African American newspaper source, online newspaper collections will continue to be a primary go-to resource because the odds are good for locating needed information. Relevant news and advertisements from various geographic locations were printed in African American newspapers published in other states. It was not uncommon to see advertisements such as this one in the 1895 Cleveland Gazette for subscriptions to The Standard newspaper in Lexington and The Inter Ocean newspaper in Chicago.

Article from Cleveland Gazette, 06/24/1911, p.1

In 1911, the story of Mrs. Martha Harmon winning two medals was published in at least four newspapers: The Washington Bee (D.C), Freeman (Indianapolis, Indiana), The Savannah Tribune (Georgia), and Cleveland Gazette (Ohio). Mrs. Harmon, a widow and a former slave, was a Kentucky native born in 1841. In 1911, shewas the oldest student attending night school at Public School No.157 located at 125th Street and Manhattan Avenue in New York City. For four years, Mrs. Harmon had walked to school each day, never missed a class, and was late only once. The New York City Board of Education awarded Harmon two medals, one for her accomplishments in her studies and one for her attendance. Harmon lived with her daughter and grandson, and two boarders, one of whom was Richard McPherson (aka Cecil Mack), a lyricist and music publisher who co-wrote with Tim Brymn the 1901 hit song Josephine, My Jo.

There is much, much more to be discovered about African American in and from Kentucky in African American Newspapers, 1827-1998. The ability to do a single search of