The Richmond Virginian. (Richmond, Va.) 1910-1920, 1918-01-11
RICHhOsO'S OLDEST
PRINTER IS DEAD
William H. Caemmiti. Who Knew
MANY Distinguished Virgfnian~,
Passes Away Mt Age of
Ninety-Four.
FUNERAL SATURDAY MORNING
Veteran Member of the Graft Took
KS First Job I'm Print shop Eighty
-Four Years Ago -- Remembered
Chief Justice, Marshal

William IT. Clcr1mitt. aged ninety
-four the oldest printer in the city and
man who remembered many Of the
faous Virginian- Of his day, died yes
terday morning at 40 o'clock IN his
home 204 North Vine street He is
survived by his wife, who was Miss
, Lou Minor. Of Richmond: one son.
, Eddie y. Clemmitt. and two daugh
tiers, Mrs. ssllis Thompson, Of this
city. and Mrs. Thomas Clemmitt. of
Baltimore.
The funeral will take place SstuT~
day morning, services betpg conduct /
ed in Hanover Avenue Christian |
church at 10 O'Clock hy the Rev. |
George " Remper pa stor
William elem mttt led an interesting |
NJ we'll Rs long life lie was born (
IN Norfolk. July z, 1894, His mother
was widowed with four little children
when he wns ten years old and h"
became errand boy in a print shop
which led to the so-callcd ONCE o.
printers devil" or apprentice His
uncle who had cared for the family
for ak years died Of the asistic
cholera The family came to Rich
-uoud and William entered the school
of Father" Courtney. a Method 81
minister Ills achooIIng ONLY lasted n
year as tn 1S34 he reentered the
printing office as apprentice Here he
received hts education. When this
( house failed in 1893 he learned coach
! painting hut the printers Ink on his
fingers could not be gotten Off 80
easily.
During the campaign for Henry
/ Clay rs president Of the United States
paper was started to further the
cam paign and, young C1emmttt was
made foreman. The paper ran only
s'x months was only four pages. and
wak run or on a hand press the
/ editor hoj1g one Of the printers. At
1.-THE expiration Of the paper and hiF
service he accepted a nosition in
( Richmond with the late II X Fsllvso0
aud remained with him until 1852.
ne next became associated with !.
Harvey Campher and feoniias Fore.
the printing offices being located on
the third foor o. I building whore
the Lexington hotel now stands on
twelfth ara Main streets. This bust
ness. not fouriehtnr enough Ia sup
port the three IA miles, WAS left IN
the hands ~ Mr. Ctemmitt and he
lretatnc II until the execution Of
Richmond In Aprji = 1853 when II
ytaz burned 70 the ground
Mr. Clemmitt r*as LEFT Mt this time
with his wife Eve 'ldrcn. his mother
land an apprentice. FIVE hundred dol
lars worth OF debts and not a tool
, nor dollar With which to support his
ramlly They had very small home.
, He declined the offer OF the foreman
shin ir the toh office a. TIE old Pich-
-
Richmond suffering a similar loss nj
This time. hc and Mr., Clemmtt form
! ed partnership and mortgag'ng their
y homes. pure hascd the necessary press
30 and material and started a print
ID Inc Office IN this city IN 1857 ths
2 late wnHsrn Ellis Jones was taker
p In the firm. The house of Gary
~ CIcmmut snd Jones' lasted until 1870
q when Nr Gary withdrew and in 1875
To- NJ; Ciemmltt withdrew going out "a
; n journeynau printer. In 1880 Mr.
q Clemmltt missed being victim o
the Capitol disaster hy ten minutes
He had an appointmen with tn
clerk of the court OF appeals tina
} morning. his FIRM printing 'Isohert
gon's Practice In the Courts Of Eng
land aud America" by Conway Robin
son, Of Washington which was beini
; revised by tho clerk.
. Men or Marx He Knew.
- Among the prominent men in IN
e. srnala of Richmand and Nirsi nj
with whom Mr.. Glen nutt was &c
u onafnted we're Thomas Richie of IN
~ old Richmond Enquirer. and he ats
* recalled the incidents leading TO tn
- famous duel between John Hampde
!. f5leasants and Themes Richie, Jr
4 Joseph Tate mayor ~ the city VIII
ueted out justice TO slaves in the cit
all: Governor Mcdowell Thoma
White, owner and publisher Of tn
y Southern Literary Messenger job
: Warricl;, publisher % Warricks A
:, raanec John r Thompson, Edgn
Alien Poe ana r. ?. Minor, Sill
.lthe Literary Messenger staff. Nj
C,Iammift also remembered Chic
r Justice John Marshall who gave hiI
II }alf dollar vher' ne delivered HI
= Ch.stmae morning paper, and Nichc
u iaa Mills who gave him dollar fc
q the service.
le preserves COURT Record.
y. Nj. CIemmltt had the Ia biz OF pr'
serving copies Of all OF the prntiu
he did and when the fire at II
49, Evacuation ot Richmond destroyed a
p records IN ten old courthouse he cam
-, to The rescue and turned over h
~ alea REPLACING much OF the vaiuab
81 Information that had been lost.
"A Mrxnt%,r Of Christian Church.
81 At the time Of his death Nr- Chem
~ rnfst was a members OF the Han0ve
=. Avenue christian church He joins
e church at the age o. fifteen and wi
e. for many years member OF Ma
eF shall street. Christian church. retain
. ing his mem bership when II fnergv
N with the Alien Avenue church IN
Z tho Hanover Avenue church
o. ---------------
'' Colonel James he-EiecIed.
- a yseettrg OF the board Of vi
= nKaAAA..a..