Abstracts from the Northern Standard and the Red River District [Texas]

The Northern Standard was a weekly newspaper first published in 1842 by Charles DeMorse in Clarksville, a small town in the northeastern corner of the Republic of Texas. The paper grew to become the second largest in circulation in Texas and DeMorse was hailed as the Father of Texas Journalism. The wealth of information published in The Standard was important, both to the settlers in the mid-1800s and present-day researchers. Thousands of surnames of settlers can be found in the paper and there are details aplenty about small town daily life more than a hundred and fifty years ago. This pioneer press covered northeastern Texas, a vast region whose population increased dramatically after Texas won independence from Mexico in 1836. The authors first draw a lively historical sketch of the area before presenting the newspaper abstracts in chronological order. Genealogical information abounds: marriages, political and election news, advertisements, strays, administration of estates, court news, agricultural news, runaway slaves, land for sale, lost headright certificates, letters left at the post office, temperance meetings, church news, fraternal organizations news, riverboat traffic, and crimes committed. The abstracts are followed by footnotes and a full name index.