Julian, W. A.

JULIAN, CURTIS, WARD

Posted By: Linda Ziemann, Plym. CC (email)
Date: 3/19/2005 at 11:47:48

W. A. Julian

W. A. Julian, editor and proprietor of the Record at Merrill and postmaster of that village, may properly be regarded as the dean of the newspaper fraternity in Plymouth county, for every other paper in the county has changed ownership since he founded the Record in 1890, he therefore being the oldest editor in the county in point of continuous proprietorship.

Mr. Julian is a native of the neighboring state of Wisconsin, but has been resident of Iowa since the days of his young manhood, when he came to Iowa as a young school teacher and continued thus engaged until he entered upon his newspaper career. He was born at Hazel Green, Wisconsin, February 19, 1863, Son of Ralph and Mary (Curtis) Julian, natives of England, the former born at Plymouth and the latter at Lands End, who came to this country and settled in Wisconsin. There Ralph Julian died on June 9, 1881. His widow survived him for more than fifteen years, her death occurring on August 22, 1897. They were the parents of five children, those besides the subject of this sketch being as follow; James Julian, of Hazel Green, Wisconsin; R. Julian, of Rock Rapids, Iowa; T. H. Julian, of Kingsley, Iowa, and Mrs. G. Eachen, also of Kingsley.

Upon completing the course in the common schools, W. A. Julian took a course in the Wisconsin State Normal School at Platteville and was there-after for some years engaged in teaching, filling the positions of superintendent of schools at Sibley, this state, at Remsen and at Merrill. While thus engaged at the latter place Mr. Julian conceived the rather bold design of starting a newspaper there. Such a design is referred to as a "bold" one, for no one save a person of courage, possessed of the proper confidence in his abilities would have entertained such a design, Merrill at that time having but two hundred population -- hardly an inviting field for the establishment of a newspaper. But Mr. Julian had not only confidence in his abilities, but an equally sustaining confidence that Merrill would shortly grow to real newspaper size and on August 20, 1890, he launched on " the uncertain sea of journalism" the Merrill Record, which was a success from the very start and of which Mr. Merrill has ever since been the editor and proprietor; as noted above, the oldest newspaper owner, in point of continuous ownership, in Plymouth county, all the other papers in the county having changed owners since the Record was founded. Mr. Julian is a Democrat and has ever given his earnest attention to political affairs, his long service in behalf of his party receiving a measure of reward when on April 1, 19154, he received his commission as postmaster of Merrill, which office he still occupies. During the period of his teaching service, Mr. Julian was a member of the National Teachers' Association for some
time. He is a charter member of the Merrill lodge of the Knights of Pythias, in which lodge he has held all the offices; has been a member of the Iowa grand lodge of the Knights of Pythias since 1892 and has held minor offices in the same. He and his wife are members of the Methodist Episcopal church.

On December 5, 1894, W. A. Julian was united in marriage to Olive M. Ward, who was born at Le Mars, daughter of O. F. Ward and wife, and to this union one child has been born, a son, W. Ward Julian, born on August 19, 1896.

BOOK SOURCE:
History of Plymouth County, Iowa
Indianapolis, Ind.: B. F. Bowen, 1917