Samuel Damian (also spelled Samuil Domien) was an 18th-century Romanian
Greek Catholic The term Greek Catholic Church can refer to a number of Eastern Catholic Churches following the Byzantine (Greek) liturgy, considered collectively or individually.
The terms Greek Catholic, Greek Catholic church or Byzantine Catholic, Byzantine Ca ...
priest from
Transylvania
Transylvania ( ro, Ardeal or ; hu, Erdély; german: Siebenbürgen) is a historical and cultural region in Central Europe, encompassing central Romania. To the east and south its natural border is the Carpathian Mountains, and to the west the Ap ...
who emigrated to North America.
Damian's name first appears in 1748, when he placed an advertisement in the ''
South Carolina Gazette
The ''South Carolina Gazette'' (1732–1775) was South Carolina's first successful newspaper. The paper began in 1732 under Thomas Whitmarsh in Charlestown (now Charleston), but within two years Whitmarsh died of yellow fever. In 1734 anot ...
'' announcing the
electrical demonstrations he planned to give, and inviting the public to attend. Letters written in 1753 and 1755 by
Benjamin Franklin
Benjamin Franklin ( April 17, 1790) was an American polymath who was active as a writer, scientist, inventor, statesman, diplomat, printer, publisher, and political philosopher. Encyclopædia Britannica, Wood, 2021 Among the leading inte ...
attest to the fact that the two had met, and had carried on discussions in Latin concerning electricity.
[
Before settling in Charleston, South Carolina, Damian spent time in Maryland, North Carolina and Virginia.
After living for some years in ]South Carolina
)'' Animis opibusque parati'' ( for, , Latin, Prepared in mind and resources, links=no)
, anthem = " Carolina";" South Carolina On My Mind"
, Former = Province of South Carolina
, seat = Columbia
, LargestCity = Charleston
, LargestMetro = ...
, he traveled to Jamaica
Jamaica (; ) is an island country situated in the Caribbean Sea. Spanning in area, it is the third-largest island of the Greater Antilles and the Caribbean (after Cuba and Hispaniola). Jamaica lies about south of Cuba, and west of His ...
, and after that his name disappears from historical records.[Wertsman, Vladimir (1975). ''The Romanians in America, 1748–1974''. New York: ]Oceana Publications
Oceana Publications Inc. was a legal publisher."Oxford University Press acquires Oceana Publications". ''Business Publisher''. 30 September 2005Digitised copyfrom The Free Library. ''Legal Publisher''. 1 October 2005from HighBeam. It was based in D ...
See also
* Romanian American
Romanian Americans are Americans who have Romanian ancestry. According to the 2017 American Community Survey, 478,278 Americans indicated Romanian as their first or second ancestry, however other sources provide higher estimates, which are most ...
* List of Romanian Americans
This is a list of notable Romanian-Americans, including both original immigrants from Romania who obtained American citizenship and their American descendants.
Academics Literary Critics
* Matei Călinescu – professor at Indiana Universi ...
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Damian, Samuel
People from Transylvania
American people of Romanian descent
Romanian Greek-Catholic priests