Hezekiah Usher

Hezekiah Usher of Boston was the first known bookseller in British America. The first books printed in the thirteen colonies were published and sold by Usher.

Early life

Usher was born in 1615. The medieval records known as the Hundred Rolls show that Usher came from the then hamlet of Bednall Green, today's Bethnal Green in East London in England. The Usher family line itself is believed to be originally from the town of Bednall Green. The Usher family name is known in English history and literally means "one who introduced strangers." Usher and his brother Robert left Bednall Green (aka Bethnal Green) and settled in the thirteen colonies. Usher came first to Cambridge.

As of 1642, he was the owner of a house in Cambridge (northeast corner of Dunster and Winthrop) that was the property of William Andrew in 1635. Later, in 1645 Usher settled in Boston in the Massachusetts Bay Colony. He lived on the north side of Boston on State Street near the market-place. Usher opened his first bookstore in Boston in 1647. His affairs prospered, and by 1652, he had become a well known merchant and bookseller. Robert, his brother, had settled in Stamford, Connecticut.

Hezekiah

Hezekiah (/ˌhɛzᵻˈkaɪ.ə/; Hebrew: חִזְקִיָּ֫הוּ, חִזְקִיָּ֫ה, יְחִזְקִיָּ֫הוּ; Greek: Ἐζεκίας, Ezekias, in the Septuagint; Latin: Ezechias; also transliterated as Ḥizkiyyahu or Ḥizkiyyah) was, according to the Hebrew Bible, the son of Ahaz and the 13th king of Judah. Archaeologist Edwin Thiele has concluded that his reign was between c. 715 and 686 BC. He is also one of the most prominent kings of Judah mentioned in the Hebrew Bible and is one of the kings mentioned in the genealogy of Jesus in the Gospel of Matthew.

According to the Hebrew Bible, Hezekiah witnessed the destruction of the northern Kingdom of Israel by Sargon's Assyrians in c. 720 BC and was king of Judah during the invasion and siege of Jerusalem by Sennacherib in 701 BC. Hezekiah enacted sweeping religious reforms, including a strict mandate for the sole worship of Yahweh and a prohibition on venerating other deities within the Temple in Jerusalem.Isaiah and Micah prophesied during his reign.

Etymology

Hezekiah, more properly transliterated as Ḥizkiyyahu (and sometimes as Ezekias) (Hebrew: חִזְקִיָּ֫הוּ Ḥizqiyyāhu, Khizkiyahu; or יְחִזְקִיָּ֫הוּ Yəḥizqiyyāhu, Y'khizkiyahu); ; or Ḥizkiyyah (Hebrew: חִזְקִיָּ֫ה Ḥizqiyyāh). The root of the name חִזְקִיָּהוּ Ḥizkiyyahu is חזק, a verb stem that can mean

Hezekiah (Khazar)

Hezekiah ben Obadiah was the ruler of the Khazars, probably in the mid ninth century CE. He was the son of Obadiah, the descendant of Bulan who brought rabbinical scholars to and built yeshivot in Khazaria. Little is known about Hezekiah's reign. As with other Bulanid rulers, it is unclear whether Hezekiah was Khagan or Khagan Bek of the Khazars, although the latter is more likely.

Hezekiah was succeeded by his son Menasseh I.

Sources

Hezekiah ben Solomon

Hezekiah ben Solomon (Hebrew: חזקיה בן שלמה) was the son of Solomon ben David and thus was the eighth Karaite exilarch of the line of Anan ben David. He lived in Iraq during the eleventh century. He was the father of Hasdai ben Hezekiah.