Christopher Sower (younger)
Encyclopedia
Christopher Sower was a clergyman and printer.
(I), had founded a printing and publishing business and other enterprises in Germantown, Pennsylvania
, which the son later continued. Christopher Sower II was liberally educated. His early education was by Christopher Dock
, whose work “Eine Einfältige und gründlich abgefasste Schul-Ordnung” he later published. Sower learned the printing and publishing trades from his father. When he was 26 years old, he became a minister, and was associated with Sanders Mack in Germantown and the oldest Dunker church
in the United States
. Five years later, he was chosen overseer, or bishop, and continued the duties of his office in connection with his inherited secular business until his death.
Upon taking charge of the printing and publishing business, he so increased it that for many years it was the largest book manufactory in the country. In 1763, he published a second edition of the great quarto Bible
, in 1776 a third, all in German
. These editions were issued previous to the publication of the first English
Bible in the colonies by Robert Aitken in 1781.
Sower did his own type founding
, wood engraving
, ink
making and book binding. In 1773 he constructed a paper mill
on the Schuylkill River
. He also managed a large business in his father's medical preparations
, which he sent to various parts of the country. Before the American Revolutionary War
, he was one of the wealthiest men in the Thirteen Colonies
. He was one of the founders of the Germantown Academy
, to which he largely contributed. He also was an opponent of slavery
.
In 1774, without legal formality, he turned over his house in Germantown and his printing business to his son Christopher
. During the American Revolutionary War
, when British troops occupied Germantown, part of the unbound sheets for Sower's Bible edition of 1776 was seized and used for littering horses. Though, along with many other German sectarians (these included Quakers, Mennonites, Schwenkfelders, Moravians and his own sect, the Dunkers
), Sower was merely a pacifist, his son was an active loyalist, and the Sowers were on the rebels' list of loyalists.
When the British troops departed Philadelphia, the son left with them, but the father stayed behind during the rebel occupation. Though Christopher Sower II did not espouse the British cause, and had actively denounced the Stamp Act
which doubly taxed foreign publications, he was arrested and imprisoned. On a second arrest for not conforming to an edict, of which he seems to have been ignorant, he was taken from his bed, maltreated in various ways, and led before the provost as a spy. His considerable property was confiscated, but instead of having recourse to the law, he said: “I made them to understand that I should permit everything to happen to me that the Lord should ordain.” Sower's one protest was against being labeled a traitor.
The remainder of his old age was spent, except when visiting churches within his jurisdiction, at Methacton, where, assisted by his daughter, he supported himself at binding and selling remnants of his publications. He died in poverty. No one in his denomination has been held in higher veneration, and his benevolence to the poor families of the soldiers earned him the title of the “bread father.” He was also an orator, and his reputation as a writer extended throughout the colonies.
In 1888, Christopher the younger's great grandson Charles Gilbert Sower
incorporated the family firm as the Christopher Sower Company with a charter from Pennsylvania
.
Biography
His father, also named Christopher SowerChristopher Sower (elder)
Christopher Sower was a printer. He printed and published the first German-language Bible in America, the second printing of a Bible in North America.-Biography:He wrote his name Christophe Saur on his German publications...
(I), had founded a printing and publishing business and other enterprises in Germantown, Pennsylvania
Germantown, Pennsylvania
Germantown is the name of six places in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, a state in the United States, including a neighborhood in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania:* Germantown, Adams County, Pennsylvania* Germantown, Cambria County, Pennsylvania...
, which the son later continued. Christopher Sower II was liberally educated. His early education was by Christopher Dock
Christopher Dock
Christopher Dock was a Mennonite educator.-Biography:He immigrated to the United States by 1714, becoming a teacher at Skippack in Philadelphia County, Pennsylvania by 1718. After teaching for ten years, he turned primarily to farming, and bought in Salford Township in 1735...
, whose work “Eine Einfältige und gründlich abgefasste Schul-Ordnung” he later published. Sower learned the printing and publishing trades from his father. When he was 26 years old, he became a minister, and was associated with Sanders Mack in Germantown and the oldest Dunker church
Dunkers
Dunker may refer to*Conradine Birgitte Dunker , Norwegian socialite and writer*Gösta Dunker , Swedish footballer*Jens Gram Dunker , Norwegian architect*Oļģerts Dunkers , Latvian actor and film director...
in the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
. Five years later, he was chosen overseer, or bishop, and continued the duties of his office in connection with his inherited secular business until his death.
Upon taking charge of the printing and publishing business, he so increased it that for many years it was the largest book manufactory in the country. In 1763, he published a second edition of the great quarto Bible
Bible
The Bible refers to any one of the collections of the primary religious texts of Judaism and Christianity. There is no common version of the Bible, as the individual books , their contents and their order vary among denominations...
, in 1776 a third, all in German
German language
German is a West Germanic language, related to and classified alongside English and Dutch. With an estimated 90 – 98 million native speakers, German is one of the world's major languages and is the most widely-spoken first language in the European Union....
. These editions were issued previous to the publication of the first English
English language
English is a West Germanic language that arose in the Anglo-Saxon kingdoms of England and spread into what was to become south-east Scotland under the influence of the Anglian medieval kingdom of Northumbria...
Bible in the colonies by Robert Aitken in 1781.
Sower did his own type founding
Type foundry
A type foundry is a company that designs or distributes typefaces. Originally, type foundries manufactured and sold metal and wood typefaces and matrices for line-casting machines like the Linotype and Monotype machines designed to be printed on letterpress printers...
, wood engraving
Wood engraving
Wood engraving is a technique in printmaking where the "matrix" worked by the artist is a block of wood. It is a variety of woodcut and so a relief printing technique, where ink is applied to the face of the block and printed by using relatively low pressure. A normal engraving, like an etching,...
, ink
Ink
Ink is a liquid or paste that contains pigments and/or dyes and is used to color a surface to produce an image, text, or design. Ink is used for drawing and/or writing with a pen, brush, or quill...
making and book binding. In 1773 he constructed a paper mill
Paper mill
A paper mill is a factory devoted to making paper from vegetable fibres such as wood pulp, old rags and other ingredients using a Fourdrinier machine or other type of paper machine.- History :...
on the Schuylkill River
Schuylkill River
The Schuylkill River is a river in Pennsylvania. It is a designated Pennsylvania Scenic River.The river is about long. Its watershed of about lies entirely within the state of Pennsylvania. The source of its eastern branch is in the Appalachian Mountains at Tuscarora Springs, near Tamaqua in...
. He also managed a large business in his father's medical preparations
Pharmacy
Pharmacy is the health profession that links the health sciences with the chemical sciences and it is charged with ensuring the safe and effective use of pharmaceutical drugs...
, which he sent to various parts of the country. Before the American Revolutionary War
American Revolutionary War
The American Revolutionary War , the American War of Independence, or simply the Revolutionary War, began as a war between the Kingdom of Great Britain and thirteen British colonies in North America, and ended in a global war between several European great powers.The war was the result of the...
, he was one of the wealthiest men in the Thirteen Colonies
Thirteen Colonies
The Thirteen Colonies were English and later British colonies established on the Atlantic coast of North America between 1607 and 1733. They declared their independence in the American Revolution and formed the United States of America...
. He was one of the founders of the Germantown Academy
Germantown Academy
Germantown Academy is America's oldest nonsectarian day school, founded on December 6, 1759 . Germantown Academy is now a K-12 school in the Philadelphia suburb of Fort Washington, having moved from its original Germantown campus in 1965...
, to which he largely contributed. He also was an opponent of slavery
Abolition
Abolish means to put an end to something or to stop something.Abolition may refer to:*Abolitionism *Abolition of death penalty *Abolition of monarchy*Prison abolition movement...
.
In 1774, without legal formality, he turned over his house in Germantown and his printing business to his son Christopher
Christopher Sower III
Christopher Sower was a printer and publisher in Pennsylvania.-Biography:He was the son of Christopher Sower the younger and the grandson of Christopher Sower the elder...
. During the American Revolutionary War
American Revolutionary War
The American Revolutionary War , the American War of Independence, or simply the Revolutionary War, began as a war between the Kingdom of Great Britain and thirteen British colonies in North America, and ended in a global war between several European great powers.The war was the result of the...
, when British troops occupied Germantown, part of the unbound sheets for Sower's Bible edition of 1776 was seized and used for littering horses. Though, along with many other German sectarians (these included Quakers, Mennonites, Schwenkfelders, Moravians and his own sect, the Dunkers
Dunkers
Dunker may refer to*Conradine Birgitte Dunker , Norwegian socialite and writer*Gösta Dunker , Swedish footballer*Jens Gram Dunker , Norwegian architect*Oļģerts Dunkers , Latvian actor and film director...
), Sower was merely a pacifist, his son was an active loyalist, and the Sowers were on the rebels' list of loyalists.
When the British troops departed Philadelphia, the son left with them, but the father stayed behind during the rebel occupation. Though Christopher Sower II did not espouse the British cause, and had actively denounced the Stamp Act
Stamp Act 1765
The Stamp Act 1765 was a direct tax imposed by the British Parliament specifically on the colonies of British America. The act required that many printed materials in the colonies be produced on stamped paper produced in London, carrying an embossed revenue stamp...
which doubly taxed foreign publications, he was arrested and imprisoned. On a second arrest for not conforming to an edict, of which he seems to have been ignorant, he was taken from his bed, maltreated in various ways, and led before the provost as a spy. His considerable property was confiscated, but instead of having recourse to the law, he said: “I made them to understand that I should permit everything to happen to me that the Lord should ordain.” Sower's one protest was against being labeled a traitor.
The remainder of his old age was spent, except when visiting churches within his jurisdiction, at Methacton, where, assisted by his daughter, he supported himself at binding and selling remnants of his publications. He died in poverty. No one in his denomination has been held in higher veneration, and his benevolence to the poor families of the soldiers earned him the title of the “bread father.” He was also an orator, and his reputation as a writer extended throughout the colonies.
Family
He married Catharine Sharpnack in 1751. They had nine children. She died in 1777.In 1888, Christopher the younger's great grandson Charles Gilbert Sower
Charles Gilbert Sower
Charles Gilbert Sower -March 23, 1902) was a printer and publisher in Philadelphia.-Biography:He was the great grandson of Christopher Sower the younger, and inherited the family printing and publishing operations...
incorporated the family firm as the Christopher Sower Company with a charter from Pennsylvania
Pennsylvania
The Commonwealth of Pennsylvania is a U.S. state that is located in the Northeastern and Mid-Atlantic regions of the United States. The state borders Delaware and Maryland to the south, West Virginia to the southwest, Ohio to the west, New York and Ontario, Canada, to the north, and New Jersey to...
.