Elizabeth Timothy died in Charleston, South Carolina, on 2 April 1757, closing out a pioneering career as America's first female newspaper publisher.
Elizabeth Timothy died on 2 April 1757 in Charleston, South Carolina, the city where she had built her career as a printer, newspaper publisher, and shopkeeper. By the time of her death, she had long since transferred formal control of the South Carolina Gazette to her son, Peter Timothy, but she remained an active and respected figure in Charleston's business community, having operated a book and stationery shop in her later years.
Some secondary sources give only the month of April 1757, or cite slightly varying dates, reflecting the imperfect record-keeping typical of colonial-era vital records, especially for women. However, the specific date of 2 April 1757 is recorded in several biographical treatments of her life.
Her death marked the end of a remarkable life that began in Amsterdam and encompassed emigration, widowhood, entrepreneurship, and a groundbreaking role in American print journalism. Elizabeth Timothy's legacy endured through the continued success of the Timothy printing dynasty — her son Peter, and later her grandson, continued to operate the Gazette — and through her enduring historical distinction as the first female newspaper editor and publisher in what would become the United States.