A body micht no think it, but the’r a guid chance that ane or mair o yer forebears wis in a newspaper report. The first papers in Scotland stertit aboot 1700 an wis read wi educate fowk. The war a tax that made them a bonnie penny an-aw. But in the 1840’s faur cheaper papers cam intae the mercat an mair fowk cuid read. Fae this time newspaper screivars recordit mair anent the ordnar fowk an bi the mid-19t century we find a rise in the nummer o tredsmen an fermers an warkars in obits. An it wis common tae find airticles an features – anent onything unner the sun – wrutten in Scots. Mony sma papers airtit at a shire or toun flourisht an descrived life an fowk in aw thair sma parteeclars. This wis the pattren until the 1910’s an 1920’s whan muckle corporate syndicates stertit buyin up the sma papers in Scotland, drappit the airticles in Scots, an reportit faur less, an wi less care, whit wis gauin on in the parteeclar airt.

Ae doundrag for fowk speirin-oot mair modren faimly history, fae the 19t an 20t centuries, is the want o ony online register for auld newspapers fae Scotland. The noo the British Newspaper Archive, that a body maun pey for, is the nearest, but despite its threap tae comprehend Scots papers, is haes nae mair nor a pairtial run, an the feck o papers for Scotland sits, unseen, in the Mitchell Leebrar in Glesca, National Leebrar in Embra, or sindry central leebrars braid Scotland. We maun speir whan thir sources micht be deegified, an whan Scots speirars will hae an online springheid, dedicate tae Scotland, that daesna lippen on ootland steids. But the noo, gin a body can thole it, ye’ll hae tae sit an gae throu reels o microfilm, page bi page, on the chance ye micht find something.  But whan ye div find airticles thay can thraw a mair personal licht on yer forebears.