{"id":703,"date":"2015-06-09T18:55:57","date_gmt":"2015-06-09T18:55:57","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/commons.trincoll.edu\/rring\/?p=703"},"modified":"2015-06-09T18:57:20","modified_gmt":"2015-06-09T18:57:20","slug":"the-courant-in-the-late-18thc","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/commons.trincoll.edu\/rring\/2015\/06\/09\/the-courant-in-the-late-18thc\/","title":{"rendered":"The Courant in the late 18thC"},"content":{"rendered":"
[Posted by Sarah Mowery for AMST 838: America Collects Itself, from Colony to Empire]<\/div>\n
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We are reading Laurel Thatcher Ulrich\u2019s A Midwife\u2019s Tale<\/em> in AMST-803 (Historiography). In Ulrich\u2019s work I have found inspiration for this post; not from the book\u2019s content, but rather in Ulrich\u2019s methodology. Ulrich\u2019s primary source was a diary kept by Martha Ballard, an active midwife, between 1785 and 1812. Ballard\u2019s daily entries were succinct and to the point, simply stating weather, visitors, housework performed and midwifery calls.\u00a0 There was not enough meat on the bones to retell a full story, and for years the diary was overlooked by historians who concluded it was noteworthy but too limited.\u00a0 Ulrich overcame this obstacle by looking to other sources to link the activities of a local midwife with other local happenings in the town of Hallowell, Maine and in doing so she was able to tell not just the tale of one local midwife, but to develop a picture of the larger community.<\/div>\n
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And so I turned to newspapers for this project, wondering what tidbits I might find of pre-Revolutionary life in America. \u00a0At the Watkinson I found a folio containing editions of the Connecticut Courant<\/i> between January 4, 1774 and May 31, 1774.\u00a0 The Courant<\/i> was the third newspaper to be printed in Connecticut. \u00a0It was preceded by the Connecticut Gazette<\/i> printed by James Parker in New Haven beginning in 1755 and the New-London Summary, or The Weekly Advertiser<\/i>, first printed in August 1758 by Timothy Green.<\/div>\n
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The Courant<\/em> was founded by Thomas Green, a relation of the aforementioned Timothy.\u00a0 With printing in his blood, in 1757 Thomas turned to the Gazette\u2019s<\/i> office in New Haven for training under John Holt, the manager of Parker\u2019s publication.\u00a0 In 1760 he assumed managerial responsibilities for the Gazette and in 1764 he opened his own shop in Hartford to begin publication of the Courant<\/i>.\u00a0 In a history of Connecticut Newspapers in the Eighteenth Century<\/i> prepared for the Tercentenary Commission of the State of Connecticut, Jarvis Means Morse described Thomas as \u201cnot as bold an editor as his contemporaries in New Haven and New London.\u201d\u00a0 Morse notes that Thomas\u2019 publication stayed away from controversy and editorial commentary.\u00a0 This approach changed in 1770 when management of the Courant <\/i>was assumed by Ebenezer Watson.\u00a0 Mr. Watson was the publisher of the editions of the Courant<\/em> I examined for this post and based upon my readings he does not appear to have shied away from relaying news of Revolutionary America.As I turned the well-worn folio cover of Watson\u2019s publication I was transported to New York, December 17, 1773.Detestable Tea<\/strong>. No. 471; Tuesday, December 28, 1773 \u2013 Tuesday, January 4, 1774. The Boston Tea Party occurred on December 16, 1773.\u00a0 This edition of the newspaper was therefore published just days following that momentous event.\u00a0\u00a0 The front page is filled with the happenings of Boston and contains articles originally printed in both New York and Boston on 12\/17\/1773. New York\u2019s response to the Tea Party opens Connecticut\u2019s new year.\u00a0 By advertisement distributed throughout New York on December 16, 1773, citizens of the City were called to action by the Members of the Association of the Sons of Liberty.\u00a0 A meeting was to be held \u201cto morrow, (being Friday) on Business of the utmost Importance: — and every Friend to the Liberties and Trade of America, are hereby most cordially invited, to meet at the same Time and Place.\u201d\"Mowrey1\"<\/a>The subsequent article describes the proceedings of the December 17, 1773 meeting.\u00a0 Despite bad weather a \u201crespectable number of citizens\u201d attended the meeting at City Hall.\u00a0 John Lamb, a member of the Association addressed those gathered, reading aloud letters from Boston\u2019s and Philadelphia\u2019s Committees of Correspondence, relaying the happenings in Boston \u201crelative to the Importation of the East India Company\u2019s Tea.\u201d\u00a0\u00a0 Following the reading, a \u201cCommittee of Fifteen Gentlemen was chosen to answer those Letters, and to correspond with our Sister Colonies on the subject of the dutied Teas.\u201d\u00a0\u00a0 This was followed by a message from the governor read by the mayor of New York declaring that one of the six ships carrying the \u201cdetestable tea\u201d would be offloaded in New York.\u00a0 The mayor asked the attendees if they consented to such and the crowd responded with a \u201cgeneral No, No, No.\u201d It was then resolved that \u201cthis Body highly approve of that spirited and patriotic Conduct of our Brethren, of the City of Philadelphia, and the Town of Boston, in Support of the common Liberties of America.\u201d\u00a0 New York would stand in solidarity with Boston.<\/p>\n

Of interest to note is that the ship bound for New York was \u201cby an Act of God, fast on Shore, on the Back of Cape Cod.\u201d Severe weather delayed the ship\u2019s arrival and open revolt prevented its docking; it shrunk back to the land of its colonial overlord.<\/p>\n

But the Boston Tea Party and the colonies\u2019 responses are well documented and well studied.\u00a0 While it was fascinating to stumble upon this account what I was really hoping to find were the tidbits of local life in Connecticut.\u00a0 In turning the page I found just that.<\/p>\n

Lost and Found<\/strong>: 12\/28\/1773: Mr. David Riley of Wethersfield placed an ad warning his creditors that his wife had \u201cwithout any reason or cause eloped and willfully deserted [his] house\u201d and that the public be warned \u2013 she should not be given credit upon his good name. \u00a0In a quick online genealogical search, I found reference to a Sarah Goodrich, born July 28, 1743 in Wethersfield, \u201cposs. the Sarah Goodrich who m. David Riley May 17, 1773 at Rocky Hill.\u201d Could this be the same Sarah and David and if so, what could have caused Sarah to run off just seven months into their marriage?<\/p>\n

1\/4\/1774: Similarly, Ichabod Wadsworth offered a reward of six pence for the return of his \u201cservant boy named George White\u201d who had run away.\u00a0 Mr. Wadsworth provided quite a detailed description of the runaway youth.\u00a0 George was still missing as of the following publication.<\/p>\n

1\/31\/1774: Poor Mr.\u00a0 Jonah Gillet of Windsor was hopeful that his \u201cstray\u2019d\u201d two year old HEIFER would make its way back home. A \u201chandsome\u201d reward was offered for its safe return.<\/p>\n

4\/18\/1774: A \u201cNegro Man about 26 years of age\u201d reportedly ran away from Elihu Hyde.\u00a0 Reward: $7. A sad commentary of the definition of property in 1774.<\/p>\n

The Poet\u2019s Corner<\/strong> offered a lovely piece written by \u201cMaria\u201d entitled Winter.\u00a0\u00a0 A sampling follows:\u00a0 \u201cThe herbs and flow\u2019rs that deck\u2019d the field \/ Are winter\u2019d all, and left; \/ The streams and Brooksto ice congeal\u2019d \/ Are chain\u2019d by Winter\u2019s frost. \/ But nature changes all combine \/ To prove their Author\u2019s hand divine.\u201d<\/p>\n

Job Opportunities. <\/strong>A blacksmith sought a \u201cLAD, about 14 years of age\u201d to apprentice. Asher Bull of New Hartford sought to hire three journeymen, joiners by trade.<\/p>\n

For Sale<\/strong>. Ames\u2019s Almanack for 1774 to be sold at the Printing Office.\u00a0 (A 1762 edition of Ame\u2019s Almanack is part of the Watkinson collection.)<\/p>\n

Fighting Words<\/strong>. 3\/8\/1774 \u2013 \u201cFour Millions of free Americans signed on to A new Creed, founded on immutable TRUTH.\u00a0 We most solemnly DECLARE, that we sincerely believe the Parliaments or General Assemblies of North-America, have no more right\u2026to tax the people of Great-Britain, than the Parliament of Great-Britain have to tax the people of America.\u201d<\/p>\n

4\/8\/1774 \u2013 New Haven\u201d\u00a0 \u201cTo complete the ruin of this island, we have a stamp-act, which has just taken place, and is perhaps the most oppressive order ever imposed, even in in oppressive governments.\u201d<\/p>\n

Letters to the Editor<\/strong>. 3\/10\/1774 – From Mr. Aaron Horsford of Wetherfield: \u201cMr Watson, please to insert the following in your next\u2026I observ\u2019d in your paper No. 480, a very ill-natur\u2019d piece\u2026\u201d<\/p>\n

It should be noted that for the most part, the \u201cnational\u201d news offerings of local newspapers – such as the accounts of the Boston Tea Party relayed above – were simply articles reprinted from their original publications.\u00a0 Jarvis notes that any local news was very limited.\u00a0 But I found glints of local history in each of the last two pages of the Courant.\u00a0 Much like Ulrich looked to Ballard\u2019s diary, here we can look to the advertisements placed by local subscribers.\u00a0 These ads very much add meat to the bones of local history and give us a taste of life in Hartford in 1774.<\/p>\n

One final note is of an ad I came across in the edition covering the week of February 15, 1774 which is on topic for our class America Collects Itself.\u00a0 Here we have an ad placed by Benjamin Trumbull of New Haven offering a \u201creward\u201d of three dollars for a publication printed in New Haven in 1656.<\/p>\n

\"Mowrey2\"<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

[Posted by Sarah Mowery for AMST 838: America Collects Itself, from Colony to Empire] We are reading Laurel Thatcher Ulrich\u2019s A Midwife\u2019s Tale in AMST-803 (Historiography). In Ulrich\u2019s work I have found inspiration for this post; not from the book\u2019s content, but rather in Ulrich\u2019s methodology. Ulrich\u2019s primary source was a diary kept by Martha […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":122,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[11,13],"tags":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/commons.trincoll.edu\/rring\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/703"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/commons.trincoll.edu\/rring\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/commons.trincoll.edu\/rring\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/commons.trincoll.edu\/rring\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/122"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/commons.trincoll.edu\/rring\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=703"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/commons.trincoll.edu\/rring\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/703\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":709,"href":"https:\/\/commons.trincoll.edu\/rring\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/703\/revisions\/709"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/commons.trincoll.edu\/rring\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=703"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/commons.trincoll.edu\/rring\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=703"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/commons.trincoll.edu\/rring\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=703"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}