USA > Massachusetts > Essex County > Municipal history of Essex County in Massachusetts, Volume II > Part 38
Note: The text from this book was generated using artificial intelligence so there may be some errors. The full pages can be found on Archive.org (link on the Part 1 page).
Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3 | Part 4 | Part 5 | Part 6 | Part 7 | Part 8 | Part 9 | Part 10 | Part 11 | Part 12 | Part 13 | Part 14 | Part 15 | Part 16 | Part 17 | Part 18 | Part 19 | Part 20 | Part 21 | Part 22 | Part 23 | Part 24 | Part 25 | Part 26 | Part 27 | Part 28 | Part 29 | Part 30 | Part 31 | Part 32 | Part 33 | Part 34 | Part 35 | Part 36 | Part 37 | Part 38 | Part 39 | Part 40 | Part 41 | Part 42 | Part 43 | Part 44 | Part 45 | Part 46 | Part 47 | Part 48 | Part 49 | Part 50 | Part 51 | Part 52 | Part 53 | Part 54 | Part 55 | Part 56 | Part 57
started by J. F. C. Hayes, who later merged it in The Courier. 1867- The Essex Eagle was started by Charles G. Merrill and H. A. Wads- worth. 1871-The Lawrence Journal was issued by Robert Bower, who soon sold it to Patrick Sweeney. This was later changed to the Sunday Register and continued until late years under different managements. 1884-The Sunday Telegram was started by Winfield G. Merrill.
We have said that the weekly papers were the foundation of the dailies. Looking backward now it is easy to trace the connection, for the present Sun-American is an outgrowth of the Lawrence American; The
756
ESSEX COUNTY
Eagle Tribune of The Essex Eagle and The Lawrence Telegram of The Sunday Telegram.
During the period that The Lawrence American was under the man- agement of George W. Sargent, he had as an assistant George S. Merrill. After a few years the latter became sole owner and editor. Under the control of Major Merrill, The American gained steadily in influence and was rated among the foremost weeklies of New England. In July, 1868, an afternoon daily was issued under same name, and as a Republican organ was highly esteemed throughout the State. Major Merrill had con- siderable political influence and ultimately was made Insurance Commis- sioner of Massachusetts. He disposed of his plant in 1892 to William S. Jewett. The latter started The Sun as a morning paper August 1, 1893, and shortly after a Sunday edition under the same name was started. Mr. Jewett disposed of his interests to the present owners, The Sun-American Publishing Co. in 1914. Under the new management The Sun was dis- continued and the name of the afternoon paper changed to The Sun- American. The Sunday Sun still continues as the only Lawrence Sun- day newspaper; other publications being devoted to comment only.
Soon after the publication of The Essex Eagle was commenced, Charles G. Merrill retired, and Horace A. Wadsworth carried on the paper alone. He started The Daily Eagle, July 20, 1868, and since the daily issue of The American was not in evidence until the following even- ing, the Daily Eagle has the honor of being the oldest daily newspaper in the city. In 1873 these papers were sold to Hammon Reed, who after a few years sold them back again to Mr. Wadsworth. He started The Evening Tribune as an afternoon paper in 1890. The Tribune was suc- cessful from the very beginning and as the years have passed has gained steadily in influence and prestige. Mr. Wadsworth died soon after The Tribune was started, and in 1898 F. H. Hildreth and A. H. Rogers pur- chased the plant, under the firm name of Hildreth & Rogers. Upon the death of Mr. Hildreth, in 1909, the present management, a stock company, took over the papers, under the corporate name of Hildreth & Rogers Co.
George Goldsmith, who became associated with Winfield G. Merrill in the publication of The Sunday Telegram, later came into control, and with Harry Nice started The Lawrence Telegram as a daily on March 5, 1895. Its progress was decidedly slow at first. In 1896 John N. Cole, of Andover, took hold of the paper, and by hard work succeeded in estab- lishing it upon a firm foundation. In 1906, Kimball G. Colby of Methuen, secured a controlling interest in The Telegram and has continued it suc- cessfully.
There have been a few unsuccessful attempts at daily papers in Law- rence which merit passing notice. The first on record was The Daily Journal, issued by Dockham & Place, December 1, 1860. Publication as a daily was continued for about two years, then it was changed to a tri- weekly, and in 1863 was merged in The American. James E. Donohue
757
NEWSPAPERS OF THE COUNTY
established The Star as a weekly in 1893 and started The Daily News in 1900. Both papers expired after a few years.
Present weekly publications include the Anzeiger und Post, a Ger- man weekly, and The Sunday Leader, classed as a "journal of comment", and carrying only a brief news summary.
Beverly Newspapers-Beverly depended upon Salem newspapers for a record of local happenings until 1851. The three Salem newspapers were then published semi-weekly, which gave a publication nearly every day, and was almost the same as a daily paper.
March 28, 1851, the initial number of the Beverly Citizen appeared, the first newspaper to be published in the town. It was a six-column folio, printed in Boston, and well filled with reading matter. Arthur F. Wales was the publisher. His real business was running an express route be- tween Beverly and Boston. Beverly people were slow to wean from the Salem newspapers, all of which at that time had been published for more than a quarter of a century, and Mr. Wales discovered that it was not a profitable venture. In 1855 John B. Cressy purchased the good will of the business and put in a printing plant, the first in Beverly, at 7 Wash- ington street.
Irving W. Allen purchased the Citizen in 1881 and continued it for a number of years. George Chinn was the editor for several years, and he was succeeded by J. Herman Carver of Newburyport. The office was on Vestry street in the Lafavour Opera House block, where is now the E. W. Rogers furniture store. Dec. 30, 1892, Charles A. King purchased the establishment and continued the paper until June, 1919, when he sus- pended publication, like many others, on account of the high cost of material and labor. He owned it all this time, except for two years, when he was editor of the Berkshire Courier at Great Barrington. During this time the Walter Brothers were the publishers. Mr. King also published the American Benefit Journal, for 25 years. Previous to coming to Beverly, he owned the Merrimac Budget, and formerly was part owner of the Milford Journal and the Bennington, Vt., Gazette. In 1890 W. C. Trump published the Beverly Chronicle on Saturdays, in Commercial block. The paper was short lived.
The Beverly Evening Times, which is now a household word in Beverly, was established in 1893. Previous to that time Albert Vittum, the publisher of the Times for more than a quarter of a century, was the publisher of the Weekly Times. The Weekly was started in October, 1881, by Ephraim M. Bates, now deceased, Willard O. Wylie and Wil- liam C. Morgan. The first few numbers were printed in the office of the Beverly Citizen, and later in the office of the New England Newspaper Union, Boston. The paper was a four-page sheet, 8x10 inches in size. Messrs. Morgan and Wylie sold their interests a short time later to Mr. Bates, who continued the business. Mr. Bates conducted a job office in connection with the paper, and finding the latter more profitable, sold to
758
ESSEX COUNTY
George W. Cook, who had had previous experience as editor of the Bev- erly citizen. Mr. Cook subsequently sold to Isaac M. Marshall of Man- chester, Massachusetts, the present publisher of the Manchester Cricket.
In May, 1887, Albert Vittum, who under the firm name of Fernald & Vittum had published the Peabody Press in Peabody, purchased the paper. It was moved to the job office of Mr. Bates, and with the equip- ment of the Lynn Union, which Mr. Vittum had purchased previously of Sam Walter Foss, there was abundance of good material to issue a week- ly paper. The make-up of the paper was changed to a seven-column folio and special attention given to local news. In May, 1888, Mr. Vit- tum started the Essex Echo, and in October of the same year the Man- chester Cricket. Both of these papers proved good property, and are now owned by Isaac M. Marshall, to whom they were sold when the Even- ing Times was established.
In 1892, Mr. Vittum established the Wenham-Hamilton Times and Asbury Grove Cottager, both of which were later taken over by Charles A. King of the Beverly Citizen. In 1893, the need of a home daily be- coming apparent, with the rapid growth of the population, the Evening Times was established by Mr. Vittum, and when the question of a city charter for Beverly came up for discussion, a daily edition of the Times was promised by the publisher of the Weekly Times, should the charter be granted, when the new city government was inaugurated. A canvass of the city was made and six hundred subscribers for a daily paper were secured. In October, 1893, in spite of the panic that prevailed at that time, the first issue of the Daily Evening Times was printed. Inside of six months, the circulation had increased to 1000 copies sold. The paper was started as a six-column folio, and at the close of the first year had enlarged to seven columns, and at the end of the second year to eight columns. The equipment now consists of a battery of three Mergen- thaler linotype machines, a Ludlow Topograph, and a Cox Duplex press. The Times was first published under Mr. Vittum's competent manage- ment in the Atlantic Block on Cabot street, then in the Bates job office on Franklin place, then on Railroad avenue in the building now known as the Highland Apartment house, then in the Burnham building on Cabot street. The last move was to the present quarters in the Savings Bank building, which it has occupied since the erection of the building. Mr. Vittum continued the business with marked success until December, 1919, when he sold his interests to Walter E. Hubbard of Brattleboro, Vermont, for many years editor of the Brattleboro Reformer, a newspaper man of marked ability, with twenty-five years experience in newspaper work in varied fields, who has conducted the business successfully since.
While the personnel of the Evening Times has changed much dur- ing the years of its existence, William C. Morgan, the city editor, has been with the paper since its start. Lawrence P. Stanton, his assistant in the reportorial department, came to the paper, when in the Beverly
759
NEWSPAPERS OF THE COUNTY
high school, furnishing items from the school. Noland E. Giles, fore- man of the mechanical department, took around the first copy of the Weekly Times as a newsboy in 1881. These men are still on the job. Other faithful employees who have been with the paper for years are Robert J. Murney of the reportorial staff, Miss Minnie L. Goodridge, the efficient bookkeeper, who has a thorough knowledge of the business office in all its details; and J. Fraser Stuart, in charge of the advertising de- partment, who has been a large factor in the success of the paper. Wil- liam H. Barnes, the "make-up" man, has been with the paper since 1905. Cornelius P. Connolly has been the competent pressman for 13 years. The other places on the reportorial staff, in the business office, the com- posing and press room are filled with competent help.
In September, 1921, the Evening Times again changed hands, Mr. Hubbard disposing of his holdings to Thomas Leavitt, of Dorchester, who has a newspaper training of more than a quarter of a century. He has introduced sundry changes, with every promise of adding to the achievements of his predecessors.
The story of the press in Beverly would be incomplete without a word concerning the North Shore Breeze. The North Shore Breeze was started in the spring of 1904 by its present editor, J. Alex. Lodge, and has been from the start a publication that has focused its efforts on the summer resort business centering upon that section of the Massachusetts coast between Boston and Newburyport, so popularly known as the North Shore. Magazine in form, ranging from 24 pages in the dull winter months, to 80 and more pages, with colored cover, in the summer season, the Breeze so appeals to the tastes of the large number of wealthy people who flock into New England from all parts of the country for the summer, that they subscribe by the year, thus having the paper follow them to their winter residences. The late Robin Damon, of the Salem News, once wrote of the North Shore Breeze that it was probably read by more mil- lionaires than any weekly paper in America. In the first years of its publication, the office of the Breeze was in Beverly, but in 1906 Editor Lodge moved it to his home town, at Manchester, because he at that time bought a small printing office that has since developed into one of the finest-equipped publishing plants in Essex county.
In 1910 the North Shore Breeze was incorporated, the only stock- holders outside of the original owner being about a score of the represen- tative summer residents, whose personal interest in the enterprise had much to do with the constant but very evident growth of the business since that date.
It was in 1913 that the North Shore Reminder, a weekly, published in the Swampscott-Marblehead section of the North Shore, and much of the same nature as the Breeze, was purchased by Mr. Lodge from E. R. Grabow of the United Fruit Company interests. Since that time the Breeze has covered the entire North Shore field from Nahant to New-
760
ESSEX COUNTY
buryport, including Cape Ann, instead of devoting its attention almost exclusively to the territory between Beverly and Magnolia and the ad- jacent inland section. While the paper is devoted very largely to the summer resort business, it has always maintained a local field in covering that section of the shore line including Magnolia, Manchester, Beverly Farms and Pride's Crossing.
Ipswich Newspapers-Before speaking of the various newspapers that have been published in Ipswich a word should be mentioned con- cerning the authorship of several quite noted books from this vicinity. New England's first book of poetry was Mrs. Anna Bradstreet's, early of Ipswich. One of the first histories of New England was by an Ipswich clergyman, William Hubbard. The first Latin book printed in America was by Rev. John Norton, of Ipswich. The "Body of Liberties", con- taining the essence of our civil rights today, and the "Simple Cobbler of Agawam," long to be remembered as an old time classic, were the works of the author, preacher, jurist and scholar Nathaniel Ward, of Ipswich. These are a few of the most illustrious names. But now, coming to the newspaper press of Ipswich, it may be stated that the first local news- paper established here was the Ipswich Journal, issued weekly, by John H. Harris, who began its publication in July, 1827, and discontinued in August, 1828. Then came the Register, edited by Eugene F. W. Gray; its first number was pulled from the old handpress June 1, 1837, and it went down a year later. The town then went without a newspaper until 1850, when the Clarion was started and issued once in two weeks, by Timothy B. Ross. It was a newsy folio paper. The first Saturday in January, 1868, the Bulletin first appeared and continued until August, only. Charles W. Felt of Salem, was its proprietor, and he proposed to furnish a paper to several near-by towns. Thus the Rockport Quarry and the Ipswich Bulletin were the same with the name changed. This was a new idea in newspaperdom and soon followed the "patent" sheet system, then sterotyped stories and news. July 3, 1871, began to be published the Ipswich Advance, with Edward B. Putnam as editor and proprietor. He continued until March 16, 1872, when Edward L. Daven- port and Frederick W. Goodwin, having bought the establishment, began the publication of the Ipswich Chronicle. Lyman H. Daniels took hold of this paper four years later and associated with him I. J. Potter, who later was sole proprietor. After a year or two Mr. Porter associated with his brother J. M. Potter and they conducted the chain of papers for side towns as follows: Ipswich Chronicle, Amesbury Villager, Lynn Re- porter, Lynn Bee, and the Yankee Blade of Boston. September 10, 1886, the Ipswich Independent edited by Charles G. Hull was another active force in newspaperdom in the place. Later it went down after a hard struggle to exist. The Chronicle is the only paper in Ipswich now. It is independent in politics ; is an eight-page, six column paper, printed Fri- days ; it uses electricity for its power in printing ; subscription rate is $1.50
761
NEWSPAPERS OF THE COUNTY
yearly. A good job department is conducted in connection with the news- paper.
Marblehead Newspapers-Marblehead's first local newspaper was established March 13, 1830, and was known as the Marblehead Register, and was founded by Henry Blaney, who for three years struggled vigor- ously to make his enterprise a success but finally had to discontinue the publication. Several other papers have been started in the place since then, and made a similar disappointment to their proprietors. The pres- ent newspaper, the Marblehead Messenger, was established in 1871, and its only owners and proprietors have been N. A. Lindsey & Co. (Incor- porated). Frank L. Armstrong is president and treasurer at this time. This is an eight-page paper, circulating mostly in the entire town, the Neck and in Clifton. Its day of issue is Friday ; politically, it is Repub- lican. June 25, 1877, the office was destroyed by fire, along with many other Marblehead business places. The office is now well equipped with modern appliances, including typesetting machines and facilities for hand- ling all kinds of job printing, including commercial and catalog work. The Messenger stands for all that is good and useful in the community in which it circulates.
The Andover Townsman was established in October, 1887; it is owned by the Andover Press Company (incorporated). It is published each Friday, is a Republican paper with a subscription rate of $2.00 per year, having a good circulation both at Andover and throughout the coun- try generally. It is published in a building erected in 1906 by the cor- poration that owns the plant, and it is finely equipped with such articles as go toward making up a first-class job and book printing establishment, in connection with the publication of the Townsman. The equipment in- cludes one large cylinder press and six other job presses ; two monotypes, power paper-cutter, etc.
The Townsman is an eight-page, seven column paper devoted to the local interests of Andover, and it is almost entirely printed at home. An- dover being a college town, there is necessarily a large amount of job printing work of which this office executes a large per cent.
THE NEW YORK PUBLIC LIBRARY
ASTOR, LENOX TILDEN FOUNDATIONS
STATUE OF JOAN OF ARC In Memory of Gloucester's Fallen Heroes in the World War
CHAPTER XLV.
MILITARY HISTORY
In the numerous wars in which Essex county has participated, down to the recent great World War, the town of Essex has furnished her share of men and supplies. The following is a concise account of the activities during the wars in which Essex people have shown their patriotism:
The soldier record in Essex commences in 1637, when John and Thomas Burnham, Robert Crosse and Andrew Story were drafted to serve in the war against the Pequot Indians; for this short service these men received grants to several acres of land. It is believed this was the first instance on the American continent where a bounty was given for the service of a soldier. In 1643 the brothers Burnham were again in the service against other Indians.
Essex also took part in King Philip's War, and sent men good and true. Among these was John Bennet, who was killed at Deerfield, Mas- sachusetts, September, 1675. He was a member of the company from Essex county, known in all New England annals as "The Flower of Essex" commanded by Captain Thomas Lathrop, of Beverly. Surprised at Deerfield by the Indians, at what is now called Bloody Brook, he and most of his command were slaughtered. Out of the company of eighty- four, seventy-six were killed, having been ambuscaded by nearly seven hundred Indians. It is said that this band of warriors was led by King Philip in person.
Captain Joseph Gardner, of Salem, organized a company to join the expedition against Narragansett. In this company were Robert Andrews, Zaccheus Perkins, John Prince, Samuel Rust, Samuel Story, and Joseph Soames. This company was mustered at Dedham, Massachusetts, in De- cember, 1675, and marched to Rhode Island. Capt. Gardner, Robert An- drews, Joseph Soames and six others in this company were later killed in battle in the Narragansett Swamp; the command then devolved on Wil- liam Hawthorne, of Salem. This Hawthorne was an ancestor of the dis- tinguished author Nathaniel Hawthorne.
In 1708 Essex furnished other brave men who fought against the Indians. Rev. Benjamin Choate, a native of the place, was for some time stationed at Deerfield, near where thirty years before Captain Lathrop and so many men were ruthlessly murdered by the red-skins. Rev. Choate was acting as chaplain at the time he was near Deerfield.
In the hostilities with Spain, in the expedition to Spanish West In- dies, in 1740, was Major Ammi Ruhami Wise, son of Rev. John Wise, and a native of Essex, and possibly several others from Essex.
In the Siege of Louisburg, under Pepperell and Warren, in 1745, were several men from Essex. In the Eighth Massachusetts were Col. John Choate, Lieut. Thomas Choate, Jr., William Andrews, Aaron Fos-
764
ESSEX COUNTY
ter (maternal grandfather of Hon. Rufus Choate), and Daniel Giddings. In other commands of this campaign were Abraham Martin and four others, whose names have been lost with the flight of years.
During the French War, in the expedition to Fort Ticonderoga, was a command under Capt. Stephen Whipple, in the first regiment raised in Massachusetts to operate against Canada. It took part in the disastrous campaign to Lake George in 1758. Three of the officers-first and sec- ond lieutenants and ensign, Nathan Burnham, Stephen Low and Samuel Knowlton, as well as Rev. John Cleaveland-were from Chebacco. The two lieutenants were fatally wounded in the attack upon Ticonderoga, July 8th. Of the death of Lieut. Burnham, the Burnham genealogy says: "Tradition has it that before leaving for the war, he took his sword on his hand to try the metal, and it broke. Turning to his wife, he said, 'I shall never come back.' He went on, but returned to pray once more with his family before taking his final leave."
In the Revolutionary War, Essex furnished in all, for various periods of service in the army, more than one hundred men. Crowell's "History of Essex" gives a list of one hundred and five names, and the record re- marks in a note that "no doubt several more served whose names cannot be obtained correctly at this date." Seven men whose names appear among early families in Essex were at Bunker Hill: James Andrews, Benjamin Burnham, Francis Burnham, Nehemiah Choate, Aaron Perkins and Jesse Story, Jr. The last-named was killed in the engagement there, and Francis Burnham, a brother of Capt. Nathaniel Burnham, was wounded. Two others were employed during the previous night to make cartridges-Aaron Low and Samuel Proctor. Low was one of the seven soldiers from Essex who were with the forces sent out to suppress the Shay Rebellion.
In the army of General Gates, at the defeat of Burgoyne, were twenty-eight soldiers from Chebacco, of which five were detailed to guard his forces, after their surrender, while en route to Charlestown prior to their embarking for England. Major John Burnham served throughout the Revolution, was with Washington at Valley Forge in the winter of 1777; served under Lafayette and Gen. Greene; was among the first to settle at Marietta, Ohio, and finally died in New Hampshire in 1843.
In the second war with the Mother Country in 1812, nineteen men from the place enlisted. Abel Andrews was one of the sergeants. An- drew Burnham, a native of Essex, who died here in 1885, aged one hun- dred years and two months, was a soldier. Enoch Burnham and Ben- jamin Andrews were taken prisoners in the Bay of Biscay while on the privateer "Essex", and were in prison two years in England.
Of course it might go without saying that a town that had furnished such splendid array of military talent during previous wars would not be found wanting when Lincoln called for his first 75,000 men. During the four-year struggle from 1861-65, Essex furnished 182 men, of which
765
MILITARY HISTORY
number 144 were her own citizens. Of these, three served in the navy ; twenty-three never returned home, three having been shot dead in bat- tle, and five died of wounds; one was accidentally drowned; fifteen died of disease; and two perished in Southern prison pens; twenty-two were wounded in battle. These men were on thirty-seven battle fields of the Civil War, including the greatest. Six Essex men were taken prisoners- George W. Burnham, John B. Burnham, Lewis Burnham, Albert A. Haskell, James B. Kimball, and Rufus E. Mears. Mark Francis Burn- ham was in fifteen engagements and had four horses shot under him. Two horses were shot under him at the battle of Winchester, under that gallant leader, Gen. Phil. Sheridan. The commissioned officers from Essex were: Colonels-Jonathan Burnham, John Choate, Jonathan Cogs- well; Majors-John Burnham, Thomas Burnham, Caleb Low; Captains- Charles Howes, David Low, Francis Perkins, William Story; Ensign- Samuel Knowlton; Lieutenants-Cyrus Andrews, Nathan Burnham, Samual Burnham, Thomas Choate, Jr., John Cleaveland, Jr., Stephen Low.
Need help finding more records? Try our genealogical records directory which has more than 1 million sources to help you more easily locate the available records.