A phrase from historical newspaper personal ads, explained with real examples from the archive.
The heading of a notice asking readers for news of a missing or out-of-touch person.
| Type | Historical language |
|---|---|
| Category | Formula |
| Earliest example in the archive | October 27, 1855, Shasta Courier |
| Most common | 1840s to the 1920s |
Information wanted notices shared the personal column with courtship and missed connections. In this archive they include a wife in Gold Rush California searching for her husband in 1855, and a sister in Mississippi seeking her brother in 1903. After the Civil War, formerly enslaved people used the same heading to search for family members separated by sale; the Last Seen project at Villanova University has collected thousands of those notices.
Sources: Last Seen: Finding Family After Slavery.
INFORMATION WANTED OF WM. FARRILL, who left Cabbottsville, Massachusetts, three years ago last March. His wife is now stopping at the St. Charles Hotel, Shasta, and will…
Mrs. Isabell Moore, Booneville, Miss., wants information of her brother, George Campbell. Was near Cotton Wood Point, Mo., when last heard from, two years ago.
Information regarding the whereabouts of E. A. Lawry will be appreciated by his wife, P. O. Box 863, Hammond, La. All is forgiven.
RON would like to see you, much to tell, if still interested, write address to G.P.O. L.
Know a term we are missing? Suggest one.
How this fits into 170 years of personal ad shorthand: From Object Matrimony to LTR: How Personal Ads Learned to Talk in Code.
All dictionary entries · The Personals Archive · How to write a personal ad
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