THE ADVOCATE AND THE HERALD

Gathering the history of the Marmora Herald has been a difficult job,  as the earliest records of the village's first regular newspaper were lost in the "Arcade Block fire" on May 16, 1905,  which also destroyed most of the other businesses of the town.

We do know, however that on May 4, 1893, the owner-editor,  Mr. H.J. Benner,  opened the doors of the Marmora Advocate Office in the Arcade Block located on Main Street.  At that time this was one of the most important business blocks in the village,  containing a general store,  a hardware,  a harness shop,  a tailoring shop,  a millinery shop and the printing office.

It certainly was newsy paper.  Every paragraph was a different news item.  Squeezed between advice on cheap paint and warnings of fishing out of season,  was the news that the funeral for the late Robert Warren would be held.

"Our aim will be to furnish a newsy, reliable, and family paper to the intelligent reader and be a credit to Marmora and the adjoining township." Excerpt from the first Marmora Advocate paper published May 4, 1893.

 

Zaddock Daniel LaFontain, publisher

Zaddock Daniel LaFontain was born in 1872,  in Hamilton Township,  Northumberland County, Ontario (near Rice Lake) and died on March 1, 1920 in Tweed, Ontario,    buried in Victoria Cemetery, Tweed. He married Mary (Minnie) Foley, daughter of Thomas Foley and Maria Shannon of Marmora.  Their daughter,  Gracia Rebecca ,  married Daniel Neil O'Keefe, whose grandfather was John O'Neill from Marmora.  (Daniel Neil O'Keefe was an uncle of Bill O'Keefe.) His wife, Mary Foley and two daughters are buried in St. Carthagh’s Roman Catholic Cemetery.

According to early reports "Zed" was a clever lacrosse player in the days when lacrosse was all the rage. 

And there seemed to be no shortage of advertisers.  The Pearce Company,  which lost its mills & retail store in the Arcade Block Fire,   took pleasure in "addressing the readers of the first issue of the Marmora Newspaper and wish it success."   Competition was tough with no less than five general stores eyeing your business, two boot makers and even three hopeful hoteliers luring you into their parlours with liquor and Havana cigars.  G.W. Bleecker,  running a general store,  offered "butter and eggs,  as usual taken in exchange".

 

According to one report in the '40s written for the Chamber of Commerce,  Mr. Benner issued the Advocate for two or three years with a job printing plant in connection with it.  (He also built the main part of a house which was owned by Mr. & Mrs. William Gano)  It was then taken over by Mr. Zaddock (Zed) Daniel LaFontain from Tweed,  who changed the name to the Marmora Herald.  In 1898,  Mr. Fontaine's Herald was only four pages,  with 7 columns to a page,  and was sold for $1.00 per year in advance.

After five or six years,  Mr. LaFontain returned to Tweed,  where he started a new paper called the Tweed Advocate,  which was eventually sold to the Tweed News Company which amalgamated with the "Tweed News".  In the meantime,  he had sold the Marmora Herald to Rendol Snell,  who remained in control until 1906.

Mr. Snell was principal of the Marmora Public School for several years before purchasing the Herald.  He also became an expert at conducting merchandising sales for merchants and soon discovered he preferred to devote more time to sales than publishing

The report continues - "After the fire (1905),  Mr. Snell persuaded the late William Flynn to erect a new building on McGill Street for a printing office..... (just north of the Madoc St/McGill St. intersection, on the east side,  no longer exists)......and was occupied by the Marmora Herald from the time it was completed .....until 1942,  when the Herald moved to the premises it now occupies."   (Here the report is referring to the Pringle Building,  The vacated office built by Mr. Flynn was converted into an apartment. ) 

In December of 1906,  the Marmora Herald was purchased by Howard Wendell Sabine.  By 1920,  the Herald was 8 pages long with 6 columns to a page,  and sold for $1.50 per year.  On June 1, 1920,  the price increased to $2.00.

In 1922,  he considered selling out and moving to North York, just outside Toronto.  Instead,  he was persuaded to form a joint stock company named the Marmora Herald Printing Company Ltd., and retained a controlling interest, while Mr. & Mrs. Sidney Bennett were engaged to manage and carry on the business.  Mr. Sabine was President,  while Mr. S.B. Wright from the Deloro Smelting & Refining Co. was Vice President.  Acting as Secretary-Treasurer was G.B. Airhart. 

The Company's advertisement described their press as offering "Letterpress printing that bears the stamp of expert craftsmanship".

" The venture did not work out as hoped and after about three years,  the former owner again took over the management of the Herald and repurchased the stock from the other shareholders and the company wound up."

G.B. Airhart, Secretary-Treasurerof the Marmora Herald Printing Co. Ltd.

And so Mr. Sabine returned to the newspaper business.  However the publishing of the Herald was really a side line,  with the job printing being the main part of the business.  The Herald was doing most of the plant printing of Deloro Smelting and Refining Co. Ltd. for over thirty years.  In 1937,  a linotype and automatic press was added to the equipment which obviously increased efficiency. 

The last Marmora Herald page printed on the letterpress

According to the late Grace Warren,  at the time of Howard Sabine's ownership,  the Herald was an eight-page,  six column paper,  independently issued every Thursday,  and thoroughly enjoyed by the readers.  In the later years of Mr. Sabine's ownership,  the business was run and eventually passed on to his son,  Howard Hogarth "Garth" Sabine,  pictured below,  who then sold to Howard Wilson of Campbellford in 1963. 

Howard Hogarth "Garth" Sabine

Mr. Wilson in turn handed over the paper to  Jack Golden and his first wife,  Sheila who purchased the paper in March of  1965.  Jack was very active in town not only as the owner editor of the paper and Tri-County Printing, but also as an active community member on council and as a band member entertaining at various events.

The Marmora Herald remained in the Pringle Building until March of 1973, when it was sold to Don Mullan and relocated across the street in Miriam Savage's Insurance Office, north of Lynch's Groceries and beside the Telephone Office and the Old Legion).  But Jack Golden had only sold off the Marmora Herald to Don Mullan,  retaining his company "Tri-County Printing",  which remained in the Pringle Building until relocated in the building on the#7 Highway west,  where the Shell gas station is now located.  

Ruby McCoy,  social events writer at the Marmora Herald   Sandy Mitchell,  1971, Marmora Herald Office

CEMBAL PUBLICATIONS REPORTERS
Havelock - Neva Barr, Anna Kreidemann, Jeannette Moore
Norwood - Annie Deen
Madoc - Ross Lees (was a managing editor for a while)
Marmora - Pat Redican (managing editor)                         Nancy Powers

1984 retirement party for reporters Jeanette Moore and John Bennett, now known for his commitment to environ-mental issues.

Ross Lees - Managing Editor at Marmora Herald - working at a page layout board

Joseph Cembal web  (1).jpg

OBITUARY
CEMBAL, Joseph - Peacefully, on January 5, 2018. Joseph Cembal, of Marmora, in his 82nd year. Son of the late Stephen and Doris Cembal. Husband of the late Patricia Cembal. Dear friend and significant other of Bonnie Ferguson. Father of Joe Jr., Picton; Anthony (Michelle), Marmora; Darryl (Kim), Kingston; and Edward (Renate), Campbellford. Grandfather to Kaitlyn, Tyler, Amanda, Darryl Jr., Joel, Kori, and Justin. Great-grandfather of Cole and Sloan. Brother-in-law of Doug Terry and Fran Lupel. 

After purchasing the Herald, Mullan bought the Norwood Register and then formed the Hastings Star. Towards the end of 1973, he started the Brighton Independent and the Colbome Citizen which he later sold to Simon Conley, his advertising manager. In its place, Mullan scooped up the Madoc Review and then established the Havelock Citizen.

Willma Bush of Marmora worked for Don Mullan (and later Joe Cembal) and wrote: " When all the flats were laid out with news & photos, they were photo shot in the dark room at back of building - then negatives were developed - next taken to printer (I believe Tweed) to be printed into newspapers.Bill Lavender's wife (Hazel)  worked usually just one day week when papers, returned from the printer, had to be put together.   I helped them,  but I was mostly there as a typist until later when I became production manager."

(See Toronto Star article on Don Mullan below)

Not long after, in September of 1975,    Mullan was bought out by Joe Cembal,  who ran the Marmora Herald,  along with the four other local papers, under the name of Cembal Publications.   During 1985, the Herald leapt into the technological age with a new computer system designed strictly for newspaper production. Only 10 systems were operating at that time in Canada. In January of 2000, Cembal Publications advanced into the new millennium by again changing their computer software. Instead of pasting their stories column by column onto large flats, the entire paper was produced on a computer screen.

Editor Pat Redican enjoys a retirement party before leaving for overseas.

Cembal Publications (1981) Ltd., also published the following newspapers: the Havelock Citizen, Norwood Register, Hastings Star, Campbellford Courier, Stirling NewsArgus, Madoc Review, Land O'Lakes Sun, and the Kingston- Amherstview papers namedthe Heritage and the South Frontenac Gazette.

   With a handful of employees,  including his wife, Gail, four sons,  Joseph Jr.,  Ed, Tony and Darryl Cembal,  the group kept the papers coming.  The front office was staffed by Debbie (Wylie) Quackenbush for a long time with part time help from Sandra Wood.   Robin McKeown, also worked as a typesetter, proofreader, and developer of negatives, alongside Willma Brady (Bush).  Robin worked there from 1979 until leaving for a job in Toronto in 1982. 

Each December, Joe and Gail would hold a dinner party for all the employees,  and after they moved to Prince Edward County,  they held a summer picnic for them at their home.

Wilma Brady, Anna Kreidemann, Bill Freeman, John?

 

1974 Toronto Star Article on Don Mullan

H.R.S.H., Prince William I de Alabona-Ostrogojsk, Grand Master of the Order of the Noble Companions of the Swan®, presents the Order's Commemorative Medal of the First Crusade to Metropolitan Archbishop Donald W. Mullan and Father Richard O. Blalack

Order represented at Christ Church International Anniversary. On June 22, 1997, in celebration of the 60th anniversary of Christ Church International, an Old Catholic denomination encompassing four countries, the presiding Bishop, H.E., Metropolitan Archbishop Donald W. Mullan, P.S., of Niagara Falls, Canada, celebrated a Solemn High Mass at Holy Chalice Old Catholic Church in Eatontown, New Jersey (USA). The Pastor of the Church, Father Richard O. Blalack, Ch.P., assisted the Archbishop. Attending the Mass and representing the Order of the Noble Companions of the Swan® was the Grand Master, H.R.S.H., Prince William I de Alabona-Ostrogojsk, escorted by a Guard of Honor comprised of Knights of the Order and its attached Order of Merit of Saint Angilbert. Following the High Mass, Archbishop Mullan and Father Blalack presented Prince William the Diamond Jubilee Episcopal Award in recognition of his many significant contributions to Christian Chivalry. Prince William presented the Order's Commemorative Medal of the First Crusade to the Archbishop and Father.

Worth googling.

The Order of the Noble Companions of the Swan is an internationally recognized Order of Chivalry dedicated to preserving the memory and laudable character of Godfrey de Bouillon, Duke of Lower Lorraine, legendary Knight of the Swan, principal leader of the First Crusade to the Holy Land, and Advocate of the Holy Sepulchre in Jerusalem (c. 1060-1100 AD). The Order is committed to perpetuating the high ideals, customs, traditions, duties and responsibilities of Christian Chivalry in the modem world through guidance, education and example.

MULLAN, Donald William was consecrated on 10 August 1986 by Thomas David McCourt
assisted by William Henry Dawe and Illyd Thomas and also was consecrated sub conditione in 1994 by Karl Pruter

Christ Catholic Church of St. LukeNiagara Falls- International Headquarters

The Cathedral of St. Luke, besides being a parish church, is also International Headquarters for Christ Catholic Church International. (CCCI)The Cathedral pastor, The Most Rev. Donald Wm. Mullan, is Archbishop of the growing denomination that now has churches/missions in 12 countries on four continents.

Note: October 27, 2007

The Most Rev. Dr. Karl Rodig, Ecumenical Primate of the Ecumenical Catholic Church of Christ, (ECCC) is in Niagara Falls this weekend to add another denomination to his worldwide church. Sunday morning during a high mass, he will sign papers with the Most Rev. Dr. Donald Mullan, merging Christ Catholic Church International (CCCI) into the ECCC.  The service will take place in the Lutheran Church of the Good Shepherd,

., where the CCCI Pro- Cathedral of St. Luke holds its weekly services.

Donald William MULLAN was born on 26 April 1937 in Galt, Waterloo, Ontario, Canada. He was . Bishop/Priest He was educated to Grade 12 Donald was Catholic POLITICAL PARTY: Progressive Conservative
MEMBERSHIP: Orange Lodge, Lions Club, Scouts Canada
(others to numerous to mention)
Nickname: Moon Mullins

Married:Beverley Ann Helen EVERS and on 17 September 1960 in Preston, Waterloo, Ontario, Canada. They were divorced

Beverly was born on 3 December 1941 in Kitchener, Waterloo, Ontario, Canada. She died Abdominal Cancer on 20 December 2000 at the age of 59 in Niagara Falls, Welland, Ontario, Canada. She was buried in April 2001 in Galt, Waterloo, Ontario, Canada.

Children are:

John Donald Mullan

Michael William Mullan born on 25 September 1963 in Galt, Waterloo, Ontario, Canada.

Pamela Ann MULLANborn on 9 February 1970 in Galt, Waterloo, Ontario, Canada.

 

 

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