The Nova Scotia Chronicle and Weekly Advertiser, Anthony Henry
From Fifer to Printer: The Story of Anthony Henry
Born in France from German parents, Anthony Henry (1734–1800) was well versed in French, German and English. He likely received apprenticeship training in Europe before joining the British forces as a regimental fifer during the capture of Louisbourg in 1758.
Upon arriving in Halifax, Henry became an assistant to John Bushell. He quickly took on much of the printing work and, in 1760, became Bushell’s partner. After Bushell’s death in 1761, Henry assumed the role of publisher for The Halifax Gazette.
As the only printer in the colony, he was unofficially the King’s Printer. In 1765 he employed Isaiah Thomas, an apprenticeship from New England, who would later publish a history of American printing that would became a classic.
Thomas, with or without Henry’s consent, published a paragraph in the Gazette indicating that the people of Nova Scotia were opposed to the Stamp Act. The Stamp Act of 1765 was a direct tax on the British North American colonies and required that all printed materials in the colonies be produced on paper made in London. This paper carried an embossed revenue stamp and was four times the cost of paper produced in the American Colonies to the south. It was Henry who was required to account for this act of rebellion. Henry’s editorial stance meant government support for the Gazette was withdrawn and in 1766, Robert Fletcher, another printer from London was given control of the Halifax Gazette.
After a few years away from the printing business, Henry, in 1769, launched The Nova Scotia Chronicle and Weekly Advertiser in direct competition with Fletcher. It was the first Canadian newspaper to operate independently of government patronage. The new paper proved to be more popular, forcing Fletcher to close his printing office. In 1770, Henry, once again, became King’s Printer and continued to print under a new name. The Nova Scotia Gazette and Weekly Chronicle was published until Henry’s death in 1801.
In 1770, Henry printed ‘A Sermon,’ a sermon delivered in Halifax by John Seccombe of Chester, Nova Scotia. This work holds the distinction of being the first religious publication produced in Nova Scotia.
Anthony Henry is also notable as the godfather of Anthony Henry Holland, who followed in his footsteps as a printer and established the first paper mill in Atlantic Canada.
Henry died in 1800 and is buried in the graveyard of the Little Dutch Church in downtown Halifax, where he had served as a warden.
Illustration of a French fifer. A fifer is a non-combatant military postion. The fifer was played to sound signals during battle. Source: Wikimedia Commons
Timeline:
• 1734 – Born in France to German parents.
• 1758 – Arrived in Nova Scotia as a regimental fifer during the British capture of Louisbourg.
• Late 1750s – Became assistant to printer John Bushell in Halifax.
• 1760 – Became Bushell’s partner in The Halifax Gazette.
• 1761 – Took over The Halifax Gazette after Bushell’s death.
• 1765 – Employed Isaiah Thomas as an apprentice. Published material opposing the Stamp Act, leading to loss of government support.
• 1766 – Replaced as King’s Printer by Robert Fletcher; Fletcher took control of The Halifax Gazette.
• 1769 – Launched The Nova Scotia Chronicle and Weekly Advertiser — the first Canadian newspaper independent of government patronage.
• 1770 – Fletcher closed his printing office. Henry once again became King’s Printer and began publishing The Nova Scotia Gazette and Weekly Chronicle.
• 1770 – Printed A Sermon by John Seccombe — the first religious publication produced in Nova Scotia.
• Late 1700s – Acted as godfather and mentor to Anthony Henry Holland, future printer and founder of the first paper mill in Atlantic Canada.
• 1800 – Died in Halifax. Buried in the graveyard of the Little Dutch Church, where he had served as a warden.
Other examples of Anthony Henry’s Work
1798 catechism. Typeset in Blackletter.
Cover page of ‘A Sermon’, the first religious work produced in Nova Scotia. Dated 1770.
Image Sources
Nova Scotia Chronicle and Weekly Advertiser, Volume 1, Number 1, Nova Scotia Archives, Newspaper Collection.
Cover page: Fauteux, A., (1930, p. 46), The Introduction of Printing Canada, Rolland Paper Company Limited, Montreal.
Book: [A Catechism,1798], photograph, James Hewey, private collection
References
Lochhead, Douglas G., (2003), “HENRY, ANTHONY (Anton Heinrich, Anton Henrich),” in Dictionary of Canadian Biography, vol. 4, University of Toronto/Université Laval, 2003, https://www.biographi.ca/en/bio/henry_anthony_4E.html.