Category: Project Progress

The NJDNP office is proud to announce the addition of the West-Jersey Pioneer to Chronicling America. The first two years of its successor, the Bridgeton Pioneer are also available, with more coming soon.

The West-Jersey Pioneer has had its share of name changes. The weekly publication began life in the 1840s as the West-Jersey Telegraph, and General Advertiser and became the West-Jersey Telegraph, and Cumberland and Cape May Advertiser and the West-Jersey Pioneer and Cumberland and Cape May Advertiser. In 1851, the paper changed its name again to become The West-Jersey Pioneer. It ceased publication following the January 3, 1884 issue, and on January 10, 1884, it took on its final title change as the Bridgeton Pioneer. It ceased publication sometime in 1919.

Bridgeton Free Public Library Director Linda McFadden has said she looks forward to sharing the newspaper’s availability with the Bridgeton community, who value their history, and that the NJ Digital Newspaper project “is important to not only preserving history, but also allowing the public access to the information of these digitized newspapers for free.”

Click here to read The West Jersey Pioneer.

Click here to read The Bridgeton Pioneer.

The remaining issues of the Bridgeton Pioneer will be available soon.

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(Contributed by Giovanna Ligato-Pugliese and Jacob Paul)