How do I find old articles?

Question

I've bben trying to research my great grandmother who went missing when my grandma was around 4 years old.

I do not know much about the situation except these few details....

it happened between 1945-1950

I believe in philadelphia pa

her maiden last name was murphy

she was an immigrant of scottland or ireland

I belive her first name is irene

when she married her last name was wood or woods

so my question is....using this ingo how can i look up info on her and what happened to her....free sites please...

im not real good using search engines and have had no luck. Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated.

thank you.

Answer 1

maybe the library?

Answer 2

things you need-

grandma's exact birth date and birth certificate (mom's maiden name should be there).  Mom's age at time of birth will be important.. if she was in the US BY 1930.. she will hopefully be findable in census records.  Should also show her place of birth.

Census will be critical IF (hope, hope) she had brothers. Here is why.. if they lived into the 1960s, you might find them in the social security death index.. and perhaps their children.  Her family may definitely have more answers.

Names/ dates for grandma's siblings. This is to estimate when and where any marriage took place, also if any children were born AFTER grandma.  That puts her in a place.. and hopefully with an address.

Definition of "went missing".  A suspected homicide would have a missing persons report (you hope).  A case of abandonment would not necessarily have that.  The thing that Dad would do, if she walked out, is a divorce somewhere along the line. If he remarried, having that date will mean the divorce would be prior to that.  And hoping that you can check court indexes for the town, to find record of the divorce.

Keep cultivating relatives, to ask for clues. It is very possible, with the dates you have.. that they will know more of the story than they have told so far.

Keep an open mind. NONE of us ever know the truth, especially if a divorce is involved. Angry ex spouses are capable of telling children that mom disappeared, when it is always possible that it was a custody battle that she lost.