SPENCE-John H. - Fountain County INGenWeb Project

John H. SPENCE, editor of the Covington People's Paper was born in Covington Sept 4, 1833 and has had a continual residence in the city during all that time except 3 years in California and 2 in IIlinois. During his residence in California he worked at the case in the Marysville Daily Express office and for a short time had charge of the city route of that paper. After coming back to the states, he found his parents living in Illinois near Charleston Coles County. Here he had charge of the Coles County Ledger under the ownership of John B. Easton for a time but later leaving that town, he with Mr. Rufus Hooton establisheed the Mattoon Gazette in the year 1857 it being the first paper published int hat city. Then selling out his half interest to Hooton, he moved back to Covington and purchased the People's Friend from Mr. Cowan and had charge of that paper 14 years when he sold his entire interest to Ezra Voris. After remaining out of the business a short time he went to Veedersburg, the same county and established the pioneer paper in that town the Fountain County Herald. After publishing it about 3 months he removed the plant to Attica, changing the title of the paper to that of the Attica Herald; here he stayed for a short time only removing to Lafayette Indiana having received assurances of a large subscription and paying support in advertising and job work from the Greenback party. It was in this city he left the Democratic party and joined hands with Republicans again changing the name of the paper to the Lafayette Republican. He remained in lafayette until after the hard fought political battle of 1874 assisting very materially in achieving a big victory for the Republicans. Later in the fall he boxed and shipped the plant to Covington wher he has remained fighting vigorously for the principles of the Republican party. In 1886, Mr. WF Vogt became possessed of the enitre plant (retaining Mr. Spence as editor) and he has added to the material of the office and established it on a firm foundation. As a citizen, Mr. Spence has ever been an earnest worker in behalf of his birthplace, believing that covington was destined by location the fine agricultural land surrounding it on all sides, its magnificent forests of hard wood timber, the unlimited supply of coal underlying the soil surrounding the city, the magnificent water range on her western border, the beautiful streams adjoinng and the purity of the waters, both medicinal and for domestic purposes to become one of the most prosperous towns in thestate and all that was lacking to build her up and make her one of the leading and prettiest cities in Indiana was capital to develop the natural resources. That day has come and the editor has lived to see it even though he is the "oldest inhabitant" and the oldest native-born Covingtonian now residing in the city.

File Created: 2006-Aug-16