Pag Four
This Year Marks The
190 th Anniversary
Of N. Carolina Press
James Davis, First State Printer, Opened Shop in New Bern
in 1749; Remarkable Strides Made in the Last Three
quarters of a Century by Newspapers and
Printing Presses
By GERTRUDE S. CARRAWAY
With the remarkable strides
made by newspapers and printing
presses in North Carolina in the
last three quarters of a century,
it is interesting to note that this
year marks the 190 th anniversary
of the press in this state.
For, on June 24, 1749, James
Davis went to New Bern from
Virginia as the first printer in the
province, through invitation and
subsidy of the General Assembly.
During the first week of July,
1751, he started the first news
paper in North Carolina. In the
same year he printed the first
book ever published in this pro
vince, Swann's "Revisal of the
Laws of the Province."
Before the arrival of Davis,
citizens of the colony read little.
Cape Fear planters sometimes
saw the South Carolina Gazette,
and other North Carolinians of
ten read the Virginia Gazette,
still published at Williamsburg as
the South's oldest paper.
After long consideration and
discussion, the General Assembly
in 1749 passed an act encourag
ing the establishment of a print
ing press. Davis accepted the
bid to leave Virginia and come to
North Carolina. New Bern was
selected for his headquarters. It
was then the capital of the pro
vince and the largest of the three
chief towns, New Bern, Wilming
ton, and Edenton, having about
500 or 600 inhabitants.
Upqn establishment of his
printing press at New Bern, Davis
first printed money for the pro
vince and the journals of the As
sembly meetings of 1749 and
1750. A second edition of his
first book, Swann's Revisal of the
Laws, came out in 1752, and be
cause of its tannish leather bind
ing was called "The Yellow Jack
et."
Old Issue Found
The earliest issue of his first
*, * > * ' ...v.,.,.,,;.,.. \ 4> * * * > *
& '*' ®%, ——————______^
AS BUILDING CONTRACTORS, WE'RE PROUD OF THE PART WE'VE PLAYED
IN THE CONSTRUCTION OF THE NEW ADDITION TO THE ELKIN PLANT!
The Chatham Manufacturing Company is to be congratulated upon the completion of its new
finishing and shipping department. - .
' This Company has continued to forge ahead through the years, and we feel proud that we have
played a large part in the construction of the buildings that have been found necessary as pro
gress demanded.
To the Chatham Manufacturing Company we express our hope that the years may bring good
business and continued expansion. To its employees we express every good wish for happiness
r | and prosprity. - j
FRANK L. BLUM COMPANY
BUILDING CONTRACTORS WINSTON-SALEM, N. C.
weekly newspaper now extant is
dated November 15, 1751, and is
listed as No. 15 of the publication.
This was discovered only a few
years ago in the binding of an
old book of county court minutes
in Tyrrell county. Previously it
had been believed that Davis'
paper was first issued in later
years.
On the first page of the old
paper is this announcement:
"With the Freshest Advices,
Foreign and Domestic. All per
sons may be supplied with this
paper, at Four Shillings, Procla
mation Money, per Quarter, by
James Davis at the Printing Of
fice at Newßern; where all Man
ner of Printing Work and Book-
Binding is done reasonable. Ad
vertisements of a modern length
are inserted for Three Shillings
in the first week, and for Two
Shillings for every Week after."
Probably not having paid ex
penses during the 10 years, the
paper-was suspended in 1761. On
June 1, 1764, it was revived by
Davis under a longer name, "The
North Carolina Magazine, or Un
iversal Intelligencer." For an un
known time it appeared on a
demisheet in quarto pages. Judge
Francis Xavier Martin, later an
editor and historian before be
coming Attorney-General and
Chief Justice in Louisiana, wrote
of the "jejune and vapid papers,
filled with long extracts from the
works of theological writers or
selections from the British mag
azines."
In 1768 Davis revived his Ga
zette for a decade, suspending it
again when his son was drafted
in the Continental army.
First Pamphlet
The first book or pamphlet
known to have been compiled by
a North Carolinian and printed
in the colony was published on
Davis' press in 1753—"Collections
THE ELKIN TRIBUNE, ELKIN, NORTH CAROLINA
Veteran
' ? V '
Hira ' s^§y
H. C. Graham, assistant
treasurer and a member of the
board of directors of the Chat
ham Manufacturing Company,
who has been with the com
pany for 26 years, starting in
the shipping department. Mr.
Graham is also in charge of
general bookkeeping. He is
among the oldest employees in
point of service.
of Christian Experiences," by the
Rev. Clement Hall.
Davis was appointed by Benja
min Franklin as postmaster at
New Bern in 1775. The next Oc
tober the Assembly authorized the
first post, to be run every 11 days
between Suffolk and Wilmington.
For 100 pounds, six shillings and
eight pence, proclamation money,
Davis was engaged for this work.
For 32 years he served as pub
lic printer, though his career was
by no means smooth. Only scant
support came from his fellow
citizens. Little news of local in
terest was printed in his sheets.
In 1769 his house was destroyed
by a severe storm, his printing
office was demolished, his type
was buried in sand, and all his
money and papers were lost.
Charges of neglect of public
duty were brought against him
by Royal Governor Arthta Dobbs
and others. Andrew Steuart, a
Scot of Philadelphia, was brought
to North Carolina and appointed
by Dobbs as "His Majesty's
Printer."
Davis Reappointed
A dispute arose, however, be
tween the Governor and the As
GRAHAM WITH
CO. 26 YEARS
Assistant Secretary and Di
rector Began Here in
Shipping Department.
OWNS HIS HOME HERE
H. C. Graham, assistant secre
tary and in charge of the gen
eral bookkeeping department of
the Chatham Manufacturing com
pany, is another member of the
mill personnel who has had many
years of service with the com
pany.
With Chatham 26 years, Mr.
Graham first started in the
shipping department, later being
transferred to the bookkeeping
department as assistant to Mason
Lillard, who at that time was
general bookkeeper. He later
succeeded Mr. Lillard in this po
sition.
When he began work with the
company, Mr. Graham was with
the Elkin plant, but in 1924 he
was transferred to Winston-Sa
lem. However, although working
in that city, he has maintained
his home here.
In addition to his other duties,
Mr. Graham has been a member
of the board of directors of the
company for the past 18 or 20
years.
In point of service, he is num
bered among the oldest em
ployees, starting in at about the
same time as did W. A. Neaves,
now vice-president and general
superintendent, and A. L. Butler,
vice-president and secretary,
Prior to becoming connected
with the Chatham company, Mr.
Graham was with the accounting
department of the Old Dominion
Steamship Co., of New York.
sembly. The House denounced
the action of the Governor, voted
100 pounds to Steuart for his
trouble in coming unnecessarily
to the section, and then reap
pointed Davis as public printer.
From 1778 to 1783, during the
Revolutionary period, there was
no newspaper in North Carolina.
At different times, however, there
are believed to have been four
presses in operation in North
Carolina during that era: one at
New Bern, one in Halifax, an
other with the army of Lord
(Continued on Page 8, This Sei.)
II WELCOME I
I Chatham I
I Employees! I
I We Take This Means of Telling You We're Glad I
to Have You Make This Community
Your Home and Hope You May
Find Only Happiness and
Contentment!
1 TO OFFICIALS OF THE CHATHAM MANU- I
FACTURING COMPANY WE EXTEND CON
GRATULATIONS UPON THE COMPLETION I
OF THE NEW PLANT.
| SEE US FOR EXPERT I
AUTO REPAIRING I
I WASHING - POLISHING - GREASING I
REECE & BAKER I
EAST MAIN STREET NEAR NEW BRIDGE
Ed Reece Harvey Baker