Saturday Night Genealogy Fun - Newspaper Headlines on My Father's Birth Date - March 26, 1916

Oh Shoot!  I almost forgot.  I wanted to participate in the Saturday Night Genealogy Fun at Randy Seaver's blog:  www.geneamusings.com. This Saturday was the perfect one for me - my Dad's birthday would have been two days ago and Randy chose "Newspaper Headline On Your Father's Birthday" as this week's mission.  Even though it's a little past midnight (and I'm typing with a sore finger that I smashed in the washing machine lid)  I really want to get into this Genealogy Fun!  
It's Saturday Night,
time for more Genealogy Fun!!



For this week's mission (should you decide to accept it), I challenge you to:
1)  What was your father's birth date?

2)  Find a newspaper from his hometown, or a nearby larger town or city, that was published on that date.  What was the major headline on page 1 of that issue of the newspaper?

3)  Share your headline with us in your own blog post, in a comment on this blog post, or in a Facebook or Google+ post.

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    My Dad, Frank J. Niehaus, was born March 26, 1916, in Indianapolis, Indiana.  I am choosing to use the March 25, 1916, Indianapolis News for my headlines since he was born on a Sunday and they published the News Monday through Saturday.    I am partial to this paper as my brother, sister and I all carried the paper in our neighborhood.  Besides…maybe his mother, Louise Albers Niehaus, began her delivery of Frank on the 25th!
     The headlines for that day center mostly on conflicts around the world.  Of course, in 1916 the big stories were about World War I: 
           "Americans on Damaged Ship - Cause is not Determined -- Opinion Divided As To Mine or Torpedo." 
           "Disaster To Ships Annoys Capital --  State Department Awaits Additional Facts - Situation Declared Acute"

   "Correspondent On Board The Sussex Quotes Three Americans As Saying They Saw Torpedo coming Toward Vessel"
   "Verdun In Flames, Berlin Reports"

     On another front, the southern border of the United States, there were American troops involved in pursuing Pancho Villa:
          "Villa Reported Fleeing West -- Outlaw Said To Have Eluded American and Carranza Forces Surrounding Him"
     And another interesting report that may or may not pertain to Pancho Villa:
         "Ore Deflects Radio Waves, Affects Wireless at Border" (Columbus, New Mexico) -- Enormous ore deposits in the mountains of     northern Mexico have been responsible for much of the trouble experienced with the army wireless apparatus……….
      The local headline of note involved a unsuccessful bank robbery attempt in a "sleepy town" 20 miles south of Indianapolis.  I wasn't aware that Greenwood was yet established:
          "Greenwood Bank is Partly Wrecked -- Interior of Citizens National Bank Is Damaged In Attempt To Blow The Vault"

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    At first review, a few items aside from the headlines caught my attention in this Indianapolis News.  First, right up front there is a list of about 30 people who were on board the ship named the Sussex that is reported to have been "torpedoed" crossing the British Channel.  I wonder if we would publish those names in the newspaper so quickly today. And also, the newspaper costs Two Cents - Five Dollars Per Year.  For being almost 100 years ago, I guess that computes.
     It's always interesting to read old newspapers, especially those that connect directly with a family event. At this point in our history, people were most definitely nervously watching the events unfold in Europe. But I would imagine that Louise and John Niehaus had little on their minds on March 25 or 26 except their third child arriving. 
     Thanks for letting me participate in Saturday Night Genealogy Fun.  I think I'll try to get in earlier next Saturday.  I've enjoyed myself.
    Thanks for visiting Indiana Ties,
     Nancy
copyright © Nancy Niehaus Hurley