Western Reserve Chronicle Archive

The Western Reserve Chronicle and Weekly Transcript of the Times and the Western Reserve Chronicle have their beginnings in the first newspaper issued in the Western Reserve: the Trump of Fame, which began publication on June 9, 1812, in Warren, the seat of Trumbull County, Ohio.  Edited by Thomas D. Webb and printed by David Fleming, the weekly paper covered news from Washington, D.C., and around the world and often printed speeches in Congress and discussions relating to foreign affairs, as citizens were expected to keep up with local news and events on their own.  It was not long after the Trump of Fame was established that on October 4, 1816, the paper’s new proprietor, Fitch Bissell, changed its name to the Western Reserve Chronicle. 

The Western Reserve Chronicle and Weekly Transcript of the Times was established in February 1854, when the Western Reserve Transcript and Whig, founded in 1848 as the Trumbull County Whig, united with the Western Reserve Chronicle.  Before merging, the two papers had opposing political views, with the Chronicle being managed by the Free-Soil Party and the Transcript and Whig by the Whig Party.  The fusion of these two papers coincided with the merger of these rival groups into the Republican Party upon the passing of the Kansas-Nebraska bill, which rescinded the Missouri Compromise. 

James Dumars edited the Transcript and Whig until October 1854.  In April 1855, Comfort A. Adams and George N. Hapgood became proprietors of the paper and restored its name to the Western Reserve Chronicle.  In February 1861, the Chronicle absorbed William Ritezel’s Trumbull Democrat, since the two publications had developed similar political viewpoints.  Adams, Hapgood, and Ritezel published and edited the Chronicle by jointly until 1865 when Adams retired and Hapgood died, leaving Ritezel as the sole owner and editor. During the Civil War, the Western Reserve Chronicle adopted the policy of giving its readers the information that they wanted most and thus began to publish news of Trumbull County soldiers from the field.  At the same time, the publication exerted its influence in support of the government and Republican Party candidates. The Chronicle also began to fill its columns with more local news.

In 1877, Benjamin J. Taylor and Franklin Moore Ritezel joined William Ritezel under the name of William Ritezel and Company, which in 1883, launched the Warren Daily Chronicle, a daily version of the weekly Western Reserve Chronicle, which likewise continued publication.  Upon the death of William Ritezel in 1901, Taylor and F. M. Ritezel assumed ownership of the Chronicle.  In 1905, Frank S. Van Gorder purchased Taylor’s interest, and he and Ritezel continued to publish the paper with Ritezel serving as editor and Van Gorder as business manager.  As the popularity of the daily edition grew, the weekly Western Reserve Chronicle ceased publication in July 1921.