USA > Illinois > Ogle County > Mount Morris > Mount Morris : past and present, an illustrated history of the village of Mount Morris, Ogle County, Illinois > Part 19
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During the remainder of the month of December, Messrs. Emanuel and Jonathan Knodle, and also Peter, Jacob and Joseph Knodle, and Joseph Hooper, were hard at work to "bring order out of chaos," which was the condition in which the material was found after its long and perilous journey by land and water. Composition rollers had to be made and a hundred and one other articles supplied, which in so new a country presented almost insurmount- able difficulties, the crowning trouble
207
208
MOUNT MORRIS: PAST AND PRESENT
THIS OLD HOUSE was an interesting landmark in Mount Morris for the reason that the first newspaper in Mount Morris or Ogle County, the Rock River Register, was established here Jan. 1, 1842, by Jonathan and Emanuel Knodle, who brought the printing outfit from Boonsboro, Md. This house was built in 1841 by Samuel McFar- land and was last occupied by Mrs. Susan Heminger. It was torn down in March, 1900, to make way for Elder D. L. Miller's new residence. About the year 1860, Mrs. Caro- line Crofts started a private school in the front room of this old house, and continued until after the Civil War. After the close of the Crofts school, the old house sunk into obscurity. It was used as a residence and saw many changes of ownership.
of all being that the bed of the press was broken when the attempt was made to put it in place. This press was known as a "Ramage" and was nearly the exact style of that used by Benj. Franklin, which now stands in the Na- tional Gallery at Washington. In a diary kept by Peter Knodle, son of the publisher, he gave the following details concerning the setting up of this pioneer printing plant:
"Arrived-From St. Louis, Emanuel Knodle, Nov. 18. He brought our press as far as Peru. He purchased type and other materials.
"Received-Our press on November 29.
"Distributing-Commenced distributing type Dec. 16, and also made a table for the forms, a galley, and other sundry ar- ticles for the office.
"Trip to Chicago-On Friday, Dec. 17, father and Jacob Knodle started to Chi- cago to procure a stove for the printing office, printing paper and many other ar- ticles.
"Removed-Our press on Wednesday,
Dec. 18, to Mr. McFarland's in a room that he rented to us.
"Composition Roller-I made a compo- sition roller on Saturday evening, Dec. 18. I got through with it about nine o'clock. I had a little difficulty in moulding it the first trial, it being too stiff, and we had to boil it a little more until it got a little thinner.
"Accident-On Monday, Dec. 20, I was leveling the composing stone in the press, and by pressing on it, it cracked clean across the width of the stone.
"Setting Type-Commenced setting type on Monday, Dec. 23.
"Arrived-Father arrived from Chicago, Dec. 26 with printing paper and stove for the office.'
All obstacles in the way of this pio- neer newspaper enterprise were at last overcome, however, and on the first of January, 1842, the first number of the Rock River Register was issued from the old house and distributed to its patrons, thus going on record as the first news- paper published in Ogle County. It was a small five-column sheet, printed one
VILLAGE NEWSPAPERS
THE ROCK RIVER REGISTER.
LY KNODLE & STEPHENS;]
WE HOPE TO BE RECOGNIZED AS FELLOW-LABORERS IN THE NOBLE WORK OF ENLICHENING THE HUMAN MIND.
Rer. T. S. Hitt.
[PUBLISHED WEEKLY
VOL 1.
MT. MORRIS, OGLE CO. ILLS., SATURDAY, APRIL, 16. 1842
NO 16
Terms,
I'revided 400 subscribers be obtained: The Rock. Riner Register will be neatly all tastefully printed on a super-royal f. eet of good quality, and published week- 3 at $2,50, in advance, per annum, or
Terms,
I'rovided 600 subscribers be obtained: $2, in advance ;--- $2,50 in postponement $1, in advance, or six months.
If No paper discontinued until all ar- " varages are paid, but at the option of and the husband as husbands in their :i.e publisher.
first love are apt to do, gave in to the hu- mor of his wife, and accompanied her to several festive parties given by his weal- thy neighbors, in honor of his marriage.
The happy couple were sitting togeth- er in their comfortable parlor, one ever- ing towards spring, the reverend gentle- man studying the venerable Bebe, and his wife equally intent upon a plate of the latest fashions, when she suddenly ly looked up between hope and fear, and thus addressed her companion,
"My dear husband, I have a request to make."
"Well Nancy, any thing consistent.' "You do not imagine that I would
yourselves quite welcome.".
thrilling adventure of the revo'utionary back to bis business, and she remained on 'er, and :" of' s cet smiles and gra- | war, and the old ladies told their tales of here in school. She wrote to him con- ces, notwith leading the uncomfortable privation and suffering, and interwove 'stantly, and her letters breathed the pure pinching o' her shoes and corsets. ller | with them the histori. s of fathers, bro- husband met her in the hall.
thers or lovers who died for liberty
Mrs. N- was sobbing convulsively
outpourings of a true, loving, and con- stant heart. The time for their union approached, and he made preparation to visit Albany and accomplish the wish of his soul. The epistol came on in
"Our gue ts have all arrived," he said and opened the door of the reviewing | when her husband came around, and ng roomn. Wonderful! wonderful! What touching her shoulder, whispered. "My love, shall we have dancing?" a strange assemb.y. There were con- giegated the cripple, the maimed, and That word with its ludicrous associations answer to his, and not a thought or a the blind; the palsieJ, the extreme aged, fairly threw her into hysterics, and she line caused him a doubt or a fear. At laughed and wept at ouce.
and a group of children from the alms- house, who regarded the fine lady, some with wide open mouths, othe's with both hands in their hair, while some peeped from behind furniture. to the covert of my wife a frivolous inconsistent creature which they had retreated from her daz- | and I must therefore apologise for her zling presence. S .. e was petrified wit . astonishment, then a d: sh of disp.easure crossed her fa. e, till having ran her eyes: our rich neighbors gave iu hon r of our over the grotesque assembly; she inet nuptials, and my wife thought it would the comically grave expression of her |be genteel to give a dinner in return. I husband's countenance, when she bu st, cousented on conditions; one of which into a violent fit of laughter, during the | was that i should invite the guests. So paroxysins of which the bursting of her | being a professed minister of Him who corset laces could be distinctly heard by : was meek and lowly in heart, I followed ; bonds of wediuck to a foreigner to whom to the letter his . ommand, 'But when the euinpany. thou makest a feast call the poor the inaiin-
¡length he commenced his journey, and When she became quiescent, Mr. N 'hus addressed the company. ¡with his heart bounding with joy, and with all that can make life comfortable ".I fear my friends that you will think and the domestic fireside happy, he ar- rived at his destination and immediately I went to throw all at the feet of her whom We were married only last f .. Il. and he adored. But alas for human hopes have attended sev ral gay parties, which and antinipation ! he found the recipient jof innumerable benefits and the cher- islied idol of his soul-the bright ono who had been the burden of his tho'ts and who was his sworn and affianced bride-just about to be joined in the she owed nothing, and whom she bad known but a short time.
Amazed at her duplicity, which he passage. Mrs. N not knowing who her | could hardly believe and bro !: en hearted
"Nancy!" at length said her husband, stern !;. She suppressed her mirth, ed the blind, &c., you all recolicet the stain:nered an excuse and added; "You will forgive me, aud believe guests were to be, is highly delighted [anI dispirited at a loss which he had with the ruse I have played, and I do never acounted on or expected, the un-
THE ROCK RIVER REGISTER, Mount Morris's first newspaper, as well as the first in Ogle County, was established in January, 1842, but because of limited patronage was compelled to discontinue in September of the same year, and was moved to Grand Detour.
209
THE MINISTERS DINNER.
BY LYDIA JANE PIERSON.
ed like Judith cf old gloriously, to al- aud each recounted some wonderful or plighted vows they parted. He went lure the eyes of all who should look up-
The Reverend Mr. N -- was a man of excellent temper; generous feelings, and well cultivated mind, but he was ec- centric even to oddity. He was a pow- :3, if not paid in advance. $1,50, in erful preacher, and Itis ministration was n : ymce, for six months ;--- otherwise no blest to the reformation of many in this *( scription will be received for less parish At the age of thirty four lie be- li.al a year.
came enamored of a beautiful light heart- ed girl of seventeen, daughter to one of his richest parishoners, and who imagin- cd that to refuse the hand of a minister would be a sin bordering hard upon the unpardonable. Well, the marriage was consumated, the bride's fat portion paid;
Advertising.
Advertisements inserted at $1 per . . fare for the first insertion, and 25 cents Er each subsequent insertion. A liberla i. count made to those who advertise by .e year.
un
210
MOUNT MORRIS: PAST AND PRESENT
page at a time, on a very inferior qual- ity of paper. Its motto, suggested by Rev. T. S. Hitt, was, "We hope to be rec- ognized as fellow-laborers in the noble work of enlightening the human mind." The terms were "$2.50 in advance; or $3, if not paid in advance." A number of articles from the Register, which give an idea of the condition of the country when the paper was being published, are reprinted in a preceding chapter upon the early history of Mount Morris.
Mr. Emanuel Knodle, the first editor of the Register, was a very spicy and fluent writer. In the second number issued, he invited the patrons of the paper to furnish occasional "original communications," saying:
"We have among our patrons here, as we have already been informed, in the brief space of our residence in Ogle county, writers who are capable of Hitt- ing off 'matter and things in general,' in
JONATHAN KNODLE and his brother, Emanuel Knodle, established the first newspaper in Mount Morris in January, 1842. It was also the first paper in Ogle County. Mr. Knodle was a native of Boonsboro, Md., and in July, 1841, with his family and a small printing outfit, started to drive to Mount Morris. After consider- able difficulty, the paper got started in the following January but continued less than a year.
such an interesting manner as to please all manner of readers: that we may ex- pect evidence of some very Sharp pens, and that the necessary Artz will not fail us in our efforts to treat our readers handsomely. Upon the whole, we Judge that we can af-Ford our readers com- plete satisfaction."
The names in italics were those of prominent early settlers. Vol. 1, No. 4, contained the notice of the marriage of Michael Cheshire to Margaret McAllis- ter, by Rev. L. S. Walker, noted by the editor to have been "the first case of matrimony which ever occurred in Mount Morris." In the same number appear the business cards of H. A. Mix and Henry Roberts, attorneys-at-law at Oregon; James J. Beatty, physician and surgeon, Mount Morris; and an adminis- trator's notice in the matter of the estate of William Driscoll. The paper dated Feb. 26, 1842, mentioned the severe ill- ness of the editor, Emanuel Knodle, and No. 12, issued in April, announced his death. He is said to have been a young man of extraordinary ability and had he lived would have had a brilliant future without doubt. He was the oldest broth- er of Samuel Knodle, for many years a resident of Mount Morris. The paper which announced Mr. Knodle's death bore the names of Knodle and Stephens, publishers, D. C. Duncan being engaged as editor. In September the paper was removed to Grand Detour, on account of the poor mail service at Mount Morris. It eventually ceased publication after a career of less than two years and was entirely lost sight of.
MOUNT MORRIS GAZETTE
Seven years passed after the failure of the Register before any parties found sufficient courage to try another news- paper enterprise, but in February, 1850, J. Frederick Grosh and Tomlinson Ank- ney purchased the material with which the Rockford Free Press had been printed, removed it to Mount Morris, and in March the first number of the Mount Morris Gazette was issued, pub- lished by J. F. Grosh and edited by Prof. D. J. Pinckney. Concerning this paper Kett's History of Ogle County says: "It was a seven-column folio sheet, toler- ably well printed and ably edited. It
Mount
Morris
Casette.
VILLAGE NEWSPAPERS
A family Newspaper: Devoted to News, Politics, Literature. Agriculture, Morality. Temperance. Stienso. &t .~- beritae bineit
BY J. F. GROSH.
MOUNT MORRIS, ILL., THURSDAY, JAN. 9, 1851.
VOL. 1 ...... NO 36.
=
RATES OF ADVERTISING. pocket. Having reaped the advantage of "you're jokin." That is my wagon boy- and when he eclipsed Eclipse the year be- Ralph opened both eyes and mouth in the hurt, the dying and the dead, who lay before the enemy's entrenchmeer One square one insertion, . . $ 75 public schools, he had gone thence to a slept with your niggers last night- He is fore, he was crowned with gold, and cov- astonishment, exclaiming- Tamil will scarlet. He wn .... faround in the most picturesque confusion Jen at the breast work shot these til
Tiehale-sale dry good store as a clerk, where on my Narumancat!
THE MOUNT MORRIS GAZETTE was established in 1850 and was Mount Morris's second news- paper but it lasted only about a year. J. F. Grosh was the first publisher.
MOUNT MORRIS GAZETTE.
BY BRAYTON. BAKER & CO.]
[TWO DOLLARS A YEAR.
VOLUME 2.
MOUNT MORRIS, OGLE COUNTY, THURSDAY, MAY 29, 1851. NO. 3.
".It is the memory of my wrongs-of your ummm rather-for myself I do not care .-
sed, and the expression of his face, though nessed, and something whispered . You were a | Wacht. sad. was normas
BRAYTON, BAKER & CO. succeeded J. F. Grosh as publisher of the Mount Morris Gazette in 1851. The above heading was evidently whittled out by hand.
211
212
MOUNT MORRIS: PAST AND PRESENT
was professedly neutral in politics, but the editor was very independent in the expression of his opinions, and some- times the paper inclined somewhat strongly to the party with which he affiliated. The printing of the first num- ber of the Gazette was a notable event in the history of both town and county, and occasioned as much excitement as did the completion of the railroad twenty years later. The Gazette, how- ever, was not a success financially and the publishers, after a year's experience, discovered that its publication was a losing business, and in the spring of 1851 disposed of the material to R. C. Burchell, of Oregon, who removed it to that place and established the Ogle County Gazette, afterward the Reporter, which still exists. The sale of the mate- rial, however, does not appear to have stopped the Mount Morris Gazette. No. 3 of the second volume, dated May 29, 1851, bears the name of Brayton, Baker & Co., publishers, and Prof. Pinckney, editor. It says that there were no press, type or printers in Mount Morris at that time, and although the paper was pub- lished there, it was printed elsewhere, probably by Mr. Burchell at Oregon. But this manner of publishing a news- paper did not suit the enterprising citi- zens of Mount Morris who organized a joint stock company, purchased a new outfit, and No. 3, dated June 26, was beautifully printed in new type, and was one of the handsomest papers ever printed in the county. It was under the editorial charge of Professors D. J. Pinckney and S. M. Fellows, and it is needless to add was conducted with signal ability.
The Mount Morris Gazette of July 3, 1851, Vol. 2, No. 5, published by Brayton, Baker & Co., contained the following editorial: "Some of our readers may conclude that as we are situated a little off from the great thoroughfares, our facilities for supplying them with such a paper as they need would be inferior to those possessed by many other places. It is true, our mail arrangements do not equal those of many points, but we are sufficiently well supplied for all the purposes of the paper we publish. We have a daily mail from Chicago, and a tri-weekly from the northwest and from
the south, and can place before our readers the state of the market or any other news interesting to them, as early as our neighbors. And, in other respects our facilities are vastly superior to al- most any paper in this section of the country. We are situated so that we can at any time procure essays upon a vari- ety of subjects, from competent persons, and we can always present as large an amount of choice, original articles as we choose. When we recollect that it is the original matter which gives a local pa- per its chief value, this consideration will be acknowledged of no little impor- tance. Our office is fitted up with a new press, new types, new everything, and we have a printer who knows how to use them to the best advantage. And on our part we purpose to use every exertion to make the Mount Morris Gazette just such a paper as every par- ent will wish to introduce into his family."
The paper was not self-sustaining, however, and after a year's experience, the company rented the offices to Messrs. Chas. C. Allen and Smith D. Atkins, then attending school at Rock River Seminary. These gentlemen, by devot- ing a part of their time to the office and the remainder to their studies, were enabled to prolong its existence until the spring of 1853, when the plant was sold to them and removed to Savanna, Ill.
Many years later when Mr. Allen died in his home in California, Mr. Smith who had become a well-known pub- lisher in Freeport, wrote of his former partner in the Freeport Journal as fol- lows: "Chas. Allen is dead. He died in Los Angeles, Calif., at 79 years of age. He learned his trade, a printer, here in Freeport, in the Prairie Democrat office, about 1849. He went from here to Mount Morris, Ill., and for several years pub- lished the Mount Morris Gazette, on contract for the owners. We worked in that printing office for Mr. Allen, two hours in the forenoon and two hours in the afternoon, for our board, and there attended Mount Morris Seminary. At- tending that school then were Shelby M. Cullom, John L. Beverage, Chas. B. Farwell, Robert R. Hitt, John A. Raw- lins, and many others who became dis-
VILLAGE NEWSPAPERS
The North-Marestern Republican.
Debated ts Polities, Literature, Education, miscellany, Agriculture, Celercantile, Milanofactures, Netos, Colarhets and General Intelligence.
VOL. 1.
MT. MORRIS, ILL., SATURDAY. JUNE 13, 1857.
NO. . 36.
Business Cards.
THE
[ the name of his parents. Luke turued Jout a corofni thrifty. industrious Young
CHAPTER IL
- "Then be's & gonerl' maid Ben. Ruth, had not been idle. Quiet and wo-
.Nonsense! What is the mumier with
.You hoDe hs ist' orclaimed Cantoin I amuming as he appeared to be. he was | you, Luke? You are do palo as a sick
THE NORTHWESTERN REPUBLICAN was established in 1856 by Atwood and Metcalf and managed by Samuel Knodle. It was sold after a year to Col. M. S. Barnes who changed the name to the Independent Watchman.
The Independent Watchman.
mitgiment Johnial for an Independent People -. Deboted to Politics, Temperance, Bewus, Agriculture, Fortiulture, Meehanies, Literature, Comme. ". General Intelligence, and the Interests of Ogle Conte.
VOL. V. MT. MORRIS, ILL., WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 1, 1858.
NO. 6.
· Masonio.
Commission Merchants.
PROTECTINO GRAIN FROM RATS .-- By
RANDOM SELECTIONS.
has no cetate, shall be let ont and sold to make satisfaction.
SELECT POETRY.
(For the Todependent Watchman.]
given to the work of taking care of Iny. self. I happen to be at the bottom of the Fladder. and if I'over mot .. ..
NORTON & PRESTON
Penface, funiber and Conimimon Merchants, Polo. hi ! elder fash from
depositing a few sprigs of gum or andried ma.c'.J Ionlinie
.
COL. M. S. BARNES published the Independent Watchman for a year beginning in 1857 and then sold it to J. D. Dopf who continued until 1861 when he moved it to Polo.
213
Warth-Tolestern Republican.
214
MOUNT MORRIS: PAST AND PRESENT
JOHN J. SHARER, son of Henry and Cor- nelia Motter Sharer, was born Nov. 28, 1847, at the Sharer homestead, one mile east of Mount Morris, now owned by Jacob Bonar. He died Aug. 2, 1922, aged 75 years. He went to school in Mount Morris and at the age of 12 years, in 1859, he started to learn the printing trade in the office of the Independent Watchman, owned by Myron S. Barnes. In 1860, the paper was moved to Polo, where he fol- lowed and worked for a short time. From 1861 to 1863, he worked on the Ogle County Guard at Oregon, published by Samuel Wilson. From 1864 to 1870, Mr. Sharer was a resident of Chicago, working as mail clerk. In 1877, he purchased the de- funct Independent of Mount Morris, and changed the name to Ogle County Demo- crat, which he edited until 1886. He was in Missouri and Oklahoma until 1902, when he returned to Mount Morris, and for the next 17 years was local editor of the Mount Morris Index, retiring in 1920. In 1882, Mr. Sharer married Susie L. Burker, and they had three children, Mrs. Marietta C. McGarigle, Mrs. Sarah L. Johns and Henry Sharer.
111111
tinguished in public life. In the printing office there were Horace Hounson, who published a paper in Minnesota, the last time we heard from him; George W. Crofts, who became a distinguished di- vine and author; Daniel A. Sheets, who was killed; and Col. R. J. Oglesby, a lieutenant in the 8th Illinois Infantry, whose dead body we saw on the battle- field at the battle of Ft. Donelson. Chas. Allen, about 1853, bought the Mount Morris Gazette and moved it to Sa- vanna, in Carroll County. We bought
from Mr. Allen a half interest, and for one year we published with Mr. Allen, the Savanna Register, selling out to Mr. Allen . . . "
NORTHWESTERN REPUBLICAN
Three years later, in 1856, Messrs. Atwood and Metcalf started a paper called the Northwestern Republican. Samuel Knodle managed its publication for over a year when it was sold to Col. M. S. Barnes, who had been running a daily in Chicago. He changed the name of the paper to Independent Watchman. After a year under his management it was purchased by a company of town merchants and put under the editorial management of Prof. W. S. Pope, Dr. F. A. McNeill and J. D. Dopf, with Mr. Dopf publisher. Its publication contin- ued until the winter of 1860-'61, when Mr. Dopf removed the material to Polo where it developed into the Ogle County Press, still being published.
After this Mount Morris was without a newspaper for fifteen years, the utter failure of all the early enterprises hav- ing evidently frightened every one from again making the attempt. Ten years later, however, a job printing-office was established by Samuel Knodle with a small handpress and an assortment of job type. Mr. Knodle's job office became famous all over the county and the amount of printing which he did was remarkable.
MOUNT MORRIS INDEPEND- ENT
In 1876, Mr. Knodle was instrumental in forming an incorporated stock com- pany, he himself owning half the stock, and the Mount Morris Independent was started, with Prof. D. J. Pinckney, as editor. Mismanagement by the board of directors again made this enterprise a failure, and it was sold in May, 1877, to John Sharer and changed to the Ogle County Democrat, with Mr. Sharer as editor and Dr. B. G. Stephens, associate editor. It was successfully conducted under this caption for nearly nine years, when it was moved to Oregon and changed to the Independent-Democrat, which in the fall of 1900 was incorpor- ated with the Ogle County Constitution of that place.
le County
Democrat.
VILLAGE NEWSPAPERS
JOHN SHARER. Publisher.
$2.00 per Annum
VOLUME V.
MT. MORRIS, OGLE COUNTY. ILLINOIS, THURSDAY, AUGUST 11, 1881.
WHOLE NO. 221.
nation, on the morning of his inauguration, by , litical prisoners, in spite of the Speaker's ruling, turning over to the detectives s lunatic who ' Paruoll was "named " for offensive language.
LATER NEWS ITEMS.
extant for securing not only a secret but a free and independent ballot. Ilought adopted evervw.l .---
Another Reformer.
had carefully laid his plans for the murder. . .. Gladstone moved his suspension for, the very , Nathen DalishAn Condemnach who wants It? Forty-three Postma-' * Presiden- m.
stalwarts'by the promulgation of fact Mr. Windom hos 'himself advertised | in his possession, the New York Sun =afumar In this respect .he
JOHN SHARER established the Ogle County Democrat in 1877 and continued it for nearly nine years. It was the first newspaper in Mount Morris to contain much local news.
THE MT. MORRIS INDEX.
FAITH-IN THE PEOPLE.
HOPE-FOR SUCCESS.
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