Local newspapers are invaluable for genealogy research. You know what I’m talking about: “Mr. and Mrs. John Smith are visiting their daughter Sarah in Des Moines this week. They’re enjoying their time with Sarah and the kids.” Or “Mrs. Lloyd Arnold and Mrs. Frank Reynolds hosted a tea party for their friends last Thursday.” (an article I actually found in a Tucson, Arizona, newspaper. Mrs. Lloyd Arnold was my mother).
This kind of “news” coverage has been lost as the economics of print journalism has changed. We now find these stories on social media, which means that the record of these interactions will not be findable in news archives in the future.
Today’s Virginia Gazette features a page of photographs that display reader-supplied photographs of all sorts of community activities. These photos include the induction ceremony for a new Eagle Scout, a food drive by the Williamsburg-James City County Republican Committee, an invitational bocce match at a local retirement community, a local Classic Cruisers Car Club get-together on the 4th of July, and two pictures from the Sons of the American Revolution — One of the chapter president being being given a certificate of appreciation, and the other of the manager of a local hotel being given an award for proper display of the American flag.
It's easy to scoff at these pictures, calling them “grip and grins,” but they serve two purposes: to highlight community activities in a world where interpersonal connection is not as organic as it used to be, and to provide some visibility and recognition to people who are unlikely to make “real” news. These pictures will be maintained in a newspaper archive, discoverable to future historians and genealogists.
They provide a sliver of insight into the life of a small Virginia town in 2023 and should neither be overlooked nor dismissed.
Yes, these people may never make the “real” news, but they are “real” people in every sense of the word. Thank you for highlighting them. 😎