The Halifax Gazette – Canada’s First Newspaper

How a Boston printer, his daughter, and a small shop in Halifax launched Canada’s newspaper industry.

Halifax was still in its infancy when the idea of a local newspaper first took root. Founded in 1749, the city was just three years old when Bartholomew Green, an experienced printer from Massachusetts, packed up his press and made the journey north. He arrived in the fall of 1751, aiming to set up shop and launch a newspaper for the new British colony. Green passed away only a few weeks after reaching Halifax, before his vision could be fully realized.

That vision, however, didn’t die with him. John Bushell (1715 – 1761), Green’s former business partner, stepped in to carry the project forward. Bushell moved to Halifax with his family, including his daughter Elizabeth, an accomplished typesetter who played a key role in the family’s printing operation.

On March 23, 1752, The Halifax Gazette was published for the first time. It was a modest beginning – just one sheet, printed on both sides in two columns – but it marked a historic moment: the birth of newspaper publishing in what would eventually become Canada. Bushell was a skilled wood engraver and two woodcuts graced the front page: a ship in full sail on one side, a hunter in pursuit of game on the other. Both images captured the spirit of life in the colony.

In its early days, the Gazette was very much the voice of the government, filled with proclamations, regulations, and official notices. But the outbreak of the Seven Years’ War in 1756 turned Halifax into a booming port; merchants flooded in, and with them came a broader audience and appetite for news.

Bushell’s paper gradually evolved. While still publishing government material, it began to include international news excerpts, local advertisements, and even the occasional jab at those in power. For a time, it was the only printed source of news in the region.

John Bushell passed away in 1761 at the age of 46 and was laid to rest in the graveyard of St. Paul’s Church in downtown Halifax. After his death, Anthony Henry took over operations and continued the Gazette’s legacy.

A Paper with a Long Lineage

What began as a single-sheet newspaper in 1752 didn’t disappear with time – it adapted. The Halifax Gazette underwent numerous name changes, usually reflecting shifts in management or editorial direction, but it always held on to the word Gazette. That term became a signal to readers that this was an official publication, a government-backed journal of record.

Here’s a quick look at the evolution of the name over the years:

• Halifax Gazette

• Halifax Gazette or the Weekly Advertiser

• Nova Scotia Gazette

• Nova Scotia Gazette and Weekly Chronicle

• Royal Gazette and the Nova Scotia Chronicle

• Nova Scotia Royal Gazette

In 1867, just three days after Confederation, the Gazette officially stopped publishing as a newspaper and transitioned into the role it still holds today – as the Nova Scotia Royal Gazette, the official voice of the province’s legislature and legal notices.

Woodcut illustration of a sailing ship with three masts, sails unfurled, near a coastal fort or building, depicting an old maritime scene.

Elizabeth Bushell: Pioneering Woman
in Canadian Printing

Women have generally been left out of Canada’s early printing history. As the daughter of John Bushell, Elizabeth would certainly have played a crucial role in producing the Halifax Gazette.

In the 18th century, women would often assume the running of a family business after the death of a husband, father or other male relative. Children were also called upon to help. A printer’s labour supply was often his family and work was a collective responsibility for the entire family.

Elizabeth’s expertise as a compositor was vital in bringing the newspaper to life. After her father’s passing in 1761, Elizabeth reportedly stayed in Halifax for a few years but no records exist to show what happened to her. Did she return to Boston, we don’t know but her early contributions laid the groundwork for a rich tradition of printing and journalism in Nova Scotia.

References

Donald F. Chard, (2003) “BUSHELL (Bushel), JOHN,” in Dictionary of Canadian Biography, vol. 3, University of Toronto/Université Laval. https://www.biographi.ca/en/bio/bushell_john_3E.html.

Fauteux, A., (1930), The Introduction of Printing into Canada. Montréal: Rolland Paper Company Limited

Pearson, Gundy, (1964), Early Printers and Printing in the Canadas. Bibliographical Society of Canada.

Thomas, Isaiah. (1970), The History of Printing in America: With a Biography of Printers. (Marcus A. McCorison, Ed), Weathervane Books.

Toronto Public Libraries, (1940), Canadian Book of Printing: How Printing Came to Canada and the Story of the Graphic Arts, Told Mainly in Pictures, Toronto Public Libraries, 500th Anniversary Committee.

Whitelaw, Marjory, (1987), First Impressions: Early Printing in Nova Scotia. Nova Scotia Museum.