Samuel Keimer (1689–1742) was originally an English printer and emigrant who came to America and became an Early American printer. He was the original founder of ''

The Pennsylvania Gazette ''The Pennsylvania Gazette'' was one of the United States' most prominent newspapers from 1728 until 1800. In the several years leading up to the American Revolution the paper served as a voice for colonial opposition to British colonial rule, ...

.'' On October 2, 1729,

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 ...

bought this newspaper.

Early life

Keimer was born in the later part of the seventeenth century in the

London Borough of Southwark The London Borough of Southwark ( ) in South London forms part of Inner London and is connected by bridges across the River Thames to the City of London and London Borough of Tower Hamlets. It was created in 1965 when three smaller council areas ...

, England. Keimer, like his only sibling, Mary, was at first a follower of the

Camisards Camisards were Huguenots (French Protestants) of the rugged and isolated Cévennes region and the neighbouring Vaunage in southern France. In the early 1700s, they raised a resistance against the persecutions which followed Louis XIV's Revocation ...

. Keimer initially learned the trade of printing from a well known London printer. He then opened a printing business in 1713, after had learned his trade. His English business failed, however, and he was thrown into Fleet Prison (a debtors' prison) for not paying his debts. When he got out of prison he went to America leaving his English wife behind. He settled in

Philadelphia Philadelphia, often called Philly, is the List of municipalities in Pennsylvania#Municipalities, largest city in the Commonwealth (U.S. state), Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, the List of United States cities by population, sixth-largest city i ...

In Pennsylvania

In 1712 Andrew Bradford was the first person to start a printing business in Philadelphia. In 1723 Keimer opened a printing business near the Market-house in the city. Keimer and Bradford were then the only printers in the colony of Pennsylvania. Keimer had come to America with an old printing press, and a worn-out font of English letters. When Benjamin Franklin, aged 17, came to

looking for a job in 1722, he went first to Bradford’s printing business. Bradford had no job openings, but introduced him to Keimer. Franklin found Keimer trying to set up a composition of his own, the mournful ''Aquila Rose, ... Clerk of the Assembly and a pretty poet'', but having difficulty. Keimer hired Franklin at this time to help put his printing press into working order, since Franklin showed mechanical ability; his position as Keimer's assistant was Franklin's first paid job.

Later life

In later years Keimer's business dwindled and he had fallen into debt. In 1729, after a short term in prison and to avoid debtors, he fled the country to

Barbados Barbados is an island country in the Lesser Antilles of the West Indies, in the Caribbean region of the Americas, and the most easterly of the Caribbean Islands. It occupies an area of and has a population of about 287,000 (2019 estimate) ...

after selling his print shop and newspaper to

. In 1731, at

Bridgetown Bridgetown (UN/LOCODE: BB BGI) is the capital and largest city of Barbados. Formerly The Town of Saint Michael, the Greater Bridgetown area is located within the parish of Saint Michael. Bridgetown is sometimes locally referred to as "The Ci ...

, he published the ''Barbadoes Gazette''. It was the first newspaper in the Caribbean. In 1733 he was sued for a malicious statement in his paper. He continued to publish the newspaper until its operation ceased in 1738.

Works

While in debtors' prison Keimer wrote some works considered of little literary value: ''A Search after Religion among the many Modern Pretenders to it'', London 718 and ''A Brand Pluck'd from the Burning exemplify'd in the unparallel'd case of Samuel Keimer'', London, 1718. ''A Brand Pluck'd from the Burning...'' contained disagreements and disputes of the French Protestants. It also spoke of prison life and included a letter from the English trader Daniel Defoe.

Death

Keimer died in 1742 aged 52–53.

References

Bibliography

* * * * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Keimer, Samuel 1689 births 1742 deaths People from the London Borough of Southwark People from Bridgetown Businesspeople from Philadelphia English printers English Quakers 18th-century American businesspeople People of colonial Pennsylvania American publishers (people) English male poets Colonial American printers