Having exhausted the internet for genealogical information, I’ve ventured down a path that is black and white and read all over: historic newspapers on microfilm. It all started when I learned that microfilm from the Mississippi State Archives could be purchased. So that’s what I’ve done. My very first reel is on its way. I’m hopeful that the Prentiss Plaindealer (1894-1903) will hold the answers to what happened to my 2nd great grandparents, John and Mary Emma (Goodger) Boren, and how it came to be that my nine-year-old great grandmother and her younger sister were living with their older brother in the 1900 census. Obviously, the parents had died. But how and when remains a tragic mystery.

The fact that I don’t own a microfilm reader did not deter me from purchasing a reel of microfilm. A bit of online research revealed that new microfilm readers range in price from expensive to very expensive. That’s because there are only a handful of manufacturers that still make them. But, I found a very low-tech model that is made especially for genealogists. Perfect! It will be my birthday and Christmas present to me for years to come. And with any luck, my new horse will arrive before the cart. Well, carts, if I’m being completely honest. Since I didn’t spend goo-gabs of money on the most expensive reader model, I decided to splurge and order four more reels of microfilm.

After all, how silly would it have been to have purchased a microfilm reader for one roll of microfilm? I think I need professional help.