Entry Level Database Advice for a New Researcher

[Barnaby]

I'm ready to take the plunge and begin researching aspects of this case on my own. I'm interested in knowing which databases researchers here find most valuable. What is the best database to access British Newspapers from this time period? There is so much already on Casebook, has this been mined or are subscription sites still worth it? What ancestry site do researchers here find the most useful? And what other databases would you recommend? Any advice would be most appreciated.

[New Ford Shunt]

I'm ready to take the plunge and begin researching aspects of this case on my own. I'm interested in knowing which databases researchers here find most valuable. What is the best database to access British Newspapers from this time period? There is so much already on Casebook, has this been mined or are subscription sites still worth it? What ancestry site do researchers here find the most useful? And what other databases would you recommend? Any advice would be most appreciated.

Hi Barnaby, assuming you are UK based, these are the websites I use and whether they are free or not:

• casebook.org (free)
• jtrforums.com (free)
• britishnewspaperarchive.co.uk (BNA) (subscription) - extensive but flawed, be aware of some serious OCR issues
• www.library.wales (free) - newspaper archive containing several newspapers not available on the BNA
• trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper (free) - newspaper archive with surprising amount of info from the UK
• www.loc.gov (free) - newspaper and book archive again with a surprising amount of info from the UK
• archive.org (free) - if you're looking for an old book, don't go and buy it when you might be able to access it via here
• hathitrust.org (free) - as above, also periodicals
• ripperologist.co.uk (free) - flagship periodical for ripperology
• familysearch.org (free) - extensive but getting increasingly less accessible following some key sell-offs of their records
• freebmd.org.uk (free) - can be very useful on specific church records
• ancestry.co.uk (subscription) - best genealogy site but not without its search issues
• findmypast.co.uk (subscription) - useful genealogy site but not as extensive as ancestry, good for roman catholic records, guilds and prisoner records, easy to navigate, has a BNA add-on which isn't the full BNA site so be aware if you are selecting that option
• oldbaileyonline.org (free) - records of all historic Old Bailey trials
• digitalpanopticon.org (free) - historic prisoner records
• maps.nls.uk (free) - historic maps of every shape and variety but godawful site to navigate
• gale.com (free or subscription) - The Times archives, check with your local library to see if you can access it for free, alternatively, you could pay or you could....sign up to another authorities library access that is free...ahem...Bedfordshire...sshh...

There you go, that should keep you going for a bit!

[Barnaby]

I'm US based, New Ford Shunt. But this is extremely helpful. Thank you very much.