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- Information was kindly contributed by Blake Georgie. If you have additional information on this person please contact Blake: nettech_00(at)yahoo.com
Lancaster, Schuyler, MO is where he owned the Lancaster newspaper
Early History of Schuyler County Newspapers
In 1856, Huron Jackson of La Grange, MO., had the distinction of establishing the first printing press in Schuyler County. His paper was called "The Lancaster Herald" and was sold to Wilbur Wells in 1857 who continued to publish it until 1859. It was succeeded in 1859 by the "Lancaster Democrat" owned and edited by Mains and Elder from Ohio. Being Democratic, the paper grew in disfavor, so the editors closed the shop and returned to Ohio, where they later edited a successful paper.
From this time there was a break in the continuity of newspapers because of the Civil War. At Lancaster, in March 1866, Captain H.C. Cutler started printing the weekly "Lancaster Excelsior," a Republican paper at the time. He associated himself with Captain F.M. Wilcox, who continued the paper until 1871, when they sold out to Samuel Dysart and H.A. Miller, who began using a steam-powered press and with more up-to-date machinery and materials, had an excellent and thriving newspaper.
Mr. Miller sold it to W.M. Hunter, who in turn sold out to J.R. Thompson. Mr. Thompson died, and in 1894 the office was bought by Clyde L. Starrett. He sold it to Winfred Melvin who had charge of the paper until 1898 when the paper was sold to John R. Rippey Sr. Mr. Rippey died in 1909 in which year Winfred Melvin again purchased the paper from the Rippey heirs.
W.O. "Billy" Forsythe became owner of the Excelsior in 1915. The present publisher (1964), Jim Forsythe took over the paper in 1941 when his father died. In 1956 he moved the Excelsior to a new location, one door north of the Schuyler County Bank were the Lancaster Excelsior, Queen City Monitor-Leader, Greentop Reporter and the Downing News are printed. The Excelsior will be 100 years old in 1966 and prior to 1890 had been printed in the same building where the new plant is located.
In 1871, Cutler and Wilcox started "The Glenwood Criterion" at Glenwood, in the interest of the Republican Party. It continued until the year prior to the 1876 Presidential Election when it was conducted by H. Martin Williams as a Democratic paper. The Criterion ceased publication early in the 1890's and was succeeded by the "Phonograph" established in 1894. The Phonograph was edited by H.W. Williams, Sam S. Sherman, J.F. Botts, L.B. Osborne, M.M. Mann and W.O. "Billy" Forsythe. Its last editor was Mrs. Fred Crook who suspended publication in 1910.
The first paper published in Queen City was the "The Globe" in 1873. The Queen City Transcript came along in 1887, edited by Nathan D. Johnson. At different times it was owned by J.T. Roberts, C.F. Bartlett and Hack Ballew. J.W. Naught, principle of the Queen City Schools in 1893, leased the paper for one year, then purchased it.
Honorable W.C. Biggs, County Representative in 1905-1907, established the Queen City Leader in 1897 and conducted it until 1909. The transcript and Leader were combined and had two owners, Oren Osborne and Milton Patterson. These two papers were finally consolidated, and thus, evolved the Queen City Monitor-Leader and owned (1964) by Jim Forsyth of Lancaster.
The Downing News was being published in the early 1900's by J.F/ Hargis and was independent in politics.
Source: History of Schuyler County by the Lancaster Garden Club, 1964
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The H600 Project Genealogy DB
1915 - 1987 (72 years)