World War II Rome Daily Sentinel Veterans Index

Introduction

The following index, originally compiled on index cards by the Rome Historical Society, enables researchers to discover information about veterans of World War II who lived in the City of Rome and its surrounding area during that global conflict. This guide is written to facilitate use of the index, and to guide researchers in expanding the index's offerings.

Accessing the Index

The index is provided as a Google spreadsheet. A Google account is not needed and no software beyond a web browser is required to view the index.  Click the link below to open the Index in your browser:

CLICK HERE TO VIEW THE VETERANS INDEX

Searching the Index

Search the index by using the Find command in your browser.

• PC/Windows users, press Ctrl-F
• Mac users, press Command-F (Apple-F)

Type the name, date or keyword you are looking for and press Enter(PC) or Return(Mac).

How the Index is Arranged

The surnames of veterans are alphabetized in the index and this forms the index's left column (A). Proceeding across pages, from left to right, the researcher will encounter other columns (headed by letters) that list, if available:

             B - the veteran's rank

             C – the veteran’s relationship to the family member listed in column D

             D - the name of a veteran's family member

E - briefly, information contained in a Rome Daily Sentinel article about the veteran

             F - the date of the Sentinel article containing the information

If several articles about a veteran are cited by the index, the veteran's name will be repeated in the left column. Some veterans have one entry in this column, others several.

Researchers can take the dates of Sentinel issues to Jervis Public Library microfilm archive and find the full-length articles that describe a veteran's service. Reference librarians at Jervis will be happy to assist researchers in setting up and operating the microfilm readers.

Additional Resources of Note

FultonHistory.com

The web has afforded us a very effective way to expand the information within this veterans index. Fultonhistory.com is a website that boasts access to over twenty-eight million pages of digitized New York State newspapers, including many issues of the Rome Sentinel. Here's a quick guide to using the site. Again, if you have problems, consult a Jervis reference librarian.

Two steps are required to find articles about the veteran(s) you research.

The first step: Upon entering the site, you will view two large columns. Look at the left column. You will see a search box with a drop down menu. You can search four ways with this search box. Each is listed in the drop down menu. What follows is a description of these methods.

1. the exact phrase - Key in a veteran's name and the site's search engine will look for that exact name in the newspapers. Remember - other people with that name may exist and a search will reveal them, too. This may complicate your search. Also, newspapers did not always spell veterans' names correctly. Trying some variations of the spelling can produce desired results.
2. all of the words - You may be able to use this drop down. For example, suppose that you have a relative from Rome named "John Smith" who was in the Marines and fought at Iwo Jima. If you key "John Smith Rome Marine Corps Iwo Jima" and drop down to "all of the words", then hit search, you may find useful material, but any service John Smith gave in addition to his Iwo Jima episode may not emerge. "John Smith Marine Corps (or "Marines") Rome" may be more productive. Again, be open to using variations.
3. any of the words - This drop down will probably not help you because it can yield too many items.
4. Boolean - This is an extremely useful drop down. "Boolean" refers to searches where words are connected with "ands." For example, consider the search in #2. When expressed in Boolean terms, that search reads, "John Smith and Rome and Marine Corps and Iwo Jima." These searches are often very successful in Fultonhistory.com.

You may try a briefer Boolean search, especially if you have a more unique veteran's name. For example, "Archangelo Gianfracco and Rome" will probably yield more information than "Bob Brown and Army."

It helps to brainstorm probable search words and then use combinations of them. Again, your Jervis librarians stand ready to help.

The second step: Now, you key your search words and choose your drop-down. Then, you click on search. What happens?

If you are successful, a list of newspaper pages will appear in the left column. The entries for each page will contain newspaper names, dates, and some words from the pages. Words may be abbreviated or garbled, and you may have to do some interpreting.

If you see a page that you believe will help your research, click on it. The page will appear in the large box on the right. Fultonhistory.com contains adjustments whereby you can enlarge pages and search their contents easier. Look for headlines of articles on the page. Those dealing with World War II will probably indicate the articles that you need. Again, if you have difficulties, consult a Jervis reference librarian.

Ancestry.com and HeritageQuest.com

Jervis Public Library is proud to offer Ancestry.com and Heritage Quest to its patrons. Both of these databases contain information that can widen your research's scope and increase your success. Ancestry.com and Heritage Quest are accessible on all of the library's public computers. Librarians can help you navigate these invaluable databases.

JH/PAC, last updated  11/2014