History of papers in Franklin County

by Barbara Stewart and Mik Muller

The Greenfield Gazette has had many names, including its current name The Recorder. Below you will find a table of dates and names showing the history of this fine publication, and others in the same time period.

1792 - The Impartial Intelligencer - Feb. 1, 1792 - July 26, 1792
1793 - The Greenfield Gazette - Aug. 2, 1792 - Feb. 26, 1795
1795 - Greenfield Gazette, or, Massachusetts and Vermont Telegraph - Mar. 5, 1795 - Dec. 28, 1797
1798 - Greenfield Gazette - Jan. 4, 1798 - Feb. 5, 1811
1811 - The Traveller - Feb. 12, 1811 - Dec. 31, 1811
1812 - The Franklin Herald - Jan. 7, 1812 - Aug. 27, 1822
1822 - The Franklin Herald and Public Advertiser - Sept. 3, 1822 - June 19, 1827
1827 - The Greenfield Gazette and Franklin Herald - June 26, 1827 - June 27, 1837
1837 - Gazette & Mercury - July 4, 1837 - July 13, 1841
1841 - Gazette & Courier (some issues have title Gazette Courier) - July 20, 1841 - June 24, 1932 (formed by the merger of Gazette & Mercury and the Greenfield Recorder. Merged with the Greenfield Daily Recorder to become the Daily Recorder - Gazette).
1900 - Greenfield Recorder - Jan. 3, 1900 - Dec. 31, 1919.
1920 - Greenfield Daily Recorder - Jan. 5, 1920 - June 25, 1932.
1932 - The Daily Recorder - Gazette - June 27, 1932 - Jan. 4, 1936.
1936 - Greenfield Recorder - Gazette - Jan. 6, 1936 - Dec. 31, 1966.
1967 - Greenfield Recorder Gazette and Courier - Jan. 3, 1967 - Nov. 18, 1969.
1969 - Greenfield Recorder - Nov. 19, 1969 - Aug. 31, 1985
1985 - Recorder - Sept. 3, 1985 - to the present.

The daily web version of the Recorder is available at http://www.recorder.com/   Original paper copies of back issues are located at the Pocumtuck Valley Memorial Association Museum and Library in Deerfield. Microfilm copies of back issues are located at the Recorder offices in Greenfield, the Greenfield Public Library, the W.E.B. Du Bois Library, University of Massachusetts Amherst, the Boston Public Library, and the Antiquarian Association.

See the Genealogy in Franklin County, Massachusetts Bibliography of Newspapers, at http://www.rootsweb.com/~mafrankl/znwsp.html  for more information.

Information in this summary was also taken from the reference book "Montague City, Massachusetts, 1792 - 1900", compiled by Thomas C. Burnham, and available in most Franklin County libraries. Ask your librarian.

Note: August 2002 saw the re-establishment of the Montague Reporter as well, which hopefully will become available online someday.