. Bulletin. Science. Figure 5.—The telescope-makers shop of Henry Fitz as reconstructed in the National Museum. {Smithsonian photo 46^4^) by trade and the youngest son of Mark Fitz, who for several years represented his city in the Mass- achusetts General Court. Newburyport was then a prosperous and fast growing maritime community and the Fitzes, though not among its wealthy citizens, were a public spirited and reasonably prosperous family. As in other sections of New England, the War of 1812 made great changes in this pleasing picture. The town's shipping and ship-building had been broug
. Bulletin. Science. Figure 5.—The telescope-makers shop of Henry Fitz as reconstructed in the National Museum. {Smithsonian photo 46^4^) by trade and the youngest son of Mark Fitz, who for several years represented his city in the Mass- achusetts General Court. Newburyport was then a prosperous and fast growing maritime community and the Fitzes, though not among its wealthy citizens, were a public spirited and reasonably prosperous family. As in other sections of New England, the War of 1812 made great changes in this pleasing picture. The town's shipping and ship-building had been brought almost to a standstill and all its business suffered disasterously. After the war recovery was very slow. Since few needed or could afford new beaver hats, Henry Fitz in 1819 took his wife and three small children first to Albany, New York, where he worked at his trade for awhile, and later to New York City. To young Henry, aged eleven, New York was an exciting and stimulating place and he watched all its activities with eager interest. The father found the city stimulating in a different way. An en- thusiastic Universalist, he met in New York many persons with similar leanings. He soon established a religious weekly, The Gospel Herald, which he edited for several years. It is therefore not suprising that young Henry was set to learning the printer's trade, but although he rapidly became skilled, he didn't especially like the trade. What he most enjoyed about it was tinkering with the machinery of the shop. In this his mechanical ability soon became evident. When his father relinquished his editorship, Henry, then nineteen, gladly turned to different work. He chose locksmithing, which he learned speedily and well in the shop of ^\'illiam Day of New York. The years 1830 to 1839 found him travelling between PAPER 26: THREE 19TH-CENTL1RY AMERICAN TELESCOPE MAKERS 165. Please note that these images are extracted from scanned page images that may have been digitally enhanced fo
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Keywords: ., bookauthorunitedstatesdepto, bookcentury1900, booksubjectscience
