The Royal St. John’s Gazette and Nova Scotia Intelligencer
John Ryan’s journey from Massachusetts apprentice to New Brunswick’s first printer – and eventually Newfoundland’s, too
In the aftermath of the American Revolution, not everyone chose to stay in the newly formed United States. Many Loyalists – those who had sided with Britain – headed north, seeking fresh starts in the new colony of New Brunswick. Among them was John Ryan, a printer from Massachusetts whose work would leave a lasting legacy across two provinces.
Born in 1761, Ryan learned the printing trade under the guidance of John Howe, a well-known Massachusetts printer and Loyalist. His path into the business was also shaped by family – he married Amelia Mott in 1780, whose brother Jacob S. Mott was part of a prominent American printing family. The Mott connection wasn’t just personal; it would later become professional, when Ryan sold one of his newspapers to his brother-in-law.
In 1783, Ryan sailed to New Brunswick with the Loyalist influx and settled in Parr-Town (which would soon become part of Saint John). That same year, he launched the Royal St. John’s Gazette and Nova-Scotia Intelligencer, the province’s first newspaper. He partnered with William Lewis, a former associate from Massachusetts, and together they established the only printing office in the colony.
Their paper didn’t shy away from politics. Ryan and Lewis regularly published articles critical of government policies – a bold stance that led to their indictment for libel in 1784.
Things grew more difficult the following year when Christopher Sower, another Loyalist printer, was appointed King’s Printer. This forced Ryan and Lewis to drop the word ‘Royal’ from their masthead, symbolizing the loss of government backing and contracts. With fewer resources and a growing sense of frustration, their paper took on an even more oppositional tone.
In 1786, they were convicted of libel once again and fined. The strain took its toll, and their partnership dissolved soon after. Lewis returned to Massachusetts, leaving Ryan to continue the business on his own.
Despite the setbacks, Ryan remained committed to the press. He continued publishing independently for over a decade. In 1799, after Christopher Sower’s death, Ryan was finally appointed King’s Printer, a title he had arguably earned years earlier.
But his story doesn’t end there.
In 1806, Ryan made another bold move – this time to Newfoundland. You can read that story here. There, he established that colony’s first printing press, becoming the first person to publish newspapers in two different provinces. His work laid the foundation for both New Brunswick and Newfoundland’s print culture, and his legacy stretches across provincial lines and political eras.
Timeline: John Ryan
• 1761 – Born in Massachusetts
• 1780 – Married Amelia Mott, connecting him to a well-known printing family
• 1783 – Arrived in Parr-Town (Saint John), New Brunswick and published the Royal St. John’s Gazette and Nova-Scotia Intelligencer
• 1784 – First libel charge for printing criticisms of the government
• 1785 – Lost official patronage when Christopher Sower was named King’s Printer
• 1786 – Second libel conviction; fined; partnership with William Lewis ends
• 1799 – Appointed King’s Printer after Sower’s death
• 1806 – Moved to Newfoundland and became the first printer to publish in two provinces
• 1847 – Died, leaving a legacy across two colonies
Image Source
Google News Archive Search, Public domain, The Royal St. John’s Gazette and Nova-Scotia Intelligencer, January 29, 1784, https://news.google.com/newspapers?nid=QhmGFXoqNHAC&dat=17840129&printsec=frontpage&hl=en
Reference
O’Flaherty, P., (2003), “RYAN, JOHN,” in Dictionary of Canadian Biography, vol. 7, University of Toronto/Université Laval, https://www.biographi.ca/en/bio/ryan_john_7E.html.