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Chronicling America
National Endowment for the Humanities

Newspaper Der Westbote (Columbus, Ohio) 1872-1918

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About Der Westbote (Columbus, Ohio) 1872-1918

Running from 1843 to 1918 in Columbus, Ohio, Der Westbote (“Western Messenger”) served German Democrats both in and out of the state. Its early history was not an easy one, as both groups were in the minority in Columbus. But after overcoming these challenges, the paper and its influence grew rapidly. In its early years, Der Westbote opposed constitutional monarchies in Europe and both slavery and abolitionism in the United States. In 1871, the paper was briefly renamed the Wochenblatt des Westboten (“Weekly Western Messenger”), but it returned to its original title the next year.  By 1915, circulation had reached 15,000, and some referred to the Westbote as the “Democratic Bible.” Among its editors and owners were Friedrich Fieser, Jacob and Friedrich Reinhard, Leonhard Hirsch, and Charles F. Gerhold.

Germans living in Columbus, especially those on the south side in the German Village neighborhood, found the Westbote particularly important as it helped connect them to both their new and old homes by printing local items and news from abroad (usually under the heading “Ausland”) in their native language. Among its pages readers could find: business advertisements; political news and editorials; poetry and serialized fiction; tax, land, and other legal notices; and more. The Westbotealso documented mid-19th-century German immigration to the United States. Most of its content was in German, although some advertisements were printed in English.

Initially a weekly, the Westbote was eventually issued in semiweekly, daily, and Sunday editions as well. In 1903,Der Tägliche Westbote (“Daily Western Messenger”) merged with its Republican competitor Tägliche Columbus Express (“Daily Columbus Express”) to form Express und Westbote, although both papers continued to print separate editions on a weekly or semiweekly basis. During the First World War, anti-German sentiment grew in Columbus and in other cities with large German populations. As a result, by 1918, all editions of the Westbote and Express had ceased publication.

Provided By: Ohio History Connection, Columbus, OH

About this Newspaper

Title

  • Der Westbote (Columbus, Ohio) 1872-1918

Dates of Publication

  • 1872-1918

Created / Published

  • Columbus, Ohio : Reinhard & Fieser, 1872-1918.

Headings

  • -  Germans--Ohio--Newspapers
  • -  Columbus (Ohio)--Newspapers
  • -  Germans
  • -  Ohio--Columbus
  • -  Ohio
  • -  United States--Ohio--Franklin--Columbus

Genre

  • Newspapers

Notes

  • -  Semiweekly, June 4, 1895-Aug. 20, 1918
  • -  Jahrg. 29, nr. 26 (Feb. 15, 1872)-jahrg. 76, nr. 68 (Aug. 20, 1918).
  • -  Archived issues are available in digital format from the Library of Congress Chronicling America online collection.
  • -  In German; some notices in English.
  • -  Daily eds.: Tägliche Westbote, 1893-1903; and: Express und Westbote, 1903-1918.
  • -  Semiweekly, triweekly, and daily ed.: Westbote (Columbus, Ohio : 1853).
  • -  Weekly ed.: Wöchenliche Columbus express.

Medium

  • volumes ; 72 cm

Call Number/Physical Location

  • Newspaper

Digital Id

Library of Congress Control Number

  • sn85025948

OCLC Number

  • 11980836

ISSN Number

  • 2689-1107

Preceding Titles

Additional Metadata Formats

Availability

Rights & Access

The Library of Congress believes that the newspapers in Chronicling America are in the public domain or have no known copyright restrictions. Newspapers published in the United States more than 95 years ago are in the public domain in their entirety. Any newspapers in Chronicling America that were published less than 95 years ago are also believed to be in the public domain, but may contain some copyrighted third party materials. Researchers using newspapers published less than 95 years ago should be alert for modern content (for example, registered and renewed for copyright and published with notice) that may be copyrighted. Responsibility for making an independent legal assessment of an item and securing any necessary permissions ultimately rests with persons desiring to use the item.

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Cite This Item

Citations are generated automatically from bibliographic data as a convenience, and may not be complete or accurate.

Chicago citation style:

Der Westbote Columbus, Ohio -1918. (Columbus, OH), Jan. 1 1872. https://www.loc.gov/item/sn85025948/.

APA citation style:

(1872, January 1) Der Westbote Columbus, Ohio -1918. Retrieved from the Library of Congress, https://www.loc.gov/item/sn85025948/.

MLA citation style:

Der Westbote Columbus, Ohio -1918. (Columbus, OH) 1 Jan. 1872. Retrieved from the Library of Congress, www.loc.gov/item/sn85025948/.