Family Finds Collection Of Oklahoma Newspapers On JFK's Assassination

An Oklahoma family discovered a collection of old newspapers from around the state with a unique tie to their family and American history. This piece of history sparked a connection to their late father and to a story that gripped the nation.

"He was very into history," Paula Swanda Barnaby said of her late father, Paul. "Our parents taught us to read, research and it's kind of been what I’ve passed on to my two boys."

Paula’s parents raised her and her brother in Carnegie, Oklahoma, her father’s hometown.

"He was a farmer,” Barnaby said. “He was in the coast guard."

But he had a hobby that stood out throughout his whole life.

"My dad was a collector," Barnaby said.

And Swanda had a particular interest in one of America's most shocking tragedies.

"He always had a fascination with it," Barnaby said.

On November 22nd, 1963, President John F. Kennedy's assassination shocked the nation and made headlines around the world.

"This one I’m sure everyone remembers when Oswald was shot," Barnaby said, referencing one of the local newspapers in her father’s collection. "This is one of our hometown Carnegie, Oklahoma."

This entire collection was curated by Paula's father but was forgotten about until his children found it tucked away in an old footlocker.

"I feel we've been blessed because it is history,” Barnaby said. “It's a time capsule in a sense."

The newspapers are from all across Oklahoma.

"We have this one here that's the daily Oklahoman," Barnaby said, showing off a newspaper with a famous photo on the cover. "Johnson being sworn in and there's Mrs. Kennedy in the dress she was wearing the day her husband was shot."

The newspapers and magazines have photos made famous through textbooks and the internet that have been immortalized in print for over 60 years.

"To actually have an original and hold it in your hand,” Barnaby said. “That's something special."

Barnaby says she and her brother plan to keep their father’s collection together for future generations, in keeping with his dedication to preserve and celebrate history.