Parson Weems
Mason Locke Weems (
1756–
1825), generally known as
Parson Weems, was an
American printer and author known as the source for almost all of the half-truths about
George Washington, "the Father of his Country," including the famous tale of the cherry tree. ("I cannot tell a lie, I did it with my little hatchet.")
The Life of Washington, Weems' most famous work, contained the story.
Although the story is often retold as if Weems had been trying to deify President Washington, in its context Weems seems rather to have been trying to praise Washington's father, and to make a point about enlightened parenting.
[Weems, Life of Washington, Chapter 2.]Weems was born on October 11th, 1759 (1756, by some accounts) in Anne Arundel County, Maryland. He studied theology in
London and was ordained in the
Protestant Episcopal Church in 1784. For a time he was rector of Pohick Church, part of
Truro Parish, in
Lorton, Virginia, where both George Washington and his father
Augustine served on the
vestry.
Financial hardship forced Weems to seek other employment, leading to his second career as a book agent and author. He had a small bookstore in
Dumfries, Virginia that now houses the
Weems-Botts Museum. Other notable works by Weems include "Life of General Francis Marion" (1805); "Life of Benjamin Franklin, with Essays" (1817); and "Life of William Penn" (1819). He was also an accomplished
violinist.
Weems died on May 23rd, 1825 in
Beaufort, South Carolina of unspecified causes. He is buried on the grounds of Bel Air Plantation near the extinct town of
Minnieville in
Prince William County,
Virginia.
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Online Books by Parson Weems*
A History of the Life and Death, Virtues and Exploits of General George Washington by Mason Locke Weems (abridged)
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Free ebook of Parson Weems at
Project Gutenberg*
Mason Locke Weems at NNDB*
Mason Lock Weems at FamousAmericans.net
