The first newspaper to print in Ada was the Ada Record. Started in
1872, the Record was begun by H.S. Lehr, the man who also created the
North-Western Ohio Normal School.
On June 20, 1885, U.S.G. Cherry,
S.B. Wagner, and W.W. Poultney, the editors and proprietors of the
University Herald and graduates of the Normal School, sent a "monthly
review of the school and societies " to a list of subscribers.
Originally intended to keep the alumni of the university informed about
the happenings around the school, the self-described literary
publication quickly grew into a larger role. The newspaper was printed
at the offices of the Ada Record.
M.L. Snyder and Ralph Parlette
purchased the University Herald in 1895. Snyder later bought Parlette's
interest in the company and and the family retained control of the
company under his son, Barton, until it was sold to Brown Publishing in
1966. In 2010, DHI Media, Inc., of Delphos, Ohio, purchased the Ada
Herald from Brown.
Under the Snyder family, the newspaper changed
format from magazine to tabloid sizes and then to broadsheet. The
printing frequency also increased from quarterly to monthly, finally
printing on a weekly cycle. In 1917 the Snyder's changed the name to The
Ada Herald.