The year was 1844. In January, the University of Notre Dame received its charter from Indiana, the second date for the Millerites predicted return of Jesus Christ came and went in October and James K. Polk defeated Henry Clay to become the president of the United States after the December 4 election. In May, an inventor named Samuel F. B. Morse sent the first electrical telegram from the U.S. Capitol in Washington D.C. to the B&O Railroad in Baltimore, Maryland, asking the question, "What hath God wrought?"
The year also saw the start of Van Wert County's first newspapers. "The Van Wert Patriot" began early in the year but in May a man named William Moneysmith began printing "The Van Wert Bugle" with the saying across its masthead, "Democracy is the institution of Government, by the Many, for the Common Good." It is a line from a speech by the famous historian, George Bancroft. Moneysmith would continue to guide the course of newspapers in Van Wert County for decades.
The name of the Bugle was eventually changed to "The National American" and then later just "The American." By now the editors, John W. Conn and O.W. Rose, had purchased the newspaper from Moneysmith. It is not clear if under his leadership the Bugle had been a Republican or Democrat publication. In those days and on into the early 1900's, newspapers made no bones about which side of the political fence they stood. Politicians from the other parties were "scoundrels," "scalawags," and sometimes just plain liars. However, Moneysmith had chosen the quote by Bancroft , a man who was a steadfast Democrat who once ran for governor of Massachusetts before being named the U.S. Secretary of the Navy.
The name of the newspaper changed to "The Ohio Weekly Bulletin" before going to "The Van Wert Bulletin" in 1859. H.C. Glenn had been the editor during the last name change and J.H. Foster took over guiding the publication from him. By now the publication was most assuredly a Republican product. That might explain why Moneysmith got back into the newspaper game in Van Wert County and started another newspaper called "The Watchman." He sold it in 1857 to a stock company and they immediately changed the masthead to "The Weekly Constitution."
Never one to stay away from the public eye for too long, Moneymaker and a former editor from the "Ohio Weekly Bulletin," A.C. Tucker, bought back the newspaper in 1865 and changed the name to "The Van Wert Times." W.H. Clymer bought the newspaper in 1870, and with the new ownership came a new name: "The Times." Now the publication was just as much a Democrat publication as the "Van Wert Bulletin" leaned toward the Republican side. To make the rivalry even more interesting, both newspapers had their offices on S. Washington St.
Finally, in 1936, the Van Wert Bulletin and the Times merged and became the Van Wert Times-Bulletin, completing the circle that Moneysmith had started in 1844 by joining the descendants of both of his newspapers.
The Times Bulletin has just completed it 165th year of publishing newspapers and is believed to be the longest continuous business in Van Wert County. On its 165th birthday, it is easy to see how much delivering the news has changed over the years. A copy of the February 11, 1847 Bugle shows front page news then was a list of letters at the post office that had not been picked up, legal notices for the location of a new county road (Wren-Landeck Rd.) and an estate sale, as well as advertisements for the Edson & DePuy Law Office and cabinetmaker James H. Long. There was also an installment of what used to be standard fare before the turn of the century, the next chapter in a serialized novel that readers could follow every week.
The Bugle printed every Thursday and if the customer paid for a year's subscription up front, it only cost $1.50. Any unpaid balance, however, could be hit with a 25 percent fee at the publisher's discretion. Advertising cost $1 for three weeks for a square, or one column inch. Every insertion after that for the same ad cost 25 cents.
Today, articles can be put on the Internet at www.timesbulletin.com in a matter of seconds after news happens. Stories that are printed in the newspaper can be enhanced with video or an event that can only have one photo in print can have 50 online for viewers to see. Mobility is changing news delivery as well with readers able to read articles from the Times Bulletin on their cell phones, iPod Touch or other mobile devices.
But it is still the names, faces and news of Van Wert County that readers want to see the most - no matter how much the delivery method may have changed. The Times Bulletin staff would like to thank all of its readers as they celebrate the newspaper's 165th birthday and they look forward to continuing to bring the news to Van Wert County for the next 165 years.
Reader Comments
Posted: Sunday, September 04, 2011
Article comment by:
Gary & Donna Allen
The following are the three "killers" of our Freedoms and liberties: 1. Higher taxes 2. More stimulus 3. More regulations As long as the Obama Administration is in power, you will see more and more of the above.
Posted: Wednesday, March 16, 2011
Article comment by:
Gary & Donna Allen
President Obama recently signed a bill giving exemption from ObamaCare to our armed forces. So far, Congress, unions, some states, and McDonalds are also exempt. While your at it Mr. President, why not exempt the rest of America from this horrible bill?
Posted: Tuesday, February 22, 2011
Article comment by:
Gary & Donna Allen
The commander-in-chief who asked us to "reject the false choice between protecting our people and upholding our values," couldn't do it himself, overturning a military policy on homosexuality that will neither protect our people nor their values. Abroad, Obama said, "America's greatest source of strength has always been our ideals." In 2010, those "ideals" included global abortion and same-sex partner perks. Don't be fooled my friends, Obama will extend his right hand to Republicans through rhetoric, but with the left hand he will wave on the czars and cabinet secretaries to lurch leftward and take care of his liberal friends.
Posted: Wednesday, February 09, 2011
Article comment by:
Gary & Donna Allen
There is an elementary school in Dallas that has an Arabic language course "mandatory" without parents approval! This is bad enough, but remember when Congress voted down making English the official language of the United States? By the way, the ones voting against this were all Left-Wing Democrats. Keep that in mind the next time you're in the voting booth.
Posted: Thursday, January 13, 2011
Article comment by:
Gary & Donna Allen
Contrary to the Progressive Left saying that the Tea Party movement is just a "fad" and will soon die out: Guess again! Tea Party member numbers are growing like "bunny-rabbits!" The results of the 2010 election was just the beginning. The Liberals still in office had better look out for 2012. It would be wise for them to look into a career change.
