Alfred Smith Barnes

Alfred Smith Barnes (January 28, 1817 – February 17, 1888) was an American publisher and philanthropist. Early life Barnes was born in New Haven, Connecticut, to Eli Barnes of Southington, Connecticut, a farmer and innkeeper, who founded the hamlet of "Barnesville", which is now Fair Haven, Connecticut. His mother's maiden name was "Morris", and her family came from Morris Cove, Connecticut. Barnes went to primary school in Wethersfield, Connecticut, but he left when his father died in 1827. At the age of 12, Barnes was placed with an uncle, Deacon Norman Smith, who lived near Hartford, and he was schooled by Prof. Jesse Olney, working on his uncle's farm in the summer. Career As a young man, Barnes worked as a clerk in a shoe store, then for D. F. Robinson & Co., a publisher in Hartford, where he learned the publishing trade. While in Hartford, he successfully published books aimed at the educational market by Charles Davies on mathematics and Emma Willard on history, in a joint venture between the three of them. Barnes then moved to Philadelphia in 1840, where for four years he built a publishing company, which he then transferred to New York City. After passing through a number of partners and company names, Barnes settled on "A. S. Barnes & Co." in 1865. A. S. Barnes was a family operation: eventually, his five sons, his brother and one nephew were connected to the firm, which became the leading publisher of textbooks in the United States, as well as issuing general interest books on a wide range of subjects.