Zula Brown Toole
Zula Brown Toole (November 13, 1868 - October 27, 1947) 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 November 13, 1868 |
| Died | October 27, 1947 (aged 78) |
| Other names | Zula Brown Cook |
| Occupation | Newspaper publisher |
| Years active | 1897 - 1939 |
| Known for | First woman to found a newspaper in Georgia |
| Spouse(s) |
|
| Children | 3 |
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]
References
- 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. p. 512-513. ISBN 9780865541900. OCLC 13100149. Retrieved June 30, 2020 – via Google Books.
- 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.
- "Zula Orlena Brown - 4th Generation". The Brown Roots. Archived from the original on July 1, 2020. Retrieved June 30, 2020.
- Cooper, Walter G. (1938). The Story of Georgia. 4. New York: American Historical Society. p. 195. OCLC 1610175. Retrieved June 30, 2020 – via HathiTrust.
- "Rites at Colquitt for Mrs. Z. Toole". The Atlanta Constitution. November 2, 1947. p. 12A. Retrieved June 30, 2020 – via newspapers.com.
- "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.
- 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.
- 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.