Zachariah N. Garbutt was born in Wheatland, New York in 1814. He graduated from the University of Vermont, studied law in Washington, D. C. and moved to Jacksonville, Illinois, where he finished his legal course.
In 1839, he moved to Pittsfield, Illinois, where he founded the Free Press, an early and important newspaper with strong anti-slavery inclinations. He also practiced law and served as justice of the peace and master of chancery.
John George Nicolay was given an advertisement from the Free Press that read “Wanted – an intelligent boy, from 14 to 17 years of age, who can read and write, to learn the printing business.” Nicolay walked to Pittsfield, spent the night sleeping on sacks of wool at the carding mill and got the job of printer’s devil the next morning.
Mr. and Mrs. Garbutt took a liking to young Nicolay even opening their home to him in the years that he worked at the paper. Zachariah N. Garbutt died in Memphis, Tennessee in 1855 while on a business trip. After his death John G. Nicolay would take over as editor of the Free Press until moving to Springfield, Illinois.