Joseph Mather (31)

Joseph Mather (1737?–?) was a teacher and minister and a member of the Young Junto, elected c. 1758. Born in Chester, Pennsylvania, he attended meetings of the Young Junto while studying at the Academy and College of Philadelphia. In 1758 he was hired as a teacher in Cecil County, Maryland, but the next year he traveled to England to be ordained in the Anglican Church, participating in theological debates with American Society member Henry Drinker during the voyage. Mather was considered for ecclesiastical appointments in Maryland, through Lord Baltimore, and in Pennsylvania, through the Society for the Propagation of the Gospel, but his young age caused his ordination to be delayed until 1760. After spending the intervening year in Ireland, he finally received a post in Cecil County, Maryland, returning in 1761. He was awarded an honorary M.A. degree from the College of Philadelphia in 1762. His brothers-in-law Charles Thomson and Paul Jackson were also members of the Young Junto. (PI)