The Southwestern Historical Quarterly, Volume 36, July 1932 - April, 1933 Page: 46

Southwestern Historical Quarterly

him a number of good looking recruits for the army. He has
organized several companies in the settlements in that vicinity,
who as soon as the crops, which are unusually great, shall have
been gathered, will repair to Head-Quarters.
"A person who accompanied Mr. Milom on his expedition under-
taken about a year since in quest of mines, who has arrived in
town, informs us that that enterprising citizen has attained the
object of his search, and is now working a silver mine within fifty
miles of St. Antonio."
It will be recalled that Eli Harris, named in all references to the
Texas Republican as its publisher, was referred to in these notes
as having been "some years ago" publisher of a newspaper at
Franklin, Tennessee. The Louisiana Gazette of September 4, 1819,
as quoted by Winkler, referred to Harris as a native of North
Carolina. I am now able to throw a bit more light on his experi-
ence antecedent to his publication of the first Texas newspaper.
In the rich newspaper collection of the American Antiquarian
Society is preserved a single issue of the Mountain Echo, dated
January 6, 1816, published at McMinnville, Tennessee, by Eli
Harris. This was the first issue of that newspaper; in it the pub-
lisher says: "The next number of this paper will appear on this
day two weeks; after which time, it will be published regularly
every Saturday." How long this enterprise continued we have no
way of determining. At some time between his publishing ven-
tures at McMinnville and Nacogdoches came his connection with
the press at Franklin. Can we carry his record back any further?
I cannot say, but there is one clue which may be rewarded in
further investigation by interested students.
A man named Harris was co-publisher with Thomas W. Ruble
of the Richmond, Kentucky, Globe in 1809 and 1810. No first
naine or initial was indicated in the newspaper. In the course of
preparing a bibliography of Kentucky book and pamphlet imprints,
I have found that his first initial was E.2 Whether this E. Harris
of Kentucky was Eli Harris of Tennessee and Texas cannot as yet
be determined.
2This is shown by the imprint on Dr. Thomas W. Ruble's American
Medical Guide for the Use of Families, which reads: "Richmond, [Ky.]
Printed by E. Harris, for the Author." The Globe is the only newspaper
known to have been active at that period in Richmond, and it is, therefore,
perfectly clear that E. Harris, printer of Richmond in 1810 was Harris,
newspaper publisher of Richmond in the same year, particularly since he
was printing a book of which his newspaper partner was the author.