James Robertson

Background

James Robertson was born in Coldstream, Berwickshire, Scotland on 20. 07. 1740. He learned the printing trade from his father in Edinburgh, Scotland and came to Boston with some of his countrymen before 1766.

Career

He worked as a journeyman with Mein & Fleming, who like himself were Royalists. His younger brother, Alexander (1742 - 1784), also trained as a printer at home, joined James at New York in a partnership on Beaver Street near the residence of General Gage, where, on May 8, 1769, they began the New-York Chronicle, a small quarto newspaper, which did not last a year; but it printed a number of distinctive articles, with diagrams, by members of the King's College faculty, on the theory of comets and the transit of Venus. They removed to Albany, where, subsidized by Sir William Johnson, they began a printery, and on Nov. 25, 1771, issued the first newspaper printed in the province outside of New York City. This newspaper, the Albany Gazette, continued until after Aug. 3, 1772, the last issue traced. The firm continued to do public printing in Albany as late as June 1776. Thomas (post, I, p. 313) says their press and types were left with a friend, who buried them on his farm outside of Albany, and that they were used in 1782 by Albany's second printing house. In the same period the Robertsons formed a partnership with John Trumbull of Norwich, Connecticut, as general printers and publishers of the Norwich Packet and the Connecticut, Massachusetts, New-Hampshire, & Rhode-Island Weekly Advertiser, established on Oct. 7, 1773. Partnership with Trumbull was dissolved the beginning of May 1776, when Trumbull announced his adherence to the Whig interests. On May 29 of this year James's wife, Amy, died at Norwich, which seems to prove that James was active there while Alexander carried on simultaneously joint interests at Albany. These brothers, both Royalists, removed to New York City after the British captured the city in September 1776. James began there, at Queen Street, on Jan. 16, 1777, the Royal American Gazette. From this time until the end of July 1783 the journal was published by him, or with his brother, or by Alexander alone, or, as from Jan. 1, 1782, until the partnership was dissolved on Aug. 5, 1783, by the Robertsons in partnership with Nathaniel Mills and John Hicks. James Robertson had followed the British army to Philadelphia in February 1778 and opened a printing office on Front Street, between Chestnut and Walnut Streets, establishing the Royal Pennsylvania Gazette, a semi-weekly, on Mar. 3, which was suspended with Number 25, May 26, 1778. The two last issues printed descriptive accounts of the Meschianza entertainment given in honor of General Sir William Howe. James Robertson returned to New York when the British evacuated Philadelphia in June 1778 and opened a new business at 857 Hanover Square. With Donald Macdonald and Alexander Cameron, fellow countrymen whom he had known in Philadelphia, he went to Charleston, S. C. , and began, at 20 Broad Street, in the spring of 1780, the Royal South Carolina Gazette. In time he became the sole proprietor, and carried on till the issue of Sept. 12, 1782, and then suspended publication. After the British evacuation of New York the Robertsons removed to Shelburne, Nova Scotia, where, on King Street, they revived the Royal American Gazette for several years, continuing the volume and series numbering from New York. After brother's death James continued the newspaper in Nova Scotia for some time thereafter and eventually returned to his native city of Edinburgh, engaging in the printing business until 1810, or later.

Politics

James stopped co-operating with Trumbull in the beginning of May 1776, when Trumbull announced his adherence to the Whig interests.

Personality

According to Thomas he "was a worthy man and a very good printer. "

Connections

Wife:

Amy

On May 29 of this year James's wife, Amy, died at Norwich, East Anglia, United Kingdom

Brother:

Alexander

Alexander suffered illness, being "deprived of the use of his limbs, and incapacitated for labor," dying at Roseway, a point near Shelburne, in 1784. He was "intelligent, well educated, and possessed some abilities as a writer" (Thomas, post, I, p. 193).