Unfortunately, many family historians believe their ancestors "weren't important enough" to be mentioned in the press. Think again! Your kin need not have been provincial governors or Revolutionary War heroes to make the news. Take a look, for instance, at a turn-of-the-century issue of The New York Herald. From just one page here you could learn that Mr. Stephen Norris, of 129 Jefferson St., was involved in a traffic accident (banner headline, complete particulars); Mr. Rupert Bailey's estate in Mineola was robbed of jewels and silverplate (map, particulars); and 14-year-old Dora Frees, of the Bronx, was hurt at a birthday party (addresses, ages, other attendees).

To find news of your non-famous relatives, it helps to know where to look. As you formulate your search strategy, keep in mind that your family's news is most likely to turn up in these sections of old newspapers:

• Marriages/betrothals—Well-documented even in the first 17th-century American papers, these joyous announcements can yield the wedding parish, the location of the ceremony, parents of the bride and groom, and other vitals for your family tree.

• Obituaries—These "chronicles of passing" were an important staple in even the smallest press. Obituaries can yield age, address, house of worship, profession, survivors and sometimes a brief biography. Obits are also the most well-indexed section of most dailies. The New York Times Obituaries Index, 1858-1968 is a well-known library resource, but even early and small-town papers have often been cross-referenced by later chroniclers.

• Local news—Imagine your own local newspaper, time-warped back to early America. In a small-town gazette of the 18th or 19th century, a local farmer, prominent merchant or rising businessman might make the news frequently. Look for stories ranging from building committees and political squabbles to temperance leagues and the doings of leading citizens.

• Advertising—Don't neglect this important, albeit usually unindexed source of ancestor info. In olden days, all kinds of businesses placed ads, ranging from the tiny box notices of antebellum days to the gloriously ornate tableaus of the late 19th century. Your ancestors either owned these establishments or worked for them.

• Social and religious news—Clubs and fraternal organizations formed the social glue of early America, and their lists of officers, installations and events fill the pages of old newspapers. News also abounded from churches, synagogues, Masonic lodges and trade associations. Rosters of county fair prizes packed rural pages—was your great-grandmother a master jelly maker or blue-ribbon quilter? You might even discover one of your more athletic forebears listed in antique box scores for "base-ball" and other sporting contests popular in early days.

• Steamship arrivals—City editions at ports of arrival (New York City or Galveston, for example) published page-long lists as immigration swelled.

• Legal notices—Just as today, yesterday's press carried reams of legal notices, bankruptcies, judgments and petitions. If your ancestors rented or owned residential or business properties, you might also find notices of sale or mortgage.

• Police blotter—Many papers carried regular lists of burglaries, house fires, thefts and the like—an ideal way to substantiate family yarns of such events.

• Military records—During wartime, many papers printed induction records, battle casualties, regimental compositions and other troop listings, indicating rank and other details.

• Letters to the editor—Occasionally indexed by local antiquarians, letters to the editor might hold an opinionated ancestor's own words.

Nick D'Alto performs newspaper-based research for museums and historical societies across the country. E-mail him at ND2020@aol.com.