Zula Brown Toole

Zula Brown Toole (November 13, 1868 October 27, 1947) was an American newspaper publisher who founded the Miller County Liberal in 1897, making her the first woman to establish and publish a newspaper in the U.S. state of Georgia.[1][2] In 1996 she was inducted into the Georgia Newspaper Hall of Fame.

Zula Brown Toole
Born
Zula Brown

(1868-11-13)November 13, 1868
DiedOctober 27, 1947(1947-10-27) (aged 78)
Other namesZula Brown Cook
OccupationNewspaper publisher
Years active1897 - 1939
Known forFirst woman to found a newspaper in Georgia
Spouses
  • W.B. Cook
    (m. 1891; died 1896)
  • Joseph E. Toole
    (m. 1901; died 1917)
Children3

Early life

Zula Orlena Brown[3] was born November 13, 1868[4] the daughter of Samuel Morgan[4] and Eldorendo Virginia Brown (nee Higgs)[4] of Decatur County, Georgia.[5] Her father was a veteran of the Confederate Army, who was a merchant and farmer.[4]

Brown attended the Bainbridge schools in Decatur County and Andrew Female College in Cuthbert.[5] She obtained a teaching certificate from Troy State Teachers College in Alabama.[3]

She married W.B. "Tony" Cook[4] on June 27, 1891[3] but was widowed in 1896 with a one year old son. At first she earned a living by teaching[6] and was also the local postmaster from 1893 to 1898.[7]

Career

She thought the area needed a newspaper, so she collected 500 signatures of people who promised to subscribe if she started one,[8] which was the requirement for a state franchise.[7] She saved up $200 from her teaching job and used it to buy a hand press and metal type. On September 11, 1897 she published the first edition of her newspaper, the Miller County Liberal.[6] In the early days of the paper Toole rode a bicycle to gather news, working on the paper before and after her daytime teaching job.[6]

Three years after starting the newspaper she married Joseph E. Toole[5] (a local farmer) on April 21, 1901.[3] It was at that point she gave up her teaching job. Mr. Toole died in 1917.[6] Toole had a total of three children.[7]

In 1932 Toole established a second paper, the Decatur County Advance in Bainbridge. She operated it until 1939 when poor health forced her to retire.[6] Her daughter took over that newspaper.[7]

Death and legacy

Just after the 50th anniversary of the founding of the Miller County Liberal[6] Toole died in October 1947 in Colquitt. She was buried in the Colquitt City Cemetery.[5]

The Miller County Liberal continues to be published by descendants of Toole.[3][7] In 1996 Toole was inducted into the Georgia Newspaper Hall of Fame.[2] At the 1996 Summer Olympics a play called Swamp Gravy was performed that depicted elements of her life.[7]

See also

References

  1. Grimes, Millard B.; Cox, Calvin (1985). The Last Linotype: The Story of Georgia and Its Newspapers Since World War II. Macon, GA: Mercer University Press. pp. 512–513. ISBN 9780865541900. OCLC 13100149. Retrieved June 30, 2020 via Google Books.
  2. Sibley, Celestine (October 14, 1996). "Hall of Fame a fitting place for journalists". The Atlanta Constitution. p. C1. Retrieved June 30, 2020 via newspapers.com.
  3. "Zula Orlena Brown - 4th Generation". The Brown Roots. Archived from the original on July 1, 2020. Retrieved June 30, 2020.
  4. Cooper, Walter G. (1938). The Story of Georgia. Vol. 4. New York: American Historical Society. p. 195. OCLC 1610175. Retrieved June 30, 2020 via HathiTrust.
  5. "Rites at Colquitt for Mrs. Z. Toole". The Atlanta Constitution. November 2, 1947. p. 12A. Retrieved June 30, 2020 via newspapers.com.
  6. "Family Will Carry on Dead Publisher's Work". The Butler Herald. Butler, Georgia. November 13, 1947. p. 6. Retrieved June 30, 2020 via Georgia Historic Newspapers.
  7. Jones, Nancy Bondurant (September 3, 1997). "One Southern Belle Who Was No Ding-Dong". Daily Record. Harrisonburg, Virginia. p. 11. Retrieved August 20, 2020 via newspaperarchive.com.
  8. Johnson, Rheta Grimsley (March 18, 1990). "Mom's early life fun for exploring". The Town Talk. Alexandria, Louisiana. p. C9. Retrieved June 30, 2020 via newspapers.com.
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