Friday, April 20, 2012

Tracing Its Lineage

The banner on the print edition of the Register-Star boasts, "Serving Columbia and Dutchess Counties Since 1785." This morning, I happened upon this little item, which appeared in the Hudson Evening Register on April 7, 1914, and explains how our current local newspaper traces its lineage from Ashbel Stoddard's Hudson Weekly Gazette, founded in 1785, the year the City of Hudson was incorporated. 

GAZETTE STARTED 129 YEARS AGO 

ON APRIL 7 


On April 7, 1785, Ashbel Stoddard and Charles H. Webster instituted the Hudson Weekly Gazette. A year later Mr. Stoddard became sole owner. The printing office at that time was located on the south-east corner of Warren and Third and long known as the "Stoddard Corner." The Gazette was reorganized in 1824 by Oliver Wiswall, who was Mayor of Hudson in 1827-28, and other prominent Democrats. The Gazette came into possession of P. D. Carrique in 1834. It was later sold to R. F. & M. P. Williams in 1857 and in 1861 came under the sole management of M. P. Williams, who later founded the Evening Register. Both of the papers are now printed by the Record Printing and Publishing company.

In our "40 years ago" notes from the Register of 1874 the death of Judge Edmonds is recorded, who had 50 years before taken the editorship of the Gazette.



6 comments:

  1. Ashbel Stoddard's portrait by Ami Phillips, the famous itinerent painter, was recently auctioned off at Stair Galleries. I hope it went to someone local, like the DAR Museum on lower Warren Street.

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  2. I hope so too.Carole's link above takes you to Stair site& paintings
    and a very interesting BIO by
    Walter Ritchie of the Stoddard's

    Thanks Carole for posting story
    I wish we had a museum.The history here is so rich.
    It's what primarily what made me want to live here.
    Why I get so upset when it is not protected.
    Why I only wanted a house built by the founders
    of Hudson from Nantucket.

    [from Capt.Ellis. 1878]
    "The first fire in Hudson occurred in the year 1793,
    the property destroyed being a book-store
    and the office of the Hudson Gazette,
    both owned by Ashbel Stoddard.
    There were then no engines, nor any organization "
    "This fire was a sharp warning to the inhabitants of Hudson
    and was the immediate cause of the first organization of a fire department."
    Stoddard's burnt to the ground .He rebuilt in same spot.
    - - - - - -
    Judge Edmonds mentioned above was
    "Chief-Engineer John W. Edmonds (afterwards Judge Edmonds)
    resigned his position at the head of the fire department Oct. 18, 1837"
    [Capt.Ellis]
    Carole,this is where I get confused.
    In 1914, 40 yrs ago was 1874 when Judge Edmonds died, right?
    so was Judge Edmonds editor of gazette in 1864?
    and when was the move to 4th and Warren?

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    Replies
    1. To answer your second question, the newspaper moved to Warren and Fourth streets in 1862.

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  3. No, Prison Alley, I think it was 50 years before his death that he became the editor of the Gazette, which would have been 1824, when Oliver Wiswall took over the paper.

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    Replies
    1. Thanks,
      So Edmonds would have still been the head of Fire Dept and the Editor and then Judge Edmonds and still editor
      Interesting guy!

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  4. When I was doing research on this in the early '90s, I discovered that the RS was the 6th oldest continuously published "daily" (defined as six days a week) in the U.S. (As I recall, the Hartford Courant was #1.) I wish I could recall the organization that tracked these things.

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