USA > Washington DC > Washington DC > History of the Grand lodge and of freemasonry in the District of Columbia : with biographical appendix > Part 30
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His unfaltering fidelity to the Craft and zealous discharge of his duties during the period when Masonry was perhaps at its lowest ebb undoubt- edly contributed in no small degree to the rehabilitation of the Order in the District.
Throughout his long and busy career he was a leader among his asso- ciates in every walk of life and was universally revered and respected.
He was a watchmaker and jeweler, doing business on Pennsylvania Avenue, west of Ninth Street, was a citizen of prominence, and partici- pated in all the progressive movements of the day.
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He was also for many years interested in the local military and held a commission as Major in the 1st Regt., D. C. Vols., which organization, at his death, passed appropriate resolutions and desired to parade at the funeral but refrained in deference to the wishes of his family.
The interment, which was attended by an unusual concourse, was at Con- gressional Cemetery and under the direction of the Grand Lodge.
Bro. Keyworth was initiated in Lebanon Lodge, March 3, 1820; passed March 17, 1820; raised October 6, 1820; was Junior Warden in 1837; Senior Warden, 1835 and 1838, and Master, 1831, '32, '39, '40, '44-'47. He was made an honorary member of his lodge April 7, 1848.
In the Grand Lodge he served as Grand Treasurer during the years 1838 and 1839, and Grand Master, as shown above.
As a Capitular Mason he was also active and was a charter member of Columbia R. A. Chapter, No. 15 (now No. 1), attended its first meeting, January 15, 1840, and served that body as its first High Priest.
WILLIAM M. ELLIS,
GRAND MASTER, 1844.
Born in Philadelphia, Pa., August 28, 1806, he received an academic education, and afterward became principal of the academy at Rockville, Md. Later he entered the Washington Navy Yard as a founder and subsequently became master machinist at that place. During his service at the Yard several first-class engines for our vessels were built under his supervision. In after years he established a private business under the firm name of Ellis & Bro., machinists, and prospered. As a citizen he was active in public affairs, was President of the Anacostia Fire Co., and was for some years a member of the Board of Water Com- missioners and of the City Council.
He was one of the founders of the First Presbyterian Church and one of its deacons for forty years. He is described as a model citizen, fond husband, and profound Christian. Quiet and unassuming, beloved, and respected, he was deservedly popular among his associates.
At the time of his death, which occurred March 16, 1868, he was one of the oldest members of the Fraternity in the District and one of the most venerated. In the language of a resolution passed by the Grand Lodge on the occasion of his funeral, under the auspices of that body, " he revered God, he loved his country, he loved his fellow men."
He was initiated in Naval Lodge, No. 4, November 23, 1827; passed December 1, 1827, and raised December 19, 1827, and after serving in . several of the subordinate chairs became Master of his lodge in 1835, and afterward in 1848.
He became Senior Grand Warden in 1837; Deputy Grand Master in 1839, and Grand Master in 1844.
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JOHN MASON, JR.,
GRAND MASTER, 1842.
This Brother was one of three elevated to that station directly from the body of the Craft during the last century, and was the only one who had never previously held any Masonic office. Indeed, as his fraternal record shows, his active membership in his lodge was remarkably brief and his selection to preside over the Grand Lodge can only be attributed to some special conditions, hidden by the lapse of years, but among which it may be surmised his prominence and the unsettled period were powerful factors.
Bro. Mason was born in Annapolis, Md., February 18, 1797, and came from one of the best known and most patriotic of the old families. His grandfather, Col. George Mason, was an officer in the Revolutionary War, drafted the celebrated "Virginia Declaration of Rights," 1776, and was a member of the Continental Congress in 1777. He built the famous old mansion Gunston Hall, on the Potomac and died there in 1792.
The father of the subject of this sketch, Gen. John Mason, inherited and lived during the summer months on Analostan Island, also known as Mason's Island, in a pretentious colonial residence which was for years one of the social centers of this section. Among other noted guests entertained here was Louis Phillipe, of France, on his visit to this country. The house was destroyed during the Civil War.
An uncle, Stevens L. Mason, was the first Governor of Michigan.
A brother of John Mason, Jr., named James M. Mason, was a Senator from Virginia from 1846 to the War of the Rebellion, and was sent by the Confederate States, with John Slidell, as a Commissioner to England and France, was taken from the British Steamer Trent, but was re- leased on demand of the British Government.
Bro. Mason received his early training partly at home under tutors and partly at school in Georgetown, and was sent to France to complete his education.
While a young man he served as Secretary of the U. S. Legation in Mexico, sailing from Old Point Comfort on the famous frigate Consti- tution and landing at Vera Cruz. An incident of his Mexican experience gives some idea of the man. During an uprising among the natives, and while the Consulate was being fired upon, he appeared on the veranda and waving the American flag dared them to fire upon it, which had the effect of dispersing the mob and quelling the excitement. After his return in 1829, his home was always in the District of Columbia, where he enjoyed a large and successful practice as a lawyer. He also con- ducted a mercantile business on Water Street, Georgetown, and traded extensively with the Indians. Later on, with several other citizens he became interested in silk worm culture and planted, with that object in view, large quantities of mulberry trees on the Heights of Georgetown.
He is described as about five feet eleven inches in height, very hand- some, fine figure, with brown eyes and black hair; his manners were
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very courtly and polished like the gentlemen of the " old school." He was a linguist of unusual attainments, speaking seven languages.
He was for many years preceding the War the Captain of the Potomac Dragoons, a local military organization.
He was a son-in-law of Gen. Alexander Macomb, U. S. A., of Detroit, the hero of the Battle of Plattsburg, and resided at different times on Bridge (now M) Street, near the Key Mansion, at Evermay, on the Heights of Georgetown, and latterly on the south side of Pennsylvania Avenue, N. W., between Twenty-fourth and Twenty-fifth Streets, N. W.
His brief Masonic history follows: March 9, 1824, petition received in Potomac Lodge, No. 5, and it being regarded as an emergent case, was acted upon the same evening; March 11, 1824, entered and passed; March 28, 1825, raised, and asked and obtained leave to withdraw membership, being on the point of sailing for his post of duty in Mexico; October 16, 1841, petitioned same lodge for affiliation, and by-law requiring petitions to lie over being unanimously dispensed with, he was elected. He was chosen Grand Master December, 1841.
He died in the summer of 1859 in this city and his remains were interred in Christ Church Cemetery, Alexandria, Va.
WILLIAM D. MAGRUDER,
GRAND MASTER, 1845-46 AND 1854.
The subject of this sketch was born in Baltimore, Md., February 1. 1810, but was raised in Georgetown, D. C., where he studied medicine. During the cholera epidemic in 1832 he came to this city and was placed in charge of what was known as the Western Hospital. Subsequently he engaged in the general practice of medicine with unusual success.
A large portion of his time and attention was given to the service of the poor, and he was known as one who never hesitated to answer a call from the needy.
W. Bro. Magruder served for a number of years in both branches of the local City Council, and in 1856 was elected Mayor on the Anti- Know-Nothing ticket. Considering the financial condition of the city treasury the amount of improvement in his administration was notably great. During his term occurred the election riots of June, 1857, when he called for troops and the disturbance was quelled.
Bro. Magruder was a man of high talents and general popularity, a conspicuous practitioner of medicine and, as shown above, an active, useful citizen.
In the Masonic Fraternity he was a bright and shining light, and gave most liberally of his talents to the furtherance of the good of the Order. He was said to have been "a brother of superb genius, commanding talents, profound learning, cultivated taste, and classic eloquence," and his
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death was the "occasion of no ordinary lamentation to the Craft and the community at large."
He died May 30, 1869, from a cancerous affection of the stomach from which he had suffered for a number of years, and in spite of a very heavy storm at the time his funeral drew an immense gathering.
Bro. Magruder was raised in Hiram Lodge March 2, 1843, served as Master for the years 1846, '48, '49, '52, and '53, and as Grand Master, as stated above, being elected to the latter position from the " floor."
He received the Capitular degrees in Potomac R. A. Chapter, No. 8, in 1846, and served as High Priest in 1849.
BENJAMIN BROWN FRENCH,
GRAND MASTER, 1847-53 AND 1868.
This distinguished Brother may properly be called the Father of Latter- Day Masonry in the District of Columbia, and it involves no invidious comparison to say that in the century now closed no man has more perma- nently left the impress of his individuality and genius upon our local institution, nor was more widely or favorably known throughout the Masonic world.
In the words of one of his contemporary biographers: "The history of our departed Brother is the story of a good man's path through the world; a life of labor and love; a stream of usefulness welling up from the fountain of his infancy, and increasing, broadening, and deepening until the close of his well-spent existence; a bright, cheerful river gladden- ing the hearts of thousands on its either side, and distributing with a generous hand countless blessings all along its course."
Bro. French was born at Chester, N. H., on the 4th day of September, 1800.
He was the son of Hon. Daniel French, an eminent lawyer of that State, and for many years its Attorney-General, and his ancestors on both sides of the family were among the oldest and most respected of the early settlers of New England.
He received a good common-school and academic education, which was completed at North Yarmouth Academy, Me., when he was about seventeen years of age. His family were anxious that he should enjoy the advantages of a collegiate course to fit him for a professional career, but his inclinations did not run in this direction and in 1819 he went to Boston with the intention of going to sea. Disappointed, however, in obtaining such a position as he desired in the merchant service lie enlisted as a private in the United States Army and was stationed at Fort Warren, Boston Harbor, with a detachment of the 8th regiment of infantry. He was soon promoted to the rank of sergeant and served for four months,
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when, at the earnest solicitation of friends, who furnished a substitute, he was discharged September 12, 1819.
Returning to his native town he took up the study of law, and after five years was admitted to practice as a member of the Rockingham bar.
In March, 1825, he removed to Hookset, N. H., and entered at once upon a promising practice. Immediately after actively engaging in his pro- fession he was married to Miss Elizabeth Smith Richardson, daughter of Hon. W. W. Richardson, Chief Justice of the Supreme Court of New Hampshire, and this union proved to be a most happy one, Mrs. French continuing until her death, in 1861, to be a true and loving help- mate of her distinguished husband. In September, 1862, Bro. French was united in marriage to Miss Mary Ellen Brady, of Washington, a lady of estimable qualities.
His profession was not a congenial one to him and was destined not to be his life work. Shortly after his marriage he removed to Sutton, and, in 1827, to Newport, N. H. About this time he was elected assistant clerk of the New Hampshire Senate. He was also, while a resident of Newport, one of the editors and proprietors of the New Hampshire Spectator, and represented that town in the State Legislature in the years 1831, '32, and '33.
In December, 1833, he received the appointment of assistant clerk of the House of Representatives and removed to Washington, where he remained the balance of his life.
For some years he held the position of chief clerk of the House, which office he held until 1847, when he was defeated by one vote.
During his term as assistant clerk of the House he was instrumental in having the bill passed which marked the inauguration of the first magnetic company, of which he subsequently became president, and devoted himself to its interests, and to his energy, enterprise and business tact, the telegraph of today, then looked upon as chimerical nonsense, became a commercial possibility.
When his intimate friend, Gen. Pierce, was elected President of the United States, he was appointed Commissioner of Public Buildings and Grounds, but resigned this position in 1855, and returned to the practice of his profession.
Again appointed to the same position in 1861 he faithfully and accept- ably discharged the duties of the office until 1867, when it was abolished by Congress.
During this latter term the bronze "Goddess of Freedom" was placed upon the dome of the Capitol building in this city, and, besides the name of Abraham Lincoln, has graven upon the head, "B. B. French, Com- missioner of Public Buildings and Grounds."
He was chief marshal of the inaugural procession for President Lincoln in 1861, and one of the marshals at the dedication of the National Ceme- tery at Gettysburg, November 19, 1863, besides being the author of the hymn sung as part of the ceremonies immediately after the oration of Edward Everett, and just before President Lincoln delivered his famous address. In connection with this historical event the author of this work
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deems it, under the circumstances, perhaps worthy of note that while in Gettysburg on that occasion and at other times Bro. French was the guest of his father, the Hon. Robert Goodloe Harper, and a great chum, so the author has been told, of himself, and the interest in this fact lies in the fantastic destiny that should bring that toddler at his knee in the far-off years to write his biography.
During his entire life in this city he took an active interest in municipal affairs and served for many years as President of the local Boards of Alderman and Common Council, and in every position in which he stood forth as the servant of the people his duties were discharged conscien- tiously, energetically, intelligently, and acceptably.
In religion Bro. French was Unitarian, but, in the language of one writer " what he called the 'religion of Masonry' was his guiding star."
As a scholar he was noted for his ripe culture and high attainments, and was probably excelled by few in a thorough knowledge of the classics of his own tongue.
He was an easy and extensive writer, his style being marked by a terse, plain, and vigorous use of the Saxon, and had the happy faculty of saying just what he wanted to say at the right right time and in the right manner.
As a poet his style was graceful, flowing, and simple, addressing itself to the better feelings of our nature, and marked by the true fire of genius.
Such, briefly, was the man and citizen, "but," quoting again from an early biographer, "there was another phase of his life concealed by the veils of our sanctuaries from the vulgar gaze of the profane; an inner history of usefulness, energy, and honor; a course in which he deserved and received the highest laurels, the priceless tributes of the regard and esteem of his brethren-more to be valued than the withering crowns of the political arena, which fade away with a breath; ever enduring memorials to true merit, and the rewards of a lifetime well spent in the service of that which is just, noble, and true; the recognition by the Fraternity of initiates of a burning zeal in the cause of universal brother- hood and common humanity."
Bro. French, in a short autobiographic résumé of his life, prepared a few years before his death, informs us that his first impression of the benefits and true grandeur of Freemasonry was occasioned by his attend- ance upon a Masonic funeral at the early age of fifteen years, and the determination was there made to knock at its portals for admission as soon as he should have reached the constitutional age.
There being no lodge in his native town he was unable to carry out his intention until after his removal to Sutton, when, in 1825, he made appli- cation to King Solomon's Lodge, No. 14, located at New London, about four miles from Bro. French's residence, and during the following winter he received the several symbolic degrees in that lodge.
Applying himself with his habitual energy and enthusiasm to the work
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and lectures he soon acquired a thorough knowledge of their sublime prin- ciples and tenets.
In 1827 he removed to Newport and there affiliated with Corinthian Lodge, No. 28, in which lodge he served as Senior Warden and Master, filling the latter station in 1830-33.
In the same year he was appointed District Deputy Grand Master of the Grand Lodge of New Hampshire, and in 1832, its Grand Marshal, both of which positions, as well as the East of Corinthian Lodge, he held at the time of his removal to Washington in 1833.
Bro. French, arriving in this city in the midst of the period of perse- cution, found Masonry nearly dormant, and altho he frequented the meetings of our lodges and Grand Lodge he did not affiliate until the organization of National Lodge, No. 12, in 1846.
On November 3 of the same year he was elected Grand Master of Masons for the District of Columbia and served as such with fidelity and marked ability until 1853, when he declined re-election. Subsequently, however, in 1867, he was again called to the Grand East and served during the Masonic year of 1868.
He received the Capitular degrees in Columbia Chapter, No. 15 (now No. 1), of the City of Washington, in November, 1846, and in 1847 was elected its "Most" Excellent High Priest. During the same year he was elected Grand King of the Grand Chapter of Maryland and the District of Columbia, and after serving as Deputy was elected Grand High Priest in 1850, and was re-elected thereto annually until 1855, when he positively declined the honor.
April 8, 1847, Bro. French received the Order of the Temple at the hands of DeWitt Clinton Encampment, Brooklyn, N. Y. There being at that time no encampment of Knights Templar in this vicinity, he visited the above-mentioned city for the express purpose of receiving the Commandery degrees with a view of resuscitating the Order of the Temple in Washington.
On the 25th of the same month he succeeded in reviving the organization of Washington Commandery, No. 1, of this city, dormant for some years, and was elected its Eminent Commander, in which position he continued, with the exception of a single term, for twelve years. His Commandery always continued a favorite organization with him and was remembered by him in the distribution of his Masonic effects.
In 1850 he was elected Grand Recorder of the Grand Encampment of Knights Templar of the United States, and also General Grand Secretary of the General Grand Chapter of the United States, both of which offices he held until 1859, when he was elected Grand Master of Knights Templar of the United States and positively declined re-election as Secretary of the General Grand Chapter. As Grand Master of Knights Templar he served six consecutive years.
During his administration as Grand Master of Masons of the District, he laid the cornerstone of the Smithsonian Institution, the Washington Monument, the Capitol Extension, and many other public buildings and churches in this city.
THE ALBERT PIKE MONUMENT. Third Street and Indiana Avenue, Northwest,
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In the year 1851 Bro. French received at the hands of illustrious Bro. Giles Ford Yates the degrees of the Ancient and Accepted Scottish Rite up to the thirty-second degree, and in 1859 was elected to the thirty-third and last degree, and became an active member of the Supreme Council for the District of Columbia. He was subsequently elected Grand Chancellor of the Supreme Council, and in May, 1870, a few months before his death, became Lieut. Grand Commander.
He departed this life August 12, 1870, after an illness of several days, of heart disease, in the seventieth year of his age.
Funeral services were held at his residence on East Capitol Street, and the Templar service at the Presbyterian Church on Four-and-a-half Street (John Marshall Place), after which the remains were conveyed to the Congressional Cemetery, where, at 8:30 P. M., August 14, 1870, by the aid of the three lesser lights, the solemn and imposing ceremonies of the Grand Lodge were performed.
Thus passed this good man and Mason.
His devotion to the Order is shown by the following extract from his will : "Eighth. To the Grand Lodge of F. A. A. M., of the District of Columbia, in testimony of my undying love for the Craft and my firm belief in the truth of the declaration of the great and good Washington, that Freemasonry is a society whose liberal principles are founded on the immutable laws of truth and justice, and my deep conviction of the use- fulness of the Order, all my books on the subject of Freemasonry. And I here express my regret that it is not in my power to make that body a more valuable bequest."
CHARLES STITCHER FRAILEY,
GRAND MASTER, 1855-56.
Doctor Frailey was born December 29, 1803, in the City of Baltimore, Md., and was there educated, graduating from the University of Maryland in 1825, with a diploma as M. D. Removing to Ohio with a view of practicing his profession he was soon diverted therefrom by receiving an appointment as Assistant Surgeon in the United States Army, and re- paired to Fort Brady, at Sault Ste. Marie, Michigan, where the extreme rigors of the climate soon implanted in him the germ of that disease which afflicted him through life. In the year 1835 he removed to Washington to accept a clerkship in the Land Office, where his abilities soon raised him to the position of chief clerk. He afterwards became chief clerk of the Interior Department, and spent the remainder of his life in this city.
Bro. Frailey was a man of distinguished ability, of vigorous and cultivated intellect, of stern integrity, and of honest purpose, and his untimely taking off at the age of fifty-two deprived the jurisdiction of
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one of its most valued leaders. A classmate at the University has borne testimony that he was a most congenial and attractive companion, very brilliant in conversation, with a fine tenor voice, and immensely popular with both his fellow-students and the faculty. A daughter, Miss Frailey, now residing in Washington, recalls his charming personality, his wonder - ful memory, and his unusual ability as a reader, impersonating the characters so thoroughly as to lose his identity.
He was entered, passed, and raised to the sublime degree of Master Mason between January 31 and February 4, 1828, in Tuscarora Lodge, No. 59, then held at New Philadelphia, in the State of Ohio. In 1846 he dimitted and became one of the original members of National Lodge, No. 12, of this jurisdiction. He was elected Grand Secretary of the Grand Lodge in 1847, and acceptably filled that office until 1854, when he was elected Grand Master, being one of only three in our local history to reach that exalted station without previous service as Master of a subordinate lodge.
To Bro. Frailey is due the inauguration of the present elaborate system of correspondence, the first report along the lines now followed having been presented and signed by him as Chairman of the Committee on Correspondence in 1849.
He received the Capitular degrees in Columbia Chapter, No. 1, R. A. M., in 1854.
Bro. Frailey also possesses the distinction of being the first Past Grand Master to receive a jewel appropriate to his station, and the circumstances surrounding its presentation were as sad as they were unusual. The jewel having been authorized and procured the presentation was delayed by the condition of the brother's health until a time when it was seen that the Grim Destroyer was marching on with relentless steps, when a committee repaired to the home of the sufferer, and in the presence only of his wife, Past Grand Master B. B. French, in a few beautiful and feeling words, made the presentation, to which Bro. Frailey submitted a written reply which is preserved in the Report of the Grand Lodge Proceedings of 1857 (p. 11), and is recommended to the perusal of serious readers as the utterance of one who stood upon the brink of eternity and to whom in some measure had already come "the light that never was on sea or land."
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