Jesse Olney

The Southington Author Who Taught America Geography

Jesse Olney (1798–1872) was a Southington author. His A Practical System of Modern Geography, first published in 1828, taught students all across the country.

From the Society's collection

The 1835 Modern Geography

The Southington Historical Society has an 1835 edition of Modern Geography — A View of the Present State of the World.

The cover of the book is in rough shape but its 288 pages are what a Southington author's book was teaching students all across the country.

The book is being given away by free drawing at the Open House on Saturday, June 20, 2026.

See the book & enter the drawing — June 20 Open House

Also from Olney's desk

The 1833 Easy Reader

“We had so much fun earlier this year posting Jesse Olney's 1833 Easy Reader that we are giving away the book that made Jesse Olney famous.”

— Southington Historical Society

The archive wall

Pages from the 1835 Modern Geography

Scanned plates from the Society's 1835 edition, alongside Olney's portrait and signature — the pages a Southington author put in front of schoolchildren across the country.