Edward Price Jester

   Cause of his death was Peritonitis.

   FamilySearch ID: LWF4-SDX. Find a Grave ID: 8655301.

  Noted events in his life were:

• Occupation: Farmer, 1900, Crumpton, Queen Anne's, Maryland, USA. ³²

• Residence, 1900, Crumpton, Queen Anne's, Maryland, USA. ³³

• Organizations: Joined Masons, Feb 1906, Chester Lodge No. 115 Chester, Md. ³⁴ Raised in chester Lodge No. 115 Feb 1906
Demitied to Monumental Lodge # 96 21 Dec 1909

• Occupation: Livery Operator/Blacksmith, Mar 1908, Baltimore, Baltimore City, Maryland, USA. ³⁵ The livery was located at 1325 N. Spring Street.

• Residence: 1009 N. Caroline St, Mar 1908, Baltimore, Baltimore City, Maryland, USA. ³⁵

• Residence: 1410 E. Biddle St, 1909, Baltimore, Baltimore City, Maryland, USA. ³⁶

• Residence: 1900 East Biddle St, 1910, Baltimore, Baltimore City, Maryland, USA. ³⁷

• Residence: 3008 Abell Ave, 1937, Baltimore, Baltimore City, Maryland, USA. ³⁸

Biography: 25 Mar 2020, Johnson City, Washington County, Tennessee USA

Edward Price Jester, or Eddie, as he was known, was born on the 12^th of July 1868. He was born on the Rich Neck Cape in Talbot County Maryland. There is no known information as to which town Pennell and Rachael might have been living in at the time.
This section was written by Wesley M. Jester Sr., 2 September 1921, in an effort to document the family history; especially of his grandfather.
"Edward Price Jester was born on the family farm in Kent County, Md. He spent most of his youth here and married a local girl, Annie Walls, of Chestertown, Md., in 1890.
In the winter of 1898, during one of the coldest Decembers on record in Maryland, Mr. Jester left the farm and, with his wife, two small sons and all his possessions, set forth across the frozen Chesapeake Bay for the city of Baltimore. At this time, the Chesapeake Bay was frozen a foot thick all the way from Tolchester into the port of Baltimore.
Mr. Jester had sold his small farm located just outside the settlement known, at that time, as "I.B.", Kent county, Maryland. His original plan was to move his family to Baltimore via the road from Chestertown to Chesapeake city and then down the western shore to Baltimore from New Castle, Delaware. But the weather was so cold and the snow so deep, that he decided to take his two-horse team, wagon, furniture, provisions, and family and cross the bay.
Ed. Note:
[This is unlikely as there is no local record of the bay freezing over completely that year, in spite of it being one of the coldest February's ever recorded. However, it is possible that it happened. If so, he "might" have been able to go across the bay, although I am not sure he would risk his family that way. It is more likely he may have come across the bay by way of steamship. Since his father was a steamboat captain, having obtained his license in 1879, and according to family "legend," he apparently was on the Tolchester-Baltimore run. Therefore, Eddie may have loaded the wagon and family on the ship and set sail for Baltimore. This is speculation but fits the facts better and is a more likely scenario.]
Upon his arrival in the city, Mr. Jester purchased a house at 1600 E. Biddle Street and spent the next year looking for a business. In 1900, he purchased a livery stable on N. Spring street, between Preston and Hoffman streets.
By 1902 the horse-drawn wagons were giving way to motor trucks, so Mr. Jester began selling the Star Delivery truck while remaining in the livery business. In 1908, the truck business forced him to expand his building. As part of this expansion he began selling Willy's Knight and Marmon automobiles.
In this early time of motor-driven vehicles, the law did not permit parking on the street. In order to sell vehicles, it was necessary to offer storage facilities. His foresight in building a two-story structure placed him solidly in the automobile business and the horses had to go. The original building was converted to a repair shop with Arthur, the youngest of the boys, as the only mechanic who worked from a manufacturer's manual. (In those days a motor vehicle manufacturer issued complete repair manuals with each vehicle and the early mechanics were mostly converted from other trades.) Wallis, the eldest of the boys, was not mechanically inclined and thus he sold the cars and trucks and assisted in the management of the business.
By 1915 the business had outgrown the existing building. Another extension was built, and Mr. Jester acquired the Nash franchise. At the same time, the old shop was remodeled and turned into a showroom. The building now spread along the east side of North Spring street, the whole distance from Preston street to Hoffman street on the north, and one-half block deep toward Caroline street.
From its inception, the business was known as Edward P. Jester & Sons. In 1952 the business was closed, and the building rented. During the 50 odd years that the family was engaged in the business of selling and servicing automobiles it enjoyed a reputation for honesty and fair dealing throughout the city.
Mr. Jester was a Master Mason, being a member of Monumental Lodge #96, in Baltimore. In 1919 he was Master of the Lodge. He went on to become a 32nd degree Mason in the Scottish Rite, Valley of Baltimore, and a Knights Templar in the York Rite Commandry #93. He never joined the Shrine but remained very active in all of his Masonic travels.
During the "great depression", his business remained profitable and he accumulated modest wealth, which he shared with those less fortunate. He was a large man, standing one inch over six feet and well built. His temperament was even, but he was extremely demanding relative to work, character and morals.
At his death in 1937, his philanthropic ventures became the responsibility of his two sons. They had to collect loans due and borrow $33,000 in order to stay in business.
Mr. Jester was a very strong-willed man who had no desire to depart this life. In the end, his body poisoned by the failure of his kidneys, (ED: he actually died from Peritonitis), he fought the Angel of Death with such determination that it took both of his sons and his grandson to hold him down in his last struggle for life.
In his early life, Mr. Jester had little chance for education, and, indeed, only completed the third grade in formal education.
He had, however, an insatiable desire for knowledge, and read constantly all manner of books. His mind was so absorptive that he could quote from memory all the masonic work from Blue Lodge through York rite. Shakespeare and Edgar A. Guest were his favorite poets and he could quote from Macbeth, etc., as well as most of Guests published works."
Conclusion of writing

Well, that is certainly a good family story. But I now know it did not all happen just that way. The story about the trip in 1898 is most likely just a good story. We know he was still on the Eastern Shore in 1905 and 1906.

On 18 November 1905, there was a fire on the farm where he was a tenant. The article in the Baltimore Sun of 19 November states, "the outbuildings consisting of a combination barn and stable and carriage house, together with 100 bushels of wheat, 1,000 bushels of corn, 10 tons of hay, implements and corn fodder, were destroyed by fire. Mr. Jester and his teams were hauling long fodder from the field and staking it against the barn when the fire broke out. It is very evident from this that a match had been dropped in the dry fodder and ignited by tramping on it. The outbuildings were insured for $1,400 but the loss will be over $2,000. Mr. Jester had some insurance, but his loss will be heavy."
I have not been able to locate the town of Lankford near Chester; however, it seems likely he was living near or in the town of Chester, Kent Co. Maryland. He became a Mason and was raised to the 3rd degree in Feb 1906 in the Chester Lodge No. 115.
It is likely that he moved to Baltimore in 1907 or very early 1908 as he was residing on N. Caroline St, in March of 1908 and had established a livery service at 1325 N. Spring street, a location that was to remain the family business until 1952. It is possible he went to Baltimore during the winter of 1907, thus creating the story.
Even the fact of his education is also in doubt as he was in school in the 1880 Census. At this time, he was 12 years old. Assuming he began school at age 6, this would place him in the 6th grade at this time. It is likely, however, that he would have begun working by the 8^th grade as was "normal" in those days.
Beginning after the note regarding the trip over the bay, most of the information is accurate. Only the dates are off. Based on my research, it appears that he actually began selling the Star truck about 1908. So, with this minor adjustment, the rest tells his story pretty well.
However, of his memory there is no doubt. I personally spoke with members of Monumental Lodge who remembered him. He could, indeed, recite all of the Masonic work word for word without error nor pause. For those who may not know, this is a prodigious feat. In that day, everything had to be learned by word of mouth. That is, one person reciting to another and that person reciting back. This would go on until all the work was learned. Most often, there are two or three people who "specialize" on certain parts of the work. Edward would have had to sit with each one of these men for months on end to properly learn the work.
These same people also commented on the amount of Shakespeare he could quote along with the works of Eddy Guest and several others.
His Find A Grave Memorial # is 8655301.

Edward married Anne Walls, daughter of John Wesley Walls and Susan Bramble, on 8 Jan 1890 in Rich Neck, Talbot County, Maryland.³¹ (Anne Walls was born in 1870 in Crumpton, Queen Anne's, Maryland, USA, died on 12 Feb 1942 in Baltimore, Baltimore City, Maryland, USA and was buried circa 14 Feb 1942 in Crumpton, Queen Anne's, Maryland, USA.)