Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1903-04-09
Oldest of Roaming Printers.

Out on the northwestern edge of
Ravenswood, close to the prairie,
stands little cottage half buried in
creeping vines and so far from the
road as to be almost unobserved by
the passer-by. Here, surrounded Ly
his children, grandchildren and great
grandchildren, lives George Law
renee, tramp printer, sailor and
veteran of the civil war, and probably
one of the oldest living printers in
the country. He has set type on
almost every newspaper published,
from the Pacific coast to the Atlantic
and from the Canadian border to the
gulf.
Old printers in the printing offices
on the west coast of Africa and along
the coast of South America can tell
of the time when an odd-looking
stranger from the United States in
vaded their Offices and after a few
weeks or months disappeared only to
be heard of again in some neighbor-
ing town.
George Lawrence has been a
printer since 1888. He has worked
side by side with men that have at
tanned international reputation.
Some of his comrades have been
Petroleum V. Nasty, Wilbur F.
Storey, Long JOnn Wentworth, Mark
Twain, General William F. Rogers,
Benjamin F. Welsh, a former state
treasurer of New York He was at
one time foreman for Jooseph Medill
when he published the Forest City in
Cleveland, with Colfax at South Bend
and a host of Others To name all
the newspapers that Lawrence has
been employed on would be to give Il
history of the newspaper press for
the past sixty years
The longest time he worked on one
paper was five years, but this was
soon after learning his trade AS he
grew older he became restless, and
after working for a few months or
weeks on newspaper or in a print
ing establishment the desire for a
change became too strong to resist,
and he took to the road again Dur
ing the early years of his wanderings
stage coaches, river fiat boats or his
own feet were his means of travel.
Then came the railroads, and if he
had the price of ticket he pat
ronized the iron horse; if not he
walked. He crossed and recrossed
the country many times.
While working on the Albany
Journal the civil war broke out, and
on Dec. rs he enlisted in the Ninety
first New York Infantry and served
to the close of the war; his Oldest
son, Frank, also serving in the same
regiment. In 1873, when he was SIS
years old, he was induced to sign for
whaling voyage and with the Will
lam Wilson of New Bedford made a
trip TO the southern Atlantic and
Pacific whaling grounds It was dur
ing this time that Lawrence tired of
sailors life, went ashore at FayaI
and then for the next three years
made a tour of the coast of West
Africa and South America. He has
several times visited Chicago, the
first time in 1856. When Lawrence
became too old to be employed in
newspaper Offices or printing es-
adjustments he went to the soldiers
homes in various parts Of the
country, and remaining for a few
months set type on the little news
papers or weekly journals published
at some of these institutions.
During is wandering life Lawrence
n fol - = 4
and raised a family. He has two
sons living, ten grandchildren and
four REORGANIZATION. Lawrence
has now been at his sons home since
May, 1901, but the old restlessness
is coming back, and old as he is he