Patriot Printer Isaiah Thomas
Found this great post from J.L. Bell’s Boston 1775 blog… printer Isaiah Thomas, of The History of Printing book, collected many of the pieces that came out of his press over the years and eventually made a permanent home for his collection by founding the American Antiquarian Society in Worcester.
According to J.L. Bell’s post, “one item from Thomas’s print shop, probably created by his inky apprentices, is a handbill dated ‘Boston, January 1, 1771.’” Read the complete post for the verse.
It was a tradition for boys who worked for newspapers to compose and print such verses each New Year. Historians don’t know whether they sang these lines, sold the handbills, or both. In any event, the tradition was—like the Pope Night processions, Christmas Anticks, and other forms of tips—a way for the boys to earn a few coins for themselves at the end of the year.
In 1770, according to the American Antiquarian Society, Isaiah Thomas went into partnership with Boston printer Zechariah Fowle and began publication of the Whig newspaper The Massachusetts Spy, strongly supporting the cause of American independence. In April 1775, two days before the Battle of Lexington, amid rumors that his press was to be seized, Thomas packed up his type, press, and paper supply and moved to Worcester, a safe distance from the British troops stationed in Boston. In Worcester, Thomas continued to print patriotic rhetoric and detailed descriptions of Revolutionary War battles in the Spy.
I’ve just recently started looking for history blogs and I’m glad I did. I’ve learned so much in just a few days.
The 13 Original Colonies
Virginia (1607) - Established by the London Company
New Jersey (1618) - Originally settled by the Dutch, but seized by the English in 1664.
Massachusetts (1620) - Founded as two colonies: Plymouth Colony (1620), settled by the Pilgrims; and Massachusetts Bay Colony (1630), settled by the Puritans. They were united in 1691, and annexed Maine, which had been colonized by the New England Council in the 1620’s.
New Hampshire (1622) - Originally part of Maine, then a colony from 1629 until annexed by Massachusetts, 1641-1643. Became a separate colony again in 1679.
Pennsylvania (1623) - Originally settled by Dutch and Swedes. Came under English control in the 1664 and was granted to William Penn by Charles II in 1681.
New York (1624) - Founded as New Netherland by the Dutch West India Company. Seized by the English in 1664 and renamed.
Maryland (1634) - Granted to Lord Baltimore.
Connecticut (1635) - Founded by settlers from Massachusetts and other colonies. New Haven Colony, founded by settlers from Massachusetts in 1638, annexed to Connecticut in 1662, when the older colony was granted a royal charter.
Rhode Island (1636) - Settled by two groups from Massachusetts and united in 1644. Chartered by King Charles II in 1663.
Delaware (1638) - Settled by Swedes; seized by the Dutch in 1655 and by the English in 1664. Granted to William Penn in 1682.
North Carolina (1653) - Settled by pioneers from other colonies. Carolina was separated from Virginia and granted to a private company in 1663; divided into two colonies in 1711. Made a royal providence in 1729.
South Carolina (1670) - Originally part of Carolina Colony. Was separated from North Carolina in 1711, and became a royal providence in 1729.
Georgia (1733) - Granted to a private company by George II in 1732 and settled a year later in Savannah.
