Early scholars carefully laid the foundation in their presentation of Joseph Warren’s life by adhering to the available historical record, except in their brief references to Warren being betrothed to a woman named Mercy Scollay. The earliest references to this betrothment cited no documentation. Biographer John Cary expanded the narrative a bit using a letter Scollay wrote to John Hancock as his citation, even though there is no reference …
All works on Joseph Warren note his involvement in Freemasonry but fail to recognize the probable planning of Warren and others for him to ultimately obtain the title and position of Most Worshipful Grand Master of North America. Freemasonry became a distinguished fraternal organization in eighteenth century Europe and America and was an intrinsic part of colonial society. It promoted not only social connections but acts of charity as …
Many ask, “Why did Joseph Warren risk his life by participating in this battle?” His friends and colleagues implored him not to go. His commission as major general of the Massachusetts forces was not official. “You are needed in council” they protested. His response to such protests: “Dulce et decorum est pro patris mori,” (“It is sweet and fitting to die for one’s country,”) Was his determination to participate …
On June 11, 1775, as the 16,000 American forces surrounded Boston, Dr. Joseph Warren – president of the Massachusetts Provincial Congress and chairman of the Committee of Safety turned thirty-four. His wife had died two years prior leaving him with four children ages one to nine. Though the children had been in the care of his mother and brother Sam at the family home in Roxbury, Warren made plans …
Commemoration of the 250th anniversary of the Battle of Bunker Hill (actually Breed’s Hill) cannot be properly achieved without tribute to Liberty’s martyr – Joseph Warren. A prominent young physician and widowed father of four small children, Warren was the foremost Patriot leader in the months leading to the Battles of Lexington and Concord until his ultimate sacrifice on Breed’s Hill. Joseph Warren ignited the American Revolution! Anticipating an …
In 1768, 1,200 British troops occupied Boston to quell the protests of the townspeople against arbitrary taxation – a standing army in time of peace was contrary to the accepted rights of Englishmen. The soldiers, seeking extra money to supplement their army pay by moonlighting, competed with the townsmen for jobs. (They also competed for the attention of Boston’s maidens.) Tension was in the air. Townspeople suffered abuse at …
Francis Bernard was appointed by King George III as the governor of Massachusetts during the Stamp Act protest. Rather than quell the uprise in Boston, he intensified it with his enforcement of trade regulations and dissolution of the Massachusetts assembly because of their support of the Massachusetts Circular Letter (written by Samuel Adams). This letter protested the taxes being forced upon the colonists. It called for the boycott of …
The “Long Room Club” was a highly secretive group which formed around 1765 (Stamp Act Crisis). They met at a building owned by St. Andrew’s Masonic Lodge known as the Green Dragon. Its members were hand-selected by Samuel Adams and James Otis. Though no list is known to exist, members included Samuel Adams, James Otis, Dr. Joseph Warren, Josiah Quincy Jr., John Hancock, Rev. Samuel Cooper, Paul Revere, John …
Great Britian’s Seven Years War with France proved a great financial drain. Those in England were already burdened with taxes. The American Colonies, well established by 1760, seemed the perfect means for new revenue. The King of England had sent troops to fight the French forces on the American frontier. Certainly, the colonies needed to show their appreciation by their submission in providing the monies necessary for this defense–or …
What set Massachusetts apart from the sister colonies? By the mid 18th century, the Massachusetts Bay Colony was populated by multigenerational families which had depended on one another for well over 100 years. Their system of education for both sons and daughters was well-established. They shared the same Christian dogma. And the abuse of Parliament was encountered in Massachusetts twenty-five years before the Stamp Act of 1765. Struggling with …