he Youth’s Companion (1827-1929), later known as The Companion – For all the Family, was an American children’s magazine published in Boston, Massachusetts by Perry Mason & Co., later renamed ‘Perry Mason Company”. The publication lasted for over 100 years until it merged with The American Boy in 1929. The revised name first appeared on the August 9, 1900, issue. From 1892 to 1915 it was based out of the Youth’s Companion Building, which is now on the National Register of Historic Places.

Early issues of The Youth’s Companion focused on religion and encouraged “virtue and piety, and...warn against the ways of transgression.” By the 1890s, the publication focused on entertainment and began targeting a wider audience. Columns included patriotic themes, medical innovations, serialized stories, and current events. While the paper was no longer just about religion, columns did not mention nor advertise drugs or alcohol. Contributors included well known authors such as Jane Addams, Harriet Beecher Stowe, Mark Twain, Emily Dickinson, and Jack London.

In the 1890s and early 1900s, The Youth’s Companion supported a campaign to place American flags into classrooms across the country. The September 8, 1892, issue is the first printed mention of the Pledge of Allegiance which was written by contributor Francis Bellamy.