History of the press in Camden County, New Jersey
The "History of the Press", which appears in the following pages, was prepared by Mr. Charles S. Boyer as a part of the "History of Camden" which he proposes to publish at some time in the future. The manuscript was so interesting that the publishers of the "West Jersey Press" requested the privilege of putting it into book form, that the record of newspaper publishing in this section might be suitably preserved.
It also seemed appropriate that the designing and printing of this volume should be done in the book department of the "West Jersey Press", the only paper now published in Camden as Mr. Boyer shows, which can trace its ancestry back one hundred years.
The publication of this book, we, also, feel to be a more fitting and dignified way of celebrating a centennial anniversary than by issuing a special historical edition of the "West Jersey Press". Such editions, too frequently, are commercialized, and of little or no permanent value.
Contents
Gloucester Parmer 12
American Star 16
Camden Mail 17
West Jersey Mail 20
West Jerseyman 20
West Jersey Bugle 21
West Jersey Press 22
Semi-Weekly Phoenix 29
Camden Democrat 30
Camden Journal 36
Camden Evening Daily 37
New Republic 39
South Jersey Advertiser 40
Camden Sunday Argus 43
Camden Daily Post 43
Camden Spy 45
Youths' Monthly 45
Camden Tribune 46
Camden Sunbeam 46
The Gem 47
The Bee 47
Saturday Evening Express 47
Camden County Courier 48
Camden Daily Courier 50
Camden County Journal 51
New Jersey Coast Pilot 52
Atlantic Coast Guide 52
Camden Echo 53
Camden Daily Telegram 53
The Sunday Call 54
Camden Sunday Times 55
Stockton Advocate 55
Camden Sunday Review 55
Camden Citizen 56
Camden Post-Telegram 57
Morning News 58
Stockton Times 59
The Outlook 60
New Jersey Sand Burr 60
East Side Press 60
Camden Argus 61
New Jersey Temperance Gazette 63
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The newspaper file is the very fountain head for local history. It furnishes maps of the world's progress and records, daily and hourly, of all that is going on about us. It has been called "the mirror of the present and the telescope of the distant". Within its covers are portrayed, daily or weekly, the events of the community, as witnessed by the writer, and even though they may sometimes be exaggerated, or distorted, they still bring out facts and incidents which would otherwise have been lost to posterity or forgotten in the on-rush of later developments. Let us not forget that the history of the nation is made up of the combined histories of the smallest political units and that if a community has not provided itself with an adequate local history, it has not fulfilled its highest destiny as an integral part of the state or nation. Nowhere else is there such a gold mine of historical information as that furnished in the daily and weekly newspaper.
The local press more clearly reflects the thoughts and customs of the times than any other record of a permanent character. Take up the earliest volume published in Camden and you will see that a large part of its columns is filled with advertisements. Two months old foreign news, or week-old home intelligence, occupies practically all of the remaining space, while strictly local news is given a few inches at the most. As the examination is continued you see the local news part gradually expanding, the editorial column taking on life and the advertising pages reflecting the business of the community rather than that of the country at large. These changes stealthily creep into the newspaper columns in direct ratio to the growth and development of the community.
During the past twenty years the writer has been collecting data relating to the history of Camden and, in the course of these investigations, has had occasion to consult the various files of all the available early newspapers published in Camden. A careful record was kept of the papers examined especially as regards their ownership and dates of founding. In addition, an extensive correspondence was carried on with libraries and historical societies known to have copies of these papers. This information is set forth in the following pages in order that one important phase of our local history may be available to the future newspaper editor, the historian and the citizen interested in Camden's rapid growth and progress. This bibliography is probably the first one ever compiled in our community and it is obvious that there may be some omissions and errors in a work of this kind, especially in the first attempt. The endeavor has been to notice every publication which had newspaper possibilities, but no attempt has been made to list publications put forth in the interest of individual church, society or private organizations. The writer will be pleased to have any errors or corrections communicated to him.
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