This tombstone was photographed at the Old North Cemetery in Portsmouth, New Hampshire.
In researching the life of John Beahan I found the website for the St. John's Lodge of Freemasons from Portsmouth, New Hampshire, with an explanation of the symbols on this tombstone. The initial letters HTWSSTKS are for Royal Arch Masons. The letters are "Hiram, Tyrian, Widow's Son, Sent to King Solomon", which is a reference to the mason and architect of the Temple of King Solomon. John Beahan was a member of the Washington Chapter, No. 3, Royal Arch Masons in Portsmouth. He became a master mason on July 7, 1813.
John Beahan was a hatter. He learned this trade in Ireland and he continued with this occupation here in New Hampshire. According to the Portsmouth Freemason website, his gravestone was carved by Samuel Treat.
For the truly curious:
"John Beahan" by Alan Robinson, Historian for the St. John's Lodge, Portsmouth Freemasons, accessed June 24, 2022: https://portsmouthfreemasons.org/wp-content/uploads/2011/03/JanuaryTrestle_Board_for_Email.pdf
North Cemetery Epitaphs: https://files.cityofportsmouth.com/files/library/North%20Cemetery%20Epitaphs.pdf
John Beahan's entry at the Find A Grave website: https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/8091086/john-beahan
An explanation of HTWSSTKS:
https://tuisnider.com/2015/08/18/historic-cemetery-symbols-the-acronym-htwsstks-its-meaning/
-------------------
To cite/link to this blog post: Heather Wilkinson Rojo, "John Beahan, died 1816 Portsmouth, New Hampshire", Nutfield Genealogy, posted September 20, 2022, ( https://nutfieldgenealogy.blogspot.com/2022/09/john-beahan-died-1816-portsmouth-new.html: accessed [access date]).
No comments:
Post a Comment