July 1st, 2011

Typical Tennessean residential telephone number circa 1930

My latest novel is set primarily in Memphis, Tennessee, 1929-1934.

I am trying to find out what a typical residential telephone number would have looked like in 1930, (when this particular scene is set - one main character is trying to call the other; both of them live in Memphis. I tried Googling "tennessee phone number 1930" and "tennessee phone directory 1930" without success. I then googled "us business card 1930" and got some results but am still not satisfied. The business numbers from that time tended towards either four or five-digit numbers, at least for businesses, but what would a residential number have looked like (particularly if it was a local call) - would it have been four digits?

Thanking you all in advance for your help.

Missing Child procedures in late 60's, early 70's Indiana?

 searched: variations on "missing child", "1970's", "late 60's early 70's", "indiana", "police procedures", "missing child reports", etc.

I have a story that is set in the present day, but incorporates newspaper articles about a series of child kidnappings from 1968-1972. The kidnappings all occurred in a small town in Indiana, and the kids ranged in age from 6 to 12.

I'm looking for information on police procedure at the time, as well as how such disappearances would have been treated by local media. Since this information is being revealed by newspaper articles, any examples of articles about child abduction written around a similar time would be wildly helpful, but anything to do with child kidnapping at the time would be much appreciated. I do know that the modern missing children's movement started around 1975, but since everything I'm writing about happened before that, I'm left a bit in the dark.

Thanks so much for any help!

Edit for clarity: No ransom demands were made for any of the children, and the kidnapper is eventually caught. He has no connection to any of the kids, basically snatching them off the street.
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