Jeffersonian Democrat

Jeffersonian Democrat
TypeWeekly newspaper
Owner(s)Community Media Group
Founder(s)Thomas Hastings
PublisherPat Patterson
EditorJoy Norwood
Founded1839
Headquarters113 Main Street, Brookville, Pennsylvania, United States
Circulation3,000
OCLC number13379014
Websitewww.thecourierexpress.com/jeffersonian_democrat/

The Jeffersonian Democrat is a weekly newspaper published in Brookville, Pennsylvania, with circulation about 3,000.[1] The paper is owned by Community Media Group.[2] Pat Patterson is the publisher and Joy Norwood is the editor.[3]

History

The paper was started in 1839 or earlier by Thomas Hastings and was called the Backwoodsman.[4] His son John Hastings, at age 18, was the editor. The paper remained a Democratic weekly after the American Civil War, and it was later merged with the Jeffersonian and the Democrat and the Graphic and renamed the Jeffersonian Democrat.[5]

Major John McMurray purchased the Jeffersonian Democrat in 1878;[6] his co-owner was William Leader.[7] McMurray owned the paper and was its editor for over 30 years.[8] When he died, in 1920, Major McMurray passed the Jeffersonian Democrat down to his son, Harry McMurray. Harry died just a few months later and the paper was passed down to his sons H.E. McMurray and John J.[6]

The Jeffersonian Democrat was purchased in 1990 by Independent Publications (then McLean Publishing Co.) [9] At the time it had a circulation of 3,000 papers.[10] In 1993 Independent Publications launched the Tri-County Sunday which served as a combined Sunday issue for three of its papers including the Jeffersonian Democrat.[11]

Community Media Group of Frankfort, Illinois bought the Jeffersonian Democrat in 2013 as part of a multi-paper deal.[2][12] The newspaper closed its office in September 2024.[13]

References

  1. ^ "Brookville Jeffersonian Democrat". Mondo Times. Mondo Times.
  2. ^ a b "Community Media Buys W. Pa. Newspapers". Editor & Publisher. 6 March 2013.
  3. ^ "Contact Jeffersonian Democrat". TheCourierExpress.com. Retrieved 2019-06-26.
  4. ^ Angie Fitzgerald. "Prominent Men and Civil, Edited this Paper". www.pa-roots.com. Retrieved 2019-06-25.
  5. ^ McKnight, William James; Pennsylvania, Troy Genealogical Research Associates, Summerville (1917). Genealogy. J. H. Beers.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
  6. ^ a b "John J. and H. Eugene McMurray Purchase Interest cf A. J. McMurray". The Brookville American. 10 March 1921. p. 1. Retrieved 2019-06-26.
  7. ^ Jordan, John Woolf (1913). Genealogical and Personal History of the Allegheny Valley, Pennsylvania. Lewis Historical Publishing Company.
  8. ^ "Personal". Editor and Publisher. 3 July 1909.
  9. ^ "Community Media Buys W. Pa. Newspapers". Editor & Publisher. 6 March 2013.
  10. ^ "Newspaper Publisher to Retire". The Sentinel. 20 December 1999.
  11. ^ "Sunday paper to serve three counties". The Sentinel. 11 February 1993.
  12. ^ "Community Media buys Pa. newspapers". The Sentinel. 5 Mar 2013.
  13. ^ Norwood, Joy (2024-09-12). "Jeffersonian Democrat office to close but newspaper will continue to be published". The Courier Express. Retrieved 2024-09-14.