The Marietta Register, May 22, 1863
"Old Marietta Papers" was a series of columns compiled and published in 1863 and 1864 by Rodney M. Stimson, editor of "The Marietta Register."
We have in our possession many old Marietta papers, which we shall notice, from time to time, according to our convenience. The list of Marietta papers, as near as we can make it out, is as follows:
The Ohio Gazette and Virginia Herald, started Nov. 30, 1801.
The Commentator, Sept. 16, 1807.
Western Spectator, Oct. 1810.
American Friend, April 24, 1813.
Marietta Minerva, Oct. 1823.
Marietta and Washington County Pilot, Feb. 1826.
Western Republican and Marietta Advertiser, Jan. 1830.
The Marietta Gazette, July 6, 1833.
Marietta Amaranth, Feb. 1837.
The Marietta Intelligencer, Aug. 29, 1839.
The Locofoco Hornet.
The Democrat, Aug. 3, 1844.
The Marietta Republican, Nov. 28, 1849.
The Home News, Jan. 1, 1859.
The Marietta Register, June 27, 1802.
The Ohio Gazette, the Spectator, the Friend, the Marietta Gazette, the Intelligencer, and the Register, all come in "lineal succession."
The Ohio Gazette was a Republican paper of that day, and supported Jefferson's Administration. The Commentator, published less than two years, was Federalist in politics. The Western Spectator was Federalist. The American Friend appears to have started as a Republican paper, and a supporter of Madison's Administration; it favored John Quincy Adams and opposed Jackson in those days. The Minerva was an advocate of Henry Clay for President in 1824.
The Pilot and the Western Republican were Democratic papers; the Gazette and the Intelligencer, Whig. The Locofoco Hornet was issued for a very short time as a Democratic campaign paper, when we are not advised, but some time about 1840 or 1842. The Democrat was issued about six months in 1844, and in Jan. 1845, the prospectus for the "Marietta Index" was issued as its successor, but no number of it was published. The Amaranth was a small literary sheet, issued only for a short time.
The Home News was an independent and a Union paper, merged with the Intelligencer into the Register. The Republican was a Democratic paper, now a Vallandigham sheet. Its title is a complete misnomer.
The oldest copy of a Marietta paper in our possession is "The Ohio Gazette and Virginia Herald" of October 24, 1803, published by Samuel Fairlamb, who died at Zanesville three or four years ago. The size of the sheet is about three-eights that of the Register - price $2.50 a year, half in advance. Griffin Green was then the Postmaster of Marietta, and from the list of letters advertised it appears that Post Offices were not very numerous in these parts at that day, for there are letters advertised for persons (we give the spelling as we find it) at Belleprie, Little Kenhawha, Kanhaway, Galliopolis, Guiandot and Great Sandy.
At the election that fall (1803) in the counties of Washington and Gallia, classed together for members of the Legislature, the Republican ticket succeeded over the Federal by a large majority in proportion to the vote. Elijah Backus and Joseph Buell were elected Senators by 489 votes to 304 for Benjamin Ives Gilman and Paul Fearing; and Charles Mills, Jesse Fulton and William Jackson were elected Representatives by 495 votes to 298 for Simeon Deming, Nathaniel Cushing and Brewster Higley. This paper was published on the Stockade, and it was not until October 1808 that the Printing Office was moved to the Point.
It is worthy of remark that the papers of "ye olden time" in Marietta and elsewhere contained a very small amount of local matter and but little editorial of any description. We feel safe in saying that our Register in the 10-1/2 months past contains more "local" than all of the Marietta papers ever issued from 1801 to 1839, when the Intelligencer was first issued, a period of 38 years; and we have not issued a number of the Register that did not contain more "editorial" than was ordinarily the case with the number of such Marietta papers as we have seen, published previous to 1839, leaving out an occasional long and able article written by the late Caleb Emerson. The old-time papers were great on foreign news, publishing column after column from Europe, yet not a line of "home news," such as transpired in Marietta and vicinity.
The Ohio Gazette of May 21, 104, is before us - just 59 years ago this week. The advertisements contain all in it that is of interest in this day. J. Buell and John Atchinson advertise a dissolution of partnership in "the tanning, currying and cordwaining business," which was continued by Mr. Atchinson. James Converse of "New Lancaster," offers a farm of 210 acres for sale, situated on the Muskingum near Tyler's Station, "for terms inquire of D. Woodbridge, Jr., & Co., at Marietta," from which it appears that the late Dudley Woodbridge was then in business here.
John Brought, Esq. - father of the present "Jack Brough" - gives notice of Administration on the estate of Edward W. Howard, deceased. Edward W. Tupper was Clerk of the Court; Joseph Wood, Register, and Benjamin Tupper, Receiver of the Land Office, as advertisements show. Abner Lord (from whom the present Abner L. Gitteau was named) advertises for "80,000 white oak pipe staves," and Elias Newton, Jr., as "Cordwainer at Point Harmar." "Lewis Cass, Aid-deCamp," notifies Captains and subalterns returned to serve in the several companies of the Washington County militia to appear at the Major General's quarters and receive their commissions.
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