The Essex/Windsor Record

The Essex/Windsor Record was a Canadian newspaper published in Windsor, Ontario, and the surrounding Essex County region from 1861 to 1917. It began as The Essex Record, a weekly paper acquired and operated by Scottish-born printer and publisher Patrick Gammie Laurie. In its later history the publication adopted the Windsor Record name, reflecting its close connection with the growing border city and its local readership. Laurie had entered the newspaper trade in Ontario after his family immigrated to Canada from Scotland. He acquired the Owen Sound Times in 1855 and sold it four years later. After spending time working as a printer in Windsor and across the Detroit River in Detroit, he obtained the Essex Record in 1861. Laurie remained associated with the paper until 1869, when he left the Windsor area for Manitoba. His later career included work with Manitoba newspapers and the founding of the Saskatchewan Herald in Battleford, Saskatchewan. After Laurie’s departure, the paper was sold to Alexander Cameron. Its offices were destroyed by fire in 1870, after which the publication was re-established under the direction of Stephen Lusted. Lusted was an experienced printer who had worked in several Ontario and Michigan newspaper offices before joining the Windsor newspaper trade. During his tenure, the Record briefly attempted to issue a daily edition in 1877, but the experiment lasted only about two months. The paper otherwise continued primarily as a weekly publication. By 1882, the Record was being produced from the Opera Block on Sandwich Street in Windsor. On November 9 of that year, Lusted transferred control to James and John Barr after their father, Robert Barr Sr., purchased the newspaper. The Barr family brought experience from the Detroit Free Press and other newspapers to the operation. James, John, and William Barr were associated with the publication, while Robert Barr was known for editorial and column-writing work. The Barr family sold the paper to Wallace Graham in 1890. Soon afterward, control passed to Archibald McNee. McNee, later working with John A. McKay, developed both weekly and daily editions and renamed the Essex publication as the Windsor Record. This change marked the newspaper’s final principal identity and emphasized its Windsor base while retaining its role as a local news outlet for the wider Essex-area community. The Windsor Record continued until 1917, when the publication ended. It belongs to the nineteenth- and early twentieth-century local newspaper tradition in Ontario, a period when print publishers commonly served municipalities and counties through weekly reporting, editorial commentary, notices, and commercial printing. Its history also illustrates the close relationship between newspaper ownership, printing expertise, family businesses, and the development of regional communities. Surviving material includes digitized issues such as The Essex Record from 1871 to 1882 in the INK/ODW newspaper archive.

The Essex/Windsor Record originated in 1861 when Patrick Gammie Laurie acquired The Essex Record. Laurie was an experienced printer and newspaper proprietor who had previously owned the Owen Sound Times. He had worked in the newspaper trade in Ontario and spent time printing in both Windsor and Detroit before taking control of the Essex publication. Under his management, the paper operated as a weekly newspaper serving the Windsor and Essex area. Laurie left the publication in 1869 and sold it to Alexander Cameron. The newspaper suffered a major setback when its offices were destroyed by fire the following year. It was subsequently re-established by Stephen Lusted, an English-born printer whose career had included newspaper work in Woodstock, Brantford, St. Thomas, Chatham, and Ann Arbor. Lusted remained connected with the paper until 1882, although he also entered municipal service as Windsor’s town clerk in 1880. The newspaper briefly tried to expand beyond its weekly format. A daily edition was introduced in 1877, but the experiment lasted only two months. By 1882, the paper was operating from Windsor’s Opera Block on Sandwich Street. On November 9 of that year, Lusted handed control to James and John Barr. Their father, Robert Barr Sr., had purchased the newspaper, and the Barr family subsequently managed the operation. James and John had newspaper experience with the Detroit Free Press, while William Barr also worked at the Record and Robert was associated with editorial and column-writing work. In 1890, the Barr family sold the newspaper to Wallace Graham. The paper soon passed to Archibald McNee, who later worked with John A. McKay. Under this later management, both weekly and daily papers were established, and the publication was renamed the Windsor Record. The name change represented a shift from the broader Essex identity toward a title centered on Windsor, although the newspaper’s historical roots remained in the Essex Record. The Windsor Record continued publication until 1917. Its overall history reflects the evolution of local print media in nineteenth-century Ontario: ownership moved among professional printers, newspaper families, and local publishers; the paper experimented with daily publication; and its title changed as the principal community identity of the business shifted. Digitized copies of The Essex Record from 1871 to 1882 are available through the INK/ODW newspaper archive.

1. 1917Publication ends

   The Windsor Record ceased publication.

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2. 1890Sale to Wallace Graham

   The Barr family sold the newspaper to Wallace Graham.

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3. 1890McNee-era management and renaming

   The paper soon passed to Archibald McNee, later working with John A. McKay, and adopted the Windsor Record name while operating weekly and daily editions.

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4. 1882The Barr family takes control

   James and John Barr assumed control after their father, Robert Barr Sr., purchased the paper from Stephen Lusted.

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5. 1877Daily edition briefly attempted

   The Record tested a daily edition, but the attempt ended after approximately two months.

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6. 1870Office destroyed by fire

   The newspaper’s offices were destroyed by fire and the publication was subsequently re-established under Stephen Lusted.

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7. 1869Ownership passes to Alexander Cameron

   Laurie sold the Record to Alexander Cameron before leaving the Windsor area for Manitoba.

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8. 1861Laurie acquires The Essex Record

   Patrick Gammie Laurie acquired the newspaper and began publishing it in the Windsor and Essex area.

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A locally focused community newspaper serving Windsor and Essex-area readers through weekly reporting, editorial content, notices, advertising, and commercial printing. Its later Windsor Record identity positioned it more directly around the city of Windsor while retaining regional newspaper roots.

• The Essex RecordWeekly newspaper1861

  The original weekly newspaper established in 1861 under Patrick Gammie Laurie. It served readers in Windsor and Essex County with local reporting, editorials, notices, advertising, and related newspaper content. The title remained in use through the nineteenth century before the publication was renamed the Windsor Record.

• The Essex Record daily editionDaily newspaper edition1877

  A short-lived daily version of the Record attempted in 1877. The experiment lasted approximately two months, after which the newspaper returned to its established weekly pattern.

• The Windsor RecordWeekly and daily newspaper

  The later identity of the publication after management by Archibald McNee and, subsequently, John A. McKay. The renamed paper maintained a Windsor-centered local newspaper role and was issued in both weekly and daily forms during its later history.

• 1890Renaming as the Windsor RecordStrategy

  After ownership moved from the Barr family to Wallace Graham and then to Archibald McNee, the publication continued operating in Windsor.

  What changed. The Essex title was changed to the Windsor Record, alongside the establishment of weekly and daily papers.

  Aftermath. The Windsor Record became the publication’s principal later identity until it ceased in 1917.

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• 1877Experiment with daily publicationStrategy

  The Record had operated primarily as a weekly newspaper serving Windsor and Essex-area readers.

  What changed. Its publishers introduced a daily edition.

  Aftermath. The daily experiment lasted only about two months, after which the established weekly format continued.

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1. The Essex/Windsor Record
2. The Essex Record, 1871–1882