EDWARD THOMAS SCHULTZ

Edward Thomas SCHULTZ was born in Frederick City, Maryland, August 23, 1827, the son of Henry and Amelia (Davis) Schultz. His father, who followed the trade of coachmaker, was a grandson of Martin Schultz, who, with his brother John, came from Alsace sometime prior to 1734 and settled on lands purchased from the Penns on Kreutz Creek, six miles northeast of York, Pennsylvania. In Glossbrenner's history of York and Lancaster Counties, it is stated that in 1735 John and Martin Schultz erected the first stone houses on the west side of the Susquehanna River in Pennsylvania. One of these houses is still standing at Hellem and is in a good state of preservation. Mr. Schultz's maternal grandfather, Thomas Davis, came from Wales and settled at Greencastle, Pennsylvania.

Young Schultz spent his boyhood in his native town, passing as much time as he could in the country. In early years, the boy found considerable amusement in working about his father's shop. Owing to the moderate means of the Schultzes, he was not able to finish a college course. He studied at the primary schools of Frederick and later entered the English and mathematical departments of Frederick College; but at the age of eighteen, he brought his school days to a close and began his business life.

His first commercial position was that of a clerk in a business house in Frederick City. In 1856, he entered business on his own account in Baltimore; and, in 1882, he transferred this business - that of the manufacture of carpets and carpet yarns - to his sons.

He was married on November 18, 1852 to Susan Rebecca Martin, by whom he has had eight children. Mrs. Schultz's paternal grandfather, John David Martine, was a native of France and came over with Lafayette and participated with that disinguished soldier in a number of engagements during the Revolutionary War. At the close of the war, he was employed by Washington at Mount Vernon. He subsequently moved to Baltimore and engaged in landscape gardening and, in that capacity, planned the fine terrace at Hampden, the home of the Ridgeleys.

Mr. Schultz entered the Masonic fraternity in May of the year 1854 and from that time he has taken a deep interest in the history of the organization. He was particularly impressed with the quaint regulations, usuages, customs and traditions of the fraternity; and of these he made a study. His labors in this particular resulted in his appointment in 1876 as chairman of the Committee on Foreign Correspondence of his grand chapter, the duties of which office are to review the transactions of the other grand chapters, to commend such legislation and action as the chairman may deem worthy of commendation and to criticise legislation which he may regard as contrary to the regulations, usages and customs of the fraternity. For these special services, Mr. Schultz's research work had made him especially competent. In 1887, he was appointed to the corresponding chairmanship in the Grand Lodge and this afforded him a much larger field for the employment of his peculiar abilities, as the Maryland Grand Lodge is in correspondence with more than sixty like bodies.

Since the dates specified, he has annually prepared reports in both Grand Lodges, and is regarded as among the ablest writers in this field. When he lost his eyesight in 1897, Mr. Schultz asked to be relieved of the duties devolving upon him, but his resignation was refused, and both bodies unanimously elected him chairman of the committees for life, giving him the services of a reader and amanuensis. In 1865, Mr. Schultz attended the meetings of the general Grand Chapter Royal Arch Masons and the Grand Encampment Knights Templar of the United States; and, since that time, he has attended nearly every triennial meeting of these bodies until his eyesight failed.

As a Mason, Mr. Schultz has been master of the lodge; high priest of the Royal Arch Chapter; commander of the Commandery of Knights Templar; grand senior warden of the Grand Lodge of Maryland; deputy grand high priest of the Grand Chapater of Royal Arch Masons of Maryland; grand commander of the Knights Templar of Maryland; grand commander of the Grand Consistory of Maryland of the Ancient and Accepted Scottish Rite; and, from 1874 to 1877, he held the position of grand captain-general of the Grand Encampment of the United States. Mr. Schultz was also an Odd Fellow in former years.

Though he is the author of a valuable contribution to local history - "First Settlements of the Germans in Maryland" - his chief literary work has been done along Masonic lines and it is as the historian of Masonry in the state that he will best be remembered. In 1881, a history of Concordia Lodge No. 13 appeared from his pen; and in 1889, he followed this with an elaborate "General History of Free Masonry in Maryland", in four volumes, aggregating two thousand, eight hundred pages. In 1891, he published a "History of Maryland Commandery, Knights Templar, No. 1"; and in 1893, a revised edition of his history of Concordia Lodge. He has also prepared papers for the Masonic publications on: "Which is the Oldest Commandery of Knights Templar in the United States?", "Washington as a Free Mason", etc. He was chosen to deliver the centennial addresses before the Maryland Commandery in 1890, before the Concordia Lodge in 1893, and before the grand Chapter of Royal Arch Masons of Maryland in 1897. Mr. Schultz is also a member of the grand Chapter of the Red Cross of Constantine of the United States and is also a member of the Correspondence Circle of the Lodge Quatuor Coronati of London.

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