THE BUILDER April, 1925

Studies of Masonry in the United States
By BRO. H. L. HAYWOOD, Editor

PART VIII. HENRY PRICE

THE most important event in the history of Masonry in New England,
and one of the most important in the history of the whole of the
American Craft, was the issuance of a Deputation to Henry Price by
the Grand Master of England, Lord viscount Montague, in which Price
was authorized to be "Provincial Grand Master of New England and
Dominions and Territories thereunto belonging."

There has been much debate over the date of this instrument. The
Beteihle Manuscript (see Study Club article last month), written
between July 27 and Aug. 23,1737, gave the date as April 13, 1733;
this same date was given in the petition for charter of the First
Lodge in Boston, July 30, 1733; in the Duke of Beaufort's
Deputation to John Rowe in 1768; and in a communication from Grand
Secretary French of the Grand Lodge of England. Bro. Melvin M.
Johnson believes April 13 to have been correct. But the earliest
records of the Grand Lodge of Massachusetts, written by Pelham,
gave it as April 30; so did Ebenezer Swan in the earliest records
of the First Lodge of Boston. A number of later writers, such as
Drummond, MacCalla, Stillson and Hughan have followed Swan and
Pelham; but a careful analysis of the facts preponderate in favor
of the date as April 13. This point is of little intrinsic
importance, nevertheless it has been made the basis for attacks on
the validity of Price's Deputation, of which more anon.

Henry Price received his Deputation in person, while visiting the
Grand Lodge of England, and paid for it a fee of three guineas. It
was signed by Thomas Batson, Deputy Grand Master, and by the Grand
Wardens, and is supposed to have carried the seal of Grand Master
Montague. No record of the issuance of the Deputation was entered
in the minutes of the Grand Lodge of England, but the same thing
holds true of other Deputations known to have been issued, as
described in this department last month. A Deputation for a
Provincial Grand Mastership was issued privately by the Grand
Master, as one of the prerogatives of his office, and was held to
be the personal property of the recipient; for these reasons it
frequently happened that no minutes of such a transaction were
entered in Grand Lodge records. Price's Deputation has been printed
in full in Johnson's Beginnings of Freemasonry in America, and in
the Proceedings of the Grand Lodge of Massachusetts, 1871, taken
from the Beteihle Manuscript of 1737. Price brought his Deputation
with him upon his return to Boston in the spring of 1733 and almost
immediately laid it before a number of the brethren.

Price was born in London in 1697. The Minutes of the Grand Lodge of
England show that in 1730 he was a member of Lodge No. 75, meeting
at the Rainbow Coffee House, in London, and as such was doubtlessly
well and favorably known to the brethren of Grand Lodge. He was in
Boston in 1723, but later returned to London where, as noted above,
he was present at Grand Lodge in 1733. Between April 18 and July 30
of that same year he returned to Boston, where he remained during
the whole of a long life.

Records of a suit filed by him in Boston in 1733-4 have him
described as "Henry Price of Boston," a tailor by profession, in
which calling he could not have stood very high in the social
hierarchy of the city; but in 1733 Governor Jonathan Belcher
appointed him cornet, or standard-bearer, in the Governor's troop
of cavalry, with the rank of major, by which title he was always
known thereafter; this office, according to the usages of the time,
bestowed upon him a certain amount of social distinction. Price
formed a business partnership with Francis Beteihle in 1736, to
operate a general store and tailor shop, with Price in charge of
the latter. But in three or four years Price severed the
connection, purchased a lot of land for 100 pounds, erected on it
a brick building in which he kept a clothing and dry goods store,
and very evidently prospered greatly, for he retired in 1750 in
possession of a great amount of real estate. By religion he was an
Episcopalian, against which there was a great deal of prejudice in
Boston in those times; but later in life, though without any change
in his creed, he also purchased pews in three meeting houses not of
his faith, a fact that evidences a life-long and sincere interest
in religion without the taint of sectarianism.

In 1737 he was married to Mary Townsend. A year after her death in
1751 he married Mary Tilden of Boston. His second wife died in 1759
or 60, and a short time thereafter their daughter, a double
bereavement that left Price saddened all his days. In 1771 he
married Lydia Randall, from which union two children were born.
During all those years Price prospered in business, bought many
properties in Boston and suburbs, and for several years had a
country home in Cambridge. His home at Menotomy was so large that
it was generally described as the "great house." His death occurred
in 1780 from an accident while splitting rails, when his axe
glanced against his abdomen. From this severe wound he died on the
20th of May at the age of eighty-three, leaving behind him a large
estate. All extant evidence go to prove that Henry Price was a man
of firm character and fine intelligence, who by his own diligence
built up a fortune considerable in that period, and who was
accepted socially and commercially among the leading citizens of
the Province.

During the past forty years several attempts have been made,
notably by a notorious and violently prejudiced American Masonic
writer whose name need not be mentioned, to call into question
Price's good faith and even to accuse him of having forged his
Deputation; such canards fall utterly to pieces against the
undeniable record of his consistent character and his reputation.
Had he been such a man as his traducers have undertaken to paint
him, it would have been impossible for him to make for himself such
a place in Massachusetts during the forty-seven years in which he
was so active in and about Boston.


Neither could such a man have so long remained the actual or
virtual head of Freemasonry in New England--virtual, that is, in
the sense that he was looked up to as a father in the Masonic
Israel. He was appointed to be the first Provincial Grand Master of
New England in 1733, and as such was universally accepted; he
served continuously as Grand Master from his appointment until
1737; again from July, 1740, to March 6, 1743-4; again from July
12, 1754, to Oct. 1, 1755; and yet again from Oct. 20, 1767, to
Nov. 23, 1768. He was charter Worshipful Master of the Masters'
Lodge of Boston; charter Worshipful Master of the Second Lodge; and
one of the Worshipful Masters of the First Lodge. Even so late as
1773, when he was seventy-six years of age, he was asked to preside
over Grand Lodge in the absence of Grand Master John Rowe. All his
Masonic activities were public, known in every detail to the
brethren on both sides of the water, and were by all accepted as
regular and official; had his Deputation been a forged document,
had he assumed leadership unlawfully, the fact would have been
discovered very early and made impossible his long and honorable
Masonic career.

Henry Price was buried in Townsend, a small Massachusetts town
incorporated in 1732, forty-six miles distant from Boston, on the
border line of New Hampshire. The original stone placed at the head
of his grave, a photograph of which is given herewith, carries an
inscription, here copied just as it stands:

"In Memory of Henry Price, Efq. Was born in London about the Year
of our Lord 1697 he Remov'd to Bofton about the Year 1723 Rec. a
Deputation Appointing him Grand Mafter of Mafons in New England &
in the Year 1733 was Appointed a Cornet in the Governors Troop of
Guards With the Rank of Major by his Diligence & induftry in
Bufinefs he Acquired the means of a Comfortable Living with which
he remov'd to Townfen in the latter Part of his life. He quitted
Mortality the 20th of May A. D. 1780 Leaving a Widow and two Young
Daughters With a Numerous Company of Friends and Acquaintance to
Mourn his Departure Who have that Ground of hope Concerning his
Prefent Lot Which Refultfi from his undifsembled Regard to his
Maker & extenfive Benevolence to his Fellow Creatures Manifefted in
Life by a behaviour Confiftent With his Character as a Mafon and
his Nature as a Man. An honeft Man the Nobleft Work of God."

Those who have called in question the genuineness of Price's
original Deputation and who have sought otherwise to discredit him
and his Masonic career before the bar of history have made much
capital out of three facts: first, that no record was made of the
Deputation in the Minutes of the Grand Lodge of England; second,
that in a letter to the Grand Lodge of England under date of Jan.
27, 1768, and while referring to his own Deputations (Price
received a second Deputation, as will be later explained, in which
his powers were extended) he spelled Montague as "Montacute"; and
third, he mentioned in a letter to the Grand Secretary of England
in 1768 his second Deputation as having been of the year 1735,
whereas it should have been 1734. Reasons for the absence of any
Grand Lodge record of his Deputation have already been given. As to
his misspelling of the name of the Grand Master who issued his
first Deputation that is easily explained by the fact that the name
was spelled "Montacute" in Entick's edition of the Constitutions,
widely used by American Masons as an official book. The error in
the date is really of no consequence at all. Thirty-four years had
elapsed since 1734, so that when he wrote the letter Price was
seventy-one years of age and forty-six miles away from his books,
papers, and documents. Any other man under the same circumstances
might have made a similar slip. Also it is worthy of note that a
petition which accompanied Price's letter spells the name of Lord
Montague correctly and accurately gives the date of Price's second
Deputation as 1734. The latter facts would indicate that the errors
in Price's own letters were mere oversights.

One will find all these facts, and many others equally germane, set
forth at great length and in a manner very interesting to read, by
William Sewall Gardner in an address delivered before the Grand
Lodge of Massachusetts, of which he was then Grand Master, Dec. 27,
1871, printed in full in the Proceedings of the Grand Lodge of
Massachusetts, 1871, page 284. Bro. Gardner's estimate of the man,
along with a summary of his arguments for the authenticity of
Price's first Deputation is embodied in the last pages of his
address, in three paragraphs worthy to be quoted:

"It would seem, however, from the evidence now produced that no one
could reasonably doubt that the officers and members of the Grand
Lodge at London were fully informed of the proceedings of Henry
Price, in Boston, who publicly claimed to be the authorized
delegate and representative of that Grand Body here; that from
1733, down to the war of the Revolution they were as familiar with
his doings as with those of their Provincial Grand Masters in the
several districts of England. It cannot even be argued with any
degree of plausibility, that they, or the Craft in general, could
be ignorant of his pretensions, acts and doings. If they had
knowledge of his claim to a Deputation from England, as Provincial
Grand Master, or if it is apparent that they ought reasonably to
have known it, the conclusion is irresistible that Price held the
Commission and office, which he publicly professed to have, under
which he openly acted, and which were notoriously throughout
America ascribed to him. From all the Grand Officers at London, as
well as from all the Members of the Fraternity, from 1733 to 1780,
there was universal, undoubted belief in Henry Price, as the
legitimate founder, under lawful authority, of Masonry in America.
Not a doubt, suspicion, or insinuation were breathed against him.
He was entirely, unconditionally, absolutely confided in, upon both
sides of the Atlantic. During all the years of his Masonic life he
enjoyed the fullest confidence of the Grand Lodge at London. It
would seem to be too late now to originate doubt and suspicion
against a man of pure character, unsullied name and spotless
reputation, after the lapse of one hundred and thirty-eight years
[written in 1871], unless the clearest evidence and undeniable
proofs of the charges made are adduced. Suspicion and suspicious
circumstances are not sufficient to weigh down his more than eighty
years of life, characterized by honesty, integrity and Christian
virtue.

"In reviewing the life of Henry Price, we cannot escape the
impression that the Ancient Society of Free and Accepted Masons,
through his persistent labor, emerged from a position of
comparative insignificance to one of prominence and great
respectability in the Province. When he opened the Provincial Grand
Lodge at Boston in July, 1733, the brethren whom he called around
him, with the exception of Andrew Belcher, occupied humble places
in life, and were not calculated to extend the influence of the
Society, nor to make proselytes from among the best men of Boston.
But Henry Price set his standard high. He was ambitious that the
institution should be known by the good character of its members,
and that it should be represented by able and respectable officers.
He retained the office of Provincial Grand Master only so long as
it was necessary to carry out his cherished scheme. All of his
successors were gentlemen of the highest respectability and
character, while those who had become members of the lodges gave to
the Society a position which commanded the respect of all classes
of men. The reverend clergy gave to it their sanction, and aided by
the sacred rites of their office, in their churches, the public
demonstrations which from time to time occurred. The press spoke in
terms of respect of 'that ancient Society, whose benevolent
constitutions do honor to mankind,' and of the distinction
conferred upon those called to preside as Grand Master over its
proceedings. Thus the institution won its way to favor in public
estimation. When Price installed his successors, each one with more
ceremony and pomp than that of the preceding one, he saw that the
honor which he claimed, of being the 'Father of Masonry in
America', was not an empty honor, but one which in his day was
worthy of pride, and which he well hoped might be ascribed to him
in history.

"He had been successful beyond his fondest anticipations. Wealth,
political and social distinction, the high authorities in the
Province, the teachers of Christian virtue and the leaders in the
two great parties of loyalty and liberty, had bowed before the
altar of Freemasonry erected by him. Thus he had accomplished all
that he dared to dream of in the early days of his labor."

NOTES AND REFERENCES

On Price's Deputation see The History of Freemasonry, Robert Freke
Gould; Philadelphia, 1889, Vol. IV, page 330. Beginnings of
Freemasonry in America, Johnson, New York, 1924, pages 74, 115.
History of the Most Ancient and Honorable Fraternity of Free and
Accepted Masons in New York from the Earliest Date, Charles T.
McClenachan; New York, 1888, Vol. 1, page 77. History of the
Ancient and Honorable Fraternity of Free and Accepted Masons, and
Concordant Orders. Stillson and Hughan; Boston and New York, 1891,
pages 219, 239.

The most complete lay-out extant of data concerning Price will be
found in the Proceedings of the Grand Lodge of Massachusetts; for
1871, published in Boston in 1872, page 284 ff. In that volume will
be found Price's will, page 345, his Deputation, page 347;
Tomlinson's Deputation, page 349; Franklin's letters to Price, page
356; Grand Secretary French's letter to Price, page 366; Price's
reply thereto, page 368; Price's address at the installation of
John Rowe, page 322; etc.

On Price's personal and Masonic career in general consult the
following: The Freemason's Monthly Magazine, Charles W. Moore;
Boston, Vol. XV, page 163; Vol. XVI, page 129; XVII, page 11, XX,
page 266, XXV, page 343; XXVIII, page 301; XXX, pages 95, 148;
XXXI, page 125; XXXII, page 33. History of Freemasonry in Canada,
John Ross Robertson; Toronto, 1900, Vol. I, page 147. History of
Freemasonry in Rhode Island, Henry W. Rugg; Providence, 1895, page
27. Beginnings of Freemasonry in America, Johnson; New York 1924,
page 92, etc. History of Freemasonry in the State of New York,
Ossian Lang; New York. 1922, pages 10, 13. The Evolution of
Freemasonry, Delmar D. Darrah, Illinois, 1920, page 230. History of
the Ancient and Honorable Fraternity of Free and Accepted Masons,
and Concordant Orders, Stillson and Hughan; Boston and New York,
1891 page 242. History of Freemasonry, Robert Freke Gould;
Phiiadelphia, 1889, Vol. IV, page 241. Freemasonry in Michigan,
Jefferson S. Conover; Michigan, 1897, Vol. I, page 8. Washington
and His Masonic Compeers, Sidney Hayden; New York 1866, page 233.
Masonic Review, Thomas J. Melish; Ohio, Vol. XXVIII, page 83; Vol.
LXIX, page 311.

QUESTIONS FOR DISCUSSION

Why was the issuance of the Price Deputation so important an event?
What American Mason preceded Price as a Provincial Grand Master?
Who issued Price's Deputation? What was its date? Where and how did
Price receive it? Why, do you suppose, did he pay a fee for it? By
whom was it signed?

Where was Price born? Where was he made a Mason? When did he return
to Boston?

What was his profession? What is the importance of his appointment
by Belcher? Who was his business partner? What was his religion?

To what extent did he prosper? How did he build up his fortune? How
often was he Grand Master? Worshipful Master?

Where was he buried? What does his epitaph indicate?

Why has his Masonic record been questioned? Name the grounds taken
by his critics. Why was no record of his Deputation made in Grand
Lodge minutes of England? How did Masonry prosper in Massachusetts
under his leadership?

