John Baer transformed one of Lancaster County's most-failed newspapers into our most-popular German-language newpaper: Der Volksfreund (The People's Friend) (...as in the Volkswagen...The People's Car.)
This floundering newspaper had twice suffered the public humiliation of being sold at sheriff sales, before John Baer purchased the paper in 1817.
The printers William Hamilton and Joseph Ehrenfried had both lost this floundering newspaper at sheriff auction, before John Bear transformed this sour lemon into lemonade. Baer turned this paper into "a complete pecuniary and political success."
In 1838 John Baer also purchased Der Beobachter (The Observer) from Samuel Wagner. John then combined his two newspaper into one weekly paper: Der Volksfreud und Beobachter.
Baer published this newspaper for 20 years until his death in 1858. His sons Reuben and Christian then continued the publication of the Volksfreund.
John Baer: A Bilingual Printer for a Bilingual People
John Baer's customers spoke both Pennsylvania German and English. So did John Baer. He printed his newspaper with Roman and fraktur fonts to appeal to both sides of the language divide. Here, in his October 1824 Volksfreund newspaper, he advertises almanacs for sale. Baer also advertises his handbill-printing business here. This newspaper issue also includes an address by Judge Franklin (Richter Franklin). This is Judge Walter Franklin, who was the President Judge of the Court of Common Pleas. (Click Image to Enlarge It.)
John Baer Says: Buy your Dutch Ovens from George Mayer
Colonel George Mayer (1781-1862) was a wealthy Pennsylvania Dutch iron merchant / hardware-store owner. In this 1820 Volksfreund advertisement The Colonel promotes his iron wares for sale at his Lancaster hardware store: his Eisen Glas u.(nd) Farben Stohr (Iron, Glass and Paint Store.)
John Baer used one of his fanciest fonts for The Colonel's advertisement. Presumedly, these ads were a great success. The Colonel eventually owned four house and more than 8 acres of land in Lancaster.
In this ad, The Colonel's wares include 50-gallon iron kettles (eisen-kettel), Dutch ovens (Backöfen), and woodenware / cedar ware (Zeder-Geschirr).
Colonel Mayer's hardware store and John Baer's print shop were both located on the first block of North Queen Street.
The Colonel was competing with John F. Steinman's hardware store, located around the corner on West King Street. (Located at the site of my favorite letterpress restaurant, The Pressroom Restaurant.)
Today we remember the Colonel as the inventor of the Mayer butt hinge, a somewhat ill-named claim to fame.
(Click image to enlarge it.)