Matlack, Josiah

Matlack, Josiah

Josiah Matlack was a Dock Ward master builder who became a member of the Friendship Carpenters' Company in 1769 and in 1786 signed the articles of The Carpenters' Company when the two companies of master carpenters merged. He was an "encourager" of the Philadelphia edition of Abraham Swan's The British Architect (R. Bell for J. Norman, 1775), the first book on architecture published in America. In the first city directory, Matlack was listed as a house carpenter residing on Spruce between Second and Third streets. In the 1793 and 1794 directory he resided at the same location but was listed as a gentleman. By 1797, the Josiah Matlack living on Spruce street was listed as a surveyor. Contemporary advertisements corroborate the location of his residence and also his rising success in Philadelphia. In 1777, he advertises a lot of land on Spruce street for sale and the next year he advertises the sale of a “quantity of ship plank, a keel, sundry ship timbers and a six-plate stove.” Like many other early Philadelphians, Matlack shared his name with other city residents. This eventually became problematic for Josiah Matlack; In 1789 he wrote a short article describing how another individual with the same name had been convicted for breaking the law and how he had been wrongfully confused with the other individual’s misdeeds. As described in his changing status in the directory from a ‘house carpenter’ to a ‘gentleman’, Matlack did not want to have his status as an elite member of Philadelphia society tarnished.

Biography from Philadelphia Architects and Builders, a project of the Athenaeum of Philadelphia. Written by Thomas Stokes.

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Matlack

Josiah

1/1/1749

1/1/1802

Timothy (1695-1752)

Martha Burr

Jeanne Matlack Hoffman

1/16/1786

51 Spruce St. (1791) (Prime)

Tatman & Moss Bio Dictionary Phila. Architects page 510. Josiah Matlack was a Dock Ward master builder who became a member of The Friendship Carpenters' Company in 1769 and in 1786 signed the articles of The Carpenters' Company when the two companies of master carpenters merged. He was an "encourager" of the Philadelphia edition of Abraham Swan's "The British Architect" (R. Bell for J. Norman, 1775), the first book on architecture published in America. See Selected Bibliography in Tatman & Moss Bio Dictionary Phila. Architects. -------------------------- Josiah's grandfather, William Matlack, a ship's carpenter, came to Burlington, NJ from England as an indentured servant in 1677. (See letter in file) -------------------------- Prime Directory: Listed as carpenter, Spruce bet. 2nd & 3rd Sts (1785); 51 Spruce St. (1791). ------------------------- PA Gazette 11/26/1778 - #26492 Advertises for sale a quantity of ship plank, a keel, sundry ship timbers and a 6-plate stove. Apply to Josiah Matlack on Fourth St. near Spruce.

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