Find your ancestors in Salem Messenger 1891-1913

SALEM MESSENGER 1891-1913

Do you have Baptist ancestry?

The "Salem Messenger" was a magazine produced by the Salem Baptist Church in Gumeracha, South Australia - published quarterly from 1891 to 1913. However, it served a much wider area than just Gumeracha, ranging through much of the north-east hills and even to Mannum and further afield. We've digitised the only known surviving copies of this remarkable newspaper - 62 of about 90 issues that were originally published.

Includes:

  • Church news - meeting reports, preaching plans, anniversaries etc
  • Information about people - births, marriages, deaths, obituaries, reports of comings and goings, health etc.
  • A four part history of the church from 1843 to 1891
  • Historical notes on other hills townships and churches
  • Community news generally
  • Advertisements for many local businesses
  • Comments on developments and issues of the time ("The introduction of mowing machines into the district has not pleased the working men")
  • Comments on election candidates and prospects

This provides a unique glimpse into the lives of those within these records - making it a wonderful genealogy tool for anyone researching family history or building a family tree.