Looking for a place to research a boxer from the early 1900'

MazzaDesign · Post by **MazzaDesign** » 17 Nov 2005, 16:14

I am helping look up information for my girlfriend to find information her great great grand father who fought in New York in or around 1917-mid to late 1920's. Real name was Frank Leonard aka Anthony Leonard and used the name "The Battling Sylvester" that we know of for sure at least once in his carreer. If anyone knows of any database other that boxrec or how to find it on boxrec please let me know. We are trying to get as much information as possible.

barry · Post by **barry** » 18 Nov 2005, 05:05

Do you live near any big city?

MazzaDesign · Post by **MazzaDesign** » 20 Nov 2005, 16:54

omaha ne. if that counts

barry · Post by **barry** » 21 Nov 2005, 04:56

Omaha public library may have a decent newspaper microfilm collection, which would be the best place to start. It's almost a certainty that they have the New York Times on microfilm, which is a decent paper to go through, but you will probably have to ask the library to order reels of other New York papers, such as New York Herald, New York Tribune, New York Sun, which would be your three best bets, but you could also check out New York Call, New York Age and also the National Police Gazette. Just talk to the librarian about interlibrary loan!

MazzaDesign · Post by **MazzaDesign** » 21 Nov 2005, 05:10

so there is no online way to look it up other than local lib.

barry · Post by **barry** » 21 Nov 2005, 05:27

There are a few subscription newpaper archives online. New York Times has one, as does several other papers, but no other New York papers that I know of.

http://www.newspaperarchive.com

is a really good site, but they do not have any New York city papers for the time period that you mentioned, though they do have many, many papers from the early 1800s up to 2005. I have a subscription, which I get yearly and would recommend it to anyone that is interested in history, or research. If you decide to get a subscription to newspaper archive, could you give my name, Barry Deskins, as the source that told you about it? It's a really good site and they are always adding new papers every month, so they may even have the NY papers added within the next year!

Ric · Post by **Ric** » 21 Nov 2005, 12:26

MazzaDesign wrote:so there is no online way to look it up other than local lib.

try here:
http://www.boxrec.com/media/index.php/C ... _Resources

Matt · Post by **Matt** » 21 Nov 2005, 20:03

We have pretty good NY results after about 1921 (Ric, could tell you further). I don't see anything in the database now, it could mean he didn't fight, or that he used some other name.

MazzaDesign · Post by **MazzaDesign** » 22 Nov 2005, 02:16

Thank you. We do think he changed his name but I was hoping since his real name was Frank Leanord but also went by Anthony or Tony Leanord maybe we might be able to bring some life to this part of her families history.

If anyone can think of anything that might be able to help please post it.

No sugestion is to small or simple. Sometimes people over look things because they are right in front of there nose.

thank you all for your help so far.