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Mennons and
MacGillivrayScotland and the
North American Frontier
1790-1795
Melodee Beals
Sheffield Hallam University
@mhbeals
Reprints in the 18th Century
Minimal Copyright Law Across the Atlantic
Limited Correspondence Networks
Manual Transmission of News Content
Accepted, Appreciated, Encouraged
Anonymity... Structure of the Printing Trade
Brainy Working-Class Boys
Patronage and Formal Correspondence
Local Gossip and Personal Correspondence
The By-Line a post-1850 Convention
Limited, Even (Especially) by Public Figures
Latinised Pseudonyms For Commentary
News Largely Detached from Authorship
Assured, but Anonymous, Authority
...and Historiography
"Killer Quotations"
Conflation of Editor, Author, and Location
Limited Time and Resources
Local Archives and Digital Archives
Tracing Dissemination Manual Keyword Searching
Multiple Terms
Multiple Databases
Usual Suspects and Textual Clues
Plagiarism Detection Software
nGram and Edition Tracking
OriginalReprint
John Mennons Briefly Worked for Edinburgh Courant
Married into a Respectable Glaswegian Family
Printer and Newspaper Editor in Glasgow
Sold Newspaper and Purchased Coal Field (Obstinately) Retained Business Records
Coal Business Failed Returned to Newspaper Printing
The Glasgow Advertiser Founded 27 January 1783
First Major Story was
the Peace with France
Weekly, 4-Page Publication
Printed on Used Press (£200)
Edited by Mennons and son, John
Sold interest in 1802,
1805 Respectively
Relied Heavily Upon London News
and Trongate Gossip
Alexander MacGillivray15 December 1750 – 17 February 1793
Son of Trader Lachlan MacGillivray
Raised by Mother, Franco-Creek of High Birth
Education in Charleston and Augusta
Apprenticed as a Merchant in Savannah
Principal Chief of Upper Creek 1782-1793
Plantation Owner with Slaves
Diplomat (1790, Treaty of New York)
Repudiated Treaty with US in 1792
Received Pensions from US and Spain
Glasgow Advertiser, 12 July 1790
Public Advertiser, 15 July 1790
Edinburgh Advertiser, 20 July 1790
Gentleman's Magazine And Historical Chronicle, July 1790
Effect of the Pathway
Very Limited Changes to Text
All Derived from London, 9 July 1790
Scottish Connection Unlikely
Glasgow Advertiser, 25 June 1792
London Lloyd Evening Post, 20 June 1792
Evening Mail , 22 June 1792
Glasgow Advertiser, 25 June 1792
Effect of the Pathway
How Important was MacGillivray?
First Mention of Him in Two Years
Rumours of His Death...
Larger Curation of American News Not Taken,
Despite Having Subscription to Evening Mail
The Harmar Campaign Northwest Territories, Autumn 1790
Plan By St. Clair and Harmar
Force Comprised of Regular
Officers, Calvary and Kentucky
Militia
Hardin's in Humiliating Defeat
Most Commanders Die
Harmar and Hardin Attempt to
Save Reputations
Heightens Anti-Indian and
Anti-Officer Sentiment in Kentucky
Glasgow Advertiser, 21 February 1791
London Star, 17 February 1791
Evening Mail ,14 February 1791
From Whence?
Look for Minor Changes at Start and End:
"dated November 5, 6, and 7" v. "dated Nov. 7"
"expectation" v. "impatience"
"whole truth of the matter" v. "further particulars"
Virginia Gazette and Alexandria Advertiser, 9 December 1790
From Whence? Many Versions of this Story
Related News Immediately Lost, Offers No Clues
Look to Para-textual Material
A Stabbing in Honduras
Glasgow Advertiser, 21 February 1791
New-Hampshire Spy, 12 February 1790
New-Hampshire Spy, 1 January 1790
The Pathway
Both Appear in 'New York Press'
Not in Same Digitised Newspapers
Both Appear in New-Hampshire Spy
Not Exactly Same Language
Both Appear in Evening Mail
Identical Typography and Placement
Effects of the Pathway Advertiser Continues Reliance on London
London not Reliant on Major US Cities
London Language Shapes Glasgow Version
Yet...
Glasgow Advertiser, 18 July 1791
Norwich Packet, 14 January 1791
Gentleman's Magazine And Historical Chronicle, 1 July 1791
Authenticity of Material
The Advertiser Rarely Makes Any
Changes to London Text
London Newspaper Rarely Make
Significant Change to American Texts
Lazy and Laudable?
Pre-Curation of Content
News From Many Different Sources
Compiled at Every Node
Neither Pages nor Sections Taken Whole
Smaller Sub-Sets Taken or Re-curated
The Wider Frontier Discourse
Representative
Taken from Ambiguous London Press
Largely 'American' Authorship
Outlier
Significant Named Figures
Attempts to 'Finish Stories'
Glasgow and Edinburgh Shared Stories
Conclusion
Tracing of Dissemination Pathways Allows
for a Better Understanding of Who was
Writing, Revising, Curating, and Omitting
Knowledge about Frontier Life
It Also Suggests Physical Pathways between
Major and Minor Cities beyond Postal and
Major Trade Routes
Mennons and
MacGillivrayScotland and the
North American Frontier
1790-1795
Melodee Beals
Sheffield Hallam University
@mhbeals