Early American Newspapers: Series 5, 1777-1922

Featuring 140 significant 18th-, 19th- and early 20th-century newspapers from all regions of the United States, Early American Newspapers, Series 5, offers small-town weeklies, big-city dailies and many titles of special historical importance. Key titles include:

Baltimore Gazette and Daily Advertiser (Maryland)

• Although this prominent paper published some of Edgar Allen Poe’s earliest poetry, Poe was unable to secure a job on its staff as he had hoped.
• Includes 3,619 issues published between 1826 and 1838.

Boston Journal (Massachusetts)

• One of the first newspapers to conduct a census of its readers, the well-known Journal offered a balance of business news and general interest stories, especially those that focused on life in New England. 
• Includes 24,883 issues published between 1866 and 1917.

Cincinnati Daily Gazette (Ohio) 

• In addition to extensive local and regional reporting, the Daily Gazette was known for its editorials on national issues. 
• Includes 4,953 issues published between 1867 and 1883. 

Daily Alaska Dispatch (Juneau) 

• The Dispatch offers detailed coverage of shipwrecks, volcanic eruptions and other dangers that settlers faced in the harsh northern lands. 
• Includes 5,723 issues published between 1900 and 1919.

Frankfort Argus (Kentucky)

• The Argus was one of the first newspapers west of the Appalachians and an early supporter of Andrew Jackson. 
• Includes 283 issues published between 1808 and 1821. 

Frederick Douglass’ Paper (Rochester, New York) 

• Including its predecessor the North Star, this powerful anti-slavery newspaper had a circulation of 4,000 readers worldwide. 
• Includes 132 issues published between 1847 and 1860.

Hobart Daily Republican (Oklahoma)

• Founded the year Oklahoma achieved statehood, the Republican reflects conservative middle-American views on such events as World War I and the Russian Revolution. 
• Includes 3,656 issues published between 1907 and 1920.

Hokubei Jiji (Seattle, Washington) 

• Known in English as The North American Times, this was the first Japanese-language newspaper in the Pacific Northwest. 
• Includes 57 issues published between 1916 and 1918.

Jeffersonian (Thomson, Georgia)

• The Jeffersonian was the official mouthpiece of Georgia’s controversial fire-brand Populist and former presidential candidate, Thomas E. Watson.
• Includes 74 issues published between 1909 and 1910.

Milwaukee Sentinel (Wisconsin) 

• The Sentinel provides national and international coverage as well as a glimpse into the northern fur trade.
• Includes 5,599 issues published between 1844 and 1865.

New-Bedford Courier (Massachusetts)

• This important weekly newspaper from the U.S. whaling capital covers the industry at its height. 
• Includes 181 issues published between 1827 and 1833.

New York Tribune (New York City) 

• For much of the 19th and early 20th centuries, Horace Greeley’s newspaper was one of the most powerful and successful in America. 
• Includes 14,621 issues published between 1856 and 1899.

The Sedan Lance (Kansas) 

• This progressive small-town paper covers a period of intense prohibition sentiment in Kansas. The state’s actions—aided by the activism of individuals such as Carrie Nation—contributed to the prohibition movement’s national popularity in the early 20th century. 
• Includes 189 issues published between 1892 and 1896.

Springfield Republican (Massachusetts)

• Known for its cultural leadership, national opinion-making and high literary quality, the Republican circulated widely throughout the U.S. in the 19th century. Horace Greeley called it "the best and ablest country journal ever published on the continent." 
• Includes 501 issues published between 1861 and 1871. 

St. Louis Republic (Missouri)

• This respected daily provides firsthand coverage of Midwestern events such as the Great Tornado of 1896 and the death of Sitting Bull. 
• Includes 4,121 issues published between 1888 and 1900.

Territorial Enterprise (Virginia City, Nevada) 

• One of Nevada’s most important early newspapers, the Territorial Enterprise covered the state's dramatic economic expansion from the site of the first major discovery in silver ore in America, the Comstock Lode of Virginia City. 
• Includes 582 issues published between 1874 and 1879.

Texas Gazette (Austin) 

• The first English newspaper in the state, this significant but short-lived title set the standard for frontier journalism. 
• Includes 34 issues published between 1829 and 1830.

Vermont Gazette (Bennington)

• Publisher Anthony Haswell, who brought the first printing press to Vermont, was jailed for publishing articles in the Gazette that criticized the United States’ newly established government. 
• Includes 834 issues published between 1832 and 1850. 

Weekly Pacific News (San Francisco, California) 

• One of the most popular western newspapers, the Pacific News was shipped east during the height of the Gold Rush. 
• Includes 18 issues published between 1849 and 1851.