d/o Aaron and Hannah Bunce, Wife of (1) Ebenezer Watson, (2) Barzillai Hudson. The Hartford Courant was started 29 Oct. 1764 by Thomas Green. Ebenezer Watson became a partner in 1767. It is interesting to note that after the death of her husband, Ebenezer Watson, who had been publisher of the Hartford Courant, at that time the newspaper with the largest circulation in the colonies (8,000), Hannah (Bunce) Watson continued to publish the newspaper on her own with the help of George Goodwin, age 20, but only a month after her husband's untimely death the paper mill which provided newsprint to the newspaper burned down, and she and Goodwin published a notice that the newspaper's last issue would be on 3 Feb 1778. In a last-ditch effort, Hannah and Sarah Ledyard, co-owners of the paper mill, appealed to the Connecticut State Assembly for help. Within hours, the Assembly authorized the establishment of a state-wide lottery to rescue the paper. The lottery was a success, and the mill was rebuilt. The Hartford Courant never missed an issue. It was largely through the efforts of Hannah (Bunce) Watson that the newspaper continues today. At the time, it was the only newspaper in the colonies not under British control during the Revolutionary War. She was the mother of five children, under the age of 7 at the time of her first husband's death.

d/o Aaron and Hannah Bunce, Wife of (1) Ebenezer Watson, (2) Barzillai Hudson. The Hartford Courant was started 29 Oct. 1764 by Thomas Green. Ebenezer Watson became a partner in 1767. It is interesting to note that after the death of her husband, Ebenezer Watson, who had been publisher of the Hartford Courant, at that time the newspaper with the largest circulation in the colonies (8,000), Hannah (Bunce) Watson continued to publish the newspaper on her own with the help of George Goodwin, age 20, but only a month after her husband's untimely death the paper mill which provided newsprint to the newspaper burned down, and she and Goodwin published a notice that the newspaper's last issue would be on 3 Feb 1778. In a last-ditch effort, Hannah and Sarah Ledyard, co-owners of the paper mill, appealed to the Connecticut State Assembly for help. Within hours, the Assembly authorized the establishment of a state-wide lottery to rescue the paper. The lottery was a success, and the mill was rebuilt. The Hartford Courant never missed an issue. It was largely through the efforts of Hannah (Bunce) Watson that the newspaper continues today. At the time, it was the only newspaper in the colonies not under British control during the Revolutionary War. She was the mother of five children, under the age of 7 at the time of her first husband's death.