Union Parish Clerk of Court and Farmerville lawyer Thomas Charles Lewis, III founded the "Union Record" in February 1866, and it served as Farmerville's only newspaper during the Reconstruction era. At various periods during its run, Lewis handed over many of the operational duties of the "Record" to others, as he also managed his own law practice in Farmerville and served one term as Union Parish Judge (1872 - 1876). The oldest known surviving issue of the "Union Record" is that of 14 March 1873. The photographs below are for the second oldest known surviving issue of the paper, 16 January 1874.

    From the handwriting at the top edge, this paper was used as evidence involving in a case dated 18 March 1876 involving Farmerville resident William A. Darby and H. C. Glasson. Darby served as the treasurer of the Union Parish Police Jury and in other public service capacities, whereas H. C. Glasson was a Farmerville merchant and saloon owner. Ironically, on 21 April 1883 a tornado struck Farmerville and knocked in the wall of Glasson's saloon, killing Glasson and mortally wounding Darby, who happened to be in the saloon at the instant the cyclone struck.

    The 16 January 1874 issue of the "Union Record" is held in the Center for American History, University of Texas at Austin. Many thanks go to Stephanie Odom-Robertson for her efforts in photographing this paper for us.

 

Click on each picture to view an enlarged photograph.