Matthew John Whittall A Tribute by a Loyal Friend On the occasion of a presentation by Isaiah
Thomas Lodge

This is a fitting ceremony of a presentation by the Isaiah Thomas lodge, A.F. & A.M., of
Worcester, to Matthew John Whittall Lodge, A.F. & A.M., of Shrewsbury, of the Holy Bible,
which from this time henceforth will always be used in the exemplification of the work of the
Lodge.
Matthew John Whittall Lodge will mean much to its present and future members with its
ever-widening fraternal influence.
Therefore, it is of interest and importance that your records should preserve in association with
the gift received some statement as to who Matthew John Whittall was and what sort of man he
was.
The little village of Kidderminster in the Midlands of England near the Welsh border was the
birth-place of carpet weaving which is now the principal industry of that place.
Matthew John Whittall was born in Kidderminster, England, May 10, 1843, the son of Eli and
Elisa Whittall. His father was a carpet weaver. Matthew John Whittall attended school until
fourteen years of age when he was apprenticed to a carpet weaver. He rose rapidly from “bobbin
boy” by his energy and efficiency to higher positions and was a manager of the carpet works at
Stourport when he was twenty-five years old.
In 1868 he married Ellen Paget. Mr. Whittall came to Worcester in 1871 and entered the employ
of the Crompton Carpet Mills as Superintendent, where he remained until 1879.
He commenced manufacturing Brussels carpets in 1880, with eight looms he had bought the
previous year while on a visit in England and imported to Worcester. Those looms were set up and
put in operation in a leased one-story wooden building in south Worcester, which is still
standing.
The carpet and rug business of the Associates has been built up from that small beginning under
Mr. Whittall’s personal management, so that it is now one of the most important manufacturing
industries in Worcester and is, in fact, one of the largest carpet mills in this country.
Mr. Whittall’s first wife died in November 1895, leaving a son Matthew P. Whittall, who is the
President and Treasurer of the Associates, and a daughter, Edgeworth Paget Whitin, who are the
principal owners of the business.
In 1906, Mr. Whittall married Gertrude Clarke of Omaha, Nebraska.
Following the second marriage, Mr. And Mrs. Whittall built their large and attractive home in
Shrewsbury, known as “Juniper Hall,” where they lived until his death on October 31, 1922.
Recently, Mr. Whittall’s widow most generously gave “Juniper Hall” to Grand Lodge of
Massachusetts in memory of her husband, as a convalescent home for invalid members of the
Masonic Fraternity.
Mr. Whittall had for many years been an active Mason and had received all the degrees including
the 33rd. He was a charter member and Past Master of the Isaiah Thomas Lodge, the donor of the
Bible, which is the occasion of this gathering.
While always a Republican in politics, he never held public office in Worcester except that of
trustee of the Public Library, and trustee of the City Hospital.
He was a member of the Governor’s Council serving under Governor McCall in 1917 and 1918,
and under Governor Coolidge in 1919 and 1920.
Mr. Whittall had been a regular attendant and warden of St. Matthew’s Episcopal Church of
Worcester since 1874; and his generosity made it possible to erect a new church in 1894 when
the original building was destroyed by fire.
He also gave the money with which to build the “Whittall Chapel” for St. Mary’s Parish at
Kidderminster, accompanied by a letter in which he wrote the Vicar of Kidderminster, “ I have
no hesitancy in offering the money for this purpose, for all that I have was made in fair
competition and honest dealings. He has blessed me with good health, a loving family, many
friends, and much prosperity. I have given this Chapel as a thank offering for all His loving
kindness to me and mine.”
The list in chronological order of the more important events in any man’s life from birth to death
is interesting in disclosing his environment, training, activities, accomplishments, associations,
and in general his career. That much at least is in the record left by every man who is of more
than average importance as an individual.
But far more interesting is a brief summary of what he was, of his qualities and character as
estimated by the people among whom he lived, and who knew his life and its activities.
Mr. Whittall was a man of distinguished appearance, with a rare and charming personality. He
was modest and unassuming, dignified but approachable, serious but not too severe, deliberate but
not slow, intensely human and lovable, with a keen sense of humor.
Mr. Whittall was known for his activity, industry, generosity, and integrity. His character and
personality were such as to command the universal respect, admiration, and confidence of his
friends, associates, employees, and acquaintances. And of him also it might be truly said,
“None knew him but to love him,
None named him but to praise.”
Ernest H. Vaughan
October 19, 1928