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Newspaper The Herald (Smyrna, Del.) 1870-1871

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About The Herald (Smyrna, Del.) 1870-1871

The Clayton Herald presents a unique history as being possibly the only Delaware newspaper to be founded by a woman. Mrs. R. H. McConaughy started the Herald in Clayton, Delaware, in 1867. The newspaper listed McConaughy as editress and proprietess and had the following motto: “Independent in Everything, Neutral in Nothing.”

Published every Saturday and costing subscribers $2 per year, the Clayton Herald included original poetry, selected fiction, and humorous notes. In addition, the newspaper offered devotional readings, foreign news, and a section called “Our Booktable.” Also included was a column with information for farmers such as how to start an asparagus bed, and a “Household Dept.” featuring recipes.

The Clayton Herald included several stories previously published in other periodicals in addition to national news items. Of particular note is one on the removal of Secretary of War Edwin Stanton in August 1868 that ultimately led to the impeachment of President Andrew Johnson. A Republican newspaper, the Clayton Herald endorsed Schulyer Colfax as the nominee for president in 1868, a nomination that eventually went to Ulysses S. Grant. (Colfax later served as Grant’s Vice-President from 1869 until 1873.) McConaughy also tackled local political issues in her editorials. For instance, when a schoolhouse failed to be built, she publicly blamed Democratic “Copperhead” politicians for preventing its construction.

The Clayton Herald operated for approximately two years, after which the paper moved to Smyrna and was renamed the Herald. Owned and published by James W. Spruance and B.F. Blackiston, the Herald continued publication for about one year.

Provided By: University of Delaware Library, Newark, DE

About this Newspaper

Title

  • The Herald (Smyrna, Del.) 1870-1871

Dates of Publication

  • 1870-1871

Created / Published

  • Smyrna, Del. : Jas. W. Spruance, B.F. Blackiston

Headings

  • -  Smyrna (Del.)--Newspapers
  • -  Delaware--Smyrna
  • -  United States--Delaware--Kent--Smyrna

Genre

  • Newspapers

Notes

  • -  Weekly
  • -  Began in 1870?
  • -  -v. 2, no. 27 (Aug. 5, 1871).
  • -  Archived issues are available in digital format from the Library of Congress Chronicling America online collection.
  • -  Description based on: Vol. 1, no. 27 (Aug. 6, 1870).

Medium

  • v.

Call Number/Physical Location

  • Newspaper

Library of Congress Control Number

  • sn88053095

OCLC Number

  • 18302315

ISSN Number

  • 2637-8582

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:

The Herald Smyrna, Del. -1871. (Smyrna, DE), Jan. 1 1870. https://www.loc.gov/item/sn88053095/.

APA citation style:

(1870, January 1) The Herald Smyrna, Del. -1871. Retrieved from the Library of Congress, https://www.loc.gov/item/sn88053095/.

MLA citation style:

The Herald Smyrna, Del. -1871. (Smyrna, DE) 1 Jan. 1870. Retrieved from the Library of Congress, www.loc.gov/item/sn88053095/.