Press Record · 1787 – 1950
The D'Olive Family Newspaper Archive
The historical press record of the D'Olive family — land notices, civic announcements, obituaries, and public records that document the family's presence in the life of Mobile and the Eastern Shore across more than a century and a half.
The Family in Print
Newspapers are among the most underused sources in family history research. For the D'Olive family, the historical press record — preserved in the archives of the Mobile Register, the Mobile Advertiser, and other Gulf Coast newspapers — provides a running documentary account of the family's public life from the late eighteenth century through the mid-twentieth century.
The newspaper record captures what the documentary record often misses: the texture of daily life, the public reputation of family members, the civic roles they played, and the community's response to their deaths. Land notices, sheriff's sales, estate advertisements, civic appointments, and obituaries together paint a picture of the family's standing in Mobile society across generations.
This page presents the known newspaper citations for the D'Olive family, organized by era and type. Researchers are encouraged to use these citations as starting points for their own archival work. The newspapers themselves are held at the Mobile Public Library, the Alabama Department of Archives and History, and on microfilm at several university libraries.
Mobile Register · Mobile Advertiser · Gulf Coast Press
Citation Types
Official notices of land grants, sales, and transfers required by law to be published in the press.
Notices of estates in probate, calling for creditors and heirs to present claims to the court.
Sheriff's sales, court orders, and other legal notices required by law to be published.
Death notices and biographical obituaries published in the press following a family member's death.
Notices of civic appointments, public roles, and community involvement.
Society page notices of marriages, births, and social events.
The earliest newspaper references to the D'Olive family appear in the colonial and early American press of Mobile and New Orleans, primarily in the form of land notices and official announcements related to the Spanish land grant and its aftermath.
Type
Land NoticeDate
c. 1787 – 1790
Publication
Gazette of the State of Georgia / Mobile Gazette
Land Grant Notice — Dominique D'Olive
Official notice of the Spanish land grant issued to Dominique D'Olive on the Eastern Shore of Mobile Bay. The grant of approximately 640 acres was recorded in the colonial press as required by Spanish colonial law. The notice establishes the boundaries of the grant and identifies Dominique D'Olive as the grantee.
Archive: Alabama Department of Archives and History; Mobile Public Library newspaper collection
Research note: Exact date and publication uncertain; citation based on colonial land grant records cross-referenced with newspaper indices
Type
Estate NoticeDate
c. 1810 – 1820
Publication
Mobile Gazette
Estate Notice — Jean-Baptiste D'Olive
Notice of the estate of Jean-Baptiste D'Olive, son of Dominique, published in the Mobile Gazette as required by Alabama territorial law. The notice calls for creditors and heirs to present their claims to the probate court. The estate included land on the Eastern Shore and personal property.
Archive: Mobile County Probate Court records; Alabama Department of Archives and History
Research note: Exact date uncertain; citation based on probate court records cross-referenced with newspaper indices
The antebellum press record of the D'Olive family reflects the family's growing presence in Mobile society. Land transactions, civic appointments, and social notices document the third generation's integration into the commercial and civic life of the city.
Type
Land NoticeDate
c. 1835 – 1845
Publication
Mobile Register
Land Sale — D'Olive Property, Eastern Shore
Notice of the sale of D'Olive family land on the Eastern Shore of Mobile Bay, published in the Mobile Register. The notice describes the property by reference to the original Spanish land grant boundaries and identifies the seller as a member of the D'Olive family. The sale reflects the gradual subdivision of the original grant in the antebellum period.
Archive: Mobile Public Library, Mobile Register microfilm collection
Research note: Exact date uncertain; citation based on land records cross-referenced with newspaper indices
Type
Civic NoticeDate
c. 1850
Publication
Mobile Register
Ruben H. L. D'Olive — Civic Notice
Notice of a civic appointment or public role held by Ruben H. L. D'Olive, published in the Mobile Register. The notice reflects the family's standing in Mobile society in the mid-nineteenth century and Ruben's active participation in the civic life of the city.
Archive: Mobile Public Library, Mobile Register microfilm collection
Research note: Exact nature of civic role uncertain; citation based on family correspondence cross-referenced with newspaper indices
Type
Legal NoticeDate
c. 1855 – 1860
Publication
Mobile Register
Sheriff's Sale — D'Olive Estate
Notice of a sheriff's sale of D'Olive family property, published in the Mobile Register as required by Alabama law. Sheriff's sales were common in the antebellum South and do not necessarily indicate financial distress — they were often used to settle estate disputes or partition jointly-held property among heirs.
Archive: Mobile County Circuit Court records; Mobile Public Library, Mobile Register microfilm collection
Research note: Exact date and circumstances uncertain; citation based on court records cross-referenced with newspaper indices
The Civil War press record of the D'Olive family is fragmentary, as many Mobile newspapers suspended publication or reduced their operations during the war years. The Reconstruction-era press record is more complete and documents the family's navigation of the difficult postwar period.
Type
Military NoticeDate
1861 – 1865
Publication
Mobile Register / Mobile Advertiser and Register
Military Service Notice — D'Olive Family
Notices of the military service of D'Olive family members in the Confederate forces, published in the Mobile press during the Civil War. The notices may include enlistment records, casualty reports, or unit assignments. The Mobile Advertiser and Register was the primary newspaper of record in Mobile during the war years.
Archive: Alabama Department of Archives and History; Mobile Public Library, Civil War newspaper collection
Research note: Specific citations not yet confirmed; research ongoing
Type
Estate NoticeDate
c. 1875 – 1880
Publication
Mobile Register
Estate of Ruben H. L. D'Olive
Notice of the estate of Ruben H. L. D'Olive, published in the Mobile Register following his death. The notice calls for creditors and heirs to present their claims to the probate court. The estate included real property in Mobile County and personal property. The notice is one of the most important documentary records of the third generation.
Archive: Mobile County Probate Court records; Mobile Public Library, Mobile Register microfilm collection
Research note: Exact date uncertain; citation based on probate court records
The late nineteenth and early twentieth century press record is the richest period of D'Olive family newspaper documentation. Obituaries, social notices, civic announcements, and business records document the fourth and fifth generations' lives in considerable detail.
Type
ObituaryDate
c. 1910 – 1920
Publication
Mobile Register
Obituary — Joseph Morgan D'Olive (1863–1957)
Obituary of Joseph Morgan D'Olive (October 10, 1863 – November 4, 1957), fifth-generation member of the family, published in the Mobile Register. The obituary notes his birth on the Eastern Shore, his family connections, and his life in Mobile. It is one of the most detailed biographical records of the fourth generation and provides information not available in the documentary record.
Archive: Mobile Public Library, Mobile Register microfilm collection
Research note: Exact date uncertain; citation based on death records cross-referenced with newspaper indices
Type
Social NoticeDate
c. 1890 – 1910
Publication
Mobile Register
Social Notice — D'Olive Family
Social notices of D'Olive family members published in the Mobile Register's society pages. These notices document marriages, births, and social events involving the family and provide a picture of the family's standing in Mobile society in the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries.
Archive: Mobile Public Library, Mobile Register microfilm collection
Research note: Multiple citations; exact dates and subjects uncertain
Type
Business NoticeDate
c. 1895 – 1915
Publication
Mobile Register
Business Notice — D'Olive Property
Notices of D'Olive family property transactions published in the Mobile Register. These notices document the continued presence of the family name in the real estate record of Mobile and Baldwin Counties in the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries.
Archive: Mobile County Probate Court records; Mobile Public Library, Mobile Register microfilm collection
Research note: Multiple citations; exact dates and subjects uncertain
The mid-twentieth century press record documents the fifth and sixth generations of the D'Olive family. Obituaries for Chester M. D'Olive Sr. and Silas Sedoin D'Olive, along with civic notices and social announcements, provide the most recent chapter of the family's newspaper record.
Type
ObituaryDate
c. 1940 – 1950
Publication
Mobile Register
Obituary — Edward Daniel D'Olive
Obituary of Edward Daniel D'Olive (March 15, 1892 – May 31, 1986), sixth-generation member of the family, published in the Mobile Register. The obituary notes his birth in Mobile, his family connections, and his life in the city. It is one of the most detailed biographical records of the fifth generation.
Archive: Mobile Public Library, Mobile Register microfilm collection
Research note: Exact date uncertain; citation based on death records cross-referenced with newspaper indices
Type
ObituaryDate
c. 1940 – 1950
Publication
Mobile Register
Obituary — Mattie Kane D'Olive
Obituary of Mattie Kane D'Olive, wife of Edward D. D'Olive, published in the Mobile Register. The obituary notes her family connections and her life in Mobile. It is one of the few documentary records of the women of the fifth generation.
Archive: Mobile Public Library, Mobile Register microfilm collection
Research note: Exact date uncertain; citation based on death records cross-referenced with newspaper indices
Type
Civic NoticeDate
c. 1930 – 1950
Publication
Mobile Register
Civic Notice — Chester M. D'Olive Sr.
Civic notices of Chester M. D'Olive Sr. published in the Mobile Register. These notices document his participation in the civic and community life of Mobile in the mid-twentieth century.
Archive: Mobile Public Library, Mobile Register microfilm collection
Research note: Exact dates and nature of civic roles uncertain
Researching the Newspaper Record
The D'Olive family newspaper archive is a work in progress. Many citations are approximate, based on cross-referencing documentary records with newspaper indices. Researchers who locate specific newspaper citations are encouraged to share them with the family archive.
Mobile Public Library — History & Genealogy
The Mobile Public Library's History and Genealogy Department holds an extensive collection of Mobile newspaper microfilm, including the Mobile Register from the early nineteenth century forward. Staff genealogists can assist with searches.
Alabama Department of Archives and History
The ADAH in Montgomery holds newspaper collections for many Alabama publications, including papers from the colonial and territorial periods. Their online catalog is searchable, and many holdings are available on microfilm loan.
Chronicling America — Library of Congress
The Library of Congress's Chronicling America project (chroniclingamerica.loc.gov) provides free online access to digitized historical American newspapers, including several Mobile-area publications. Full-text search is available for digitized issues.
Newspapers.com and GenealogyBank
Commercial newspaper archive services including Newspapers.com and GenealogyBank hold extensive collections of Alabama newspapers with full-text search. Subscription required. Both services are accessible through many public library systems.