Marietta Journal/Marietta Daily Journal

HISTORY

Newspapers

  • The Marietta Daily Journal traces its lineage to the Marietta Advocate, which, established in 1843, was Marietta's first newspaper.

  • Georgia Historic Newspapers essay on Marietta Advocate: "The Advocate is the oldest newspaper published in Marietta, having published only a month earlier than the second-oldest newspaper, Helicon. The two newspapers were political rivals, as Calder’s Advocate supported the Democratic Party and the Helicon aligned itself with the Whig Party. The near-simultaneous appearance of competing newspapers in Marietta coincides with an economic boom in the area, despite Atlanta becoming the Western and Atlantic Railroad hub over Marietta. It isn’t clear why Calder originally chose to call his paper the Cherokee Advocate, since Marietta was located in the relatively new Cobb County, but Cobb County was one of ten counties formed out of seized Cherokee Native American land. Between 1843 and 1847, the paper was retitled as the Marietta Advocate, perhaps due to another contemporaneous Cherokee Advocate published by the Cherokee Nation. In 1845, Ralph McAlpin Goodman, the editor-in-chief at the Augusta Constitutionalist since 1844, purchased land near Marietta and moved to the town in 1847. The same year as his arrival, Goodman took over the editorial helm of the Marietta Advocate while Calder remained as publisher. Goodman was not associated with the Advocate for long, however, and resigned his position in the spring of 1848 due to disagreements with the area’s leading Democrats on the issue of secession; Goodman held strong unionist beliefs and would not retract his stance despite pressure from local party leaders. Goodman was recruited, due to his unionist sentiments, to be editor of the newly formed Constitutional Union in Marietta, which shared its name with a new political party in the state. The Union supported Howell Cobb for Governor, and the Advocate backed Charles J. McDonald. William H. Hunt took over Goodman’s editorial duties at the Marietta Advocate until 1851, when Simeon A. Atkinson purchased the Advocate and merged it with the Constitutional Union to form the Cherokee Georgian. The Marietta Advocate, however, reemerged in 1859 again under the proprietorship of William H. Hunt. Goodman also reappeared at this time, having purchased the Southern Statesman in 1860, and he recommenced editorializing against secession. The Southern Statesman was short-lived, and Hunt consolidated the title under his Marietta Advocate. Throughout the Civil War, the Advocate passed through several hands and even briefly circulated semi-weekly, but in the later years of the war, R. M. Goodman and Company took over ownership of the newspaper. The Advocate was forced to cease publication upon William Sherman’s arrival in 1864 and Goodman later established the Marietta Journal in 1866. The Marietta Journal became the Marietta Daily Journal and continues to publish today as Marietta’s legal organ."

  • From Griffith, L. T., Talmadge, J. E., & Drewry, J. E. (1951). Georgia journalism, 1763-1950. University of Georgia Press (pgs. 388-389): "Goodman had come to Marietta in 1848, where he was associated with the Advocate and the Constitutional Union, both published at Marietta prior to [the American Civil War]. In 1866, J. A. Massey was associated with Goodman in founding the Journal, and soon after, W. S. N. Neal came into the enterprise. In 1869 the firm became Goodman, Massey, and Neal. The partnership continued until January 1, 1875, when Goodman sold his interests to his partners and retired. Neal and Massey jointly owned and operated the Journal for 41 years after that, selling their interests on August 19, 1909, to Josiah Carter, a former Atlanta newspaperman, who had organized a stock company for purchase of the Journal. He and his wife [Mrs. Annie L. Carter] edited the publication for a number of years [Annie Carter becomes editor-in-chief following Josiah Carter's death in 1914], and their son, Josiah Carter, Jr., was associated with them.

In 1917 David Comfort, a native of Thomas County, came to the Journal as editor and piloted the paper through the latter period of World War I, leaving in early 1921. In December, 1920, William Lloyd Harris, formerly of Dalton, became associate editor of the Journal, and in about three months he became editor. The paper was still owned by the stock company, with Morgan McNeal, Sr., L. B. Robeson, and E. P. Dobbs serving as officers and directors. Harris gradually bought in the stock until he became sole owner of the Marietta Publishing Company and the Marietta Journal.

Harris edited and published the Journal until September, 1948, when a new corporation, the Marietta Journal Publishing Company, Inc., with Brooks P. Smith as president, bought the publication. Smith took over active management and now edits and publishes the paper [ca. 1951]. . .In October, 1935, the Journal became a daily, and in April 1946, a Sunday edition was added. . ."

  • Legal organ for Cobb County

Other

City

County

Superior Court Districts

  • Cherokee Circuit, Dec. 3, 1832 — Dec. 16, 1833

  • Coweta Circuit, Dec. 16, 1833 — Nov. 24,1851

  • Blue Ridge Circuit, Nov. 24, 1851 — Feb. 19, 1951

  • Cobb Circuit, Feb. 19, 1951 —

Population - Census

  • 1840: 7,539

  • 1850: 13,843

  • 1860: 14,242

  • 1870: 13,814

  • 1880: 20,748

  • 1890: 22,286

  • 1900: 24,664

  • 1910: 28,397

  • 1920: 30,437

  • 1930: 35,405

  • 1940: 38,272

  • 1950: 61,830

  • 1960: 114,174

  • 1970: 196,793

ALREADY DIGITIZED BY DLG

FILM HOLDINGS within Proposed Theme (19 Reels)

Marietta Journal (Daily), 1918-1944; sn89053963

  • Dec 1937 - Feb 1939

  • Mar 1939 - Mar 1940

  • Apr 1940 - Feb 1941

  • Mar 1941 - May 1942

  • Jun 1942 - Sep 1943

  • Oct 1943 - Jun 1944

  • Jul-Sep 15, 1944

Marietta Daily Journal (Daily), 1944-current; sn84002072

  • Sep 18, 1944 - Feb 1945

  • Mar - Nov 1945

  • Dec 1945 - May 1946

  • Jun 1946 - Dec 1946

  • Jan 1947 - Jun 1947

  • Jul 1947 - Dec 1947

  • Jan 1948 - Jun 1948

  • Jul 1948 - Nov 1948

  • Dec 1948 - May 1949

  • Jun 1949 - Nov 1949

  • Dec 1949 - May 1950

  • Jun 1950 - Dec 1950