Known pre-1930 Union Parish Louisiana Newspapers Submitted for Union Parish Louisiana USGenWeb Archives by Timothy D. Hudson, 3/1/2004 ................................................................................. ************************************************ Copyright. All rights reserved. http://usgwarchives.net/copyright.htm http://usgwarchives.net/la/lafiles.htm ************************************************ Known pre-1930 Newspapers of Union Parish Louisiana by T. D. Hudson All known pre-1900 Union Parish newspapers were published in the town of Farmerville. It is possible that Marion or Shiloh had local papers published in their villages, but I have not yet located any record of such papers. The Bernice “Times” began publication in 1901, but I have been unable to locate any extant issues of that paper. The pre-1930 Union Parish newspapers known to me are: 1. “Enquirer” (Farmerville) – it was in publication in 1853 and continued through about 1856; it may have been in publication prior to 1850. No issues of this paper are known to have survived to the present day. 2. "Union Democrat" (Farmerville) - it was in publication by March 1857 and lasted through the spring of 1861. No issues are known to hvae survived to the present day. 3. “Union Record” (Farmerville) – this paper premiered in February 1866 and served as the only known Union Parish newspaper during the Reconstruction period. It ran from February 1866 through the end of 1879. Long-time Union Parish resident, lawyer, clerk of court, and judge, Thomas Charles Lewis, III was associated with the "Record" in some capacity throughout the duration of its existence. We have no record of who actually owned the paper at its inception in 1866, but it appears that Lewis edited it or assisted with editorial duties during those early years. In November 1869, the "Union Record" was either owned by or edited by a Mr. Mims. However, by 15 January 1870, Mims had "retired from the business" and turned over the paper to "T. C. Lewis & Co.". By the following December, Lewis and Tompkins served together as editors of the "Record". A former Confederate soldier who served as Union Parish clerk of court in the mid-1860s, Lewis edited the paper until his election as parish judge in 1872. He continued to manage the business affairs of the paper through 1873, but by 1876 had sold the “Union Record” to John B. Holstead. Holstead owned and edited the “Record” for a few years, but its publication ceased in 1879, sometime after March. At that time Holstead apparently moved to Ruston, in Lincoln Parish. No Louisiana depository has any issues of the "Union Record". Only three issues of this paper are known to survive, dated 14 Mar 1873, 16 Jan 1874, and 26 May 1876. 4. “Gazette” (Farmerville) – Pennsylvanian-born school teacher and Union Parish lawyer and District Court Judge James E. Trimble founded this paper in 1878 as owner and editor. His son James G. Trimble took over as editor in the 1880s following Judge Trimble’s December 1887 death in a gun battle with attorney James Ramsey on the streets of Farmerville. The “Gazette” has remained in continual publication since 1878. 5. “Baptist Messenger” (Farmerville) – I have no information on this paper yet other than it was published in Union Parish. Rev. John P. Everett, the pastor of the Shiloh Baptist Church in the 1870s and 1880s, founded a Baptist school, called the Everett Institute, and Everett may have published the “Messenger” in association with his school. The “Messenger” had ceased publication by 1885. No issues of this paper are known to have survived to the present day. 6. “North Louisiana Appeal” (Farmerville) – owned and apparently founded by Oliver Cromwell Dawkins. The “Appeal” apparently began publication in 1881 (it was already in publication by March 1882) and continued through early 1884 (it was still in publication in December 1883). No issues are known to survive today. The “Appeal” had ceased publication by June 1884, when Dawkins sold his printing materials and office to Judge Thomas C. Lewis, III. 7. “Home Advocate” (Farmerville) – Judge Thomas C. Lewis returned to Farmerville from near Church Point, in St. Landry Parish in 1884 and began publication of this newspaper in February 1885. He was in direct competition with Trimble’s “Gazette”. Publication continued through about 1890, when Lewis followed his son to Ruston. Almost continual issues survive for the period February 1885 – February 1886, together with one issue each from June 1886 and June 1887. 8. "Herald" (Farmerville) - the first issue of this paper was published in late June or early July of 1895. It was a Populist paper, owned and edited by Mr. B. T. Johnson. Although it ran at least through 1900, no issues are known to survive today. 8. “Times” (Bernice) – this paper began publication in 1901. I do not know for how long it existed, and no issues are known to exist. 9. “Journal” (Bernice) – this paper began publication in 1907 and apparently continued in publication at least through 1931. ========================================================================================== SURVIVING EARLY UNION PARISH LOUISIANA NEWSPAPERS TODAY: The Louisiana Newspaper Project, headquartered at the Hill Memorial Library on the Louisiana State University campus in Baton Rouge, has microfilmed all of the Union Parish newspapers that they have located. This film may be viewed at their facility in Baton Rouge, or patrons may purchase the film themselves. The pre-1940 Union Parish newspapers in their collection are the Farmerville “Gazette”, the Farmerville “Home Advocate”, and the Bernice “Journal.” They have another Bernice newspaper from the mid-1900s, but I have not studied it. For many years the only known pre-1920 Union Parish newspapers were the “Gazette” and “Home Advocate.” The earliest Union Parish newspaper in the Hill Memorial Library’s collection is a single 1884 issue of the “Gazette”; even though its publication began in 1878, only four issues out of the first sixteen years of publication have been located. However, by following up on some suggestions from the Hill Library staff, I discovered in 2001 that there are three issues of the “Union Record” in various museums in New York, Massachusetts, and Texas. I have obtained copies of two issues of the “Union Record” for 14 March 1873 and 26 May 1876. Unfortunately, the Special Collections Department of the University of Texas Libraries charges exorbitant fees to provide copies of records housed in their collection, so I have not yet managed to obtain a copy of the 16 January 1874 issue of the "Union Record". It is tragic for Union Parish history that no additional issues of the “Union Record” have survived. Newspapers give vivid descriptions of everyday life found in no other ource. As of 2001, the known pre-1930 Union Parish newspapers are given below. The Hill Memorial Library has copies of all of these papers except for the three issues of the “Union Record”: +++ “Union Record”, issues dated 14 Mar 1873, 16 Jan 1874, 26 May 1876 +++ “Gazette”, issues dated 2 July 1884, 3 Mar 1886, 23 Feb 1887, 14 Mar 1888, and contiguous issues between 7 Mar 1894 and 1930 (a few scattered issues are missing here and there) +++ “Home Advocate”, contiguous issues dated 11 Feb 1885 through 5 Feb 1886, and single issues dated 4 June 1886 and 10 June 1887. +++ “Journal”, a newspaper published in Bernice, various issues in 1929 – 1931. ========================================================================================== SOURCES 1. Microfilmed issues of these Union Parish Louisiana newspapers: “Union Record”, “Home Advocate”, and “Gazette”. In addition, several Monroe, Louisiana newspapers give references to papers published in Union Parish, including the issues of the "Ouachita Telegraph" for 20 Nov 1869 and 15 Jan 1870 and the "Monroe Bulletin" of 3 Oct 1883. 2. Union Parish Court Records, including successions and deeds. 3. United States Census Records for Louisiana. 4. Compiled Military Service Records of Confederate soldiers from Louisiana. 5. The 3 July 1895 issue of the "Gazette" gives the information for the Farmerville "Herald". Issues of the "Gazette" between then and 1900 occasionally make reference to editorials of the "Herald". ##########################################################################################