Armed with a year’s supply of print paper, Jacob Sosey commenced publication of the Palmyra Spectator in 1839 under the title Missouri Whig and General Advertiser which was shortened to the Missouri Whig a few years later. According to the “History of the County Press of Missouri,” Sosey “turned the management over to his son, Harper R. Sosey in 1859…but he still controlled it” and it became the Palmyra Courier at that time. Then, in 1863, Jacob Sosey returned to his publishing post with the Palmyra Spectator.
As the Spectator took its “best bow” in its inaugural issue (April 10, 1863), Sosey writes that for “years we have been connected with the Newspaper press of Missouri, and have enjoyed a respite of some four years, during which time we have been engaged in the job printing business….We resume our position in the editorial corps of Missouri and shall endeavor to publish as good and useful a journal as can be furnished…The Spectator will be Democratic in politics.”
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Palmyra Spectator, 1863-1879 