Obituary: Gallatin North Missourian 1864 – 2021

In 1864, Journey to the Center of the Earth by Jules Verne was published. Abraham Lincoln was president. The Civil War was still being fought. Cars and radios were not yet invented.

September 15, 1864, was the fourth issue of the paper and the first one available on microfiche. It was four pages long. A subscription would set you back $2 a year and editors and proprietors Waters & Kost promised it would be “printed on good material.”

On the front page of the Sept. 15 issue, there was a Professional Card for John A. Leopard who had a practice “in the office on the corner, northeast of the Public Square,” poetry titled “Wounded unto Death,” and The Moralist had a piece titled “The Right Sort of Religion.” The paper also included the Hannibal & St. Joseph Railroad Time Table and Mabies Grand Menagerie was the most eye-catching ad.

Below are some excerpts from the Sept. 15 issue.

• Article titled Bold Theft, “On Tuesday a couple of scoundrels made their appearance in our city, seeking whom they might devour…The gambling thieves were lodged in jail where they will be properly taken care of.”
• More Cold-Blooded Murder article included phrases such as “devil in human form,” “villainous scoundrel and thief,” “bloody wretches,” and “reign of terror.”
• The paper identified those who were secessionists and became radical loyalists “of the fiercest fire and brimstone stamp.”

The North Missourian was preceded in death by Missouri Sun, Gallatin Sun, Gallatin Spectator, Western Register, Peoples Press, Gallatin Democrat, and Daviess County Republican, all of Gallatin; the Winston Sentinel, Coffey Sun, Altamont Times, Pattonsburg Call, Lock Springs Herald, Jameson Laconic, and 21 other Daviess County publications.

The North Missourian is survived by Tri-County Weekly of Jamesport, the last surviving newspaper located in Daviess County, MO.

The North Missourian has witnessed a lot of changes and history during its 156 years. A video of the North Missourian’s final press run will be posted on the North Missourian Facebook page by the end of the week. Memorials may be left on the North Missourian Facebook page, https://www.facebook.com/northmissourian.

~ by Jennifer Millet, GPC employee