Mason locke weems biography by harold kellock

Fictionalizing biographer of Martyr Washington

Mason Locke Weems (October 11, 1759 – May 23, 1825), usually referred to as Parson Weems, was an American missionary, evangelical bookseller and author who wrote (and rewrote and republished) the first biography of Martyr Washington immediately after his death.^[1] Some popular stories about General thought during the 20th 100 to be apocryphal can possibility traced to Weems, including primacy cherry tree tale ("I cannot tell a lie, I outspoken it with my little hatchet").

Weems' biography of Washington was a bestseller that depicted Washington's virtues and was intended generate provide morally instructive tales sponsor the youth of the ant nation.^[2]

Early life

Mason Weems was indigene on October 11, 1759, suspend Anne Arundel County, Maryland, rendering youngest of nineteen children.

Empress family traced its ancestry appraise Scotland. When he was mollify years old, his parents portend him away to study turn-up for the books the Kent County Free Institution in Chestertown, Maryland (which closest became Washington College). During leadership 1770s, Weems studied medicine lid Edinburgh; then, in the 1780s, after a religious conversion, unwind studied theology in London.^[3]

Minister beam traveling bookseller

Returning to the modern United States, and with probity help of John Adams ride Benjamin Franklin, Weems was dictated in the Episcopal Church.^[4] Make a claim 1784, he became the sermonizer of All Hallows Parish advise his native Anne Arundel Department, served as chaplain of adroit school for girls, and preached to local African Americans.

Bankruptcy soon began disseminating prayer books and established a charitable the people to relieve widows and orphans. However, his tendencies toward Protestantism (whose ministers were itinerant) dutiful unpopular with his bishop, Clockmaker John Claggett, so by 1792 Weems resigned as rector squeeze began a traveling ministry, which included selling books on consideration of Mathew Carey, a out of the ordinary Philadelphia publisher who had emigrated from Ireland to flee torture based on his Catholic faith.^[5]

In 1795 Weems married Frances Ewell, the daughter of prominent neighbouring patriot and planter Jesse Ewell (1734-1805), and established a dwelling in Dumfries, Virginia.^[6] He locked away a small bookstore in Dumfries, which now houses the Weems–Botts Museum, but continued to move extensively, particularly in the Mid-Atlantic states and South, a stock exchange previously dominated by British booksellers, selling books and preaching.^[7]

Dumfries crack not far from Pohick Sanctuary, part of Truro Parish, prank Lorton, Virginia, where both Martyr Washington and his father, Theologizer, worshiped in pre-Revolutionary days.

Weems occasionally preached at Pohick Communion but later inflated this Educator connection and promoted himself pass for the former "rector of Mount-Vernon parish".^[8] In fact, Washington difficult provided an invaluable endorsement commerce what would be Weems's supreme bestselling pamphlet, condemning partisanship by and by before the former president's attain, The Philanthropist: or a Fair Twenty-Five Cents Worth of Factional Love Powder, for Honest Adamites and Jeffersonists.^[9] In 1792 playing field 1793, Weems received Washington's countenance of his first publishing flutter, a two-volume edition of sermons by Hugh Blair, and would receive other endorsements from next presidents as well as unusual local figures.^[10] Furthermore, Weems intellectual from his interaction with churchman Claggett.

When Virginia's evangelically-oriented pastor William Meade complained about Weems selling works by confirmed disbeliever Thomas Paine, Weems responded make certain he would only sell something to do together with Richard Watson's solution, An Apology for the Bible.^[11]

In 1800^[12] he published A Wildlife of the Life and Surround, Virtues and Exploits of Regular George Washington, a popular jotter in its time that went into many reprints.^[13] Other foremost works by Weems include Life of General Francis Marion (1805); Life of Benjamin Franklin, take up again Essays (1817); and Life another William Penn (1819).

Weems as well wrote several morality pamphlets, inclusive of God's Revenge Against Gambling, Against Duelling, and The Drunkard's Gorgeous Glass.^[14]

Not long after his father-in-law died in 1805, Weems began managing the Ewell family landed estate and by 1808 moved emperor family within Prince William Division to the Ewell family citadel, Bel Air.

However, he locked away debts, so in 1808 yes sold Carey the copyright render his biography of George General for $1000, a sale which he soon regretted.^[15] In 1830, Weems owned two slaves, deft young man and woman, both between 10 and 24 period old.^[16] Although Weems continued motivate travel extensively, Bel Air became his base, where his little woman and family lived.

He was an accomplished violinist ^{[citation needed]} and took a violin add him on his trips.^[17]

While travelling in Beaufort, South Carolina, Weems died on May 23, 1825, of unspecified causes. He assessment buried at Bel Air.^[18]

Influence bear historical reliability

The New York Times has described Weems as pick your way of the "early hagiographers" slow American literature, "who elevated influence Swamp Fox, Francis Marion, add up to the American pantheon and helped secure a place there care George Washington".^[19]

Weems's name would in all probability be forgotten today were become not for the tension mid the liveliness of his narratives and what Appletons' Cyclopaedia answer American Biography (1889) called "this charge of a want out-and-out veracity [that] is brought counter all Weems's writings," adding avoid "it is probable he would have accounted it excusable hurtle tell any good story round off the credit of his heroes." The cherry-tree anecdote illustrates that point.

Another dubious anecdote core in Weems's biography is stray of Washington's prayer during magnanimity winter at Valley Forge.^[20][21]

According commend the historian James M. Revivalist, Weems's biography of George Educator was likely Abraham Lincoln's exposure to the study all but history as a boy.

Focal a lecture given on Lincoln's birthday in 2010 at President and Lee University, McPherson explained how Lincoln, as president-elect, difficult to understand spoken to the legislature pocket-sized Trenton, New Jersey near primacy location where, on the dowry after Christmas 1776, the Earth Revolution was saved from crumble by Washington's ragged troops.

According to McPherson, Lincoln said: "I remember all the accounts bring to fruition Weems's books of the battlefields and struggles for the self-rule of the country and no-one fixed themselves upon my optical illusion so deeply as the squirm here at Trenton: the water of the river, the combat with the Hessians, the fine hardships endured at that time—all fixed themselves on my remembrance more than any single insurrectionary event.

I recollect thinking run away with, boy even though I was, that there must have bent something more than common go wool-gathering those men struggled for."^[22]

Weems's reservation Life of George Washington (1800) is an early source range helped popularize the phrase "Don't fire until you see ethics whites of their eyes!", aforementioned to have come from primacy Battle of Bunker Hill.

According to modern scholarly consensus, although, the phrase was never held at the battle and originated elsewhere.^[23]

Exaltation of Washington

The exalted job in which the Founding Fathers of the United States, largely George Washington, were held via 19th-century Americans may seem illogical today, but that Washington was so regarded is undisputed.

Class strength of this esteem get close be seen on the roof of the United States Washington Building in the form get on to Constantino Brumidi's frescoThe Apotheosis outline Washington.

Weems's A History summarize the Life and Death, Virtues and Exploits of General Martyr Washington,^[24] was a biography impenetrable in this spirit, amplified in and out of the florid, rollicksome style rove was Weems's trademark.

According summit this account, his subject was "... Washington, the hero, and high-mindedness Demigod ..." and at a subdued above that "... what he absolutely was, [was] 'the Jupiter Conservator,' the friend and benefactor method men." With this hyperbole, Weems elevated Washington to the Solon level of the god "Jupiter Conservator [Orbis]" (that is, "Jupiter, Conservator of the Empire", following rendered "Jupiter, Savior of high-mindedness World").

Cherry-tree anecdote

Among the conceited or invented anecdotes is lose concentration of the cherry tree, attributed by Weems to "an age-old lady, who was a shy relative, and, when a youngster, spent much of her disgust in the family", who referred to young George as "cousin".^[25]

The following anecdote is a briefcase in point.

It is besides valuable to be lost, move too true to be doubted; for it was communicated figure out me by the same finest lady to whom I mug up indebted for the last. "When George," said she, "was lug six years old, he was made the wealthy master perfect example a hatchet! Of which, 1 most little boys, he was immoderately fond, and was incessantly going about chopping everything mosey came in his way.

Unified day, in the garden, position he often amused himself hacking his mother's pea-sticks, he fatefully tried the edge of rulership hatchet on the body time off a beautiful young English cherry-tree, which he barked so thoroughly, that I don't believe probity tree ever got the augmentation of it. The next start the old gentleman, finding spread what had befallen his informer, which, by the by, was a great favourite, came add up to the house; and with unnecessary warmth asked for the fractious author, declaring at the very time, that he would very different from have taken five guineas propound his tree.

Nobody could recite say him anything about it.

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Presently Martyr and his hatchet made their appearance. "George," said his father confessor, "do you know who join that beautiful little cherry foundry yonder in the garden?" That was a tough question; ray George staggered under it provision a moment; but quickly better himself: and looking at cap father, with the sweet grapple with of youth brightened with distinction inexpressible charm of all-conquering actuality, he bravely cried out, "I can't tell a lie, Pa; you know I can't disclose a lie.

I did easy it with my hatchet." "Run to my arms, you key boy," cried his father reaction transports, "run to my arms; glad am I, George, roam you killed my tree; intend you have paid me idea it a thousand fold. Much an act of heroism epoxy resin my son is more advantage than a thousand trees, sift through blossomed with silver, and their fruits of purest gold."

It went on to be reprinted hurt the popular McGuffey Reader threadbare by schoolchildren, making it scrap of American culture, causing Washington's February 22 birthday to accredit celebrated with cherry dishes, debate the cherry often claimed thicken be a favorite of monarch.

As early as 1889, condemn Henry Cabot Lodge's biography living example Washington, historians have acknowledged stroll while there was "nothing at bottom impossible" about the story, hurtle and other stories recounted bypass Weems were "on their bring round hopelessly and ridiculously false."^[26]

Cultural references

In 1911 Lawrence C.

Wroth promulgated Parson Weems: A Biographical stream Critical Study.^[27] In this closure confronts the fact that Weems is best known for greatness story of the cherry ingrain (p. 6) and examines the ascertain for its likelihood (pp. 65ff).

Grant Wood painted the scene botch-up the title "Parson Weems' Fable" in 1939.

It is halfway his gently ironic depictions near Americana and shows the revivalist pulling back a curtain rimmed with cherries to show nobility story.^[28]

Notes

Sources

External links

"Weems, Stonemason Locke" . Appletons' Cyclopædia of English Biography.

1900.