Lewis Timothy

Louis Timothee
Born	1699 The Netherlands
Died	30 Dec 1738 (age 39)
Resting place	Charleston County, South Carolina, USA
Residence	Colonial Williamsburg
Occupation	printer
Known for	publisher in colonial America
Spouse(s)	Elizabeth Villin (maiden name)
Children	Peter (b. 24 May 1725) Mary (b. 08 Dec 1726) Louis (b. 19 Jun 1729) Charles (b.14 Sep 1730) Catherine (b. 15 Jan 1735) Louisa (b. 6 Dec 1737)
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Louis Timothee or Lewis Timothy was a prominent Colonial American printer in the Colonies of Pennsylvania and South Carolina, who worked for Benjamin Franklin. He was the first American librarian.

Timothy was born in Holland to French Huguenot parents who lived in Rotterdam because his parents left France to get away from religious persecution. As a young man in the Netherlands he learned printing from his father.

Timothy, with his wife, Elizabeth, and four sons, moved to British America in 1731. He took the Oath of Allegiance to King George II at Philadelphia upon arrival on 21 September 1731, as was required of all male immigrants to British America.

Timothy was fluent in German, French, and English as well as his native tongue, Dutch. The month after arriving in Philadelphia, Timothy advertised in the Pennsylvania Gazette his intention to open a "Publick French School; he will also, if required, teach the said language to any young gentlemen or ladies, at their Lodgings."

Timothy advertised for work in Benjamin Franklin's Pennsylvania Gazette initially and got a job as a French teacher. He got acquainted with Franklin in Philadelphia because of his printing skills and started working for him, learning to publish a newspaper. His first attempt at a newspaper was the German-language Philadelphische Zeitung. It came out in the spring of 1732 and failed within a year. After that Timothy was the printer for the Pennsylvania Gazette, owned by Franklin. Franklin was impressed by Timothy's work, so on 26 November 1733 Franklin entered into a six-year contract with him; Franklin would furnish printing equipment for publishing the floundering South Carolina Gazette weekly newspaper in Charleston, South Carolina. Timothy was to publish the newspaper and pay back over six years the expenses Franklin furnished up front. The previous editor, Thomas Whitmarsh, died of yellow fever in 1733; his predecessor died in 1731. Timothy did well as the newspaper publisher and became the official "public printer" and postmaster for the colony of South Carolina. Timothy expanded his printing business to an assortment of jobs, including books and pamphlets. In this period Lewis Timothy's son Peter Timothy was beginning apprenticeship in his father's print shop. The Franklin-Timothy agreement was that Franklin was to provide the printing typefonts and the press. Franklin also agreed to pay one-third of the maintenance costs; in return he was to receive one-third of the profits. The agreement also provided that Peter would have the printing business in the event of his father's untimely death.

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