Founder of the first newspaper established in St. Louis, Missouri. Of Welsh origin, his family moved to Ireland in 1663 and as a young man he participated in the Irish Rebellion of 1798. After the failure of that patriotic movement he fled to France and from there came to the United States. He was a printer by trade and eventually joined noted publisher Matthew Carey in Philadelphia.  Through Mr. Carey, he met many distinguished Americans. It was his acquaintance with Henry Clay which most likely brought about his relocation to Kentucky and eventually to St. Louis in 1808.  There he founded the Missouri “Gazette” which later became known as the “Republic.”  He owned the paper for 12 years before selling it to James Cumings who sold it to Edward Charless, Joseph Charless Sr.’s eldest son. He changed the name of the paper to the “Missouri Republican” in 1822. Later, Charless Sr. established a wholesale drug and medicine house with his son Joseph. Mr. Charless was married to Mrs. Sarah Jourdan McCloud, a widow with one son, in 1798.  They had five children:  Edwards, John, Joseph Jr., Ann and Eliza. (bio by: Connie Nisinger)  Family links:  Children:  Edward Charless (1799 – 1848)* *Calculated relationship