This collection consists of abstracted articles of the Commercial Advertiser, which began in the village of Norwood (Potsdam Junction). The paper later relocated to the village of Canton. Issues in our collection run from 1874 through 1914.
From early in the Commercial Advertiser's publication.
Collection Overview
The Commercial Advertiser was first published in Potsdam Junction (Norwood), New York in 1873. Proprietors were J.C. Tracey and Giles Hall. The paper established itself as a weekly publication in 1874 as a “Democratic” paper. In 1877, publication was moved to Canton where it competed with the already established Plaindealer. 13 years later, following Tracey’s death, John Finnegan, a war correspondent for the Watertown Standard during the Spanish-American War, became editor and sole owner of the Advertiser and shifted its editorial stance from Democratic to Republican. The Commercial Advertiser continued to be published until Finnegan’s death in1958. Over his 62-year career at the Commercial Advertiser, John Finnegan became well-known and respected both in newspaper circles and in the Canton community. His weekly column Looking Through a Main Street Window was popular for decades among his readers as a commentary on the goings-on in Canton.