Difference between revisions of "GMBartlett"

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JOSIAH BARTLETT

Grand Master, 1798-1799; 1810.

TERM

1798 1799

1810

NOTES

BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCH

From remarks by Past Grand Master Charles T. Gallagher, at the Feast of St. John 1909; Proceedings, Page 1909-227:

"Brother Josiah Bartlett was a physician of high character and standing, and is known in the Middlesex, Suffolk, and Massachusetts Medical societies as a very eminent man. Dr. Thacher said of him that he probably did more for the Massachusetts Medical Society of his time than any one has done for it since. He was trhe personal friend of Dr. John Warren our Past Grand Master, the founder of that latter body. Brother Bartlett was born in Charlestown in 1759, and was a charter member and the first Master of King Solomon's Lodge in 1783, being less than twenty-four years old, and it is remarkable to note the amount of work that he did, the influence which he had, and the position which he took in the Grand Lodge as well as the community at large, at a time when Masonry was almost in its formative state in this country.

"He began an active career at an early age. At sixteen he was at Bunker Hill, holding the position of Surgeon's Mate to Dr. John Warren. He was made a full Surgeon soon after and served through the rest of the war in our American Army. The year 1783 was one which marked three important events in his life; it was the year when he got through with the Revolutionary War and took up civil life; the same year he was married, and also entered Masonry; apparently he did well in all these things; for besides being a successful physician and high in Masonry he had had at the time of his death sixteen children by that marriage.

"Time will not permit in an address the enumeration of details that would enlarge this speech to the dignity of a biography but I have seen thirteen of his addresses and orations, each scholarly and of great moment, while his ordinary speeches and papers were unnumbered. But it is as a Mason that we are especially interested in him. In 1786 he delivered his first public oration at the founding of Warren Hall in Charlestown; his last was as chairman of a reception committee when President Monroe visited Charlestown in 1817. He held almost evely position of prominence in his town, military, civil, and magisterial. He was a Major, school committeeman, selectman, moderator, civil magistrate, Representative, Senator and Councillor, besides being one of the committee to build Charlestown Bridge, and the founder of the Harvard Congregational Church; in three medical societies he held honorable positions.

"I think in his day Charlestown included what is now Malden, where we get Grand Masters and other men who compose our Grand Lodge; I believe we have seven men living in Malden who hold office in it now ! (Laughter.) If this goes on we may have to move the Grand Lodge over there. (Laughter.)

"While Dr. Bartlett was installed Grand Master in 1809, one hundred years ago to-night, he was previously installed on the twenty-seventh of December, 1798, and again in 1799; he was one of the Committee of three, consisting of Dr. John Warren, Paul Revere and himself, deputed by the Grand Lodge to receive from Martha Washington that lock of hair of our immortal patriot and foremost Mason, which is kept in the golden urn fashioned by Paul Revere, and cherished as one of our most precious possessions to be received as a sacred trust by the incoming Grand Master at each new installation.

"He was one of the pall-bearers at the funeral of Dr. John Warren, and later delivered an oration on his life aud character in the presence of our Grand Lodge at an open meeting which was attended by the Governor, State and city officials and very many people of note; the oration is spoken of as an extremely fine literary production and one that will go into history as a classic.

"I find in his address when he was elected Grand Master in 1798, these quaint words, It is my purpose to attend with punctuality the meetings of this Grand Lodge, but some inconveniences may arise from my not residing in Boston . . . if I do not attend the meeting, in half an hour from the time affixed, you will consider me necessarily absent, and that the business may commence under the Deputy Grand Master.

"However, for two years he attended every meeting except the last two, and apparently he absented himself from these because he did not wish to be re-elected. He was, however, re-elected later and was acting Grand Master several times in after years, and there are few names that occur as many times as that of Josiah Bartlett in the printed volume of our Grand Lodge records; the installation service composed by him covering three or four printed pages, which he used in installing Timothy Bigelow, is a jewel of literary composition. He was Master of his Lodge at twenty four, and from then almost to the day of his death, March 3, 1820, he was not only active and deeply interested in Freemasonry but he enriched its literature and crystallized its landmarks in our jurisdiction as few have done before or since.

"In a brief and hasty sketch of this Brother, I have outlined something of his value, but we cannot think too much or consider too long the good that he accomplished in his time and by his deeds. After all he simply did what all the old worthies of his time tried to do; unselfish and patriotic, each gave all his talents to his associations, his church and the public weal; and it is increasingly brought home to us by the lives of such men how much we owe to them for what they did for us; all honor to these men of a hundled years ago; may their names be sung at least annually and their memories honored continually, so that we and those who come after us may be incited to present duty and future thought. The tribute of Dr Thacher on Dr. Bartlett is appropriate in closing:

"He was remarkable for industry, activity and intelligence. He never declined any duty which was assigned him, and always executed it speedily and thoroughly.

"Thomas Hopkins said of him: He was eminent in his profession, skilful in his practice, and his helping hand was always ready and open to aid ia public improvements and private charities."

CHARTERS GRANTED

1798-1799

• 03/13/1798 Marine, Falmouth
• 03/14/1798 Mount Moriah, Reading
• 03/16/1798 Social, Ashby
• 03/16/1798 Eastern Star, Rehoboth
• 06/12/1798 King David, Taunton

1810

• 03/12/1810 Fredonia, Northboro
• 06/11/1810 Mystic, Lanesboro

Grand Masters