A Three Generation Van Gelder Family Enterprise
“The Lima Recorder,” Lima’s long-time weekly newspaper was first established in 1869 when Elmer Houser began publication. Over subsequent years, a number of Lima publishers: Houser and Dennis, Dennis and Dennis, and Dennis and Deal took over the publication. In 1875, A. Tiffany Norton, a prolific publisher of local history who eventually became one of the editors of Rochester’s Democrat & Chronicle, purchased the paper and edited it until 1881.
That year, 1881, Phineas C. Van Gelder purchased the paper and it remained under the management of the Van Gelder family for three generations. In 1989, it merged with the Honeoye Falls Weekly Times, the Honeoye Lake Courier; and the Livonia Gazette to form the Town & Country Gazette. Is anyone able to identify the location or the individuals below?
Sometime after the Lima paper closed, the Recorder’s huge printing press was donated to the Lima Historical Society by Violet (Shorty) Birch, proprietor of the Birch Print Shop who had purchased the equipment from the Van Gelders. Sadly, storage in the museum’s garage opened the way for unexpected rodent activity, and we were forced to abandon the press to iron salvage. Recently, Marilyn Zaludny has donated the publisher’s type set cabinet acquired from Mrs. Birch to the Lima Historical Society; John Bailey has generously offered to repair and restore it for exhibit in the museum.
We are anxious to fill the gaps in our Lima Recorder collections. Please contact us if you have old issues.
To read the entire article and more historical information, view our September 2018 issue of The Yellow Wasp. Additional newsletters can be found on our Newsletter page.
