Joseph Montfort

We know that he settled in North Carolina in 1752 having migrated from Virginia in his early to mid-twenties, and married Priscilla, a daughter of Colonel Benjamin Hill, a planter and trader.

Eventually becoming one of the wealthiest North Carolinians of the period, Montfort owned more than 30,000 acres scattered in tracts across the province.

Montfort’s gravestone at the Royal White Hart Lodge in Halifax reads ‘The highest masonic official ever reigning on this continent…the first, the last, the only Grand Master of America’.

Montfort was known for his extravagance in matters masonic and for purchasing expensive lodge furniture, glassware and porcelain, as well as for acquiring paintings, sculptures and other furnishings for himself to send back to North Carolina.

Some material was copied from Theo Johns Fine Art, which is available under a Attribution-ShareAlike 3.0 Unported license and GFDL.