On June 20, 1775, after three days of trying to determine his brother’s fate, Dr. Jack Warren, in an act of seeming desperation, headed toward British occupied Boston. In a biography of his father’s life, Dr. Edward Warren wrote, “While endeavoring, on this occasion, to pass a sentinel, in his overwhelming anxiety to ascertain his brother’s fate, Dr. [Jack] Warren received a thrust from a bayonet, the sear of …
17
Jun 2026
On June 16, 1775, Warren was president of the Massachusetts Provincial Congress, chairman of the Committee of Safety, and awaiting his commission as major-general of the Massachusetts forces (which could only happen after a new president was seated in congress). His concerns were vast and colossal – how to feed, cloth, house, and supply the tens of thousands of men that turned out to face the British in battle …
What was he able to accomplish by staying? British General Thomas Gage was instructed to arrest Warren – why didn’t he? I’m not aware of any historians who have seriously considered these questions. I have co-authored an article, soon to be published, that addresses these questions – and will offer concise, historically documented answers. Warren’s unique ability to remain safely in Boston was his carefully strategized rise to the …
23
May 2026
In my last post I presented the probability that members from St. Andrew’s Masonic Lodge participated in the destruction of the tea on Dec. 16, 1773. Both Joseph Warren and Paul Revere were prominent members of this lodge. Warren had also been appointed the Most Worshipful Grand Master of North America, offering him prominence in Freemasonry throughout the colonies and amongst British Officers who were Masons. Though he and …
Dr. Joseph Warren was a Freemason, and though this was customary in 18th century Europe and America, there was nothing common about Warren’s involvement in the Craft. In 1761, while training as a medical apprentice he entered the Lodge of St. Andrew (Boston’s ancient lodge). He attended meetings sporadically then stopped attending for four years. In 1765 – Warren had his medical practice established, was married and had a …
27
Dec 2025
I began my research of Joseph Warren in 1985. Warren was the foremost Patriot leader in 1775. He was a widowed father of four young children and a prominent Boston physician. His name, courage, and determination to stand opposed to British tyranny was known throughout the colonies and in England. Though not present, he unified the disgruntled First Continental Congress. He was forced to make the decision ALONE to …
Joseph Warren was the embodiment of the American colonists’ struggle to secure their rights within the British empire. In June of 1775, Warren had just turned thirty-four. He was a widowed father of four young children and an esteemed Boston physician. His political leadership in Massachusetts started in 1765. A protege of Samuel Adams, Warren’s influence began through his writings and orations as a staunch defender of the right …
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 …