LoginJohn Thomas Scharf – First to Use Newspapers as Primary Sources
“These people don't want me in the business because they say I know too much.” – John Thomas Scharf
John Thomas Scharf was born on May 1, 1843 in Baltimore, Maryland, graduated from Georgetown University, and before he died on February 28, 1898, at age 55, he had been an Confederate soldier and sailor, author, journalist, politician, lawyer, American historian, and an antiques and rare books dealer.
Scharf enlisted with the 1st Maryland Artillery when the Civil War began and fought in the Army and Navy on the Confederate side. At war’s end (1865) Scharf returned to Baltimore and put his energy and skills into improving Baltimore. He helped reorganize the Maryland state militia. He practiced law and became the city editor for the Baltimore Evening News and the managing editor for the Baltimore Sunday Telegram. In 1878, Baltimore City Democrats elected Scharf to the House of Delegates in the Maryland General Assembly. He then went on to serve as Commissioner of the Land Office of Maryland from 1884 until 1892.
Sharf was an avid historian and a prolific author of the histories of specific areas (e.g. Baltimore, Maryland , Western Maryland, St Louis, Philadelphia, Westchester County). He wrote and published constantly from 1874 to 1894. Scharf was unique for his time in that he 1) contacted everyone who could provide information about his subject and used detailed questionnaires to capture responses to his inquiries and 2) used newspapers as the bulk of his primary sources. His books contain lengthy quotes from newspapers, magazines, and pamphlets. His work for the Baltimore papers probably showed him the value of their material. In fact, his first major published work, The Chronicles of Baltimore, was derived from the collection of papers he developed from those sources. As a result, his works are long, but today are still considered to be the best primary sources available for the areas he wrote about. Unfortunately, he was unable to be objective when he wrote of the Civil War and his histories show a strong pro-South perspective. In spite of his bias, his History of the Confederate States Navy is recognized as an excellent source of information about the American Civil War.
Genre: Historian – An author who writes or compiles a chronological record of events.
Sample Reading List: The chronicles of Baltimore (1874); A History of Philadelphia (1884); A History of Westchester County (1886); History of the Confederate States Navy (1897);
Fun With Words - Maryland Writers’ Association (MWA) invites you to have fun being a bias historian like John Thomas Scharf. Using up to 100 words, pick an American historical event or time-period and use newspaper sources to describe the event while inadvertently letting your bias about the event show. Title your work and submit to: https://marylandwriters.org/Notable_Maryland_Authors by the 22nd of the month to receive an MWA Fun With Words submission certificate. Selected responses will be published with next months article and on the MWA Website.
Viola Robinson-Boone
Sep. 25, 2023WHAT THEY DID TO US - On the morning of September 1, 1970, The Philadelphia Chronicles reported that heavily armed Philadelphia police stormed three Black Panther Party offices overnight exchanging gunfire. Several members were ultimately charged with assault and intent to kill. Party members were not given the chance to obtain legal representation before public opinion convicted them, thanks to newspapers across the country. From New York to Chicago, to Newark, New Jersey to Los Angeles, newspapers reprinted the Philadelphia article, including branding the Black Panthers a militant group. They did their best to ensure other party offices in major cities were crucified in public eyes
Jon Hillbilly Anthology Ketzner
Sep. 23, 2023SEMPER FI - July 20, 1932, the New York Times reported, in the nether pages of its national section, Marine Corporal Donald Truesdell was awarded the Medal of Honor for heroism during the “ Banana Wars” in Central America. These 30 years of shameful invasions, police actions and occupations by American military supported the predatory and monopolistic interests of the politically powerful United Fruit Company. Generally, the Times and other contemporaneous newspapers editorially applauded these neo-colonial outrages. Corporal, later CWO, Truesdell sacrificed his right arm protecting his patrol and could never again peel a banana. Would that his mission had been as honorable as his valor.
Eric Waldow
Sep. 23, 2023GUNNAHANGE - Below is a recently discovered excerpt from the 19th-century chronicle entitled Unfortunate Happenings. The text being regarded as notably mysterious, this new blurb, unfortunately, does little to clarify itself: “On July 4th, [1865,] Guy Gunnahange was brought before the gallows,” read one yellow-press paper [the newsprint here referenced is unknown]; “Only a day prior was his death warrant officialized.” Just twenty-four hours! What permissible cruelty is this? Mr. Gunnahange ought to have lived a little while longer. The same bulletin even says, “Because of his crimes, he was offered no last meal.” Hadn’t they a clue how hungry I was!
Ken Stepanuk
Sep. 23, 2023BALTIMORE BURNS - The Great 1873 Clay Street Fire raged for ten hours, destroying 113 buildings. The first arriving Steamers at the Joseph Thomas and Sons sash and blind factory, unable to control the blaze, sent for additional units. The water stream generated by the coal-fired steamers could not reach beyond the buildings' second story, and wind-driven embers leaped across streets to ignite roofs of neighboring structures. In contrast, the devastating Great 1904 Baltimore Fire destroyed 1,500 buildings. The Clay Street fire to was relegated to second rank status, unless you were among the business or homeowners that suffered in the $750,000 loss. Ref. 1. Great Fire in Baltimore, New York Tribune newspaper, Saturday July 26, 1873. 2. Eye Witnesses Tell of Rush of Flames, The New York Times, February 9, 1904
Beth Smith
Sep. 23, 2023FORT McHENRY TURNS BACK BRITISH NAVY - Josh Jones, Baltimore Patriot, September 14, 1814: Yesterday one thousand Baltimore soldier patriots crushed the mighty but defeated British navy, ending the attack on the port of Baltimore before it began. After a blazing night of rockets bombarding its walls, Fort McHenry remains triumphant. The star-spangled garrison flag signaled victory at dawn. Vice Admiral Alexander Cochrane took his five thousand badly trounced sailors and retreated in shame down the Patapsco River. This great victory secures the international powerhouse the United States will become as we march into the future.
Lawrence McGuire
Sep. 23, 2023THE LAW OF RETRIBUTION - Truth falls first in war. War next claims civility. Yet, during the War of 1812, British officers demonstrated civility toward Americans in general and Marylanders in particular. Take, for example, British Rear Admiral Sir George Cockburn (pronounced civilly: "co-burn"), who incinerated Fredericktown in Cecil County. Refugees described in The Weekly Register dated May 22, 1813, how Cock-burn savored the flames "like Satan...when he saw...murdered Abel..., exulting at the damning deed...." Other witnesses, The Weekly Register reported, overheard Cockburn obsessing about torching Baltimore house by house. War demands civilized savagery, but it is no less civil, for there lies truth.
Jon Hillbilly Anthology Ketzner
Sep. 23, 2023SEMPER FI - July 20, 1932, the New York Times reported, in the nether pages of its national section, Marine Corporal Donald Truesdell was awarded the Medal of Honor for heroism during the “ Banana Wars” in Central America. These 30 years of shameful invasions, police actions and occupations by American military supported the predatory and monopolistic interests of the politically powerful United Fruit Company. Generally, the Times and other contemporaneous newspapers editorially applauded these neo-colonial outrages. Corporal, later CWO, Truesdell sacrificed his right arm protecting his patrol and could never again peel a banana. Would that his mission had been as honorable as his valor.
Christine Hickey
Sep. 23, 2023A MIRAGE OF PROMISE - Try to find investigative journalists who noticed the dichotomy between the Emancipation Proclamation and the Proclamations issued to round up Indians that were written between 1860 and 1870’s. The Black man stolen from his native land and the stolen land taken from the Red man. Treaties written by those who could read and signed by those who could not. Unaware of the small print disclaimers. Then slaughter the buffalo to force submission, kill the horses to limit range. In the name of White man’s westward expansion. Now we are allowing buffalo herds to re-build without a place to roam freely. A few are cut out for Native Americans to hunt and treat in the old ways, according to custom, as they wait to be heard and paper promises to be honored. Do all lives matter or just some.
Leslie Dickey
Sep. 23, 2023PEACEEFUL TRANSITION OF POWER? - January 6. An insurrection, a violent attempt to overthrow the legitimate government of the US. Or so we hear following the breaking (? yeah right) news on the cable outlets. “Nothing like this has ever happened before.”Think back to January 20, 2017. Police officers assaulted. Hundreds of violent protestors were arrested in Washington DC., and in other cities across the country. Cars burning in the streets. Dozens of Democratic congressmen boycotted the inauguration in protest. Later, Trump was referred to as an “illegitimate president” by Hilary and former president Carter. You reap what you sow.
James Burd Brewster
Sep. 23, 2023CORRUPTION? NOT IN NEW YORK CITY! - The New York Times reported November 16, 1873, “William Magear Tweed, or Boss Tweed, was convicted on 204 of 220 counts of stealing between $25 million and $45 million from New York City taxpayers from political corruption, graft and embezzlement.” The trial tried to prove this occurred through Tweeds manipulation of NewYork City’s Tammany Society, a benevolent society created to ensure citizens received public services. The Post reported, “Tweed used the Tammany Society to control political patronage in New York City and create voter loyalty through jobs he could dispense on city-related projects.” Corruption of this type is rare in our city and New Yorkers can be proud that Tweed and Tammany Hall, accomplished the development of upper Manhattan. The Herald’s reporting that the project “tripled the city's bond debt to almost $90 million” is just the cost of doing business.
Doris Brady
Sep. 23, 2023MYSTERY IN THE DESERT - Dateline: Roswell, NM, July 1947. I’m reporting to you from a small desert town where I’ve been interviewing citizens about the crash of a disc-shaped craft on a ranch outside of town. Upon inspection, the sheriff reported that debris of unknown origin was scattered over the ground. At first, the US Army agreed with newspaper accounts that it was a “flying saucer.” In the next day’s article, they recanted and said it was a weather balloon and promptly cleaned up the debris field. Flying saucer? Weather balloon? It is the opinion of this reporter that the cover-up has just begun.
Steve Baker
Sep. 23, 2023TITANIC HOAX - On April 14th, 1912, the Titanic reportedly sank. Shortly thereafter, White Star executives touted a press release alleging that their unsinkable vessel quote/unquote "sank after hitting an iceberg." However, experts close to an ongoing investigation (who wish to remain anonymous) cite reliable sources attesting the Titanic was actually "disappeared [sic] by an inept vaudeville magician" who lacked the necessary talent to "make the Titanic RE-appear." White Star executives also vehemently deny that survivors were paid hush money to secure a massive corporate cover-up. There has also been no comment from White Star about whistleblower testimony maintaining footage of the "found wreckage" is actually an elaborate hoax conjured up by vagabond filmmakers using a secret Hollywood soundstage.