by George Mathewson for the Sarnia Observer
(2003) John Raeside Gemmill had lofty hopes when he started (the Observer).
From a home-based printing plant at Davis and Christina streets he cranked out a lively weekly that struck a chord immediately. Within a month, one of every 12 residents in the village of Sarnia had taken out a subscription. Today, 150 years later, The Observer is one of the oldest businesses in Lambton County.
(They’ve) worn out four printing plants and gone through six name changes, and while the quality of journalism has had its ups and downs over the years, The Observer of today is an award-winning publication read by an astonishing 85 per cent of the community. (The Observer) is very proud of the fact that(it) is first and foremost a local newspaper.
The first edition of the Lambton Observer and Western Advertiser hit the streets on Nov. 16, 1853, promising nothing less than “A weekly paper devoted to literature, science, agriculture, commerce, politics and general intelligence.” From the start, Gemmill promised his readers an independent editorial policy. In truth, he openly championed Malcolm Cameron, Sarnia’s big wheel of the time.
Cameron had persuaded Gemmill, an old friend of United Empire Loyalist stock, to leave Perth and start a newspaper here. To sweeten the deal, Cameron offered financial support and a post as deputy-clerk of Lambton County. Gemmill used a sharp pen to rake his benefactor’s foes from stem to stern, denouncing attacks on Cameron as “slanderous garbage.” After he was chided by the Lambton Shield, a rival newspaper run by Alexander Mackenzie, Gemmill fired back: “You can’t expect anything from a sow but a grunt. Our friend can therefore grunt on.”
Ironically, the Shield’s continued attacks secured The Observer’s survival. When Mackenzie unwisely hinted Cameron had been involved in “land jobbery” Cameron sued. History has shown there might have been truth in the charge, but Mackenzie was found guilty and convicted of libel in 1854. The fine and the court costs – a punishing 170 pounds – silenced The Shield forever.
Despite that feat, Mackenzie continued in politics and became the second prime minister of Canada.
Those first editions of The Observer are more like a magazine than a newspaper. The contents range from a denunciation of spiritualists – “a humbug or worse,” Gemmill harrumphed – to a weekly notice from the postmaster quaintly asking villagers, by name, to pick up their unclaimed letters.
In 1856 the name was changed to the Sarnia Observer and Lambton Advertiser. Over time the newspaper has undergone at least six name changes, but always retained the “Observer” somewhere in the banner. In 1858, Gemmill broke with Cameron and moved the newspaper in a more objective direction. His son William Raeside joined the partnership in 1873 and the pair ran the operation for five years before selling it to George Eyvel and Henry Gorman.
Aside from his journalism, Gemmill was a devoted public figure. He became a school trustee and town councillor, and served as clerk of the county courts and registrar of surrogate court. He later became a Justice of the Peace. When Gemmill died on May 24, 1891, the town flag flew at half mast in memory of a deeply respected citizen.