The Organ

The Organ was published in New Bedford, Bristol County, Mass. in 1876 and edited by Charles D. Craigie and Sam P Burt. The newspaper was to be edited by a different person with every issue published. They state in the editorial of the first number that the purpose of the paper is for the enrichment of the members of their church community, which they refer to as "The Golden Keys," and to raise money for the organ fund. They explain in one of the articles that the organ in their church had been in use since the 1850s and needed to be replaced. They raised funds for it through the publishing of the newspaper and by organizing local fairs. The articles are about courtship, morality, and religion. They also included national correspondence, poems, local news, excerpts from older newspapers, puzzles, and advertisements. The contributors sign their names as X.Y.Z., James B. Longdon, B., Polly Tishun, R.J. Newton, Bret, and Julius.

Charles Duncan Craigie was born in November, 1857 in New Bedford, Bristol County, Mass. to Andrew and Harriet B. Craigie. He married Helen Dean Baright (ca. 1858- ) in 1890. They had a daughter, Helen Barker, in 1893. Craigie is listed on the 1900 U.S. census as a music publisher and on the 1920 U.S. census as a dealer in maps.