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Chronicling America
National Endowment for the Humanities

Newspaper The Democratic Advocate (Westminster, Md.) 1865-1972

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About The Democratic Advocate (Westminster, Md.) 1865-1972

Westminster, Maryland’s Democratic Advocate literally rose from the ashes of its predecessor, the Western Maryland Democrat, which fell victim to an angry mob that destroyed its premises and equipment in the aftermath of Abraham Lincoln’s assassination in April 1865. A few weeks later, the proprietor of the Democrat, Joseph Shaw, met a similar fate when he was attacked and murdered in a hotel in Westminster. In the aftermath of this violence, William H. Davis established the weekly Democratic Advocate in November 1865. A former publisher of the Western Maryland Democrat, Davis had the support of the local Democratic Party, but soon turned operations over to Joseph M. Parke, a lawyer and Democratic office holder. In 1868, William H. Vanderford assumed control of the Democratic Advocate, with his father, Henry Vanderford as editor. The elder Vanderford was a longtime newspaperman who had published the Cecil Democrat in the 1840s. In the 1870s, William’s younger brother Charles Vanderford joined the business as a co-editor. An energetic newspaperman, Charles had experience with the Middletown Transcript in Delaware and the Old Commonwealth of Harrisonburg, Virginia.

In contrast to the violent political passions exhibited in the Civil War years, the pages of the Democratic Advocate reflected the more mundane interests of the people of central Maryland in the postwar era. The formation of the Carroll County Agricultural Society and the opening of its handsome fair grounds and racetrack near Westminster in 1869 was an indicator of the importance of modern farming to the economic welfare of the area. Milling was a profitable enterprise connected to agriculture, and the murder of a prominent local miller in 1872 caused a sensation. The repeated trials, appeals, and eventual execution of Joseph W. Davis for this crime filled the pages of the Democratic Advocate and its rival, the American Sentinel. Newspapers in Carroll County also were repositories for contributions by local writers. Often ignored, their amateur poems provided a unique window into the hearts, minds, and concerns of citizens. On a more professional front, higher education in Carroll County received a major boost when Western Maryland College commenced classes in 1867.

The Democratic Advocate continued under the leadership of William H. Vanderford until his death in 1906, at which time it was taken over by the Democratic Advocate Company. From 1906 to 1960, Edward O. Diffendal served as editor was. In 1968, the Democratic Advocate was acquired by and merged into the Carroll County Times.

Provided By: University of Maryland, College Park, MD

About this Newspaper

Title

  • The Democratic Advocate (Westminster, Md.) 1865-1972

Dates of Publication

  • 1865-1972

Created / Published

  • Westminster, Md. : William H. Davis

Headings

  • -  Carroll County (Md.)--Newspapers
  • -  Maryland--Politics and government--Newspapers
  • -  Politics and government
  • -  Maryland
  • -  Maryland--Carroll County
  • -  United States--Maryland--Carroll--Westminster

Genre

  • Newspapers

Notes

  • -  Semiweekly, July 24, 1969-
  • -  Vol. 1, no. 1 (Nov. 30, 1865)-
  • -  Ceased in Sept. 1972?
  • -  Archived issues are available in digital format from the Library of Congress Chronicling America online collection.
  • -  Carroll County times (Westminster, Md.) 0746-7494 (DLC)sn 83005986 (OCoLC)10255086

Medium

  • volumes

Call Number/Physical Location

  • Newspaper

Library of Congress Control Number

  • sn85038292

OCLC Number

  • 12126077

ISSN Number

  • 2474-3291

Succeeding Titles

Additional Metadata Formats

Availability

Rights & Access

The Library of Congress believes that the newspapers in Chronicling America are in the public domain or have no known copyright restrictions. Newspapers published in the United States more than 95 years ago are in the public domain in their entirety. Any newspapers in Chronicling America that were published less than 95 years ago are also believed to be in the public domain, but may contain some copyrighted third party materials. Researchers using newspapers published less than 95 years ago should be alert for modern content (for example, registered and renewed for copyright and published with notice) that may be copyrighted. Responsibility for making an independent legal assessment of an item and securing any necessary permissions ultimately rests with persons desiring to use the item.

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Cite This Item

Citations are generated automatically from bibliographic data as a convenience, and may not be complete or accurate.

Chicago citation style:

The Democratic Advocate Westminster, Md. -1972. (Westminster, MD), Jan. 1 1865. https://aj.sunback.homes/item/sn85038292/.

APA citation style:

(1865, January 1) The Democratic Advocate Westminster, Md. -1972. Retrieved from the Library of Congress, https://aj.sunback.homes/item/sn85038292/.

MLA citation style:

The Democratic Advocate Westminster, Md. -1972. (Westminster, MD) 1 Jan. 1865. Retrieved from the Library of Congress, aj.sunback.homes/item/sn85038292/.