The ''New Jersey Journal'' is the name of a

newspaper A newspaper is a Periodical literature, periodical publication containing written News, information about current events and is often typed in black ink with a white or gray background. Newspapers can cover a wide variety of fields such as p ...

established by Shepard Kollock in

Chatham, New Jersey "The Chathams" is a term used in reference to shared services for two neighboring municipalities in Morris County, New Jersey, United States – Chatham Borough and Chatham Township. The two are separate municipalities. The first, a town that w ...

in 1779 while it was a village in the state of

New Jersey New Jersey is a state in the Mid-Atlantic and Northeastern regions of the United States. It is bordered on the north and east by the state of New York; on the east, southeast, and south by the Atlantic Ocean; on the west by the Delaware ...

, which had declared its independence in 1776 from the British colony named, the

Province of New Jersey The Province of New Jersey was one of the Middle Colonies of Colonial America and became the U.S. state of New Jersey in 1783. The province had originally been settled by Europeans as part of New Netherland but came under English rule after t ...

. The newspaper continued to be published throughout the

American Revolutionary War The American Revolutionary War (April 19, 1775 – September 3, 1783), also known as the Revolutionary War or American War of Independence, was a major war of the American Revolution. Widely considered as the war that secured the independence of t ...

and into the founding of the United States, its states, and its evolving local governments. The newspaper, which was restarted as the ''Elizabeth Daily Journal'' in 1787, was published until January 3, 1992, which was 212 years after it first started. At that time, it was the fourth oldest newspaper published continuously in the United States and the oldest newspaper in New Jersey. The ''New Jersey Journal'' was an effective force working toward the unification of sentiment, the awakening of a consciousness of a common purpose, interest, and destiny among the separate revolting colonies, and of a determination to see the war through to its successful conclusion in 1783. Newspapers of that time were more single-minded than the people, and they bore no small share of the burden of arousing and supporting the often discouraged and indifferent public spirit.

History

The newspaper was founded by Shepard Kollock, who established his press in the village of Chatham, New Jersey during 1779. The ''New Jersey Journal'' was the third newspaper that started publication in New Jersey. Kollock's newspaper became a catalyst in the revolution. News of events came directly to the editor from

George Washington George Washington (February 22, 1732, 1799) was an American military officer, statesman, and Founding Father who served as the first president of the United States from 1789 to 1797. Appointed by the Continental Congress as commander of ...

's headquarters in nearby Morristown, boosting the morale of the troops and their families, and he conducted lively debates about the efforts for independence with those who opposed and supported the cause he championed. During the evacuation of New York in 1783, he moved his press to that city and established the ''New York Gazetteer'', initially published weekly and then three times a week. He also started a newspaper in New Brunswick, New Jersey. In 1787, he relocated and established his last publication location in Elizabethtown and adopted the name of the new location into his original newspaper title. He remained its owner and editor until 1818 when he sold his printing establishment. The ''Elizabeth Daily Journal'', which had advocated for presidents

Thomas Jefferson Thomas Jefferson (April 13, 1743 – July 4, 1826) was an American statesman, diplomat, lawyer, architect, philosopher, and Founding Father who served as the third president of the United States from 1801 to 1809. He was previously the natio ...

James Madison James Madison Jr. (March 16, 1751June 28, 1836) was an American statesman, diplomat, and Founding Father. He served as the fourth president of the United States from 1809 to 1817. Madison is hailed as the "Father of the Constitution" for h ...

, and

James Monroe James Monroe ( ; April 28, 1758July 4, 1831) was an American statesman, lawyer, diplomat, and Founding Father who served as the fifth president of the United States from 1817 to 1825. A member of the Democratic-Republican Party, Monroe was ...

while Kollock was its owner and editor, ceased publication on Friday, January 3, 1992, after 212 years from its original start, the fourth oldest newspaper published continuously in the United States and the oldest newspaper published in New Jersey.

Other Kollock press publications

Kollock also published several books on his press in Chatham: *''The United States Almanack, for the Year of our Lord 1780'' in 1779 *''The New-England Primer Improved, for the more easy attaining the true Reading of English, To which is added, the Assembly of Divines, and Mr. Cotton's Catechism'' in 1782 *''Ebenezer Elmer, Surgeon of the Regiment, An e ogy on the late Francis Barber, Esq: Lieutenant Colonel Commandant of the Second New-Jersey Regiment'' in 1783 By 1808, he was publishing the "Journal of the Proceedings" and "Minutes of Joint Meetings" of the

New Jersey Legislative Council The New Jersey Legislative Council was the upper house of the New Jersey Legislature under the New Jersey Constitution of 1776 until it was replaced by the New Jersey Senate under the Constitution of 1844. History The Legislative Council replaced ...

.Journal of the proceedings of the Legislative Council of the State of New Jersey
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References

External links

{dead link, date=February 2018 , bot=InternetArchiveBot , fix-attempted=yes Publications established in 1779 Publications disestablished in 1992 Defunct newspapers published in New Jersey

History

Other Kollock press publications

Further reading

References

External links