My great, great grandfather left Galway, Ireland with his parents and siblings on a boat to travel to New Zealand to start a new life. I can only wonder what would push people to undertake a voyage of months with so many unknowns.
That is what can sometimes lack in family history. You need the stories not just dates. This is where the British Newspaper Archive can help. It contains digitized searchable historical newspapers which cover every aspect of local, regional and national news in the United Kingdom and Ireland from the 18th and 19th century. Newspapers let us hear what it was really like from those who were living through it at the time.
Many of these newspapers have never appeared online before. Until now you would have had to visit the British Library to see them. Access to this product is free but available only in libraries. You will also need to enter your email and a password. This allows you to save your searches, bookmark articles and see you own search history. Basically you can start off where you left off next time you visit.
Take some time to explore your family story with this and our many other family history resources.
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