Thomas Bacon
The Reverend Thomas Bacon was an influential figure in 18th-century Maryland, originally born in Dublin, Ireland, around 1700. He transitioned from a career in publishing, where he operated newspapers such as the Dublin Mercury and Dublin Gazette, to the ministry after emigrating to America in 1745. Bacon became the rector of St. Peter's Church in Talbot County, where he was also recognized for his musical talents as a member of Dr. Alexander Hamilton's Tuesday Club in Annapolis. He actively contributed to the cultural life of the community, composing music and participating in theatrical activities.
Bacon published numerous sermons and essays, advocating for the education of slaves and establishing a charity school to support the underprivileged, reflecting his commitment to social issues of his time. His life, marked by personal tragedies including the loss of his wife and son, also involved a notable legal battle over an accusation of rape, which he successfully contested. By the end of his life, he had achieved considerable recognition, including the authorship of "Laws of Maryland at Large," the first compilation of Maryland's laws, and was elected to the American Philosophical Society. Bacon passed away in 1768, leaving a complex legacy as a minister, musician, and cultural contributor in colonial America.
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Thomas Bacon
Clergy
- Born: c. 1700
- Birthplace: Dublin, Ireland
- Died: May 26, 1768
- Place of death: Frederick County, Maryland
Biography
The Reverend Thomas Bacon was born in Dublin, Ireland around 1700. Little is known about Bacon’s early life. Records show that he was working for the Custom House in Dublin by 1737, and that he began publishing the Dublin Mercury, a biweekly newspaper in January, 1742. By September, 1742, Bacon was printing the Dublin Gazette, which he published only until July, 1743, when he began preparing for the ministry.
He emigrated to America in June, 1745, and was appointed rector of St. Peter’s Church in Talbot County by Thomas Bladen, the governor of Maryland. During that time, Bacon was elected an honorary member of Dr. Alexander Hamilton’s Tuesday Club of Annapolis, a cultural and theatrical group to which he donated his performing, musical, and composing talents. He was appointed club musician con stromenti (instrumentalist), and composed most of the Tuesday Club’s music. He was widely regarded to be an outstanding musician, and other club members often deferred performing their compositions until he was present.
Bacon published numerous sermons and essays while he lived in Maryland, most notably a series pertaining to the education of slaves (1749-1750). These sermons, along with his efforts to establish a charity school in Talbot County, provide evidence as to Bacon’s sincere efforts and intentions throughout his ministerial career to help the poor and formerly enslaved. He was also modestly successful as a poet, and further used his writing skills through political essays to further the position afforded him by both the pulpit and the Tuesday Club as a vital political and cultural force in colonial Maryland.
In the summer of 1755, Bacon’s wife died, and soon thereafter a mulatta, Rachel Beck, accused him of rape. Bacon sued her for libel and won. In the spring of 1756, his only son, John, was killed and scalped during a march of the Independent Maryland Foot Company against the French at the Ohio.
Toward the end of 1758, however, Bacon’s life circumstances improved, as he was appointed rector of All Saints Parish, Frederick County, the wealthiest parish in Maryland. In 1765, he wrote his most famous work, Laws of Maryland at Large, the first compilation of the laws of Maryland, while resident in this parish. He was elected a member of the American Philosophical Society shortly before his death in 1768.