A Deserving Brother

Like several of Americas founding fathers, George Washington was a Freemason. Yet Washingtons ties to the fraternity and the role it played in his life have never been widely researched or understood. In A Deserving Brother, Mark Tabbert presents a complete story of Washingtons known association with Freemasonry. Much more than a conventional history, this book has curated an exhibition of artifacts and episodes to fully contextualize our first presidents Masonic life and experiences. Consulting the Library of Congress, Mount Vernon, the Boston Athenaeum, and numerous private Masonic lodges, libraries, and museums, Tabbert chronicles all known instances of Washingtons association with Freemasons, confirming some existing knowledge, adding new insights, and debunking unsubstantiated myths. The record of Washingtons Masonic ties is presented through contextualizing descriptions and color illustrations, ranging from lodge minute books recording Washingtons attendance, to his Washingtons Masonic aprons, from the tools used at the U.S. Capitol cornerstone ceremony to the Grand Lodge of Massachusettss gold urn, made by Paul Revere, containing a lock of Washingtons hair. A Deserving Brother documents the significance of Freemasonry in Washingtons life and career in a way that separates fact from fiction and will satisfy both historians and general readers, including todays Freemasons.