John Wyeth was born on March 31, 1770, in Cambridge, Massachussets, the son of Ebenezer Wyeth, II and Mary Winship. He was a descendant in the fourth generation of Nicholas Wyeth, who emigrated from England before 1645 and settled in Cambridge. His father, a farmer, is said to have been one of the minute-men called to serve at Bunker Hill.
Career
At a very early age John became a printer's apprentice. On attaining years of majority he went to Santo Domingo, where he became superintendent of a large printing establishment. Soon, however, during an insurrection of the blacks, he lost all he had built up, and escaped from the island only with the aid of a friend. Finally he arrived in Philadelphia on board ship, disguised and working as a sailor. For a while he worked there in different printing establishments. In 1792, with John W. Allen, he purchased the Harrisburg Advertiser in Harrisburg, Pa. , the first newspaper of the city, which had been started about 1791 by Maj. Eli Lewis of Lewisberry. With this they began the career of the Oracle of Dauphin County & Harrisburg Advertiser, which was successfully carried on until November 1827, a four-page paper with bold, clear type. The policy of the paper was to support Federalist views, although its columns were held open to the expression of views of all parties. In October 1793 Wyeth was appointed first postmaster of Harrisburg under Washington, of whom he had always been a great admirer and supporter. During the Adams campaign he gave consistent and strong editorial support to Adams. Yet he was removed from the postmastership in July 1798 by the postmaster-general of Adams' administration on the grounds of incompatibility between that office and the editing of a paper. During the period of editing the Oracle of Dauphin Wyeth established a bookstore and general publishing house. There were many imprints of value, some of them quite extensive. Probably the best known was Alexander Graydon's Memoirs (1811). He also compiled two works, Repository of Sacred Music (1810) and Repository of Sacred Music, Part Second (1813), which sold over 150, 000 copies and contained compositions of Reed, Holden, Swann, Holyoke, Billings and others. It captured folk tunes from the era and influenced all the folk hymn, camp meeting, shape-note collections which followed it.
Wyeth was a stanch and early friend of the Harrisburg Academy for Boys and in 1809, upon its incorporation, was elected one of the original trustees for a term of three years. He resigned, however, after little more than a year's service. He was also keenly interested in many public improvements in Harrisburg. Shakespeare House, built by him in 1822, having a good-sized ballroom and theatre, was a lyceum and social center until well toward the twentieth century.
Later he removed to Philadelphia, where he died on January 23, 1858, at the advanced age of 88 years.
John Wyeth was a stanch Unitarian and worked unsuccessfully for several years to establish a church of his faith in Harrisburg.
Personality
John Wyeth was a man of cheer, practical philosophy, industry and thrift.
Interests
John Wyeth maintained an active interest in reading and in social activities up to within a short time preceding his death.
Connections
On June 6, 1793, John Wyeth married Louisa Weiss, by whom he had thirteen children. After the death of his first wife in 1822, on May 2, 1826, he married Lydia Allen, the couple did not have children.