Adam Willis Wagnalls
Encyclopedia
Adam Willis Wagnalls was an American
publisher. He was the co-founder and co-eponym of the Funk & Wagnalls Company in 1877.
Wagnalls was born in Lithopolis, Ohio
, but moved away at age 5. Wagnalls attended Wittenberg College (now Wittenberg University
) in Springfield
, Ohio
with Isaac Kaufmann Funk
. He married Hester Anna Willis, also a native of Lithopolis. They had one child, Mabel Wagnalls Jones.
Isaac Kaufmann Funk had founded the business of I. K. Funk & Company in 1876. In 1877, Adam Wagnalls joined the firm as a partner. The two changed the name of the firm to Funk & Wagnalls Company in 1890. Prior to 1890, F. & W. published only religious-oriented works. The publication of The Literary Digest in 1890 marked a change for the firm to a publisher of general reference dictionaries and encyclopedias. The firm followed in 1894 with its most memorable publication, The Standard Dictionary of the English Language. 1912 saw the publication of the Funk & Wagnalls Standard Encyclopedia.
Upon the death of her mother in 1914, Mabel Wagnalls Jones established and gifted to Lithopolis and Bloom Township
, the Wagnalls Memorial Library. The Wagnalls Memorial Library is constructed of native free stone in the Tudor-Gothic Style. A few years later established the Wagnalls Foundation. The Wagnalls Memorial Foundation is constructed of native free stone in the Tudor-Gothic style. This facility provides people living in the area and its visitors with a center for educational, cultural and literary arts activities.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
publisher. He was the co-founder and co-eponym of the Funk & Wagnalls Company in 1877.
Wagnalls was born in Lithopolis, Ohio
Lithopolis, Ohio
Lithopolis is a village in Fairfield and Franklin counties in the U.S. state of Ohio. The population was 600 at the 2000 census.- Geography :Lithopolis is located at ....
, but moved away at age 5. Wagnalls attended Wittenberg College (now Wittenberg University
Wittenberg University
Wittenberg University is a private four-year liberal arts college in Springfield, Ohio serving 2,000 full-time students representing 37 states and approximately 30 foreign countries...
) in Springfield
Springfield, Ohio
Springfield is a city in the U.S. state of Ohio and the county seat of Clark County. The municipality is located in southwestern Ohio and is situated on the Mad River, Buck Creek and Beaver Creek, approximately west of Columbus and northeast of Dayton. Springfield is home to Wittenberg...
, Ohio
Ohio
Ohio is a Midwestern state in the United States. The 34th largest state by area in the U.S.,it is the 7th‑most populous with over 11.5 million residents, containing several major American cities and seven metropolitan areas with populations of 500,000 or more.The state's capital is Columbus...
with Isaac Kaufmann Funk
Isaac Kaufmann Funk
Isaac Kaufmann Funk was an American Lutheran minister, editor, lexicographer, publisher, and spelling reformer. He was the co-founder of Funk & Wagnalls Company, the father of author Wilfred J. Funk, and the grandfather of author Peter Funk...
. He married Hester Anna Willis, also a native of Lithopolis. They had one child, Mabel Wagnalls Jones.
Isaac Kaufmann Funk had founded the business of I. K. Funk & Company in 1876. In 1877, Adam Wagnalls joined the firm as a partner. The two changed the name of the firm to Funk & Wagnalls Company in 1890. Prior to 1890, F. & W. published only religious-oriented works. The publication of The Literary Digest in 1890 marked a change for the firm to a publisher of general reference dictionaries and encyclopedias. The firm followed in 1894 with its most memorable publication, The Standard Dictionary of the English Language. 1912 saw the publication of the Funk & Wagnalls Standard Encyclopedia.
Upon the death of her mother in 1914, Mabel Wagnalls Jones established and gifted to Lithopolis and Bloom Township
Bloom Township, Fairfield County, Ohio
Bloom Township is one of the thirteen townships of Fairfield County, Ohio, United States. The 2000 census found 6,374 people in the township, 5,765 of whom lived in the unincorporated portions of the township.-Geography:...
, the Wagnalls Memorial Library. The Wagnalls Memorial Library is constructed of native free stone in the Tudor-Gothic Style. A few years later established the Wagnalls Foundation. The Wagnalls Memorial Foundation is constructed of native free stone in the Tudor-Gothic style. This facility provides people living in the area and its visitors with a center for educational, cultural and literary arts activities.