The 3 R’s in Early Pennsylvania

There were early proposals about the proper way to educate Pennsylvania’s youth. Naturally, Ben Franklin jumped in with his own Proposals Relating to the Education of Youth in Pensilvania. Philadelphia: [B. Franklin], 1749. It is a 32 page pamphlet that outlines a course of studies, and makes suggestions such as “that the boarding Scholars diet together, plainly, temperately, and frugally; that to keep them in Health, and to strengthen and render active their Bodies, they be frequently exercis’d in Running, Leaping, Wrestling, and Swimming &c.; that they have peculiar Habits to distinguish them from other Youth, if the Academy be in or near the Town….”

Nearly 40 years later there was a similar pamphlet written by Benjamin Rush and titled Thoughts upon Female Education, Accommodated to the Present State of Society, Manners, and Government in the United States of America, Addresses to the Visitors of the Young Ladies Academy in Philadelphia, 28 July 1787, at the Close of the Quarterly Examinations. Philadelphia: Prichard & Hall, 1787. The dedicatory letter at the front of this 32 page work claims that some of the opinions therein are “contrary to general prejudice and fashion,” and Rush makes clear on page 5 that he believes that American “young ladies” should be educated very differently than British women were at the time.

Rush’s first three curricular suggestions are: “A knowledge of the English language. She should not only read, but speak and spell it correctly. … Pleasure and interest conspire to make the writing of a fair and legible hand a necessary branch of female education. … Some knowledge of figures and bookkeeping is absolutely necessary to qualify a young lady for the duties which await her in this country.”

Good old “reading, writing, and arithmetic.”

Rush does continue, after mentioning also geography and history, to include vocal music and dancing in the curriculum.  Singing would be a good skill to learn because it prepares her to sing in worship and because “the distress and vexation of a husband … may all be relieved by a song”.  And dancing “promotes health, and renders the figure and motions of the body easy and agreeable.”

Pennsylvania Publishers in our PA Imprints Collection – Hanover–Lancaster

Here is the next preliminary list of imprints from Pennsylvania cities and towns. It comes from the online catalog of the “Pennsylvania Imprints to 1865″ collection in the Rare Collections Library at the State Library of Pennsylvania. Printers and publishers are mixed together here, simply because that’s how these items have been cataloged over the years.  Furthermore, earlier catalogers may not have been overly fastidious about separating out firms with similar names (see, for example, the firm names grouped together under “Stiemer, Albrecht und Lahn”), although it has to be admitted that the printers themselves may not have seen corporate succession the same way we do today.

This is a preliminary list.  And the printer’s/publisher’s names are coming from the library catalog not directly from the books that were printed.

Hanover – William D. Lepper, printer; W. D. Lepper; Wilhelm D. Lepper – 1797-1806
Hanover – Starck & Lange; Starck und Lange – 1808-1810
Hamburg – Carl Benseman – 1848
Hollidaysburg – John Penn Jones – 1841
Huntingdon – John M’Cahan; J. M. M’Cahan – 1804-1810
Kingston – J. Buel – 1812
Kutztown – in Hawrecht’s “Geist der zeit” druckerei – 1848
Kutztown – Hawrecht und Wink – 1845
Kittanning – Copley, Croll, & Co. – 1826
Lancaster – Robert Bailey – 1804
Lancaster – Johann Albrecht – 1790-1804
Lancaster – Georg und Peter Albrecht – 1808
Lancaster – William Albrecht; William Albright – 1822-1831
Lancaster – Albrecht und Lahn – 1788
Lancaster – Francis Bailey for Caleb Johnson – 1773-1776, 1799-1802
Lancaster – Jacob Bailey – 1784-1791
Lancaster – Francis & Robert Bailey – 1799-1800
Lancaster – F. Bailey – 1801
Lancaster – Robert Bailey – 1804
Lancaster – Johann Bär, J. Bär, John Bear – 1818-1855
Lancaster – Johann Bär’s Söhnen; John Baer’s Sons, Johann Bar’s Sohnen [umlauts not on bib record!] – 1829, 1859-1867
Lancaster – Johann Bär und Söhnen – 1857-1858
Lancaster – J. Bailey & W. Dickson – 1792-1793
Lancaster – Boswell & M’Cleery – 1835
Lancaster – Burnside and Smith – 1804
Lancaster – Theophilus Cossart und Companie – 1780
Lancaster – Carpenter M’Cleery – 1837
Lancaster – for George Daly, by Jesse Kendall – 1813
Lancaster – E.C. Darlington, printer – 1843
Lancaster – William und Robert Dickson; William Dickson; Wm. Dickson – 1796-1813
Lancaster – William Dickson, printer – 1820
Lancaster – reprinted and sold by W. Dunlap – 1756-1757
Lancaster – John Dunlap – 1778
Lancaster – Joseph Ehrenfried; J. Ehrenfried – 1810-1818
Lancaster – J.W. Forney – 1839
Lancaster – Peter Fox – 1827
Lancaster – William Greear – 1807-1812
Lancaster – Gervase Godard & Co. – 1808
Lancaster – Henry Grimler – 1802
Lancaster – Henrich und Benjamin Grimler; Henry & Benjamin Grimler – 1806-1811
Lancaster – Benjamin Grimler – 1818
Lancaster – William Hamilton; Printed by the reporter; W. Hamilton; Wilhelm Hamilton – 1802-1815
Lancaster – by George Helmbold, junior, for Lloyd and Helmbold, jun. – 1803
Lancaster – John Herr – 1835
Lancaster – G. Hills; G. Hills u. Co.; Gilbert Hills – 1841-1848
Lancaster – M. D. Holbrook – 1849
Lancaster – Chr. Jac. Hutter – 1800
Lancaster – Charles M’Dowell – 1803-1805
Lancaster – John R. Mathews – 1806-1807
Lancaster – Hugh Maxwell – 1834
Lancaster – Printed for the purchasers; Gedruckt für den verfasser – 1811-1838
Lancaster – John Reynolds – 1822-1832
Lancaster – Russell & Myers, printers – 1833
Lancaster – William C. Smyth – 1808
Lancaster – S.C. Stambaugh – 1822
Lancaster – Stiemer, Albrecht und Lahn; Albrecht und Lahn; Johann Albrecht und Comp.; bey Johann Albrecht; bey Georg und Peter Albrecht – 1787-1809
Lancaster – H. W. Villee – 1828-1829
Lancaster – Samuel Wagner – 1833