Thomas C. Zimmerman
Encyclopedia
Thomas Cadwallader Zimmerman (January 23, 1838–November 13, 1914) was a Pennsylvania German
writer and translator, notable for his translations of English language classics into the Pennsylvania German dialect
. He was also the editor of the Reading Times newspaper in Reading
, Berks County
, Pennsylvania
.
, Pennsylvania in the United States
in 1838. There he attended public school until he was thirteen years old, and was apprenticed as a printer with the Lebanon Courier. Upon completion of his apprenticeship, he went to Philadelphia to work at the Philadelphia Inquirer. In 1856, he became a journeyman printer with the Berks and Schuylkill Journal. In 1859, he relocated to Columbia
, South Carolina
, and returned to the Reading area at the outset of the American Civil War
, where in 1863 he enlisted in Company C of the 42nd Regiment of Pennsylvania Volunteers. Although he is sometimes referred to as "Colonel," he saw no active service during the war. On June 11, 1867 he married Tamsie T. Kauffman of Reading. By 1897, he was the president of the Reading Times Publishing Company and editor of the Reading Times newspaper. In 1903, a volume titled Olla Podrida was published of his translations. In 1904, he was awarded a Doctor of Humane Letters
degree from Muhlenberg College
in Allentown
, Pennsylvania. Zimmerman retired from his newspaper career in October, 1908.
Zimmerman was quite active in public life. He was trustee of the Board of the State Asylum at Wernersville, director of the Reading Free Public Library, president of the Pennsylvania Association of Superintendents and Trustees of Insane Asylums and vice-president of the Pennsylvania Chautauqua Association. He was one of the founders of the Pennsylvania German Society, and of the Historical Society of Berks County
.
Zimmerman died in Reading, Pennsylvania in 1914.
, which, during his lifetime, was spoken by a significant percentage of the population in the area where he lived and worked. Because of his association with the Reading Times, in which his translations were regularly published, he was able to reach a large number of readers in the Berks County
region.
His most notable translations included Clement C. Moores
' "Twas the Night Before Christmas
", Martin Luther
's "A Mighty Fortress Is Our God
" and Friedrich Schiller
's "Song of the Bell
."
Pennsylvania Dutch
Pennsylvania Dutch refers to immigrants and their descendants from southwestern Germany and Switzerland who settled in Pennsylvania in the 17th and 18th centuries...
writer and translator, notable for his translations of English language classics into the Pennsylvania German dialect
Pennsylvania German language
The Pennsylvania German language is a variety of West Central German possibly spoken by more than 250,000 people in North America...
. He was also the editor of the Reading Times newspaper in Reading
Reading, Pennsylvania
Reading is a city in southeastern Pennsylvania, USA, and seat of Berks County. Reading is the principal city of the Greater Reading Area and had a population of 88,082 as of the 2010 census, making it the fifth most populated city in the state after Philadelphia, Pittsburgh, Allentown and Erie,...
, Berks County
Berks County, Pennsylvania
-Demographics:As of the census of 2000, there were 373,638 people, 141,570 households, and 98,532 families residing in the county. The population density was 435 people per square mile . There were 150,222 housing units at an average density of 175 per square mile...
, 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...
.
Life and career
Zimmerman was born in Lebanon CountyLebanon County, Pennsylvania
As of the census of 2000, there were 120,327 people and 32,771 families residing in the county. The population density was 332 people per square mile . There were 49,320 housing units at an average density of 136 per square mile...
, Pennsylvania in the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
in 1838. There he attended public school until he was thirteen years old, and was apprenticed as a printer with the Lebanon Courier. Upon completion of his apprenticeship, he went to Philadelphia to work at the Philadelphia Inquirer. In 1856, he became a journeyman printer with the Berks and Schuylkill Journal. In 1859, he relocated to Columbia
Columbia, South Carolina
Columbia is the state capital and largest city in the U.S. state of South Carolina. The population was 129,272 according to the 2010 census. Columbia is the county seat of Richland County, but a portion of the city extends into neighboring Lexington County. The city is the center of a metropolitan...
, South Carolina
South Carolina
South Carolina is a state in the Deep South of the United States that borders Georgia to the south, North Carolina to the north, and the Atlantic Ocean to the east. Originally part of the Province of Carolina, the Province of South Carolina was one of the 13 colonies that declared independence...
, and returned to the Reading area at the outset of the American Civil War
American Civil War
The American Civil War was a civil war fought in the United States of America. In response to the election of Abraham Lincoln as President of the United States, 11 southern slave states declared their secession from the United States and formed the Confederate States of America ; the other 25...
, where in 1863 he enlisted in Company C of the 42nd Regiment of Pennsylvania Volunteers. Although he is sometimes referred to as "Colonel," he saw no active service during the war. On June 11, 1867 he married Tamsie T. Kauffman of Reading. By 1897, he was the president of the Reading Times Publishing Company and editor of the Reading Times newspaper. In 1903, a volume titled Olla Podrida was published of his translations. In 1904, he was awarded a Doctor of Humane Letters
Doctor of Humane Letters
The degree of Doctor of Humane Letters is always conferred as an honorary degree, usually to those who have distinguished themselves in areas other than science, government, literature or religion, which are awarded degrees of Doctor of Science, Doctor of Laws, Doctor of Letters, or Doctor of...
degree from Muhlenberg College
Muhlenberg College
Muhlenberg College is a private liberal arts college located in Allentown, Pennsylvania, United States. Founded in 1848, Muhlenberg is affiliated with the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America and is named for Henry Melchior Muhlenberg, the patriarch of the Lutheran Church in America.- History...
in Allentown
Allentown, Pennsylvania
Allentown is a city located in Lehigh County, Pennsylvania, in the United States. It is Pennsylvania's third most populous city, after Philadelphia and Pittsburgh, and the 215th largest city in the United States. As of the 2010 census, the city had a total population of 118,032 and is currently...
, Pennsylvania. Zimmerman retired from his newspaper career in October, 1908.
Zimmerman was quite active in public life. He was trustee of the Board of the State Asylum at Wernersville, director of the Reading Free Public Library, president of the Pennsylvania Association of Superintendents and Trustees of Insane Asylums and vice-president of the Pennsylvania Chautauqua Association. He was one of the founders of the Pennsylvania German Society, and of the Historical Society of Berks County
Historical Society of Berks County
Founded in 1869, the Historical Society of Berks County is a museum and library located in Reading, Pennsylvania. The Society's mission, as described on its website, is "to focus attention on the unique local history, the vast material culture, and the diverse cultural heritage of Berks County by...
.
Zimmerman died in Reading, Pennsylvania in 1914.
Translations
Zimmerman specialized in the translation of English language classics into the Pennsylvania German dialectPennsylvania German language
The Pennsylvania German language is a variety of West Central German possibly spoken by more than 250,000 people in North America...
, which, during his lifetime, was spoken by a significant percentage of the population in the area where he lived and worked. Because of his association with the Reading Times, in which his translations were regularly published, he was able to reach a large number of readers in the Berks County
Berks County, Pennsylvania
-Demographics:As of the census of 2000, there were 373,638 people, 141,570 households, and 98,532 families residing in the county. The population density was 435 people per square mile . There were 150,222 housing units at an average density of 175 per square mile...
region.
His most notable translations included Clement C. Moores
Clement Clarke Moore
Clement Clarke Moore was an American professor of Oriental and Greek literature at Columbia College, now Columbia University. He donated land from his family estate for the foundation of the General Theological Seminary, where he was a professor of Biblical learning and compiled a two-volume...
' "Twas the Night Before Christmas
A Visit from St. Nicholas
"A Visit from St. Nicholas", also known as "The Night Before Christmas" and "'Twas the Night Before Christmas" from its first line, is a poem first published anonymously in 1823 and generally attributed to Clement Clarke Moore, although the claim has also been made that it was written by Henry...
", Martin Luther
Martin Luther
Martin Luther was a German priest, professor of theology and iconic figure of the Protestant Reformation. He strongly disputed the claim that freedom from God's punishment for sin could be purchased with money. He confronted indulgence salesman Johann Tetzel with his Ninety-Five Theses in 1517...
's "A Mighty Fortress Is Our God
A Mighty Fortress is Our God
"A Mighty Fortress Is Our God" is the best known of Martin Luther's hymns. Luther wrote the words and composed the melody sometime between 1527 and 1529. It has been translated into English at least seventy times and also into many other languages...
" and Friedrich Schiller
Friedrich Schiller
Johann Christoph Friedrich von Schiller was a German poet, philosopher, historian, and playwright. During the last seventeen years of his life , Schiller struck up a productive, if complicated, friendship with already famous and influential Johann Wolfgang von Goethe...
's "Song of the Bell
Song of the Bell
The Song of the Bell is a poem that the German poet Friedrich Schiller published in 1798. It is one of the most famous poems of German literature and with 430 lines also one of the longest...
."