Collecting Delaware Books

Old Delaware Newspapers

For much of our nation's history, the one comprehensive listing of newspapers has been N. W. Ayer & Sons American Newspaper Annual. "Ayers," as it is known, was a guide for newspaper advertisers. The publisher would place advertising around the country for clients or sell the book to others wishing to place ads. An old copy of Ayers makes interesting reading to a historian. We recently bought the 1888 Ayers edition at an auction. The section on Delaware is reproduced below in much the same format as the original.

Notice how many papers were founded only a few years before the listing. Quite a few of these were shortlived. On the other hand, the Milford Chronicle and Middletown Transcript were old then and are still read today. The Delaware Gazette and State Journal is the oldest paper listed. Founded in 1784, it is one of the many ancestors of today's News Journal.

There are a number of old Delaware surnames among the editors and publishers. Another interesting name is that of Nannette Scheu, who edited and published two German-language newspapers a hundred years ago.

Ayers Delaware Newspapers of 1888

CHESWOLD, pop. 250

Peninsular Farm and Garden Monthly, Agriculture, est. 1887,
CALEB BOGGS, EDITOR & PUBLISHER

DELAWARE CITY, pop. 1,085

News, Saturday, Independent, est. 1887, circ. 700,
NEWS PUBLISHING CO. W. B. MARSHALL, EDITOR & MANAGER

DOVER, pop. 3,400

Delawarean, Saturday, Democratic, est. 1859, circ. 1,500,
JOHN F. SAULSBURY, EDITOR & PUBLISHER

Index, Thursday, Democratic, est. 1887,
H. C. CARPENTER & J. L. WOLCOIT, EDITORS F. M. DUNN, PUBLISHER

State Sentinel, Saturday, Republican, est. 1874, circ. 1,500,
H. W. CANNON, EDITOR & PUBLISHER

GEORGETOWN, pop. 1,000

Delaware Democrat, Saturday, Democratic, est. 1882,
DELAWARE DEMOCRAT PUBLISHING COMPANY

Sussex Journal, Saturday, Democratic, est. 1867, circ. 1,560,
J. B. CLARK, EDITOR CLARK & DOWNHAM, PUBLISHERS

HARRINGTON, pop. 1,250

Enterprise, Thursday, Democratic, est. 1883,
ENTERPRISE PUBLISHING CO., B. HOWARD JOHNSON, MANAGER

LAUREL, pop. 2,000

Gazette, Saturday, Democratic, est. 1885, circ. 800,
C. W. KENNEY, EDITOR S. D. GORDON, PUBLISHER

LEWES, pop. 3,103

Breakwater Light, Saturday, Independent, est. 1871, circ. 1,475,
I. H. D. KNOWLES, M.D., EDITOR & PUBLISHER

MIDDLETOWN, pop. 1,450

New Era, Thursday, Democratic, est. 1885, circ. 800,
FREEMAN & WEBER, EDITOR & PUBLISHERS

Transcript, Thursday, Democratic, est. 1868, circ. 720,
W. P. MIFFLIN, EDITOR & PUBLISHER

MILFORD, pop. 1,240

Chronicle, Friday, Independent, est. 1878, circ. 1,056,
THEO. TOWNSEND, EDITOR & PUBLISHER

Peninsular News and Advertiser, Saturday, Ind. Rep, est. 1857, circ. 1,476,
H. L. HYNSON, EDITOR & PUBLISHER

NEWARK, pop. 1,148

Delaware Ledger, Saturday, Democratic, est. 1876, circ. 1,800,
BOWEN & BROTHERS, EDITORS & PUBLISHERS

NEW CASTLE, pop. 3,700

Star, Saturday, Democratic, est. 1877, circ. 600,
JOSEPH C. WHITE, EDITOR & PUBLISHER

SEAFORD, pop. 1,542

Review, Saturday, Independent, est. 1886, circ. 1,007,
REVIEW PUBL. CO. J. E. GRIFFENBERG, EDITOR & MANAGER

SMYRNA, pop. 2,423

Record, Saturday, Democratic, est. 1883,
G. B. TAYLOR, EDITOR & PUBLISHER

Times, Wednesday, Independent, est. 1854, circ. 960,
ROBERT D. HOFFECKER, EDITOR & PROPRIETOR

WILMINGTON, pop. 51,000

Banner, Monthly, est. 1880,
GEO. H. JACKSON, EDITOR & PUBLISHER

Delaware Farm and Home, Thursday, Agricultural, est. 1885, circ. 2,300,
WESLEY WEBB, EDITOR & PUBLISHER

Delaware Gazette and State Journal, Thursday, Democratic 1784, circ. 2,200, (Weekly edition of Every Evening)
EVERY EVENING PRINTING CO., PUBLISHER

Delaware Morning News, Friday, Republican, est. 1882, circ. 2,200, (Weekly edition of Morning News)
WATSON R. SPERRY, EDITOR NEWS PUBLISHING CO.

Delaware Pionier (German), Saturday, Independent, est. 1871, circ. 800,
NANNETTE SCHEU, EDITOR & PUBLISHER

Delaware Republican, Thursday, Republican, est. 1826, circ. 1,500, (Weekly edition of Republican)
REPUBLICAN PRINTING AND PUBLISHING CO.

Evening Journal, Evg. ex. Sun., Independent, est. 1888,
JOURNAL PRINTING COMPANY

Every Evening, Evg. ex. Sun., Independent, est. 1865, circ. 5,383,
EVERY EVENING PRINTING CO. PUBLISHER

Freie Presse (German), Morn. ex. Sun., Independent, est. 1881, circ. 1,750,
NANNETTE SCHEU, EDITOR & PUBLISHER

Morning News, Morn. ex. Sun., Republican, est. 1872,
NEWS PUBLISHING COMPANY

Peninsula Methodist, Saturday,Methodist, est. 1875, circ. 2,720,
REV. T. S. THOMAS, A.M., EDITOR J. MILLER THOMAS, PUBLISHER

Peoples Witness (Colored), Saturday, Conservative, est. 1886,
A. W. BRINCKLEY, EDITOR & MANAGER

Republican, Evg. ex. Sun., Republican, est. 1875, circ. 6,200,
REPUBLICAN PRINTING AND PUBLISHING COMPANY

Sunday Morning Star, Sunday, Neutral, est. 1881, circ. 4.006,
J. B. BELL, EDITOR STAR PUBLISHING COMPANY

Sunday Republic, Sunday, Republican, est. 1888,
SUNDAY REPUBLIC PUBLISHING CO.

Wilmingtonian, Saturday, est. 1881,
WILMINGTONIAN PUBLISHING COMPANY

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