Daye, Stephen (1594?-1668), with his son Matthew, set up the first printing office in what is now the United States. In 1638, the Dayes sailed from England to Cambridge, Massachusetts, with Jose Glover, a British clergyman. Glover brought along a press, type, and paper. Glover died on the voyage, but the Dayes and Glover’s widow, Elizabeth, started a press in America. Their first publication was The Freeman’s Oath (1639). No copy is known to survive. In 1640, the Dayes printed a hymnal called the Bay Psalm Book. Eleven copies of that book still exist. See Bay Psalm Book.
Daye, whose name is also spelled Day, was born in Cambridge, England. He also worked as a locksmith, and he prospected for iron ore in New England. He died on Dec. 22, 1668, in Cambridge, Massachusetts.
