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J. Jay (John Jay) Smith
1798–1881
A lively Philadelphia man of letters, this 19th-century librarian and editor helped shape the city’s literary and civic life. He is also remembered as a founder of Laurel Hill Cemetery, one of America’s earliest garden cemeteries.
24 Audiobooks
American Historical and Literary Curiosities: Second Series, Complete
by J. Jay (John Jay) Smith
American Historical and Literary Curiosities, Series One
by J. Jay (John Jay) Smith, John F. (John Fanning) Watson
American Historical and Literary Curiosities, Part 01
by J. Jay (John Jay) Smith, John F. (John Fanning) Watson
American Historical and Literary Curiosities, Part 03
by J. Jay (John Jay) Smith, John F. (John Fanning) Watson
American Historical and Literary Curiosities, Part 12.
by J. Jay (John Jay) Smith
American Historical and Literary Curiosities, Part 17.
by J. Jay (John Jay) Smith
American Historical and Literary Curiosities, Part 08
by J. Jay (John Jay) Smith, John F. (John Fanning) Watson
American Historical and Literary Curiosities, Part 09
by J. Jay (John Jay) Smith, John F. (John Fanning) Watson
American Historical and Literary Curiosities, Part 05
by J. Jay (John Jay) Smith, John F. (John Fanning) Watson
American Historical and Literary Curiosities, Part 02
by J. Jay (John Jay) Smith, John F. (John Fanning) Watson
American Historical and Literary Curiosities, Part 22.
by J. Jay (John Jay) Smith
American Historical and Literary Curiosities, Part 04
by J. Jay (John Jay) Smith, John F. (John Fanning) Watson
American Historical and Literary Curiosities, Part 20
by J. Jay (John Jay) Smith
American Historical and Literary Curiosities, Part 10
by J. Jay (John Jay) Smith, John F. (John Fanning) Watson
American Historical and Literary Curiosities, Part 21.
by J. Jay (John Jay) Smith
American Historical and Literary Curiosities, Part 18.
by J. Jay (John Jay) Smith
American Historical and Literary Curiosities, Part 14.
by J. Jay (John Jay) Smith
American Historical and Literary Curiosities, Part 11.
by J. Jay (John Jay) Smith
American Historical and Literary Curiosities, Part 15.
by J. Jay (John Jay) Smith
American Historical and Literary Curiosities, Part 07
by J. Jay (John Jay) Smith, John F. (John Fanning) Watson
American Historical and Literary Curiosities, Part 06
by J. Jay (John Jay) Smith, John F. (John Fanning) Watson
American Historical and Literary Curiosities, Part 13.
by J. Jay (John Jay) Smith
American Historical and Literary Curiosities, Part 16.
by J. Jay (John Jay) Smith
American Historical and Literary Curiosities, Part 19.
by J. Jay (John Jay) Smith
About the author
Born in 1798, John Jay Smith was a Philadelphia librarian, editor, and writer from a prominent Quaker family. Reliable archival and historical sources identify him as librarian of the Library Company of Philadelphia from 1829 to 1851, a role that placed him close to the city’s intellectual life and book culture.
Smith is also closely tied to the creation of Laurel Hill Cemetery, which he helped found. That project became one of the best-known rural cemeteries in the United States and reflects how wide his interests were beyond books alone.
For readers today, Smith stands out as a figure from the early American literary world who moved easily between libraries, publishing, and public life. His work grew out of Philadelphia’s energetic 19th-century culture, where reading, reform, and civic ambition often went hand in hand.