18 Days with Sherlock - Day 7 – Send a Few Telegrams and Submit a Few Ads in the Personal Column

Sherlock was forever sending telegrams all over the place to draw in more information. He also took out ads in the personal column section of the newspapers. Sometimes the answer to your research problem lies with someone else. I send emails and snail mail letters out all the time to people that I think might have some useful information. I also post messages on surname and locality message boards, surname and locality mailing lists, and in the local genealogical society newsletters.

“To do this, we must try the simplest means first, and these lie undoubtedly in an advertisement in all the evening papers. If this fail, I shall recourse to other methods.” [Holmes to Watson, "The Blue Carbuncle"]

“As we walked home together Holmes stopped at a telegraph office and send off several wires.” [Watson narrating, "The Greek Interpreter"]

“…I sent wires from Woking Station to every evening paper in London.” [Holmes to Watson, "The Naval Treaty"].

Copyright © 2012 Michele Simmons Lewis