FIRST NEWSPAPERS -- COL. DEMORSE

Col. Charles DeMorse's famous periodical, then possibly the second newspaper circulated in Texas, was called the Northern Standard and was founded by him on December 20, 1841, in Clarksville. Its motto at first was "Long may this banner brave the breeze, the standard of the free". Before Col. Charles DeMorse was wounded as a Confederate soldier, the word northern did not affect his sensibilities, but after the Civil War its acrid memories for him made extermination necessary, and both the word Northern and "The Northern" were withdrawn. The subscription price of this paper was $5.00 per year and later was reduced to $3.00 and still later to $1.50 and $1.00. An old log house first served as office and publication building, but in the year 1855 the plant was installed in a brick building erected for publishing purposes and office.

The editor and founder of "The Northern Standard", Col. Charles DeMorse, was a man of keen ability and influence. He was born in Massachusetts, reared in New York, and came to Texas in the time of the Texas Revolution. He came as a soldier to Texas in the Moorehouse Battalion but arrived too late to participate in the Battle of San Jacinto. However, he was in hearing distance of the guns of that momentous event in the history of Texas. He served in both the army and navy in Texas, filling various positions in the government services of the Republic prior to his coming