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Archiver > NJHUNTER > 2002-02 > 1014051652


From: "William Hartman" <>
Subject: [NJHUNTER] Hunterdon Gazette
Date: Mon, 18 Feb 2002 12:02:19 -0500


INDEXING AND LOOK-UPS FOR THE HUNTERDON GAZETTE: 1825 - 1866



FOR YOUR INFORMATION:



I am doing the project as a public service to all the descendants of the people who "made it into the Hunterdon Gazette!", the first newspaper published at Flemington, New Jersey, during its brief existence in the lives of our ancestors for the period 1825 to 1866. I have completed 1825-1833.



When I was doing my own genealogic research on my Hunterdon Ancestors, I had exhausted the usual sources - family records (rather scant), US Census Records, Hunterdon: Hall of Records & Surrogates Office, and some items at the Hunterdon County Historical Society (HCHS). I surmised that perhaps there would be hidden gems in the newspapers of the county and what a bonanza! At least for ME!



I discovered a lawyer and judge of the Orphan's Court and what prompted me to do the Index of the Gazette was the wealth of gems on my GGgrandfather William Hughes for whom I am named (William Hughes Hartman). There had been no record and no conversation in my family on his life. I found in the Gazette that he had a shop in Flemington and made "Boots & Shoes". His advertisements contained poetry that I believe he wrote himself. When manufactured shoes replaced the local shoe stores, he turned to farming and won prizes at the Flemington Fair. I am still scanning "The Democrat" as well as the Gazette to pick up bits and pieces of his life and his descendants down to me. I now have pages of material in addition to the usual, mundane - genealogic: "b", "m", and "d" dates!



So being retired, proficient in typing and computer skills I decided to undertake a project for the Hunterdon County Historical Society which owns the only original copies of the Gazette and to whom I have donated my time and efforts. I ask for nothing other than the knowledge that what I have done will save people the countless hours (I made it a point NOT to log my time - no bragging rights!) that I have put into this project. I only hope that you and others will find some of the elusive previously unknown gems about your ancestors.



Here is the basic structure of the project:



1. All items are being copied by digital camera. (Items are: a notice, an obit, a marriage, a political announcement, a legal announcement, an advertisement, notice of property or goods for sale, notice of being in debtors prison, letter not picked up at the post office, anything with information on people and topics of interest to Hunterdon County.)

2. The items are then saved in a MSWord document and formatted to look similar to how they appeared in the original newspaper.

3. All names and topics (eg. Delaware and Raritan Canal, etc.) are put in a separate file and indexed.

4. Each year is saved and printed, the text (items) in one book and the index in another. This was done due to the sheer volume and the desire to get the material into hard copy for use at the Historical Society Library.

5. I am keeping an overall index in MSExcel, so that I can query for my own use and to help people like you with requests for look-ups.

6. When the project is completed in ? 5 ? years ( I am doing about 1 year in 2 months) the HCHS intends on releasing a CD with all the material.



I must investigate how this will be done since all computers must be able to read it, right now the only way I know to retain the formatting (which I believe is essential to the presentation and retention of how the original looked) is to do it in MSWord. I know that HMTL destroys this. I have not looked into Adobe or other universal word software programs, but I've got a few years to look for the best venue. The CD will cost something and that will be decided by the HCHS and not me.



Here is what I will do for free:



Look up you surname(s) in the "Overall Surname Index" and give you a count if the names are numerous, or give you the first names if only a few. I will also reference the pages of the item for which you want to order copies from the HCHS, again if you are out of the area and cannot make it to New Jersey to do your own look-up.



You may order copies of individual pages (each page is 2 column, in order to approximate the original newspaper column size) and the pages are packed with as many items as I could get on them and retain the original format - so you will get more than just the item for your surname.



PLEASE NOTE: I can only guarantee that the name you have requested does appear somewhere, at least once, on the referenced page. You could be disappointed to learn that your ancestor is in jail, or that he/she has not picked up their mail at the post-office. But even this is positive, at least you know that they (or someone with the same name!) were in Hunterdon County at the time of the notice!



To save paper space of the hard copy, I have allowed items to continue onto the next page. Unfortunately if this occurs, you may only get part of the item on which the name appeared and you will then have to send for a copy of the other page. Sorry about this!



NOT ALL obits and not all marriages where listed in the Gazette, it was usually by word of mouth that they got listed, so if you have a positive date of marriage or death, don't expect the Gazette to have the listing, go to Hall of Records, or Trenton for that!



Order from Roxanne Carkhuff, Hunterdon County Historical Society, 114 Main St., Flemington, NJ 08822.

Each page is $ 0.25 to copy and at least $ 0.50 for postage.



One Other point regarding the Spelling of names:

The researcher should be aware as you review the Indices that names were variously spelled by the newspaper staff. Mr. Charles George, the editor during the early years of the newspaper, included an article that indicated this fact:



Gazette: No. 142. Wednesday, December 5, 1827.





[Printing trivia]

Errors of the press. - when it is noted that from fifty to a hundred thousand types are picked up singly and put in their proper places for each day's paper, it will not appear extraordinary that occasionally one or two of them will get into the wrong places, or that in making up a body containing so many small parts, errors should sometimes occur.





In addition, you must remember how information was handled and communicated 175 years ago. Some of the information the editor received was oral and some was handwritten - the typewriter and linotype were not yet available. Mr. George or his apprentice then interpreted this information and set it to type by picking up and setting it letter by letter. In the case of handwritten material, the scribe or clerk would sound out the name as best he could unless he knew the name of the person or the person knew how he or she preferred to spell it. It then had to be read by Mr. George providing another chance for error in the type setting process. So please be aware and alert to the fact that names may not even be close to the spelling that you expect. Rev. Clark is printed as Rev. Quark! Updike is Opdycke and other various spellings. Wirts: Werts, Wurts, Wearts! And I am sure you have your own stories concerning the spelling of your favorite surnames! One of mine is Stiers, Stires, S!
tyers; all listed in these issues of the Gazette!



Hope this helps with your requests.



Regards, MrBill


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