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A History of the Maryland Press, 1777-1790
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Anne Catherine Green, the mother of six sons and eight daughters,
and public printer of Maryland during the last years of her busy life,
died on March 23, 1775. Frederick Green immediately took over the
duties of printing the Maryland Gazette and the publications of the state.
His work as Printer of the State together with his duties as clerk to the
Senate of Maryland, which position he held for several years during
the Revolution, was probably too much for one man to undertake while,
at the same time, printing a weekly newspaper. It may have been this
which caused him to cease publishing the Maryland Gazette on Decem-
ber 25, 1777. However, the immediate cause of the suspension of the
newspaper was the difficulty in getting paper. On April 30, 1779, the
Maryland Gazette was revived, probably due to the establishment of a
rival newspaper by James Hayes, Junior.
Frederick Green did not undertake to revive the Maryland Gazette
under his own initiative. His younger brother, Samuel Green, who was
born April 27, 1757, probably assumed responsibility for the editing and
printing of the paper and his name was added to his brother's in the
imprint. They remained joint publishers until their deaths within a
week of each other in 1811. Samuel Green's interest in the firm was lim-
ited to the newspaper and a few pamphlets. His name does not appear
in the imprint of official state publications.
Little is known of the personal life of these two Annapolis printers and
it is difficult to determine their relations in the conduct of their business.
Frequent references to Frederick Green's work as Printer to the State
are found in the Votes and Proceedings of both houses, but these notices
refer only to the number of copies to be printed and the disposal of
them among the officers of the state.
THE PUBLICATION OF HANSON'S "LAWS OF MARYLAND"
It was only fitting that the successor of Jonas Green should have been
the printer of Hanson's Laws of Maryland, made since M,DCC,LXIII
which was designed as a continuation of Thomas Bacon's Laws of Mary-
land, printed in 1765. The publication of this notable work was author-
ized by the Maryland Assembly during the November session, 1784.
"Resolved, That Mr. Frederick Green, printer to this state, be directed to collect and print,
in one or more volumes, one hundred copies of all the acts of assembly (now in force) passed since
the twenty-sixth of November, seventeen hundred and sixty-three, to the end of this session of
assembly, under the direction of Alexander C. Hanson and Samuel Chase, Esquires, with the bill
of rights, and constitution and form of government, the confederation, and the resolutions of the
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