The Union County Historical Society has digitized a few of their early newspaper holdings and placed them online. The first newspaper published in Union County was printed in Marysville on February 20, 1839. Stephen McLain and Robert McBratney were the publishes and William C. Lawrence was the editor. The paper was Our Freedom and Union County Advertiser. The newspaper subsequently became The Union Star and then the Union Gazette and continued to be published until May 4, 1844. The newspapers posted here are only a few of the early newspapers that the Historical Society has in its collection. More newspapers will be added to the online catalog once they are scanned and digitized. Newspapers included in the online collection include The Argus (1845-1848), The Eaglet (1845), Marysville Tribune (1849), The Union Press (1860-1861) and Union Gazette (1842-1844). A brief publication history of each newspaper is also included.
The Argus
The Union Gazette, mentioned above, was purchased by Philander B. Cole and William C. Lawrence in May 1844 from John Cassil. The name of the newspaper was changed to The Argus, and it was affiliated with the Whig political party. Six weeks later the name of the newspaper was changed to The Argus and Union County Advertiser. Cole and Lawrence ran the paper just one years, and then sold it to James S. Alexander, who ran it for a few weeks before stopping publication. The paper was then sold back to John Cassil who published it irregularly for about a year, but changed its political connections to the Democratic party. In June 1846, Philander B. Cole repurchased The Argus and became its editor. He changed the paper back to a Whig paper, and continued its publication until September 1849 when he sold the establishment to C.S. Hamilton.
The Eaglet
When The Argus suspended publication in 1845, after its purchase by James S. Alexander, there was no newspaper being published in Union County. G.A. Cassil stepped into the absence to catch the county printing. He founded The Eaglet in October 1845. This newspaper lasted only three or four months before its publication was suspended.
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November 8, 1845 |
| November 15, 1845 | |
| November 22, 1845 | |
| November 29, 1845 | |
| December 20, 1845 | |
Marysville Tribune
In 1849, C.S. Hamilton purchased The Argus from Philander B. Cole and he recrafted the paper into the Marysville Tribune. The Tribune traced its history back through The Argus, The Union Star, and Union Gazette. The Marysville Tribune was published in Union County from 1849 until 1951 when it was combined with the Union County Journal to form the Marysville Journal-Tribune.
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October 24, 1849 |
| November 7, 1849 | |
| December 12, 1849 | |
| December 19, 1849 | |
The Union Press
This newspaper was established in October 1858, by Hylas Sabine and was a Republican newspaper in politics and was published until August 1863. The materials of the office were then purchased by Copperhead Democrats in the midst of the Civil War. They rebranded the newspaper as the Union County Democrat with William Randall as the editor. This publication continued until the fall of 1864 when it was discontinued and the materials were sold.
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November 21, 1860 |
| January 9, 1861 | |
Union Gazette
In May 1841, John Cassil purchased The Union Star. He continued publication of the newspaper, but changed the name of it to the Union Gazette. Cassil served as the editor and J.E. Wilson the printer. The paper, after a few publications was moved to Bellefontaine, Ohio, in May 1842, and Thomas M. Robb became the editor. The paper was sent to Marysville each week and distributed to the subscribers. A year later in May 1843, the paper was moved back to Marysville for publication and John Cassil once again resumed the role of editor. The Union Gazette was published until May 4, 1844, when it was purchased by Philander B. Cole and William C. Lawrence and renamed as The Argus.
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June 8, 1842 |
| June 24, 1843 | |
