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Newspaper Central Register (Kosciusko, Miss.) 1839-18??

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About Central Register (Kosciusko, Miss.) 1839-18??

Attala County, in central Mississippi, was established in 1833 from land obtained by the United States in 1830 in the final Choctaw cession. Its flat to rolling terrain and fertile soil were suited to cotton-growing. With no navigable waterways, transportation was facilitated by the nearby Natchez to Nashville military road, the Natchez Trace.  Kosciusko, named after Polish-born Revolutionary War hero, Tadeusz Kosciuszko, was selected as the county seat due to springs at the site.

Several short-lived, four-page, weekly Democratic newspapers, were published in antebellum Kosciusko. The Spirit of Kosciusko (1838-39), published by William E. Smith, was reportedly the earliest newspaper in the town and perhaps the county; it soon became the Central Register (1839-40?). The Attala Register (1843-44), edited by William B. Harper, later continued as the Central Journal (1844-45?). The third paper, the Jeffersonian Democrat (1844), was owned by Richard Jacobs; it quickly shortened its title to the Jeffersonian (1844-45) and after June 1844 was published in Macon, Mississippi.

These early Kosciusko newspapers covered significant national events such as the banking crisis and depression precipitated by the Panic of 1837, Texas independence and annexation, and the possibility of war with Mexico. In addition to foreign and national news, content included editorials on state political and legislative news, general interest articles, poetry, and newspaper prospectuses. Local information was sporadic, primarily advertisements, obituaries, marriage announcements, and legal notices, which were most plentiful in the Spirit. The December 7, 1839 issue of the Central Register, for example, included an article about a gathering in the state capital of Jackson to honor the late General Andrew Jackson. The January 22, 1845 issue of the Journal included a rare reference to Choctaw removal: “We learn som [sic] 3 or 400 of these indians are now encamped on the Big Black [River], some 8 or 10 miles from Canton, Madison county. They are waiting the arrival of the rest of the tribe, whe [sic] they will proceed on their journey across the Mississippi.” Despite similar political outlook, news coverage, and content, each title run had distinctive features. Staunch states’ rights supporters, Smith and company at the Spirit/Central Register were the most vociferous politically, advocating for the separation of state and bank. A November 9, 1839 extra edition of the Central Register reported election results and announced with apparent pleasure” . . . that the cause of the people has triumphed over whiggery and the swindling banks.” Harper, at the Attala Register/Central Journal, had an open “letter to the editor” policy, inviting all social and political opinions whether or not the editor agreed. Jacobs’ Jeffersonian often carried uplifting religious stories, moral lessons, and church news.

Provided By: Mississippi Department of Archives and History

About this Newspaper

Title

  • Central Register (Kosciusko, Miss.) 1839-18??

Dates of Publication

  • 1839-18??

Created / Published

  • Kosciusko, Miss. : William E. Smith, 1839-

Headings

  • -  Kosciusko (Miss.)--Newspapers
  • -  Mississippi--Kosciusko
  • -  United States--Mississippi--Attala--Kosciusko

Genre

  • Newspapers

Notes

  • -  Weekly
  • -  Vol. 2, no. 1 (Sept. 21, 1839)-
  • -  Archived issues are available in digital format from the Library of Congress Chronicling America online collection.

Call Number/Physical Location

  • Newspaper

Library of Congress Control Number

  • sn87065296

OCLC Number

  • 15580887

ISSN Number

  • 2381-6880

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:

Central Register Kosciusko, Miss. -18??. (Kosciusko, MS), Jan. 1 1839. https://www.loc.gov/item/sn87065296/.

APA citation style:

(1839, January 1) Central Register Kosciusko, Miss. -18??. Retrieved from the Library of Congress, https://www.loc.gov/item/sn87065296/.

MLA citation style:

Central Register Kosciusko, Miss. -18??. (Kosciusko, MS) 1 Jan. 1839. Retrieved from the Library of Congress, www.loc.gov/item/sn87065296/.