Ancestry Request - Boston Pilot

DunnoKidz

Does anyone have a subscription to Ancestry that may be able to send along a copy of a transcription from The Boston Pilot's Irish Immigrants Advertisements (Missing Friends, Information Wanted) published 19 March 1881?

I have a subscription but when I try to view the record, continually get an error message: "Oops, we've hit a snag, we were unable to retrieve the image."

If it's possible, I thank you!

spurious

PM me your email and I will send you it.

**edit
As an aside, it seems to be freely available to search here: https://infowanted.bc.edu/search/

pinkypinky

I thought that database was online already when I heard the serious Ancestry plug this morning on Morning Ireland. Thanks for the memory jog, Spurious.

DunnoKidz

Thank you spurious! That gives me enough info to rule out my ancestor.

The bc database seems to be an index, ancestry supposedly transcribed the advertisement pages in whole, I assume (but don't rightly know).

KildareFan

Ancestry has indexed the adverts which were transcribed & published in : Harris, Ruth-Ann M., Donald M. Jacobs, and B. Emer O’Keeffe, editors. Searching for Missing Friends: Irish Immigrant Advertisements Placed in “The Boston Pilot 1831–1920”. Boston: New England Historic Genealogical Society, 1989.

Jellybaby1

Never heard of this, so fascinating. I wonder if any family members were ever found. Thanks for posting.

DunnoKidz

Jellybaby1 wrote: »

Never heard of this, so fascinating. I wonder if any family members were ever found. Thanks for posting.

Given the lack of long distance communication in the 1800's, I bet many were found, like this interesting article about the Pilot suggests (although many were never heard from, as well). The Pilot apparently had wide distribution and was seen as appreciative correspondence for the hardworking emigrants and their worried families.

After reading several, the wording was similar and formal, "information will be thankfully received by..." The printers seemed heavily involved in the editing, but some ads are quite distinct, like... "should this meet the eye of my husband, who is supposed to be working in Maine, his presence is earnestly requested back home where his son continually insults me." But some ads are so very sad and touching, referencing cholera and deaths. What hard lives they lead!

Jellybaby1

Indeed, very sad stories as well. I'm sure illiteracy may have been a problem too if the missing emigrant just couldn't read newspaper notices, or may not even buy newspapers. I'm sure there must have been a wealth of stories long gone now. Anyone want to make a TV series, or a film???

VirginiaB

The Pilot's column is certainly an important source but many other newspapers published ads like this. New York had several Irish newspapers. The most important was the Irish American Weekly. The general newspaper most favored by the Irish was the New York Herald. That's where they placed their invaluable death notices full of genealogical info. Even the poorest did so. Unfortunately, these are only available on the pay site, Genealogy Bank, as far as I know.

L1011

Jellybaby1 wrote: »

Indeed, very sad stories as well. I'm sure illiteracy may have been a problem too if the missing emigrant just couldn't read newspaper notices, or may not even buy newspapers. I'm sure there must have been a wealth of stories long gone now. Anyone want to make a TV series, or a film???

Plenty of descriptions of people going around to the house of the person who could read to have them read out the newspaper for an assembled crowd; in Irish American accounts but also in Scotland and here as late as the 40s. Turns up in works about the Irish Press for instance

VirginiaB

I'm sure many of you have seen the wonderful painting illustrating this custom. It's called 'News from America'. Artist is James Brenan and it's in the Crawford Art Gallery in Cork city, I believe. Here's a link tho there are better images online.

http://www.crawfordartgallery.ie/pages/paintings/JamesBrennan.html

Jellybaby1

Fabulous artist. I love the first painting of the girl reading the letter from America. I smiled at the quote: "It is difficult to over-emphasise the importance of universal literacy in relation to political and social developments in Ireland in the nineteenth century." as there are a couple of typos in the piece. Feel free to tear me to pieces.