Nicknames to Use to Find Lots More Historical Newspaper Articles About a Person

People often are recorded in old newspapers with a nickname instead of their given name.  There are countless examples; often used are Bill for William, Jack for John, Liz for Elizabeth, etc. Make sure that you not only search for "William Jones", but also with a given name, such as Bill, Will, or Willie. You will get lots more results.  Here is a list of common ones. 

• Abraham - Abe, Abra
• Alexander - Alec, Alex
• Archibald - Arch, Archie
• Augustus - Augie
• Bartholomew - Bart, Bat
• Cornelius - Con
• Cyrus - Cy
• Richard - Dick
• Phineas - Finney
• August - Gus
• Harold, Henry - Hal
• Hamilton - Ham
• Henry - Hank
• Henry - Harry
• Hiram - Hy
• Isaac - Ike
• Jackson, John - Jack
• Jacob - Jake
• Jedidiah  - Jed
• Christopher - Kit 
• Malachi, Malcolm - Mal 
• Nathaniel - Nat, Nate
• Edwin, Edward - Ned
• Newton - Newt
• Oliver - Olli
• Patrick - Paddy
• Alexander - Sandy
• Josiah, Cyrus - Si
• Thaddeus - Tad
• Virgil - Virg
• Wiley, William - Willie
• Abigail, Tabitha - Abbie, Abby
• Alice - Allie
• Elizabeth - Bess, Betsey
• Caroline - Callie, Carrie
• Clarissa, Clarinda - Clara
• Dorothy - Dolly, Dot
• Edith - Edie
• Alice - Elsie
• Henrietta, Louetta - Etta
• Frances - Fanny, Frankie
• Florence - Flora, Flossie
• Harriet - Hatty, Hattie
• Janet, Virginia - Jenny 
• Katherine, Kathleen - Kate, Kay 
• C/Katherine - Kitty
• Charlotte - Lollie, Lottie 
• Margaret, Margery - Madge 
• Mary - Mamie
• Martha - Mattie
• Margaret - Meg, Maggie 
• Mindwell, Wilhelmina  - Mina
• Mary, Wilhelmina - Minnie 
• Martha, Mary, Amelia  - Mollie 
• Eleanor, Ellen, Helen - Nellie 
• Antoinette, Henrietta - Nettie 
• Martha - Patsy
• Martha, Patience - Patty
• Margaret - Peggy
• Mary - Polly
• Sarah - Sadie, Sally
• Winifred, Edwina - Winnie

Give it a try.  You will be surprised how many more search results that you get!