Hamilton visitor. (Hamilton, Harris Co., Ga.) 1874-1875

 

Title:

Hamilton visitor.

Place of Publication:

Hamilton, Harris Co., Ga.

Geographic coverage:

  • Hamilton, Harris county

Publisher:

D.W.D. Boully

Dates of publication:

1874-1875

Description:

  • Began in 1874; ceased in 1875?

Frequency:

Weekly

Languages:

  • English

Subjects:

  • Georgia--Harris County.--fast--(OCoLC)fst01204841
  • Harris County (Ga.)--Newspapers.

Notes:

  • Also on microfilm: Athens, Ga. : University of Georgia Libraries.
  • Description based on: Vol. 2, no. 44 (Nov. 13, 1874).

LCCN:

sn89053104

OCLC:

19135747

Hamilton visitor. November 13, 1874

About

D. W. D. Boully moved to Hamilton, Georgia in November 1872, and published the first issue of the Hamilton Weekly Visitor in January, 1873. Boully, formerly of the West Point Weekly News in Troup County, was notorious for establishing short-lived newspapers.The announcement of his new Hamilton Weekly Visitor lead several Georgia newspapermen to sarcastically comment on yet another Boully newspaper venture. With its November 13,1874, issue, Boully slightly altered the title of his newspaper to the Hamilton Visitor. In July, 1875, Boully and the editor of the Columbus Daily Enquirer began an editorial back-and-forth after Boully took offense to only receiving the Enquirer’s weekly edition. Boully’s complaint lead the Enquirer to question the Visitor’s circulation numbers which heightened the conflict. Boully had a history of bickering with larger newspapers, as he also editorially sparred with the Atlanta Daily Sun while serving as an editor in West Point, Georgia. In September, 1875, citing poor health, Boully placed the Hamilton Visitor up for sale. Despite providing a reason, speculation still rose regarding the abrupt sale of the Visitor. True to his infamy, Boully later went on to publish newspapers in Alabama and Florida. The Hamilton Visitor, after brief management by Captain Thomas B. Stubbs, came under the ownership of C. B. LaHatte and Eugene Granberry in January 1876. The new owners changed the paper’s title to the Hamilton Journal and moved publishing days to Wednesdays but otherwise left the paper unchanged. In December 1877, LaHatte was elected president of Gainesville College, which resulted in Granberry purchasing LaHatte’s shares of the Hamilton Journal. Granberry was sole editor and publisher until October 10, 1878, when he offered the Journal to Joseph L. Dennis. In partnership with Major J. T. Blount, Dennis purchased the newspaper and remained with the publication until 1889. During Dennis’ tenure, the paper began to more openly identify with the Democratic Party, and this political alignment continued until 1948. For two weeks in May, 1879, the paper briefly printed under the title Hamilton Visitor, The Hamilton Journal before returning to Hamilton Journal. From 1885 to 1887, Dennis published the newspaper semi-weekly as the Hamilton Journal, Published Semi-Weekly. Dennis again reverted the title to the Hamilton Journal before selling out to Reverend A. E. Williams in 1889. Williams appointed W. A. Farley as editor of the Journal, and this arrangement continued until 1903 when L. P. Jenkins became owner. Jenkins was associated with the newspaper for a single year and sold out to Leroy Hirchberg in 1904 who subsequently returned the paper to Reverend Williams in 1905. The Journal was once again sold in 1906 to Colonal A. L. Hardy who organized the newspaper under a stock company called the Journal Publishing Company. The company consisted of A. L. Hardy, Zan Copeland, Maggie Brawner, C. F. McLaughlin, and Nannie Howard. McLaughin was the paper’s business manager, and Howard worked as a printer. In 1907, Charles K. Stout joined the newspaper in an editorial capacity, and he purchased ownership in the paper in 1908. Stout became the Journal’s longest owner to-date by remaining proprietor of the paper until his death in 1935. In March, 1920, Stout announced his retirement from the editorial helm of the newspaper but retained his role as an owner. J. C. Moultron replaced Stout as editor and the Hamilton Journal and Chipley News (another newspaper Stout owned) consolidated to become the Harris County Journal. After C. K. Stout’s death on June 14, 1935, his son, Clarence T. Stout, became the Journal’s owner. Clarence managed the paper for ten years before selling out to Sherwood Broome in 1945. By 1951, the newspaper was owned by W. C. Woodall and Johnston C. Woodall. Today, the Harris County Journal continues to print as Hamilton and Harris County, Georgia’s, weekly legal organ.