Richard T. Turner (Part 2): Was Our Ancestor Jewish?

 (Continued from Part 1)

Richard T. Turner (1809-1877), our third great-grandfather, was born in New York City but lived in Savannah, Georgia for most of his life. He was an elected Savannah Port Warden for more than thirty years and was deeply involved in Freemasonry, serving multiple terms as “Worshipful Master” of his lodge.

Richard Turner’s daughter Mary Ella (1840-1883) married a prominent Jewish man in the late 1850’s. This was an interesting fact. Even in 1930’s Savannah it is believed that family pressures led our Episcopalian grandfather Leon Grayson to elope with our Roman Catholic grandmother Mary Bell. How many more family and societal impediments would an inter-religious couple have had to face in the period preceding the Civil War? Imagine my surprise when I re-examined the inscriptions on Richard’s grave stone, which I took a photo of seven months ago during a trip to Georgia. Though I don’t know how I missed it then, there, clear as day, was the Star of David. Whoa! Were our ancestors Jewish?…

Star of David/Seal of Solomon

With a more critical eye, I studied his grave stone. The stone itself is ornately carved and is of very high quality, having weathered extremely well. This is a clue that his widow was rather wealthy at the time of Richard’s death. The inscription “With the Supreme Architect of the Universe,” the masonic term for God, is a clear indication that Richard was a proud Freemason. On the upper left side of the the tombstone is the classic Masonic letter “G” enclosed in a square and compass. On the center keystone the raised initials HTWSSTKS are written around what looks to be a five-petaled flower above a two-leafed stem. The initials stand for “Hiram The Widow’s Son Sent To King Solomon,” and identifies the interred as a high-ranking Freemason (“Hiram” was said to be the chief stone mason in charge of building Solomon’s Temple in Jerusalem). The flower may be a forget-me-not, which has an interesting Masonic history in pre-World War II Germany, though its connection to 19th Century freemasonry is uncertain. Which leaves us with the fascinating Star of David.

In Men of Honour and Honesty,* a college research thesis about Jewish Freemasonry, Sara Zimmerman notes that the Star of David is now a clear symbol of the Jewish State of Israel in particular, and the Jewish faith in general. “However,” she notes, “This exclusivity as a Jewish symbol is a modern development.” Over its long history the Star of David is intimately connected with David’s son King Solomon but the symbol has been used in equal measure by Jews, Christians, and Muslims and evolved as a sort of magic talisman known as the “Seal of Solomon.” Zimmerman continues:

“The Temple [of Solomon] was of specific significance for Masons because they traced their history back to the stonemasons who worked on it…. Use of this symbol connected them to many ancient civilizations…. Despite the symbol’s lack of specific significance for both Masons and Jews of the time, its presence in both is of importance to note. The incorporation of the Seal of Solomon, a symbol that Jews were familiar with, into visible symbols of Masonry may have been part of what attracted Jews to Masonry as an organization.”

Titles of Honor and One Final Clue

Richard T. Turner was a prominent and rather wealthy man, “an old and esteemed citizen,” according to his death notice in the Savannah Morning News. His Masonic titles included, apparently in order of importance from least to most:

• “Worshipful Master,” multiple terms, Solomon’s Lodge #1, Free and Accepted Masons
• “High Priest,” (Most Excellent High Priest) Georgia Chapter #3, Royal Arch Masons
• “Th. Ill.” (The Illustrious Royal Select) of Georgia Chapter #2, Royal and Select Masters
• “Deputy Grand Master,” Grand Lodge of Georgia

As a final clue, RT Turner’s death notice tells us, “The church burial service was performed by Rev. J.B. Reimensnyder of the Lutheran Church, and the Masonic ceremonies by the Worshipful Master, Samuel P. Hamilton, of Solomon’s Lodge #1.” In his day, the Worshipful Master RT Turner must have presided over many a Masonic funeral in much the same way, the church presider varying based on the religious identity of the man being buried. In Richard’s case, his church presider was clearly not Jewish.

And so we remember our third great-grandfather Richard T. Turner, Port Warden, Freemason, Lutheran. May the legacy of his life and those of our ancestors live on honorably through our words and actions, and may the “Supreme Architect of the Universe” welcome each of us into His Glory, no matter how “old and esteemed” we as earthly citizens are ultimately judged to have been.

 Postscript Revisited: Though American Freemasonry is neither an anti-Catholic nor a religious organization, its early European history included some troubling anti-Catholic strains and its quasi-religious rites and symbolism are of concern to the Church. The Catholic Church teaches that membership in Freemasonry is incompatible with the faith.

*Quotes excerpted from: Zimmerman, Sara A., ““Men of Honour and Honesty”: Connections Between Jews and Freemasons in Early America” 19 March 2014. CUREJ: College Undergraduate Research Electronic Journal, University of Pennsylvania, https://repository.upenn.edu/curej/186.