Collecting Delaware Books
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.
Peninsular Farm and Garden Monthly, Agriculture, est. 1887,
CALEB BOGGS, EDITOR & PUBLISHER
News, Saturday, Independent, est. 1887, circ. 700,
NEWS PUBLISHING CO. W. B. MARSHALL, EDITOR & MANAGER
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
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
Enterprise, Thursday, Democratic, est. 1883,
ENTERPRISE PUBLISHING CO., B. HOWARD JOHNSON, MANAGER
Gazette, Saturday, Democratic, est. 1885, circ. 800,
C. W. KENNEY, EDITOR S. D. GORDON, PUBLISHER
Breakwater Light, Saturday, Independent, est. 1871, circ. 1,475,
I. H. D. KNOWLES, M.D., EDITOR & PUBLISHER
New Era, Thursday, Democratic, est. 1885, circ. 800,
FREEMAN & WEBER, EDITOR & PUBLISHERS
Transcript, Thursday, Democratic, est. 1868, circ. 720,
W. P. MIFFLIN, EDITOR & PUBLISHER
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
Delaware Ledger, Saturday, Democratic, est. 1876, circ. 1,800,
BOWEN & BROTHERS, EDITORS & PUBLISHERS
Star, Saturday, Democratic, est. 1877, circ. 600,
JOSEPH C. WHITE, EDITOR & PUBLISHER
Review, Saturday, Independent, est. 1886, circ. 1,007,
REVIEW PUBL. CO. J. E. GRIFFENBERG, EDITOR & MANAGER
Record, Saturday, Democratic, est. 1883,
G. B. TAYLOR, EDITOR & PUBLISHER
Times, Wednesday, Independent, est. 1854, circ. 960,
ROBERT D. HOFFECKER, EDITOR & PROPRIETOR
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