Our Newspaper portal has been online since October 2021 - 247 historical newspapers, over 600,000 issues, and 4.5 million newspaper pages can currently be searched - covering a period of almost three centuries. The oldest contact ad we found in the newspaper portal is from the "Düsseldorfer Volksblatt" (Düsseldorfs Folk paper) of Friday, 6 July 1877, the most recent from the New York News Bulletin from the German-Jewish Club Inc. "Composition: an American weekly" of Friday, December 29, 1950. Our search term? "For marriage..."
"Marriage request. An ambitious man, Catholic, in his 30s, owner of a brewery, bakery, and inn in the countryside, who lacks female acquaintances, is looking for a partner. Marriage-seeking girls with some wealth please contact... Discretion is a matter of honour.”