A History of Interlaken New York Newspapers

The following information is an attempt to provide details into not only the history of the 8 Interlaken New York newspapers, but also the sources available online and offline for the genealogist and historian to access the newspapers, or transcriptions therefrom. Newspapers remain a vital source of material for genealogists. They often provide vivid insight into the lives of our ancestors unlike other factual records.

In 2006, the Interlaken Historical Society wrote an Index to the Interlaken and Ovid Newspapers, 1822-1994, Geneva, N.Y. : Geneva Printing, 2006. Those papers which comprised this index can be found below and are annotated as being indexed.

1. Seneca County Sentinel. (Farmer Village) 1860-1866. Commenced at Ovid, January 19, 1860, by A. S. Williams, under Republican colors. Mr. Williams sold to T. R. Lounsbury, a native of Ovid, and later Professor of English Literature in Yale College. During the same year, 1860, the paper was bought by S. M. Thompson, and by him conducted till 1861, when it passed into the control of D. G. Caywood. Sale was made to Riley and Baldwin; the latter disposed of his interest to his partner, John Riley, who removed the office of publication to Farmer Village. Here it was owned by Oscar M. Wilson, and published by the firm of O. M. Wilson & Son. It was removed to Trumansburg, where it began to be published as the Tompkins County Sentinel. The following are known issues. Only those published from 1862-1866 are known to have occurred in Farmer Village (Interlaken).
   • 19 Jan 1860, microfilm, single issue
     • Edith B. Ford Memorial Library of Ovid, Ovid, N.Y.
     • Interlaken Public Library, Interlaken, N.Y.
     • Waterloo Library and Historical Society, Waterloo, N.Y.
   • 23 Feb 1860, original, single issue
     • Waterloo Library and Historical Society, Waterloo, N.Y.
   • 14 Nov 1861, original, single issue
     • Waterloo Library and Historical Society, Waterloo, N.Y.
   • 26 Oct 1865 – 1 Mar 1866, microfilm
     • Edith B. Ford Memorial Library of Ovid, Ovid, N.Y.
     • Interlaken Public Library, Interlaken, N.Y.
     • Waterloo Library and Historical Society, Waterloo, N.Y.
   • Cornell University, Ithaca, NY
     Bound with the Trumansburg sentinel, 1866-68. Unknown dates or type.
2. Seneca Evening Journal. (Farmer-Village) 1867-1868. The Seneca Evening Journal was commenced in February, 1867 at Farmer Village; it was published as a monthly by J. Bergen. There appears to be no issues of this newspaper remaining.
3. The Centennial. (Farmer Village) 1876-1???. Published by Lewis Halsey starting in 1876 under the banner “With charity for all, with malice toward none.”
   • 4 Jul 1876, Microfilm, Single issue
     • Cornell Univ, Ithaca, NY
     • Edith B. Ford Memorial Library of Ovid, Ovid, N.Y.
     • Interlaken Public Library, Interlaken, N.Y.
     • Waterloo Library and Historical Society, Waterloo, N.Y.
4. Farmer Village Vidette. (Farmer Village) 1886-1???. Published by F. Lockwood Algard starting in 1886.
   • 24 Apr 1886 – 1 May 1886, Microfilm, Single issue
     • Cornell Univ, Ithaca, NY
     • Edith B. Ford Memorial Library of Ovid, Ovid, N.Y.
     • Interlaken Public Library, Interlaken, N.Y.
     • Waterloo Library and Historical Society, Waterloo, N.Y.

5. 

   Saturday Morning Review. (Farmer Village) 1887-1888. Thomas P. Hause established this weekly newspaper in Farmer Village on July 23, 1887 and published it there under this banner until Dec. 29, 1888. In 1889 he changed the name of the paper to the Farmer Village Review. Index available under title: Index to the Interlaken and Ovid Newspapers, 1822-1994.

   • 23 July 1887 – 29 Dec 1888, Microfilm, entire run
     • Cornell University, Ithaca, NY
     • Edith B. Ford Memorial Library of Ovid, Ovid, N.Y.
     • Interlaken Public Library, Interlaken, N.Y.
     • Whittier Library, Lodi, N.Y.
6. Farmer Village Review. (Farmer Village) 1889-1892. Preceeded by the Saturday Morning Review, T. P. Hause changed the name of this weekly to reflect the community it was published beginning with the 5 January 1889 issue. In 1892 Farmer Village became known as just Farmer, and again T. P. Hause changed the name of the paper to The Farmer Review. He published the last paper under this name on 25 June 1892. Index available under title: Index to the Interlaken and Ovid Newspapers, 1822-1994.
   • 5 Jan 1889 – 25 Jun 1892, Microfilm, entire run
     • Cornell University, Ithaca, NY
     • Edith B. Ford Memorial Library of Ovid, Ovid, N.Y.
     • Interlaken Public Library, Interlaken, N.Y.
     • Whittier Library, Lodi, N.Y.
   • 19 Jan 1889 – 23 Mar 1889, Original
     • Seneca Falls Historical Society, Seneca Falls, N.Y.
7. The Farmer Review. (Farmer) 1892-1904. Upon the town name change, T. P. Hause changed the name of the Farmer Village Review to the Farmer Review. It’s first issue was published under this name on 2 July 1892, and continued publishing using this name until 24 June 1904, when once again, the town changed its name, this time from Farmer to Interlaken. Index available under title: Index to the Interlaken and Ovid Newspapers, 1822-1994.
   • 2 Jul 1892 – 24 Jun 1904, Microfilm
     • Edith B. Ford Memorial Library of Ovid, Ovid, N.Y.
     • Interlaken Public Library, Interlaken, N.Y.
     • Whittier Library, Lodi, N.Y.
   • 2 Jul 1892 – 26 Dec 1892, Microfilm
     • Cornell University, Ithaca, NY
   • 23 Dec 1899, Original
     • Ulysses Historical Society, Trumansburg, N.Y.
   • 2 Jan 1903 – 24 Jun 1904, Microfilm, incomplete
     • Cornell University, Ithaca, NY
   • 24 Jun 1904, Original
     • Cornell University, Ithaca, NY
   • 3 Aug 1895 – 2 Jun 1898, Original, Incomplete
     • Seneca Falls Historical Society, Seneca Falls, N.Y.
8. The Interlaken Review. (Interlaken) 1904-1964. When the depot of Farmer was contemplating changing it’s name in 1904, T. P. Hause, it’s publisher, championed the name Interlaken which had been suggested by a Farmer resident newly returned from her trip to Switzerland,  Miss Georgiana Wheeler. Less the one week after the town vote successfully changed the name to Interlaken, Mr. Hause began publication under that new name. When Hause passed away in 1929, his assistant editor, Fred Blauvelt, took over as managing editor; the Interlaken Review became a corporation, with Blauvelt and his wife Lillian, and M.W. Bassette on the board of directors. The Blauvelts retired in 1947, selling the paper to Adrian Dickerson in 1947. Duane and Wanda Waid, moving to Interlaken in 1955, purchased the paper, as well as the Trumansburg Free Press and the Ovid Gazette. On October 1, 1964 the Ovid Gazette and the Interlaken Review became the same paper. Twenty years later, in 1975, they sold the papers to Paul and Jean Dickinson. Only five years later, in 1980, Roberta Sperling and Michael Malan bought the papers, combined them with the Newfield News and Random Harvest in Spencer, and Odyssey Publications was born. In 1985, Jim Bilinski, owner of the Ithaca Times, bought Odyssey Publications. His ownership continues under the business name of Newski, Inc. Beginning in 1990 the Trumansburg Free Press is the same newspaper as the Interlaken Review & Ovid Gazette, only the mast head is different. 1  Index available under title: Index to the Interlaken and Ovid Newspapers, 1822-1994.
   • 1 July 1904 – 4 Feb 1965, Microfilm, Incomplete
     • Cornell University, Ithaca, NY
     • Interlaken Public Library, Interlaken, N.Y.
   • 1 July 1904, Original, Single issue
     • Cornell University, Ithaca, NY
   • 30 Mar 1906, Original, Single issue
     • Phelps Community Historical Society, Phelps, N.Y.
   • 5 Jun 1908, Original, Single issue
     • Waterloo Library and Historical Society, Waterloo, N.Y.
   • 24 Mar 1911, Original, Single issue
     • Cornell University, Ithaca, NY
   • 5 Dec 1913, Original, Single issue
     • Whittier Library, Lodi, N.Y.
   • 6 Nov 1914, Original, Single issue
     • Cornell University, Ithaca, NY
   • 28 Nov 1919, Original, Single issue
     • Edith B. Ford Memorial Library of Ovid, Ovid, N.Y.
   • 16 Jan 1925, Original, Single issue
     • Cornell University, Ithaca, NY
   • 12 Apr 1935, Original, Single issue
     • Cornell University, Ithaca, NY
   • 20 Nov 1958, Original, Single issue
     • New York State Historical Association, Cooperstown, NY
   • 18 Feb 1965 – 30 Dec 1971, Microfilm, Incomplete
     • Cornell University, Ithaca, NY
     • Edith B. Ford Memorial Library of Ovid, Ovid, N.Y.
     • Interlaken Public Library, Interlaken, N.Y.
     • Whittier Library, Lodi, N.Y.
   • 6 Jan 1972 – 21 Dec 1982, Microfilm, Incomplete
     • Cornell University, Ithaca, NY
   • 3 Jan 1974 – present, Original
     • Odyssey Publications, Trumansburg, N.Y.
   • 3 Jan 1974 – 31 Dec 1982, Microfilm
     • New York State Library, Albany, NY
   • 6 Jun 1979 – 13 Aug 1980, Original, Incomplete
     • Ulysses Historical Society, Trumansburg, N.Y.
   • 14 Jan 1987 – Present, Original
     • Ithaca Times office, Ithaca, NY

Citations:

1. Ithaca Times, The Interlaken Review Passes 125 Years, last visited 27 Apr 2014.[↩]