Announcing engagements and births in the newspaper

chocolatepudding we had something similar. Someone in the family committed suicide and the inquest was reported in the paper. His ex-wife was reported as saying some pretty nasty and untrue things and it caused a rift in the family. Fortunately his brother was also at the inquest and was able to report to the family what actually was said, but it took a long time before everyone in the family became aware of the actual proceedings and in the meantime the ex-wife took a lot of flack. But the incorrect report on the inquest is there in black and white for all time now.

This may be UPSETTING for some Gransnetters, I'm sorry.

How would you feel if the local paper decided to print a front page article about the sudden death of your baby DD in the weekly edition without anyone in the family having any knowledge/warning of this happening?

That happened to us over 40 years ago, DD died on the Sunday morning and the ambulance crew, the GP and the coroner were all very kind. On the following Thursday we had her funeral and later that day I picked up the local rag Christmas issue to find the headline "Baby found dead in cot" on the front page and the details in the article were totally wrong.

Even now I want to get my hands on the idiot that wrote a pack of lies and do certain things that I cannot write here!

More than anything this event taught me to never believe anything in the press.

Happysexagenarian

My MIL wanted to announce our marriage in the paper. My FIL wouldn't let her as he said we wouldn't last long and then they'd be a laughing stock!!

Our local papers are still going strong and often have two pages of Births, Marriages, Deaths and In Memorium notices. It's nice to see formal announcements are still popular with some people. However Death notices are sometimes used by the criminal fraternity as a route to extorting money, or burgling properties while the relatives are at the funeral. That happened to a neighbour a few years ago, so cruel.

Yes, those people are a particular type of low life. Sad losers completely devoid of compassion.

grandtanteJE65

But surely you will only see the announcement on Facebook of an engagement or a birth if you are "friends" of the person making the announcement?

An announcement in the paper will quite often be seen by those who have lost touch with an old school-friend or distant relation.

Another point is that most of us have quite a lot to do when either planning a wedding, expecting a baby, or arranging a funeral.

Placing an ad. in the paper takes one person one phone call or e-mail.

My experience of trying to contact those whom I am not in frequent contact with by phone or email is that at least three out of any number larger than ten will have changed either their phone no. or their e-mail address since I last was in touch.

Leaving me with nothing except an automated e-mail stating that my email was not able to be delivered. Worse - you text or phone a mobile phone no. and find yourself in communication with a total stranger who somehow has been awared your second cousin's former number.

This can actually be quite embarrassing.

I have more than once been greeted with, "I have no idea who you are, or what you are talking about." a statement some of those younger than I apparently do not find discourteous, but which I find extremely rude.

I had to bite my tongue hard not to reply as my grandmother would, "Good manners cost nowt, young woman!"

I agree with you in relation to death announcements. But why on earth would people you haven't seen or had anything to do with for years want to know about your engagement or new baby?

My MIL wanted to announce our marriage in the paper. My FIL wouldn't let her as he said we wouldn't last long and then they'd be a laughing stock!!

Our local papers are still going strong and often have two pages of Births, Marriages, Deaths and In Memorium notices. It's nice to see formal announcements are still popular with some people. However Death notices are sometimes used by the criminal fraternity as a route to extorting money, or burgling properties while the relatives are at the funeral. That happened to a neighbour a few years ago, so cruel.

No just deaths really

Very rarely in our local paper. Death notices and in memorials are still posted.

Except we just stopped getting the local paper. Very little in it of interest that ai can't find out on Facebook!!

I read of a very good friend’s death on FB - I found that very difficult but came to the conclusion social media is now the equivalent of newspapers.

<I have more than once been greeted with, "I have no idea who you are, or what you are talking about." a statement some of those younger than I apparently do not find discourteous, but which I find extremely rude>

that is somewhat brusque maybe and to the point.
but is it really rude ? i don't see that. it is clear and concise.

I always read the births, deaths and marriages. If you are interested in names and ancestry then it is interesting. I put my children and grandchildren’s births in the paper.

My DH wants his death put into his hometown paper, so I will do it he left there I 1976 and only has a niece living there. Me no my only family live round the corner, don't have a home town.

But surely you will only see the announcement on Facebook of an engagement or a birth if you are "friends" of the person making the announcement?

An announcement in the paper will quite often be seen by those who have lost touch with an old school-friend or distant relation.

Another point is that most of us have quite a lot to do when either planning a wedding, expecting a baby, or arranging a funeral.

Placing an ad. in the paper takes one person one phone call or e-mail.

My experience of trying to contact those whom I am not in frequent contact with by phone or email is that at least three out of any number larger than ten will have changed either their phone no. or their e-mail address since I last was in touch.

Leaving me with nothing except an automated e-mail stating that my email was not able to be delivered. Worse - you text or phone a mobile phone no. and find yourself in communication with a total stranger who somehow has been awared your second cousin's former number.

This can actually be quite embarrassing.

I have more than once been greeted with, "I have no idea who you are, or what you are talking about." a statement some of those younger than I apparently do not find discourteous, but which I find extremely rude.

I had to bite my tongue hard not to reply as my grandmother would, "Good manners cost nowt, young woman!"

Death notices can still be useful. Marriages and births surely not of any significance to anyone other than those who would already know via friends and family.

i've never known anyone to put births/marriages in the paper.
but then i'm not posh.
deaths are different, for reasons stated above.

For some years I have been a reader on Talking Newspapers for the Blind. We put as much news from the local paper as is possible to put on. But whatever had to be cut, for lack of space never cut the hatches matches and despatches. These announcements enabled blind people to still be part of the community and get the news like everyone else. They could rerun to check what they wanted to hear.

I have seen weddings documented in gossip magazines, from families with nobility titles - pretentious in my opinion

Yes for deaths but absolutely not for anything else. Why would you these days?

I did have our engagement and wedding in the local paper, which no longer exists. Our more regional paper still has some funeral notices but I know a lot of people only have the notice on FB because of the extra cost, I only look at this paper online and certainly would not pay for a copy as there is very little local news that hasn't already been posted on FB. We have very good local community FB pages that keep you updated.

We don’t buy a local paper but when people say they saw something in the paper it’s almost always a local one. My Dad originated from here and always bought a local daily paper. The coastal area I was born in only had a weekly paper. Very few births or marriages now but, as others said, the death announcements are useful for the wider circle of friends.

Far more people attended their funerals than we expected and we found out about things about them and their kindness that they would never have mentioned.

If you’re family is not very sociable then it makes sense to keep the service private. Each to their own especially when dealing with the death of a loved one.

The cost of putting notices in the local newspaper was such that I will never even consider doing it again.

I find the announcement of the anniversary of a death event more bizarre....just strange.

Local paper still going strong here. I get most of the local news from it, am not on Facebook. Deaths notices in particular. And Council announcements, would never know their shenanigans otherwise

There are very few local newspapers left in print now.

I still occasionally read, hatches, matches and dispatches which was the norm for informing people, placed in the newspaper, before social media.

I placed the death of both my parents and was pleased to meet up again with friends and acquaintances who knew them. As I had no means of getting in touch with them, they appreciated being informed via a death notice in the press.

I wish people would put announcements of deaths and funeral arrangements in the paper. I don't use Facebook because I dislike it, but most people now use it as a means of announcing events and it is very difficult to discover dates, times and places without using it