Starting The Old Farmer's Almanac
The founder of The Old Farmer’s Almanac, Robert B. Thomas, was born on April 24, 1766. He founded The Old Farmer’s Almanac in 1792, when George Washington was president. Here’s a small glimpse into the man and his time.
A Memoir of the Author and Editor
In the 1833 Almanac, Thomas began this “Concise Memoir of the Author and Editor of The (Old) Farmer’s Almanac,” installments of which were published over a span of 5 years.
In 1764, my father bought a small farm in Shrewsbury, Massachusetts. In 1765, he married Azubah Goodale, of Grafton, at whose house the subject of these memoirs was born, April 24, 1766.
I removed with my parents from Grafton to the farm in Shrewsbury, now West Boylston. I had one brother only, born June 1768, named Aaron. In our youth, we were brought up to farming. Our father, quite a scholar for those days, instructed us at home and sent us to the winter school.
In the winter of 1783–4, my father sent me to Spencer to improve my penmanship with Dr. I. Allen. The succeeding winter, I studied arithmetic, under my father’s inspection.
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].
In the fall of 1787, I had an invitation to keep school in Princeton. This I continued until the first of April 1788, when I continued on my father’s farm through the summer. In the fall, I kept school in Sterling.
In April 1789, I returned to my father’s and pursued my favorite study of astronomy, occasionally laboring on the farm, and busying myself with bookbinding.
I wanted practical knowledge of the calculations of an Almanack. In September, I journeyed into Vermont to see the then-famous Dr. S. Sternes, who for many years calculated Isaiah Thomas’s Almanack, but failed to see him.
The next winter, I agreed to keep school in Sterling.
I pursued my avocations through the summer. There being few books in the country, I found good sales to the storekeepers, schoolmasters, etc.
In the fall, I called on Isaiah Thomas of Worcester (no relation) to purchase 100 of his Almanacks in sheets, but he refused to let me have them. I was mortified and came home with a determination to have an Almanack of my own. I knew that there were many things in his that were not generally approved of and which I knew I could remedy.
In the spring of 1791, I returned home to my father’s and pursued bookbinding, except when I assisted in hay-making. On January 1, 1792, I commenced keeping school.
After finishing my school, I returned to my father’s, with a full determination never to resume it again. I made up my mind to follow the binding business. Still I could not relinquish the idea of publishing an Almanack.
The last of June or the first of July 1792, I went to Boston and arranged with Osgood Carlton, a teacher of mathematics, to instruct me in astronomy as related to calculating an Almanack. This he readily consented to do.
By the latter part of August, I 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.
Epilogue
The Farmer’s Almanac, first published in 1792 by Robert B. Thomas, was an immediate success. Circulation of its second edition tripled from 3,000 to 9,000 copies.
Thomas remained the editor until his death at age 80 in 1846, supposedly while reading proofs for the 1847 edition. By then, his was the oldest almanac in the country.
This fact inspired Thomas’s successor, John H. Jenks, to add the word “Old” to the title, forever distinguishing this publication from common forms of the genre. Today, The Old Farmer’s Almanac stands as the oldest continuously published periodical in North America.
Order a copy of this year’s Old Farmer’s Almanac. You can find it in our own Almanac store, on Amazon, and from many other online and store retailers. See where to buy the Almanac. 
Happy Birthday, Robert B. Thomas!
Every year, we celebrate our founder’s birthday on April 24 with cake! If you’d like to excuse to eat cake (and why not?), here is one of our favorite recipes:
Chocolate Lava Cake—compliments of The Old Farmer’s Almanac Everyday Baking cookbook.
Photo credit: Becky Luigart-Stayner
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very interesting read; the first Almanac was published when George Washington was President!!!
As a child on a farm in western Oregon our parents did their crop planting based on the suggestions in the Old Farmer's Almanac.
I read all of your emails with interesting mini stories and tips. I live in Ontario and wonder if you ship from Canada? Ordering across the border has steep border fees. I am originally from Virginia. Thank you for the interesting reading.
Thank you for reading our newsletter! We do not ship from Canada at this time, unfortunately. Your best bet would be to find a store near you that sells our products, or to try ordering from Amazon.ca.
Myth or not myth. Would like to see an article in the next old farmers almanac Robert B Thomas about the ground hog and his shadow. Is it real or not. Keeping my fingers crossed I will get true info on this matter.
The groundhog’s annual prediction is based in folklore, but according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), the prediction is right about 40% of the time! Read more about Groundhog Day here.
Living in NH & VT I know and read the OFA often. Born the day before Hitler invaded Poland, so have a lot of yankee spirit, attitude and glad I was raised there. I get your emails along with Yankee. The best publications around. I am astounded (mind-boggled) by the continued varying information within the pages and recipes. I send articles out to friends around the country, Air Force buddies and fellow HS ‘57 classmates (what’s left) so they get the flavor of the region and history as well.
I go through Dublin often, a beautiful hill town and see your offices. Can’t believe so much is produced there. The editors must not sleep at night in doing research for future articles. Also read the Comments in the articles, amazing how many people have knowledge and seek knowledge from you. Hard to keep up with it all. Mell Allen’s articles are so sincere and interesting.
Have you researched old deeds in the town halls? I have back when VT had only three counties and land was paid for in Pounds and Schillings. I’ve copied them and have a lot of VT / NH history. So impressive and upon reading the many old deeds, the sensation is that you’re living in that time, it’s just yesterday. Would be a good subject for schools in the instruction of local history.
A big THANK YOU!
There is so much information in your pages I can't begin to recount. I love learning about things I feel I should know and now take the time to enjoy. Thanks again for keeping Robert B. Thomas alive in our hearts.
Thank YOU, Nancy, for reading and enjoying our almanac!
Bought my first Old Farmers Almanac in 1981that 5 years later since my first purchase of The Old Farmers Almanac in 1981 that I have been buying The Old Farmers Almanac since 1986 and now since the purchase The Old Farmers Almanac 2018 makes 33 (not counting the 1981 edition. Makes me wish I would have started sooner in purchasing them sooner than 1981. I really enjoy reading The Old Farmers Almanac and collecting them. I also been able to purchase The Old Farmers Almanacs of 1904, 1905, 1909 ,1910, 1911, 1912, 1913, 1914, 1915,1916,1917, and the 1918. On top of those I have mentioned above I been able to purchase the 1804,1805, 1809, 1810,1811,1812,1813 1814, 1815,186,1817,and the 1818 almanacs before the word Old was inserted in The (Old) Farmers Almanac. Keep making The Old Farmers Almanacs as well as the ones from the early twenty century as well as the ones from the nineteenth century. Because as the Good Lord allows me to live in this world I will continue to purchase The Old Farmers Almanac. Keep up the excellent work in providing The Old Farmers Almanacs for purchase. God bless all who make The Old Farmers Almanac available for purchase year after year. Sincerely from a faithful reader of The Old Farmers Almanac, Kevin L. Broehm Albuquerque, New Mexico.
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