By Michael Perna Jr.
Contributing Writer
SHREWSBURY – The Old Farmer’s Almanac. Most people have probably looked through an issue at one time or another through the years, most likely to check on what the winter weather predictions were. The Almanac has been in publication since 1792. Its founder was Robert Bailey Thomas, who was born in 1766.
In reviewing the history of The Old Farmer’s Almanac, an amazing discovery was made: Thomas, who was born in the town of Grafton in 1766, moved with his family at an early age to a farm his father had bought in 1764, which was located in Shrewsbury. The part of Shrewsbury where the farm was located later became the town of West Boylston.
Interest in astronomy
Thomas, who had a great interest in the study of astronomy, reportedly as a result of reading a copy of “Ferguson’s Astronomy” he found in his father’s library, had worked as a schoolteacher in Princeton and Sterling before deciding to write what would become the Old Farmer’s Almanac. Thomas, relating how he came to be involved in this endeavor, said: “My father possessed a larger library than usually found in a country town. Among many scientific works, no one engrossed more of my attention than Ferguson’s Astronomy. From this work, I first acquired the idea of calculating an Almanack (sic).”
He attempted to gain some insight into this endeavor by contacting a Dr. S. Sternes and the famous Isaiah Thomas, both of whom had been involved in publishing an almanac. Unfortunately, neither of them would help him, much to his dismay. “I was mortified and came home with a determination to have an Almanack of my own,” he stated.
In 1792, he went to Boston to consult with Osgood Carlton, who he hoped would “instruct me in astronomy as related to calculating an Almanack. This he readily consented to do.”
By August of 1792, he had “made all the calculations for an Almanack for 1793. Before I left town, I disposed of my copy to two young printers for a certain percentage on all those that should be sold.”
Instant success
The first edition of The Farmer’s Almanac was an instant success – by the time the second edition was published, circulation had grown from 3,000 to 9,000 copies.
Thomas himself continued to publish the Almanac until his death in 1846 at the age of 80. By that time, the Almanac was the longest running publication of this type in the country.
Photo/Wikimedia Commons
The Almanac passed into the hands of John Jenks, who added the word “Old” to the title in order to set it apart from other publications of this type.
The Old Farmer’s Almanac has continued in publication until the present day. Readers still are fascinated by the mixture of weather forecasts, gardening tips, recipes, home remedies, information on tides, sunrise/sunsets, and old-fashioned humor. It is the oldest continually published periodical in North America, with each edition continuing the tradition of having a small hole in the upper corner to allow it to be hung up for easy reference.
After all these many years, who knew that the Old Farmer’s Almanac had its roots in Shrewsbury?
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