Scottish Rite Masonic Museum & Library

33° certificate issued to John Christie
1845-06-17
Scottish Rite (Masonic order). Supreme Council for the Northern Masonic Jurisdiction
USA: Massachusetts, Boston
Paper; ink; paint/watercolor
17 1/2" X 23 1/4"; 45 x 60 cm.; 1 item (1 page)
Scottish Rite Masonic Museum & Library
A2016/009

This certificate, dated June 17, 1845, announces the appointment of John Christie of Portsmouth, New Hampshire, as a Sovereign Grand Inspector General of the Thirty-Third degree. Christie was elevated to the grade of Sovereign Grand Inspector General and received into Active Membership in the Supreme Council on April 3, 1845. Certificate signed by officers of the Supreme Council, including J.J.J. Gourgas, Edward A. Raymond, Killian H. van Rensselaer, Giles Fonda Yates, and Charles W. Moore. Blank space reading "Bull" intended for Archibald Bull who was elevated to the Thirty-Third degree and admitted to Active Membership on June 20, 1845. Bottom of certificate reads: "Designed and Written by Isc. F. Bragg, 78 Crosby St., N.Y."

Signed and Sealed: Masonic Certificates, corridor, part two, August 2017 Certificate for an Active Member of the Supreme Council, Northern Masonic Jurisdiction, 1845 Issued to John Christie (1804-1890), Portsmouth, New Hampshire Designed and Calligraphed by Isaac F. Bragg, New York, New York A2016/009 In 1845, members of the Supreme Council of the Northern Masonic Jurisdiction elected John Christie to join the group at a meeting called especially for the purpose. At the time the Scottish Rite was small and its governing body, the Supreme Council, numbered under ten. Rather than issuing a printed certificate to Christie, the Council marked the occasion with a special document written and decorated entirely by hand by Isaac F. Bragg, a professional calligrapher and writing instructor.