|
a.
|
Note: ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Dudley Leavitt was a self-educated man who had a fondness for mathematics and astronomy. In 1806 Mr. Leavitt and his wife settled in Meredith on a fifty-acre farm. After his marriage, Leavitt studied Latin, Greek, Hebrew, and some modem languages. Although primarily a farmer, through life he was also a scholar. He published Leavitt's Farmers Almanac in 1797, and for sixty-one years his almanac found its way into most of the homes in the area. The circulation eventually reached sixty thousand annually. When he died in 1851, the copy for 1851 was at the press and manuscripts were ready for the next six years. Complete files of Leavitt's almanacs could be found in many homes because they were valued and packed away for safe keeping. He once remarked that he hoped that in the afterlife he would be permitted to make almanacs. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Dudley learned Latin and Greek. He studied under Reverend Isaac Smith. His greatest intrest was astronomy. He published an almanac selling 60,000 copies yearly. He published the new Hampshire register and wrote and published several books. His great grandmother was Dorothy Dudley who was the granddaughter of Governor Dudley. She was the daughter of Samuel Downs. Dudley Leavitt http://homepage.fcgnetworks.net/jetent/mea/yesteryear/yesteryear.html Dudley Leavitt, a farmer in Meredith, also was a noted scholar of his day. His first volume was called New England Calendar or Almanac. Leavitt could afford only one illustration in this edition. It was a picture of the sun and is said to have resembled pictures children draw of the human face. Leavitt's almanacs were written totally by this man known throughout the state for his ability as a mathematician and astronomer. Although he only attended school for three months during his lifetime, at home Leavitt spent long hours in study and displayed a great talent for mathematics at an early age. He also was fascinated by the study of astronomy and began to make astronomical calculations while still a young man. Later he conducted the Meredith Academick School on his 50-acre farm; students came from nearby and great distances to study with him. There, along with caring for his farm, Leavitt gave instruction in algebra, navigation, gunnery, trigonometry, astronomy, spherical geometry, and philosophy. The circulation of the almanacs containing his rhymes, weather predictions, agricultural advice, and bits of wisdom reached a circulation of 60,000 per year by the time the author/editor/publisher died in 1851. Copy for the last issue was in the press, and Leavitt had prepared enough manuscripts so his almanac could be published for six years following his death. But unlike Robert Thomas' almanac, Leavitt's ended with his last writings. Besides operating his Meredith Academy, Leavitt taught in public schools and wrote several published texts, including the Teacher of the Common School. Then there were his famous almanacs. For more information about Dudley Leavitt, read Bruce D. Heald's New Hampshire Learnin' Days. Heald devotes more than half this 56-page book to Dudley Leavitt and his work. Included are handwritten copies of letters of Leavitt's and a biography and genealogy. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ http://www.public.coe.edu/~theller/soj/saw/shrews.htm#Almanac : Leavitt's Almanac: Dudley Leavitt (1772-1851), New Hampshire mathematician, author, and teacher, began producing almanacs in 1815, and continued under various titles until his death, his final title being Leavitt's Farmer's Almanac and Miscellaneous Year Book. After his death, "Leavitt's" almanacs continued to appear until the end of the Nineteenth Century. The Dictionary of American Biography (1933) says, "His almanacs were usually well printed and always contained both original and reprinted articles of permanent interest, as well as mathematical problems, the solutions of which appeared the following year" (81). (Research assistance: Betty Rogers). ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
|