Eastern Reflector Newspaper

Under the motto "Truth in Preference to Fiction," Julian R. Whichard and David Jordan Whichard began publishing The Eastern Reflector, in Greenville, North Carolina, on January 26, 1882. The Whichard brothers had previously worked for the owners of The Greenville Express, from whom they purchased their press. The young brothers set up offices in their mother’s one-room school house on the corner of Pitt and Third Streets. The partnership continued until 1885 when Julian sold his interest to David. Julian Whichard later moved to Salisbury and purchased the North Carolina Herald. With a mix of news and advertisements, The Eastern Reflector appeared weekly on Wednesdays in an edition of 4-6 pages. Whichard professed "thoroughly Democratic" political preferences, but promised he would "not hesitate to criticize Democratic men and measures that are not consistent with the true principles of the party.";

When Whichard began production of The Daily Reflector in December of 1894, The Eastern Reflector was marketed to the rural areas of Pitt County. This agricultural orientation was reinforced by the August 1910 name change to The Carolina Home and Farm and the Eastern Reflector. In the meantime, the editor experimented with formats and sizes. From October 1897 through 1906, the Eastern Reflector appeared twice a week. During its final years The Carolina Home and Farm and the Eastern Reflector ranged from 6-16 pages. With the expanding printing operation, the premises were moved in 1896 to a more prominent location near Five Points on Evans just south of Fifth Street. In 1901, The Reflector offices were moved to the corner of Evans and Third Streets where they remained for 55 years. The Carolina Home and Farm and the Eastern Reflector ceased publication in December of 1915. David Jordan Whichard sold his interest in The Daily Reflector to his son, David Julian Whichard in 1919.

This digital version of The Eastern Reflector is based upon the microfilm edition produced by the North Carolina Division of Archives and History. Low cost digitization of this microfilm was made possible by the LYRASIS Mass Digitization Collaborative. LYRASIS is the nation's largest regional membership organization serving libraries and information professionals.