Clementina Rind (c. 1740–September 25, 1774) was a Colonial American woman who is known as being the first female newspaper printer and publisher in Virginia. Living and working in Williamsburg, Virginia, she took the printing press established by her husband, William Rind, after his death in 1773. Clementina continued to print ''

The Virginia Gazette ''The Virginia Gazette'' is the local newspaper of Williamsburg, Virginia. Established in 1930, it is named for the historical ''Virginia Gazette'' published between 1736 and 1780. It is published twice a week in the broadsheet format. Historica ...

'' and also published

Thomas Jefferson Thomas Jefferson (April 13, 1743 – July 4, 1826) was an American statesman, diplomat, lawyer, architect, philosopher, and Founding Father who served as the third president of the United States from 1801 to 1809. He was previously the nati ...

's tract ''

A Summary View of the Rights of British America ''A Summary View of the Rights of British America'' was a tract written by Thomas Jefferson in 1774, before the U.S. Declaration of Independence, in which he laid out for delegates to the First Continental Congress a set of grievances against K ...

.''

Early years

Little is known about Clementina's early life. She was born around 1740, possibly in

Maryland Maryland ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Mid-Atlantic (United States), Mid-Atlantic region of the United States. It shares borders with Virginia, West Virginia, and the District of Columbia to its south and west; Pennsylvania to its north; ...

. Sometime between 1762 and 1765, she married William Rind (1733-1773), a printer in Maryland who worked in partnership with

Annapolis Annapolis ( ) is the capital city of the U.S. state of Maryland and the county seat of, and only incorporated city in, Anne Arundel County. Situated on the Chesapeake Bay at the mouth of the Severn River, south of Baltimore and about east ...

printer,

Jonas Green Jonas Green (died 1767) was a colonial American printer and newspaper publisher together with his wife Anne Catherine Hoof Green in Maryland. He was a strong opponent of The Stamp Act. Early life Green was born in Boston into a family of prin ...

on the ''

Maryland Gazette ''The Gazette'', founded in 1727 as ''The Maryland Gazette'', is one of the oldest newspapers in America. Its modern-day descendant, ''The Capital,'' was acquired by The Baltimore Sun Media Group in 2014. Previously, it was owned by the Capita ...

''. William Rind and Jonas Green worked together until publication of ''The'' ''Maryland Gazette'' was suspended in October 1765 as a protest to the Stamp Act of 1765. Afterwards, the Rinds moved to Williamsburg sometime between late 1765 and early 1766 in response to an invitation William Rind had received to start ''The Virginia Gazette.'' On May 16, 1766, the first issue of William Rind's ''The Virginia Gazette'' was printed, accompanied with the motto, "Open to ALL PARTIES, but Influenced by NONE." Within this newspaper, William Rind printed local publications advertisements as well as information from the

Virginia House of Burgesses The House of Burgesses was the elected representative element of the Virginia General Assembly, the legislative body of the Colony of Virginia. With the creation of the House of Burgesses in 1642, the General Assembly, which had been established ...

(laws, resolutions, proclamations, and journals), a practice Clementina Rind would later continue. As the printing press flourished, so too did their lives in Williamsburg. By 1767, they were living on the Duke of Gloucester Street, in a brick building that served as both a work space and a family residence. Together, Clementina and William Rind, built a life and family consisting of five children (one daughter and four sons) all of whom were born in Williamsburg, with the exception of the eldest who was born in Maryland.

Printing career

Following the death of her husband in August 1773, Clementina Rind edited and published ''The Virginia Gazette'' until 1774. She managed the press out of her brick home, now the Ludwell-Paradise House in

Colonial Williamsburg Colonial Williamsburg is a living-history museum and private foundation presenting a part of the historic district in the city of Williamsburg, Virginia, United States. The Colonial Williamsburg Foundation has 7300 employees at this location a ...

. Rind printed submissions from female readers, giving the newspaper a strong female point of view. In 1774, Rind was the first to print

's ''

''. Rind became ill in August 1774 and died the following month in Williamsburg. She had five children: William, John, Charles, James, and Maria. She was honored as part of the first class of

Virginia Women in History Virginia Women in History was an annual program sponsored by the Library of Virginia that honored Virginia women, living and dead, for their contributions to their community, region, state, and nation. The program began in 2000 under the aegis of t ...

in 2000.

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Rind, Clementina 1740s births 1774 deaths American newspaper editors Virginia colonial people Women in the American Revolution American printers Women printers American women journalists Journalists from Maryland Journalists from Virginia 18th-century American writers 18th-century American women writers 18th-century American journalists 18th-century American newspaper publishers (people) Women newspaper editors 18th-century printers People of Virginia in the American Revolution 18th-century American businesswomen 18th-century women journalists

Early years

Printing career

See also

References

External links