University of Virginia Library

New Haven.

The second printing house, established in Connecticut,
was in this town.

James Parker & Company. At the commencement of
the war between England and France, in 1754, Benjamin
Franklin and William Hunter were joint deputy postmasters
general for America. As the principal seat of the
war with France, in this country, was to the northward,
the establishment of a post office in New Haven became
an object of some consequence. James Parker, in 1754,
obtained from Franklin the first appointment of postmaster
in that place, associated with John Holt, who had
been unfortunate in his commercial business, and was
brother-in-law to Hunter.

Having secured the post office, Parker, who was then
the principal printer at New York, by the advice of Franklin
established a press in New Haven at the close of the
year 1754. The first work from his press was the laws of
Yale College, in Latin. On the first of January, 1755, he
published a newspaper.

Holt directed the concerns of the printing house and
post office in behalf of James Parker & Co. Parker

remained at New York. Post riders were established for
the army, and considerable business was done at the post
office and printing house during the war.

Parker had a partner, named Weyman, in New York,
who managed their affairs in that city until the year 1759,
when the partnership was dissolved. This event made it
necessary that a new arrangement should take place.
Holt went to New York in 1760, took the direction of Parker's
printing house in that city, and conducted its concerns.
The press and post office in New Haven were left to the
agency of Thomas Green; Parker & Co. still remaining
proprietors, and continuing their firm on the Gazette till
1764, when they resigned the business to Benjamin Mecom.

Benjamin Mecom, who has been mentioned as a printer,
first at Antigua, and afterward in Boston, removed to
New Haven in 1764, and succeeded Parker & Co. Franklin
appointed him postmaster. He revived the Gazette
which had been discontinued, but did very little other
printing. He remained in that city until 1767, and then
removed to Philadelphia. [See Philadelphia, etc.]

Samuel Green was the third son of Samuel Green, and
grandson of the first Timothy Green, both printers in
New London, where he was born. He was taught printing
by his uncle Timothy, who succeeded his father and grandfather,
in New London; and was the successor of Mecom,
at New Haven, in 1767. He was joined by his brother
Thomas, from Hartford, and they became partners, under
the firm of Thomas & Samuel Green. The newspaper,
which was begun by Parker & Co., and continued by
Mecom, had again been discontinued. These brothers
established another. Their partnership remained until
dissolved by the death of Samuel, one of the parties, in
February, 1799, aged fifty-six years.

After the death of Samuel, the son of Thomas became
a partner with his father, under the firm of Thomas Green
& Son. This son was also named Thomas. The establishment
continued ten years.

In 1809, a nephew of Richard Draper, Thomas Collier,
who had been a printer at Litchfield, was connected with
Green and his son; but the same year Thomas Green the
father retired from business. On this occasion he published
a very affectionate and pathetic address to the public.
He died May, 1812, aged seventy-seven years.

The newspaper established by Thomas and Samuel
Green was continued by Eli Hudson.