm fairly certain they don't go back > > anywhere near that far. > > > > Many of the old clippings, including obits, from the Mobile Press Register > > were given to the City of Mobile Archives. However, for the most part the > > paper didn't have clippings going back that far. There's a small chance > > there may have been one for your ancestor, but I largely doubt it. (I'm a > > former editor at the paper.) > > > > There are usually exceptions in both cases for prominent people. >> > > Ralph, > Would you know if the "paper" itself keeps such information and is it > available to the public. I have always understood papers kept a "morgue" and > somehow one could have access to the information. > Best, > Bob > RE Speese > > ********************************************************************* > Researching SPEESE, STREET, McWATTERS and BALLENTINE. > Norton 2001 Updated Virus System and ZoneAlarm. > GOD BLESS AMERICA > > ============================== > To join Ancestry.com and access our 1.2 billion online genealogy records, go to: > http://www.ancestry.com/rd/redir.asp?targetid=571&sourceid=1237 -- Jabe Fincher---Pensacola, Florida http://jabessite.homestead.com/index~ns4.html

-----Original Message----- From: RESpeese@aol.com [mailto:RESpeese@aol.com] Sent: Monday, February 18, 2002 2:53 PM To: AL-MOBILEBAY-L@rootsweb.com Subject: [AL-MOBILEBAY] Re: Mobile obituaries-Ralph Poore The Mobile Press Register, now just the Register, used to physically keep obituary clippings in vertical files. Now it uses electronic programs to index the paper. The paper's library is closed to the public. It's a resource for reporters and because of problems with people coming in and removing things from the files, it was closed many years ago. There are rare exceptions for researchers, usually someone at the university level. Obituaries that ran in the paper were of two types: paid and news. Obituaries that came from the mortuary are the paid kind and ran in small type near the classifieds. News obituaries ran in the local news pages and were written by reporters, but were often dictated by the mortuary which called the newsroom if the death was of a prominent person or if the family requested it. Essentially, anyone who wanted a news obituary could get one. You just had to ask. Because of the switchover to electronic indexing methods when I was at the paper, I became concerned that the clipping files might be sent to the dump. So I began working to get the clippings sent to the City Archives, where many of the older files are stored today. Ralph Poore 2575 Falling Brook Lane Boise, ID 83706 poorehouse1@msn.com Ralph, Would you know if the "paper" itself keeps such information and is it available to the public. I have always understood papers kept a "morgue" and somehow one could have access to the information. Best, Bob RE Speese ********************************************************************* Researching SPEESE, STREET, McWATTERS and BALLENTINE. Norton 2001 Updated Virus System and ZoneAlarm. GOD BLESS AMERICA ______________________________