Coverage/Calendar Coverage & Publishing Calendar

Miscellaneous Essex/Windsor Newspapers

This is a collection of Essex/Windsor newspapers for which only a small amount of pages still exist:

  • →The Beaver: the southwestern Ontario mouthpiece of the Knights of Labor. The Order of the Knights of Labor was founded in 1869 in Philadelphia and by the early 1880s had expanded into Canada. Joseph A. Kilroy was the publisher and manager of the Beaver. He was born in Lockport, New York in 1850, came with his parents to this region at age 8 and married Catherine Hanrahan of Windsor in 1874. In 1886, he started the Beaver Publishing Company, located in the Dougal Block (Sandwich Street West at Ferry Street), and published the Beaver newspaper. It was a weekly which came out every Saturday morning and cost $1 per year, if paid in advance. It had a circulation of 3,000 and seems to have been well supported by advertising. The Beaver probably continued until at least 1888 as Joseph Kilroy was still listed as a publisher in the 1888 city directory. From 1891-1906, he moved to California. When he came back to Windsor, he worked for the New York Life Insurance Company, but was still publishing political materials on the side. In 1911, for example, he was assaulted twice for publishing and distributing pamphlets on the controversial bilingual schools issue. When he died in 1919, his obituary described him as a “rugged community builder and pioneer” (Border Cities Star: 1919 May 8, p. 5). See Full description for more details.

  • →British Canadian: it is possible that the Western Mercury (Sandwich - see below) may continue the British Canadian. The two newspapers shared a business office. On page 2 of the Feb. 25, 1858 issue of the Western Mercury, the editor writes “All parties indebted to this office for the 1st vol., British Canadian or for printing, or advertising, are requested to make immediate payment.” The newspapers also share the same motto: "Our country’s welfare first, and then, we stand by honest party men". Furthermore, the numbering of the Western Mercury seems to continue the numbering of the British Canadian. However, the two newspapers have different editors, different political perspectives (based on content in existing issues), and were published on different days. See Full description for more details.

  • →Canada Oak: a 4 page, weekly newspaper published every Friday morning in Sandwich. It began in 1850 and likely continued until early 1856. The circulation was modest, likely around 250 copies per issue. Duncan A. McMullin (also spelled McMullen) was the editor/publisher. It cost 10 shillings per year if paid in advance, 15 shillings if paid at the end of the year. The newspaper's motto was "Holding Fast to the Mother Soil". Although few other whole issues of the Canada Oak are still extant, excerpts of the Canada Oak were reprinted in other newspapers. See, for example, the Globe and Mail: November 28th, 1853, and the Voice of the Fugitive: November 18th, 1852 and December 2nd, 1852. These excerpts reveal the extent of the anti-francophone and anti-African American, racist views of the newspaper and its editorial staff. See Full description for more details.

  • →Le Canadien: one of several short-lived French language newspapers published and edited by Télesphore Saint-Pierre. It was a weekly, 4 page paper that began publication on July 25, 1891, and likely ceased in late 1891 or 1892. Based on the first issue, it contained a fairly standard selection of local to international news, many advertisements, and prose. It was aimed at the French Canadian population in the western part of Ontario, but also had subscribers in Michigan. See Full description for more details.

  • →Le Clairon: a short-lived French language weekly newspaper that started publishing Thursday, September 25th, 1913 and ceased early in 1914 with issue no. 15. It was a new competitor to Le Progrès, the longstanding French language newspaper of the region. Approximately 5,000 copies of each issue were printed and distributed to the francophones of Essex and Kent counties and the city of Detroit. It is not known how many subscribers it actually garnered at $1 per year, paid in advance. Its motto was "Servir!". See Full description for more details.

  • →Daily Dominion: was a conservative leaning, weekly newspaper founded in 1867, and published in Windsor, initially by John Richmond. He had previously published the Amherstburg Observer and Agricultural Record (1860-1861). From the 1860s to the 1880s, he served on the Essex County Council as Deputy Reeve and Reeve. John Richmond sold the newspaper to Solomon White, who later sold it to John L. Murdoch (also Murdock) and Thomas McKee. Around the end of 1875, the Dominion ceased publication and Murdoch sold the printing equipment to Major John Lewis who started a new weekly called the Essex Times (see below). See Full description for more details.

  • →La Defense: an 8 page, weekly, French language newspaper that appeared from March 7th, 1918 to December ?, 1920. It was published in the wake of the blockades, the riot and the boycott at Notre Dame Du Lac church in Ford City (August-September 1917), and the provocative actions of Bishop Michael Francis Fallon. It was a product of part of the broad francophone outrage at the Ontario Ministry of Education's regulation 17 (1912/1913), which greatly limited the use of French as a language of instruction in bilingual schools. The motto of the newspaper: "Vivre pour defendre l'Eglise, ma race et ma langue" was a saying of Lucien Beaudoin, the nationalist parish priest at Notre Dame Du Lac church, whose death on August 19th 1917 touched off the main unrest. The owner and publisher was Antonio Lussier (1892-1967); the editorial staff included Joseph de Grandpre, Joseph Gregoire, and Gustave Lacasse. In early 1921, Seguin Brothers Printing may have bought La Defense, but it did not survive. Antonio Lussier left Windsor in 1922 and went to work for La Presse in Montreal. However, one of the editors, Gustav Lacasse, remained, and later founded La Presse-Frontiere (1921-1922) and the more successful Feuille D'Erable (1931-1958). See Full description for more details.

  • →Drapeau National: a short-lived French language newspaper, published in Windsor, from Thursday, November 20, 1891 until roughly mid-1892. It was a 4 page newspaper devoted to the interests of the francophone populations of the West, with mottos such as "Dieu et mon Droit”, “Dieu et Patrie” and “L’Union fait la Force”. The editor and publisher was Gustav Vekeman. Unlike many newspapers of the time, the goal of Le Drapeau National was to be neutral in its politics and reporting of events. After the demise of Le Drapeau, Gustav returned to Quebec, to the Montreal area. His son Victor, however, remained in Windsor until late 1897, working as a printer and foreman for Le Progrès. See Full description for more details.

  • →Essex Advocate: begins publication in early October 1850 in Sandwich. The editor and publisher may have been A. C. Morton. Over the next decades, various Morton family members were involved in editing and publishing a number of newspapers, such as the Monroe Advocate and the Detroit Free Press. It is not now known why A. C. Morton and his family moved to Sandwich and decided to publish this newspaper. Besides this work, he also did a variety of printing jobs and sold insurance for the Empire State Mutual Health Insurance Company. It seems that by the mid-1850s, the Morton family had returned to the United States. See Full description for more details.

  • →Essex Centre Chronicle: there is a detailed, and fairly accurate, description of the Essex Centre Chronicle in the publication: Brief Sketch of the County of Essex in the Province of Ontario-Canada, by J. E. Johnston (1889), page 27: "The first paper published in Essex Centre was The Chronicle, the first number of which was issued in May, 1879, by Robt. Fair, of Leamington. It was published as a four-page sheet with "patent outside"". The Chronicle was sold to John Milne in the fall of 1879, who continued to run it for a number of years, R. A. Hughes, J. E. Copus, and John Curran being at various times editors. Mr. Milne also started the Canadian Workman, the official organ of the AOUW (Ancient Order of United Workmen ), which was printed in Essex Centre for some time. On June 18th, 1880, Mr. Milne changed the size and shape of the Chronicle to an eight page, 5 column paper. Mr. Curran bought the paper from Mr. Milne in July 1882, and continued to run it as proprietor until 1884, when he sold out to Mr. A. E. Lovelace. Meanwhile, the Advance had been started in 1882 by Mr. John Stafford. This paper was carried on by him until 1885. At the beginning of that year, Messrs. George Laing and John Stafford bought The Chronicle from Mr. Lovelace and amalgamated the two papers, changing the name to the Argus. See Full description for more details.

  • →Essex Liberal: in December 1885, the Argus was purchased by Dr. James Brien (later a Liberal MP), who changed its name to the Essex Liberal. The new newspaper maintained the numbering of its predecessor. Isaac Harley Brock (1847-1910) was the first editor. He was succeeded by J. G. Hands. Jacob M. Kennedy may have been the editor from August 1886 on; in any case, he bought the paper in April 1887 (Globe and Mail 1887: April 13, page 5). The Essex Liberal was sold again in 1888 to John E. Johnson of Leamington and then in 1889 to the Walters Brothers, Frank (b. 1865) and Henry (b. 1871). On Friday, December 13th, 1889, they changed the name of the Essex Liberal to the Essex Free Press. The Walters sold the newspaper to Edwin J. Lovelace in August 1892. On June 1st, 1896, the Essex Free Press was then sold to Richard Ruddy ("Bert") Brett and William H. Auld. See Full description for more details.

  • →Essex Review: appeared for about 23 years, from 1878 until 1902. In about 1890, it became known as the Windsor Review, or sometimes simply the Review. The newspaper was always published in the "conservative interest" and was a "journal devoted to politics, literature, agriculture, and general news". It was mostly an 8 page paper, published weekly, every Friday morning, with a circulation of about 1,000 copies per issue. Its motto was "Hew to the line, let the chips fall where they may". See Full description for more details.

  • →Essex Times: a conservative leaning newspaper founded by Major John Lewis. Major Lewis purchased his printing equipment from John Murdoch when the Daily Dominion (Windsor - see above) ceased in 1875. The Essex Times was published between 1876 and 1878. Its offices were located on the south side of Sandwich Street West (now University Avenue West), just west of Ferry Street, in the Baby Block. The Township of Sandwich by Frederick Neal (1909) reported on page 280 that it was "a well-printed and edited paper". See Full description for more details.

  • →Le Independent du Canada: even after Confederation, the citizens of the Dominion of Canada continued to have wide-ranging and lively discussions regarding their political future. Although many wished to maintain the status quo and give the new constitution a real chance, there were others who still argued for annexation to the United States, for a variety of different relationships with the British government, and also for complete independence. L’Independant Du Canada, a French language, weekly newspaper, published in Windsor, Ontario in the early 1890s, supported the latter viewpoint. See Full description for more details.

  • →Observer: published in Amherstburg from about April 1860 to at least June 1861, and likely quite a bit longer. It was a weekly that appeared every Friday morning at a cost of $1.50 per year, in advance. Its motto was “Improvement! Improvement! Improvement!”. Politically, the newspaper was conservative leaning, and was a rival to the more liberal paper of the time, the Maple Leaf (Sandwich and Amherstburg, 1856-1861?) See Full description for more details.

  • →The Standard: there were two Standard newspapers. The first began publication on April 23, 1879. It was a 4 page, twice weekly newspaper that came out on Wednesday and Saturday mornings. James C. Murdoch and Frederick Neal were the publishers and their office was located at 102 Sandwich Street West. At the beginning of November 1879, James Murdoch became the sole proprietor and the Standard switched to a Saturday morning, weekly, 8 page format. Based on mentions in other newspapers and directories, the Standard continued publishing until at least June 1880. It likely ceased at the end of 1880. The second was established by Charles Linley Barker and Joseph McKee on November 29, 1902. They had bought the publishing equipment from the Windsor Review when it closed earlier the same year. Charles Barker had previously worked on the Windsor Evening Record. This Windsor Standard began as a weekly publication, appearing on Saturdays, from an office at 22 Sandwich Street West. It was self-described as the “Conservative party organ for Essex County”. Based on the few extant pages, the content appears to be pretty average for the time. It does include a decent amount of local and regional news. See Full description of Standard (1879) and Full description of Standard (1902) for more details.

  • →True Royalist: a weekly newspaper edited and published by the Reverend Augustus R. Green of the British Methodist Episcopal Church. Samuel V. Berry was the assistant editor. It was published every Thursday (later Friday) morning from no. 1, Goyeau Street, Windsor, and cost $1.50 per year in advance. Its masthead proclaimed the paper to be “Devoted to Universal Liberty, Emigration, Temperance, Religion, Agriculture, Science, Literature, And General News”. The True Royalist was probably intended, at least in part, to fill the gap created by the demise of the Provincial Freeman. In the prospectus, the Reverend Green writes: “The period has now arrived when a field for mental development must be opened and there can be no hope, unless it is in a periodical of our own, for the brightest genius of our race to exhibit his talent in a literary way.” See Full description for more details.

  • →Western Mercury: possibly a continuation the British Canadian (see above). The Western Mercury and Great South-western Railway Advocate began around November 1857 and continued until at least July 1859. It cost ten shillings per year, in advance. For the most part, it contained standard content for its time: poetry, prose, advertisements, notices (including some concerning railway infrastructure), court convictions, bylaws, and a mixture of international, national, and local news. See Full description for more details.

Essay prepared from research work by Katharine Ball (see links in snippets)

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