June 19th, 1929
Interesting Relic of Half A Century Ago
Through the courtesy of Mayor Chute, The Register is temporarily in possession of a valuable and interesting relic in the nature of a copy of "The Berwick Star," a weekly and semi-weekly newspaper published in Berwick some sixty years ago under the management and editorship of James A. Halliday. The copy to which we refer is dated June 18, 1879 – exactly fifty years ago yesterday – being Volume XI, No. 25, thus showing that Berwick’s first journalistic enterprise was started over sixty years ago.
The paper is a five-column, four-page sheet, well printed and well preserved, and contains two solid pages of advertising, which is quite remarkable, considering that advertising agencies a half century ago must have been comparatively few and far between. Kentville, Canning, Wolfville, Canard and Cornwallis are all represented in the advertising columns. Kentville merchants being by far the largest purchasers of space. Only one Berwick store advertisement appears, that of W. W. Beardsley, dealer in boots and shoes.
Two items appear under the Marriage heading, the first being that of Henry J. Chute, of Somerset, to Miss Annie M. Burgess, of Woodville, at the Baptist Church, Berwick, on June 11th (which of course accounts for Mr. Chute having this particular copy of the paper in his possession); the other marriage announcement being that of Mr. Thomas M. Nichols, of Aylesford, to Miss Hattie F., daughter of the late William H. Webster, Esq., of Berwick, which also took place on June 11th, at Aylesford.
The following news items might be of some interest:
"Sir Samuel Tilley leaves for England on the 21st, Sir John A. MacDonald and Sir Charles Tupper on the 28th."
"The Camp Meeting will not be held on July 3rd, as stated in our last issue, the time for holding it having been indefinitely postponed."