Treasures Found Through the South Carolina Digital Newspaper Program

Lucy Virginia Callas Hubbard

I ran across an article in the local paper announcing that the University of South Carolina was digitizing some old newspapers with the help of several other organizations under the South Carolina Digital Newspaper Program. I was particularly excited to find that the hometown newspaper was included in the project for the years 1849 to the present. Researchers can access the newspapers free of charge.

I've already spent a little time searching through the Keowee Courier files that are already online and have found the marriage announcement for my great grandparents, Algen Allison Hubbard and Lucy Virginia Callas. [I learned a new word in this article. The title is Hymeneal which, according to dictionary.com, means pertaining to marriage.] The announcement is about two thirds of the way down column 2. It would appear that they had a Christmas marriage.

I also found an obituary for Josiah M. Callas who was Lucy's father. The obituary is the top story in column 4 under the advertisements and headlines. There are several interesting tidbits of information in the article. Of course it must be taken with a grain of salt since we don't know the author of the article, but it gives me a clue as to who is wife's father was. A subject that has had much debate in the past few years. I'll have to chase that squirrel another day. 

Since my father's entire family has lived in the area served by the Keowee Courier and one or two other newspapers that are also included in the project, I predict that I'll be spending many hours searching for various ancestors in both my Hubbard lines and those of my husband's Richardson/Brown lines who lived in Oconee County, South Carolina and it's historical predecessors on this site. Perhaps you will find your South Carolina relatives in these files as well.

Beginnings

I was told one time years ago that the best way to break down brick walls was to lose your genealogy software and have to re-enter everything. Well, I haven't lost any of my files, but I think that this blog will allow me an outlet to talk through some of the brick walls, and also a way for me to share my research with others.

I've been fortunate to know four generations of my Hubbard family. It's the ones who came before, well one in particular, who piqued my interest and moved me to further research. Actually, it was my great aunt Clara's reaction to my father's teasing that really made me want to find out more about my Grandpa Bud. The journey took several years, more than fifteen, before I was able to separate the family story from what really happened. To this day, I still don't know for sure why my aunt Clara, my grandfather, and my grandmother after his death, got so very upset when the incident was mentioned. Stay tuned for the full story.

I've been walking this path ever since. Researching my South Carolina relatives has provided years of pleasure and many challenges. While I now live in South Carolina I did a great deal of research, about 12 years worth from thousands of miles away while living in Alaska and Washington. Distance taught me to be organized and creative in my research. I hope that you will find my stories enjoyable and helpful.