American Newspaper Articles

This page contains almost 400 links to newspaper articles that helped to define the Kentucky Colonel in history, which combined with our bibliography section includes several thousand resources. 

Defining Historic Kentucky Colonel Newspaper Articles

There are a number of historical newspaper articles that helped to define the ideal of the Kentucky Colonel during the 18th, 19th and early 20th century. It is our understanding that the first Kentucky Colonels are based in the founding of Boonesborough in the Transylvania Colony when many commissions and land warrants were issued while Kentucky was a part of Virgina. 

The term "Kentucky Colonels" was officially merged in the public imagination and American literature in 1889 through a newspaper article and a short story, then book by Opie Read that were published and read in most major newspapers across the country.

For more information previously collected for our book. Please see our Resources page. 

"Kentucky Colonels"

How It Happens They are so Numerous In the Blue Grass State 

From the Louisville Post, September 1889 (Published in over 80 Newspapers Coast to Coast and in Canada)

It is somewhat hard for an outside barbarian to understand why "colonels" are so plentiful in Kentucky. In the first place Kentucky furnished a great many soldiers, both to the northern and to the southern armies, during the war and naturally some of these soldiers are sure enough colonels by rank and service. Others, who were minor officers or perhaps high privates, are now dubbed colonels by way of courtesy. Then we have a very few colonels who hold over from the Mexican war, and there are other colonels of militia, like the Louisville Legion, who come by their titles honestly. The governor of Kentucky has the privilege of appointing persons on his staff with the rank of colonel. These colonels are expected to look pretty and martial at the governor's ball and to ride horseback when the governor heads a procession. The last duty frequently gives them great pain and anxiety. 

There are scores and scores of these governor-staff colonels in this proud old commonwealth. Some executives have been more lavish than others in the distribution of these gilded honors. That kindly old gentleman, Gov. Luke Blackburn. M.D., was fond of creating colonels. During his term he made some sixty colonels in the city of Louisville alone, if I remember the figures correctly. There are various reasons which entitles a man to this gubernatorial compliment. Col. Will Hays is a colonel because he is such a gifted poet, while Col. Albert Dietzman was given his title by Lt. Gov. Knott because he was the greatest business manager on earth. 

I trust these facts will make it somewhat clearer to the wondering northerner why colonels are so plentiful in Kentucky. But there are other reasons. Many prominent citizens are honored with this complimentary title simply as a recognition of their merit by the community. Thus every man who conducts a large distillery is ipso facto a colonel; for instance, Col. John M. Atherton, or Col. Tom Sherley. Every prominent railroad official is also a colonel; for instance, Col. Milton H Smith. Every Congressman is a colonel, as Col. Asher G. Caruth. Every man with a government office is a colonel; as Col. George Du Belle. Every great editor is a colonel, like Col. Henry Watterson. The chief of the police department is a de facto colonel, as Col. Wood. Then there are other gentlemen who are colonels because no other title fits them. But the law on the subject is a little vague and has never been formulated by the legislature. 

If a man has been a captain in the war never call him captain; call him colonel. He is entitled to this promotion twenty-four years after the war closed. The only men proud to be called captain are the commanders of steamboats. The captains of fire companies, the conductors of railroad trains, and the officers in a Salvation Army. The title of major is comparatively rare, and. therefore, is really more of a distinction than colonel. Only prominent people who have seen actual service wear the for instance. Major Ed. Hughes and Major J. Washington Wann. But still if you call a major a colonel he is not likely to get mad at you. By the observance of these few rules I have jotted down the stranger can get along in Kentucky without committing any serious breach of etiquette. 

American News Articles About Colonels

This extensive collection of news articles, primarily sourced from the pre-teletype era (before 1935), offers a fascinating glimpse into the historical and cultural significance of the "Kentucky Colonel" title. These articles, discovered through diligent research at the  Library of Congress, InternetArchive, NewspaperArchive, and other repositories, provide valuable context for understanding the evolution of this unique honor.

While the individual articles are in the public domain, their careful selection and arrangement within this compilation are protected under U.S. copyright law. This curated collection forms a core component of our forthcoming book, "Kentucky Colonels: Forefathers, Founders, and Model Figures of Kentucky Culture, Customs, Folklore, History, Music, Society, Traditions, and Values," scheduled for release in 2024-2025.  

We believe that these historical news articles, presented alongside original research and analysis, will offer a comprehensive and insightful exploration of the Kentucky Colonel tradition.

Kentucky Colonel comic from 1892.
Comic from 1892

News Articles that do not Mention Kentucky 

It is clear that from 1861 there was a big shift in where and who could be named colonels, but this was not true in Kentucky because the origins of "colonelcy" were viewed differently and anyone who owned a considerable sized piece of land was already called a "colonel" by default notwithstanding the Civil War, that is once they matured to a certain age, or if they demonstrated a certain style that became atypical to colonels of a white goatee, a broad brimmed hat, and a flocked long-tail coat around 1889.