The front page of the Harrisburg Daily Telegraph, August 10, 1874.
The Telegraph was one of the prominent newspapers of the State Capital of Pennsylvania. It regularly carried news of the “Upper End” often repeating news stories that appeared in the local weeklies, most copies of which since have disappeared. The man who built that paper to its level of prominence was George Bergner, an immigrant from Germany who died on August 5, 1874. The Harrisburg Telegraph of August 10, 1874, published a biographical sketch of him on its editorial/opinion page.
_______________________________________________________
The mere announcement of the death of the editor and proprietor of the Telegraph, made in our last issue, justifies who remain in giving the following record of GEORGE BERGNER.
He was born in the village of Neuenkirchen, a few miles distant from the free city of Bremen, in the Kingdom of Hanover, on the 8th day of June, 1818, and at the age of twelve came to America. With a limited education, almost penniless, “a stranger in a strange land,” he reached the town of Reading. Apprenticing himself to the printing business with Mr. Egelman, the well-known almanac maker, now deceased, he served out his term of service in his office. His first journey work was in Philadelphia at the Democrat newspaper establishment; but he soon left that city and came to Harrisburg. This was about 1836, as we are informed, where he worked at the case for several years, in the different printing establishments of Messrs. Baab, Bigler, Hummel, Miller and Ehrenfried. In 1838, during the Ritner and Porter campaign, he was sent by the Executive Committee of the anti-Masonic party to Somerset, Pennsylvania, where he published a German paper. It was printed, however, only during the campaign, when Mr. Bergner returned to the State Capital. He established a small job office in Mr. Elder’s frame building, where Brant’s Hall is now located, and when not occupied on Mr. Ehrenfried’s paper, he was busy in his little office, and during hours when other printers sought ease and pleasure, Mr. B. pursued his business with great industry. Subsequently he was induced to start the publication of a German paper at Carlisle. It was short-lived, however, and he came to Harrisburg, resuming his old position.
During the Harrison campaign of 1840, in the good old log-cabin days, he published at New Bloomfield, Perry County, the Held. The ensuing winter found him at his old location.
Mr. Ehrenfried having been successful in securing the German printing for the State in 1841, Mr. Bergner shortly after purchased the Vaterland Waechter, which until the present time has been regularly published and edited by him. The paper has always had a fair circulation — not only local but State-wide. Unfortunately, the early files of it were destroyed in the partial burning of the printing office in 1864.
During the Know Nothing excitement of 1854, Mr. Bergner, being ostracized from his political affiliation by his birth, published the weekly American, the late Collin McCurdy doing the editorial, which accomplished much towards the downfall of that ephemeral party.
In 1855, he purchased the Telegraph, established in 1830, by Theodore Fenn, Esq., but which had passed out of his hands into those successively of Messrs. John J. Clyde, John J. Patterson and A. K. McClure. The Telegraph had always been one of the most influential papers in Pennsylvania, but until Mr. Bergner took charge, it was never a “paying concern” financially. Mr. Bergner brought to the establishment his indomitable energy, industry and thrift, and the result is the Telegraph is on as firm a basis as any newspaper published in the State.
Since the year 1857, Mr. Bergner has printed the Legislative Record or Journal authorized by the General Assembly, and a few months since was awarded the contract for publishing the same for the ensuing four years.
The lamented President Lincoln appointed Mr. Bergner postmaster of Harrisburg in 1861. He was reappointed in 1865, and continued in office until 1866, when he was removed by President Johnson. On the accession of General Grant to the Presidential chair in 1869, he was reappointed , and in 1873 continued in the position, which he filled with credit to himself, fidelity to the government and satisfaction to the people of this city, until his decease.
Mr. Bergner has filled many important trusts — and profitable ones by any means — with ability and faithfulness. At the time of his death he was Inspector of the Dauphin County Prison and President thereof, one of the Trusteed of the State Lunatic Hospital, and Vice President of the Pennsylvania State Agricultural Society. He took a lively interest in the latter organization, and his farm on the Susquehanna is evidence of his knowledge of scientific farming. He was also President of the State Bank and a member of the Board of Directors of the Harrisburg Gas Company.
During the recent civil conflict, although prevented by his public duties to accept any position, yet in 1862, when the soil of his adopted State was about to be invaded, he enrolled himself among those who volunteered to defend it, and marched as a private of Company K, First Regiment Pennsylvania Volunteer Militia, doing duty in that brief campaign.
Active and energetic in all the business pursuits of life, one would hardly imagine he had any time to attend to matters of far greater moment. Such was not the case. Mr. Bergner, for years, has been a faithful officer of the First Lutheran Church, warm, liberal, and earnest in every good work, and his pastor and church will miss him from their councils.
Of Mr. Bergner’s characteristics the readers of the Telegraph are well aware. In politics he was a firm, devoted partisan; as a citizen enterprising and energetic; as a friend never swerving, reliable and true, and in all his relations in life public or private, he was the same earnest, strong-hearted man, and like most men in active life he died from over-work.
George Bergner’s memory is enshrined in the hearts of those who knew him best, and they will miss his kindly counsel and fraternal advice. Those near and dear to him, we feel assured, have the warm sympathy of this community. Truly can it be said of him, he lived in deeds not years. He died at noon, Wednesday, August 5, 1874.
____________________________________________________
Image and opinion piece obtained through Newspapers.com.
Corrections and additional information should be added as comments to this post.