Hezekiah Usher
| Hezekiah Usher | |
|---|---|
| Born |
Hezekiah Usher 1615 Bethnal Green, London, England |
| Died | May 14, 1676 |
| Residence | Boston, Massachusetts Bay Colony |
| Nationality | British |
| Occupation | bookseller, publisher |
| Known for | first bookseller in British America |
| Spouse(s) | Frances Usher, Elizabeth Symmes, and Mary Alford Butler |
| Children | 9 children |
Hezekiah Usher (1615 – May 14, 1676) of Boston was the first known bookseller in British America. The first books printed in the thirteen colonies were published and sold by Usher.
Usher was born in 1615. The medieval records known as the Hundred Rolls show that Usher came from the then hamlet of Bednall Green, today's Bethnal Green in East London in England. The Usher family line itself is believed to be originally from the town of Bednall Green. The Usher family name is known in English history and literally means "one who introduced strangers." Usher and his brother Robert left Bednall Green (aka Bethnal Green) and settled in the thirteen colonies. Usher came first to Cambridge.
As of 1642, he was the owner of a house in Cambridge (northeast corner of Dunster and Winthrop) that was the property of William Andrew in 1635. Later, in 1645 Usher settled in Boston in the Massachusetts Bay Colony. He lived on the north side of Boston on State Street near the market-place. Usher opened his first bookstore in Boston in 1647. His affairs prospered, and by 1652, he had become a well known merchant and bookseller. Robert, his brother, had settled in Stamford, Connecticut.
Usher was a commercial merchant and a real estate investor. He was the first known colonial bookseller. Most of the items he had for sale in his business as a merchant were books. One such book that he sold that was well received was the Bay Psalm Book, the first book printed in the thirteen colonies. The first edition was sold by Usher in Cambridge in 1640 and the fourth edition of the Bay Psalm Book was sold in Boston by Usher in 1652. He had also printed and distributed for free John Eliot's catechism in 1653.
Usher was agent for the London Society of the Corporation for Propagating the Gospel in managing the money matters between the corporation established in England for spreading the New Testament among the Indians in America and the commissioners of the thirteen colonies in New England. He was able to obtain paper and type fonts for printing the New Testament in the Indian language when he went to England in the winter of 1657/58.
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