Bruner (1817–1890) left an apprenticeship at the Western Carolinian to join the Watchman in its early years, and he became part-owner at age 22 and full owner at 33, in 1850.

[13] Hanes claimed that the paper was politically independent, which was true during his editorship except when it backed the unsuccessful conservative effort to stop the adoption of a new state constitution in 1868.

[13] Bruner bought the newspaper back when Hanes left Salisbury, rebranding it as the Carolina Watchman in 1871.

[13] With Bruner as editor, the Watchman's circulation apparently reached about 50 counties in North Carolina, and it was said that he fended off competition from more than 50 other papers.

[12] An 1898 catalogue lists the Carolina Watchman as a Populist paper, with editor H. J. Gasque and a circulation of 1,000.

[2] On January 29, 1937, the weekly Watchman announced that it would be succeeded by the Rowan County Herald beginning February.