I love newspapers. I truly do. Anything I can do to promote their accessibility is one of my passions. I am pleased now to learn that an African-American newspaper of Evansville, Indiana (where my husband’s family is from), is now available in it’s online!
The Evansville Argus was published from June 25, 1938 – October 22, 1943. The University of Southern Indiana’s David Rice library is one of the few places that holds the entire run of the paper. I have been interested in the paper for awhile now because of the fact that my husband’s family is from there and from time to time I have visited Willard Library in Evansville and perused a few of them. I contribute from time to time to the blog of the genealogy society in Evansville and for one post I transcribed a marriage I found in the paper.
The David Rice Library received grant funds to digitize this collection, and in doing so, provides us all with access to this treasure trove. You may browse the issues online at the library’s website or choose “Advanced Search” at the top of the screen to search specific information. For any specific issue, the archive team has implemented a feature that allows you to view the entire issue in PDF format — quite handy indeed! I especially like that feature since I find contentDM’s page navigation absolutely horrid and nowhere as easy to use as that used by Google for their newspapers and the Library of Congress for the Chronicling America website.
And, in keeping with my new practice of using the FamilySearch Research Wiki as my own personal research tool I have added a link to the collection to the Wiki page for Vanderburgh County, Indiana.
Hi Taneya, My family is from Evansville and Newburgh Indiana. Also, brother-in-law is a Meriwether from Evansville. Can’t wait to peruse the Argus. I love your website/blog. I’m inspired. Thanks.
Hi Marva, thanks! I’ll send you an email. my husband has Meriweather’s in his lineage.