Skip to main content

Subseries I: Newspapers, 1712-1987

 Sub-Series

Dates

  • 1712-1987

Access:

All series and subseries within this collection are open for research, with the exception of a few files within the Academia series that are restricted. The Academia series contains financial and sensitive institutional records from Wilkes College, and financial report records from Princeton University that will remain restricted for 80 years upon creation.

Extent

From the Collection: 17 Cubic Feet

Language of Materials

From the Collection: English

Subseries I: Newspapers, 1712-1987

Subseries I: Newspapers, 1712-1987, is arranged chronologically by publication date and contains full issues of newspapers and clippings from newspapers. The newspapers featured include:

The Spectator, a newspaper that was first published on March 1, 1711 by Joseph Addison and Richard Steele. Addison was an English playwright, poet, and political figure. Steele was Anglo-Irish and was also a playwright and political figure. He and Addison had been friends and worked together for years until they decided to come together and create The Spectator. The newspaper was created as a way to reach a large wide ranging audience with ideas of the Enlightenment. The Spectator had also been geared towards women as a way to bring more women into the discussions of morals and philosophy throughout the Enlightenment period. The newspaper ran until December of 1712, but was revived in 1714 by Addison for a few months.

The Aurora for the Country was originally created by Benjamin Franklin Bache (grandson of Benjamin Franklin) on October 1, 1790, and served as a Philadelphia newspaper. The paper was originally known as the Aurora General Advertiser, before being changed to the Philadelphia Aurora. After Bache’s death, the paper’s direction had altered under a new publisher, William Duane (who was previously the editor). Duane used the paper as a rallying cry for radical republicanism during the turn of the 19th century. Duane, and his paper, are credited with having a major impact in several elections, both local and national. In anticipation of Thomas Jefferson’s victory in the election of 1800, Duane relocated the paper to Washington D.C. under the name Aurora for the Country. Despite being partially responsible for Jefferson’s victory, the paper failed to rise to prominence and move back to Philadelphia only two years later. When the paper began showing support for candidates that failed to live up to their campaign promises in the early 1800s, Duane’s radical republicanism was discredited. By 1822, the newspaper’s audience had severely declined, and Duane had given up his interest as editor. Two years later, the paper was no longer in publication.

The National Intelligencer Newspaper, also known as the National Intelligencer and Washington Advertiser, was a newspaper located in Washington D.C. and printed by Samuel Harrison Smith from 1800 to 1870. Publication was briefly suspended in 1869, before starting back up just a few months later under the new name National Intelligencer and Washington Express, only to last for a few more months until publication ended again in early 1870. Under a new publisher (economist Alexander del Mar), the paper was revived in New York under the name City and National Intelligencer in 1872. It was the first newspaper published in Washington, originating as a tri-weekly paper before becoming a daily paper. The paper had a strong bias towards Democratic Republicans and later Republicans, especially Thomas Jefferson.

The Gleaner and the Luzerne Advertiser was a local Wilkes-Barre newspaper published by Charles Miner and Butler from 1811 to 1812. The paper consists of 2 volumes of weekly issues before being succeeded by The Gleaner, which picked up where the original newspaper left off and continued for 4 more volumes. These volumes were renumbered, starting back at volume 1, in 1816 before being discontinued in 1818.

The Susquehanna Democrat was a local Wilkes-Barre newspaper published by Samuel Maffet in 1810. This weekly paper continued until 1839, when it was succeeded by the Luzerne Democrat, published by Levi L. Tate, a democrat member of the PA House of Representatives until its discontinuation in 1852.

Republican Farmer and the Democratic Journal was a Wilkes-Barre newspaper published weekly by Henry Pettebone, a local judge and Freemason, and Henry Heald from 1825 to 1852. Publishers shifted throughout the paper’s time, with Pettibone selling his interest to J.J. Adam who took over in 1831 and later H. Webb in 1837. In 1839 it merged with the Wyoming Republican, and eventually was merged with the Luzerne Democrat in 1852.

Sunday Independent was a Wilkes Barre newspaper published weekly by John V. Heffernan from 1915 to approximately 1986, but was still in circulation until around 1993. The paper saw fierce competition with the more modern Sunday Times Leader, which is still in print today as the Times Leader.

The New-York Daily Tribune, was a New York City newspaper published daily by Greenly & McElrath from 1841 to 1866. During the 1850s, it was the largest New York City paper. The paper showed heavy bias towards the Whig Party - once the Whig Party merged with the Free Soil Party to create the anti-slavery Republican Party, the paper began pandering to the newfound Republicans. It was one of the first American papers to send journalists and reporters into warzones, as correspondents covered the campaigns of the Civil War. In 1866, the paper returned to its original name as the New-York Tribune. In 1924, the paper merged with the New York Herald to create the New York Herald Tribune, a Republican and Protestant paper regarded as a paper for writers, which remained in publication until 1966 when a strike caused its discontinuation.

The Scranton Republican was a daily Scranton newspaper published by Joseph A. Scranton, a Congressman, from 1877-1910. From 1891 to 1910, the paper faced criticism from another Scranton newspaper, The Scranton Tribune. In 1910, the two rivals merged to form The Tribune-Republican. However, this paper struggled greatly. Beginning in 1915, it merged with two other papers and changed its name/branding eight times. What was left of The Tribune-Republican dissolved completely by 1990.

The Alaskan is the oldest newspaper in Alaska, created in 1898 prior to the territory’s statehood, officiated by William Wolfram.

The Ithaca Journal is an Ithaca, New York newspaper published daily by George Troyano founded in 1815 under the name the Seneca Republican until it was renamed in 1823. Since 2006, the paper has had different sections and topics based on the day of the week. As of 2012, the journal is owned by the largest American newspaper publishing company, Gannett.

The New York Times is the second largest newspaper in America, published by The New York Times Company. Created as the conservative-leaning New-York Daily Times in 1851, the paper now has more of a left-leaning bias.

L’Adriatico was a daily newspaper from Venice, Italy, founded in 1876 and published until 1917.

The Luzerne Federalist was a Wilkes-Barre established by Asher Miner in 1801, before transitioning into The Gleaner in 1811. Steuben Butler and Sidney Tracy had also been publishers in 1809 following Miner’s retirement.

The Wilkes-Barre Advocate was published in 1838 by Amos Sisty. Sisty purchased the Anti-Masonic Advocate newspaper, established by Elijah Worthington in 1832, and removed the anti-masonic title and converted it into a paper pandering to the Whig Party. This change was in tandem with the Anti-Masonic Party, formed after the Morgan Affair of 1826 when New York writer William Morgan wrote a book allegedly exposing the secrets of Freemasonry. After the print shop where the book was held was burnt down, Morgan was arrested for failing to pay back a loan and shoplifting a shirt and tie. While in prison, Morgan disappeared. The events were widely conflicted, becoming one of the great mysteries of American History. However, at the time, the public perception was that the Freemasons had kidnapped and murdered Morgan. This controversy gave birth to the Anti-Masonic Party. By 1832, when the Anti-Masonic Advocate was published, the controversy had died down and membership in the party declined as members had begun joining the Whig Party. By 1838, when the Wilkes-Barre Advocate was created, the Anti-Masonic Party had collapsed.

The Pennsylvania Packet and the General Advertiser, also known as the Pennsylvania Packet or the General Advertiser, was founded by John Dunlap as a weekly newspaper in 1771. The paper was published in Philadelphia, but Dunlap transferred publishing to Lancaster during the British occupation of Philadelphia between 1777 and 1778. In 1784, the paper became the first successful daily newspaper in America. In 1796, it was the first paper to publish George Washington’s Farewell Address. It was purchased by Zachariah Poulson in 1800 and renamed to Poulson’s American Daily Advertiser, which would later publish an interview with the Marquis de Lafayette in 1825. Poulson sold the paper in 1839, and publication ceased.

Record Times, also known as the Record of the Times, was established in 1876 by William P. Miner, a son of Charles Miner, who sold half of the paper to his cousin, Joseph W. Miner, a son of Asher Miner. In 1866, the buildings that published the paper burned down in a massive fire on West Market Street. The paper continued until 1881.

The Bayonet was the official journal of the Ninth Regiment Armory Fair of Wilkes-Barre, established in May of 1886. The paper was managed by “Dougherty, Hanson, and Long.”

The Sun was a newspaper published in New York from 1833 until 1950. For the majority of its run time The Sun was edited by Benjamin Day and was known for reporting on crime as well as having illustrations. It was known for being the first successful penny press daily newspaper in the United States and this also made it more accessible to lower class audiences. Day’s brother-in-law Moses Yale Beach became a co-editor in 1835. Beach later sold The Sun to Charles A. Dana and under his leadership the newspaper uncovered huge scandal stories within New York politics. In January of 1950 it was merged with the New York World-Telegram and became known as the New York World-Telegram and Sun. This paper would later be published briefly with the New York Herald Tribune in 1966 as the World Journal Tribune. The Sun had notably achieved many “firsts” within the world of journalism through its run and heavily impacted the field in ways that still remain today. Other newspapers mentioned are, The Works of William Hogarth Newspaper from London.

Recurring themes and topics within these newspapers often focus on local history, including the history of Wilkes-Barre and its predominant inhabitants, history of Wilkes University, and John Wilkes. Others focus on national headlines, such as political elections, wars, or political events. Some appear to be novelty pieces, such as the few international papers or overseas papers.

Repository Details

Part of the Wilkes University Archives Repository

Contact:
84 W South St.
Wilkes-Barre PA 18701 US
570-408-2000
570-408-7823 (Fax)