USA > Indiana > A history of freemasonry in Indiana from 1806 to 1898 > Part 3
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stared us in the face; our unfortunate situation and the benefit of the Craft induced us to prevail upon Brother Taylor to organize and sit us to work, which he accordingly did, in the manner which will be seen from the returns ac- companying hereof in this proceedings. If aught has been done that is improper, we beseech the Most Wr. Grand Master to intercede with the Grand Lodge, that we may be forgiven, placed in the right way, and encouraged in our workings. Not thinking it indispensable to state, but re- membering, brethren, that we are all traveling the same road to eternity, and shall have to give an account of our stewardship at the close of the drama of life, as in duty bound we shall ever pray."
The address was unanimously adopted and a copy or- dered to be sent to the Grand Lodge of Kentucky.
The particulars of the organization and the business transacted at the first meeting of a legally constituted lodge of Masons in the Indiana Territory or the adjoining Terri- tories of Illinois, Missouri, Wisconsin, Michigan, etc., are as follows, as transcribed from the records:
"VINCENNES LODGE, March 13, -
"Anno Lucus 5809, Anno Domini 1809.
"Agreeably to a dispensation from the Grand Lodge of Kentucky, dated the 1st day of September, 1808, the lodge met. Present: Jonathan Taylor, P. M., of Abraham's Lodge No. S; William Jones, Master Mason, late of Abra- ham's Lodge No. 8: John Caldwell, M. M., late of Union Lodge No. 92; Charles Fisher, M. M., late of Brownsville Lodge No. 60; John Gibson, Fellow Craft, of Lancaster, Pa., Lodge No. -; Henry Vander Burgh, Mason, Army Traveling Lodge No. - , New York. When Brother Jon- athan Taylor produced a dispensation from the Grand Lodge and an authority under the private seal of the Dep- uty Grand Master to install the officers at this lodge and set them to work.
"The lodge was then opened according to ancient form in the First Degree of Masonry. It was then closed with due harmony in the First, and opened according to ancient form in the Second Degree of Masonry. It was then closed in due harmony in the Second, and, the Fellow Crafts re- tiring, it was opened according to ancient form in the
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Third Degree of Masonry. The other brethren then retir- ing, Brother William Jones was then duly installed the Master of this lodge and conducted to the chair accord- ingly. The Master Masons then returned and saluted him according to ancient form, when the brethren again retired and Brother Jonathan Taylor installed Brother General W. Johnson as the Junior Warden of this lodge. The brethren were then called in, who saluted him according to ancient form. The lodge was then closed in due harmony at 10 o'clock p. m.
"WILL JONES, Master.
"Teste: CHAS FISHER, Sec. pro tem."
The first business transacted was at a meeting held the following evening, as follows:
"VINCENNES LODGE, March 14, A. L. 5809.
"The lodge met in case of emergency. Present: The Worshipful William Jones, Master; John Caldwell, S. W. pro tem .; General W. Johnson, J. W .; Hy Vander Burgh, Treasurer pro tem .; Charles Fisher, Secretary and Tyler pro tem .; John Gibson, Fellow Craft, visiting; Brother Jonathan Taylor, P. M., of Abraham's Lodge No. S.
"The lodge was then opened in due form in the Second Degree of Masonry. On motion of Brother Johnson,
"Resolved, That the brethren who have joined this lodge pay to the Treasurer for defraying of the expenses of this lodge $2 each.
"Resolved, That this lodge for the present do adopt the By-Laws of Abraham's Lodge No. S, and are to be governed accordingly.
"Brother John Gibson, having been examined and found worthy in the Second Degree of Masonry, retired. The lodge was then closed in the Second Degree, and opened in the Third Degree, and Brother Gibson, being duly pre- pared, was raised to the sublime degree of a Master Mason, who, having retired, and afterwards returned, according to ancient usage, gave thanks. The lodge was then closed in due harmony at 10 o'clock p. m.
"WILL JONES, Master.
"Teste: CHAS. FISHER, Sec. pro tem."
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JOHN GIBSON, although not the first Mason made in the Territory, had the distinction of being the first Mason who was "raised to the sublime degree of a Master Mason." He had been made a Mason, receiving the Entered Apprentice and Fellow Craft Degrees in Lancaster, Pennsylvania, Lodge. He was one of the most useful and distinguished men of Territorial days. In 1800 the Northwest Territory was divided and the Indiana Territory created. President Jefferson appointed John Gibson Secretary of the new Ter- ritory, and he at once started for his new field of duty, reach- ing Vincennes in July, 1800. Governor Harrison not hav- ing arrived, he set about organizing the Territorial govern- ment, and continued in charge of the executive department until the arrival of General Harrison the next January. He continued in the discharge of his duties as Secretary until the summer of 1812, when he again became acting Governor, and served as such until the appointment of Governor Posey a year later. He continued as Secretary of the Territory until its admission into the Union as a State in 1816. No complaint was ever made of the way in which he discharged his duties, nor was there of his actions as Governor. He managed to keep aloof from the cabals and intrigues of Territorial days, confining himself to the dis- charge of his public duties. He did not become involved in the quarrels about him, and as a consequence enjoyed the good will and friendship of those who were hostile among themselves. Born in 1740 at Lancaster, Pennsyl- vania, he died near Pittsburg in 1822, leaving the memory of deeds well done and a life well spent.
The distinction of having been the first Mason made in Indiana belongs to Parmenas Beckes. The records of the lodge, March 17, 1809, the first meeting at which peti- tions were received, contains the following:
"The lodge was opened in due form in the First Degree of Masonry, when the petitions of Parmenas Beckes, of Vincennes, inn-keeper (and others), were presented to the lodge by Brother John Caldwell and seconded by General W. Johnson, praying to be initiated into the arts and mys- teries of this lodge. The character of the candidate, Par
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menas Beckes, being generally known to the lodge as good, the lodge dispensed with the rules and proceeded to ballot for him, and being declared duly received, after being pre- pared according to ancient usage, he was initiated into the First Degree of Masonry. He then retiring, and after- wards returning to the lodge, gave thanks in the usual form."
He was then regularly passed and raised, which made him the first Mason fully and regularly initiated in the In- diana Territory. He was an inn-keeper. He was sheriff of his county, and from all accounts was a very popular man. He was killed in a duel defending the honor of his step-daughter, July 15, 1813. Two days later the lodge was convened for the purpose of interring his remains. The minutes of the meeting read:
"The order of procession being agreed upon, the lodge then closed for a while, whereupon, at the particular re- quest of the relatives of the deceased, it repaired to the late dwelling of the defunct, where the body lay, and from thence to the place of interment, where the mystic cere- monies being performed over the bier and grave, the lodge then returned to the lodge room, when it was again opened in ample form. It was ordered that the brethren wear crape on their left arm in memory of the deceased for one month. The lodge was then closed."
It is worthy of note that the deceased was the first Mason made in the Territory, and also the first to die and be buried with Masonic ceremonies.
At the meeting April 3, 1809, the following entry ap- pears:
"Brother General W. Johnson, from the committee ap- pointed on the 17th ult. to draw up a set of By-Laws for the government of this lodge, now reported and laid the same before the Lodge, which, after being distinctly read, article by article and section by section, were unanimously agreed to, and, being signed by the several members, are ordered to be safely kept and preserved by the Secretary among the archives of the lodge."
They have been safely kept, and are in an excellent state of preservation. They are handsomely written with a
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quill pen by General W. Johnson, as will be seen by a fac- simile of the title page and list of members in this con- nection.
The lodge was chartered by the Grand Lodge of Ken- tucky August 31, 1809, as Vincennes Lodge No. 15. At that session the report of Vincennes Lodge under dispensa- tion showed the following work done from the date of the dispensation to August 7, 1809:
Initiations .- Parmenas Beckes, inn-keeper; Wm. Prince, merchant; John Duffey Hay, inn-keeper, of Vincennes; IIezekiah Bradley, ensign in the U. S. Army, 17th March, 1809; Peter Jones, merchant; Thomas Randolph, attorney, of Vincennes, March 18th; Joshua Bond, house joiner; Charles Smith, merchant, of Vincennes, April 3d; Touis- ants Dubois, aged 40 years; Moses Keller, clerk, aged 22 years, of Knox County, I. T., July 17th; Walter Wilson, aged 30 years; Paul Tesselo, aged 42 years, Knox County, I. T., August 7, A. D. 1809. All of these were passed and raised except Dubois, Wilson, Keller and Tesselo, during the year.
On the 7th of September, 1809, the lodge was regularly constituted by Thomas Randolph and the following officers installed: George Wallace, W. M .; William Jones, S. W .; General W. Johnson, J. W .; Parmenas Beckes, Treasurer; John D. Hay, Secretary; Charles Smith, S. D., and Jona- than Bond, J. D. Voluminous by-laws, the work of Gen- eral W. Johnson, covering sixteen pages of the records, were presented and adopted.
Among the important events connected with the history of this lodge was a visit from Joseph Hamilton Daviess, Grand Master of Masons of Kentucky, in September, 1811, during which he presided at meetings of the lodge on the 18th, 19th and 21st of that month, and conferred the sec- ond and third degrees, which was probably the last Masonic work of this distinguished Mason. He was then command- ing a corps of mounted rangers, who were on their way to the battlefield of Tippecanoe, where the battle was fought with the Indians on November 7th of the same year, and where Daviess was killed while making a brilliant and suc-
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cessful charge on his savage foes. With him also fell two members of Vincennes Lodge: Thomas Randolph, who or- ganized it, and Colonel Isaac White, on whom Daviess con- ferred the third degree while visiting the lodge two months previous. (See sketch of his life; also "Battle of Tippecanoe.")
December 2, 1811, the lodge unanimously passed the following:
"Resolved, That the members of this lodge wear crape on their left arm for the space of one month as a testimonial of the respect in which they held the Right Worshipful Grand Master, Joseph H. Daviess, and the sincere regret they feel at the untimely but glorious fall of the said Joseph H. Daviess, together with Brothers Thomas Randolph and Isaac White, who fell in the battle with savages on the morning of the 7th ultimo."
An erroneous impression has existed among the Fra- ternity of late years that General William Henry Harrison was a member of the lodge, and publications in many of the newspapers and even Masonic magazines of this country have from time to time been made to that effect. The lodge has a sword that is said to have been the one General Harrison carried at the battle of Tippecanoe, and from this, probably, the statement was originated that he was a mem- ber and presented the sword to the lodge on his return to Vincennes after the battle. A careful search of the rec- ords shows no reference to the sword having been presented by General Harrison or anyone else, nor does the name of General Harrison appear on any of the records in connec- tion with the lodge or the Masonic Fraternity. General Harrison was not a Mason at that time, nor at any other period during his life-as a matter of fact, he was an anti- Mason, as may be verified by reference to Volume III, "Cyclopædia of Political Science, Political Economy and United States History," page 1103, as follows:
"In 1836 the party was entirely unprepared for a presi- dential contest. Harrison was nominated for the presi- dency, as a 'people's candidate,' by a great number of mass- meetings of all parties, and, in December, 1835, by Whig
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and anti-Masonic State conventions at Harrisburg, and by a Whig State convention at Baltimore, the former naming Granger and the latter Tyler for the vice-presidency. Har- rison's politics were of a Democratic cast, but he satisfied the Whig requisite of opposition to the President, while he satisfied the anti-Masonic element still better by declaring that neither myself nor any member of my family have ever been members' of the Masonic order."
At that time, when the lodge was called to refreshment, it meant that the members were to have something to eat and drink, and the hour of refreshment was usually occu- pied in partaking of a sumptuous repast prepared by a brother who kept an inn. That, however, was found to be too expensive to be longer continued, and at the meet- ing February 15, 1816, the following was unanimously adopted :
"Ordered, That refreshments out of the lodge shall here- after be dispensed with, and that the steward provide at the expense of the lodge a pitcher, four tumblers and a half- gallon bottle, with whisky and a sufficiency of water, on each stated night at the lodge room."
This order was rescinded about six months later.
The first steps towards organizing the Grand Lodge of Indiana originated in this lodge on the 17th of July, 1817, when Brothers Stout, Sullivan and Bradley were appointed a committee to confer with other lodges on the subject. Arrangements having been made with the several lodges in Indiana Territory for a convention of the representatives to meet at Corydon, December 3, 1817, General W. John- son was selected to represent the lodge. He attended the convention, and was appointed chairman of the committee to inform the Grand Masters of Kentucky and Ohio of the proposed organization of the Grand Lodge of Indiana. At the second convention, held at Madison, January 12, 1818, the lodge was represented by Benjamin V. Beckes, who, after the organization of the Grand Lodge, was elected and installed Junior Grand Warden. He surrendered the char- ter of Vincennes Lodge No. 15, and in place of it received one for Vincennes Lodge No. 1, under the Grand Lodge of
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Indiana, dated January 13, 1818. General W. Johnson was appointed proxy of the Grand Master to constitute the new lodge, which was done January 21, 1818, with the fol- lowing officers: Elihu Stout, W. M .; John B. Drennon, S. W .; John Decker, J. W .; H. Ruble, Treasurer: Val. T. Bradley, Secretary: Jacob Catt, S. D., and II. Dubois J. D.
Shortly after the organization of the lodge an altercation occurred between two members of the Fraternity-Alexan- der Buckner, the first Grand Master and then holding said office, and Thomas II. Blake, a member of the lodge. It was deemed of sufficient importance by the lodge to appoint a committee to inquire into the facts, which was done. The report is as follows: 053381
"VINCENNES LODGE No. 1, December 7, 1818. "To the W. M., Wardens and Brethren of Vincennes Lodge No. 1:
"We, the undersigned committee appointed to inquire into the Masonic conduct of Brothers Thomas H. Blake and Alexander Buckner, report as follows: That on or about the 15th of July, 1818, in the town of Liverpool, in the county of Daviess, State of Indiana, a common assault and battery did take place between Brothers Blake and Buck- ner, and each did strike and seize the other. That a few days after said fight, at the town of Vincennes, a challenge to fight a duel was sent by Brother Blake to Brother Buck- ner, and by him accepted, and that a day or two after such acceptance said brothers did meet in the county of Craw- ford, Territory of Illinois, and there did exchange a fire and fight a duel. For testimony to support this report your committee refer to the following brothers: Robert Stur- gis, General W. Johnson, Jonathan Doty and George R. C. Sullivan."
The report was received and placed on record, but no ac- tion was ever taken. Within a month or two Buckner left the State and settled in Jefferson county in the Territory of Missouri, where he took an active part in the organization of the State, rising to the position of United States Senator, which office he was holding when he died in 1833. (See under head "Biographical Sketches of Grand Masters.")
Colonel Thomas H. Blake was prominent in military and political circles. In 1527 he defeated Ratliff Boon. after-
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wards Governor, for Congress, and served in that body dur- ing the Twentieth Congress. He was defeated for re-elec- tion. He was a prominent candidate in 1839 to succeed General Tipton as United States Senator, but, after thirty- six ballots, was defeated by Albert S. White.
Located in a community embracing a large population opposed to Masonry, the progress of the lodge was not as rapid as that of many others more favorably situated. For many years there was but a small increase in the member- ship, and its present number is small when compared with that of other lodges in this State in cities of equal popula- tion. While these influences have retarded its growth, they served to unite the brethren more closely for the best interests of the lodge, and to inspire them with greater zeal for the good of Masonry. The delegates to the Grand Lodge have generally been active, working members, as is shown by the number who attained to high official posi- tions. The following list embraces the names of those elected to office in the Grand Lodge, and the year of their election :
1818, BENJAMIN V. BECKES, Junior Grand Warden.
1825, ELIHU STOUT, Senior Grand Warden.
1826, ELIHU STOUT, Deputy Grand Master.
1827, ELIHU STOUT, Grand Master.
1828, GENERAL W. JOHNSON, Deputy Grand Master.
1829, GENERAL W. JOHNSON, Deputy Grand Master.
1830, JOHN B. MARTIN, Senior Grand Warden.
1831, JOHN B. MARTIN, Deputy Grand Master.
1832, HENRY M. SHAW, Grand Chaplain.
1833, JOHN B. MARTIN, Deputy Grand Master.
1834, HENRY M. SHAW, Grand Chaplain.
1835, JOHN B. MARTIN, Grand Master. 1840, B. F. ROBINSON, Junior Grand Deacon.
1847, JOSEPH ROSEMAN, Senior Grand Warden. 1871, ALBERT HAYWARD, Senior Grand Deacon. 1892-3, MASON J. NIBLACK, Junior Grand Deacon.
1894, MASON J. NIBLACK, Senior Grand Deacon.
1895, MASON J. NIBLACK, Junior Grand Warden.
1896, MASON J. NIBLACK, Deputy Grand Master.
1897, MASON J. NIBLACK, Grand Master.
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At the time this lodge was organized the Masonic Insti- tution was the only secret fraternal organization in exist- ence, so far as is known, and nearly all those who were eligible became members of the Order. Vincennes was the only town of any importance in the great territory now comprising the States of Indiana, Illinois, Wisconsin and Michigan. It was the capital of the Territory, and was the point at which the military and civil forces were concen- trated. Among the prominent men connected with the military and the civil organization of the Territory who located at Vincennes at the beginning of the formative period of the Territory, many of them had received the Masonic degrees prior to taking up their residence there, and they early set about organizing themselves into a lodge of Masons, accomplishing the object as above narrated.
GENERAL W. JOHNSON was the most distinguished member of the lodge. He was the moving force that brought Ma- sonry into Indiana. He also took an active and prominent part in the formation of the Territorial and State govern- ment, and few men did more to promote useful legislation and start the wheels of the State government to moving in the right direction than General W. Johnson.
He was a native of Culpepper county, Virginia, and lo- cated in Vincennes in 1793. He was the first attorney ad- mitted to the Knox County Bar, was a prominent member during his day, and continued in the practice until his death.
He was a very valuable citizen, and held many offices of trust under the Borough of Vincennes. He was Auditor of the Territory in 1813. He was commissioned Treasurer of the Indiana Territory May 29, 1813, and served until the State was admitted into the Union. He was several times elected a member from Knox county to the Terri- torial Legislature, and was elected Speaker during the sec- ond session of the Second and Third Territorial Legisla- tures. In connection with John R. Jones, he compiled the first revision of the laws of Indiana. This compilation was published and bound by Elihu Stout, who established the
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Vincennes Sun, the first newspaper published in the Terri- tory, and who was afterwards (1827) Grand Master of Ma- sons in Indiana. General W. Johnson was the first Post- master at Vincennes, and, of course, the first Postmaster in all the territory now comprised within the States of In- diana, Michigan, Illinois and Wisconsin.
He was twice appointed judge of the court at Vincennes, serving, however, but a short time under each appointment. He died at Vincennes, October 26, 1833, and was buried in the public burial ground. The house in which he lived, built partly of adobe, after the old French style, with a long porch in front, is still standing in a good state of pres- ervation.
After the battle of Tippecanoe the Territorial Legisla- ture adopted the following resolution, thanking His Excel- lency, Governor Harrison, in conducting the army, and the gallant defense made by the band of heroes under his com- mand, and the fortunate result of the battle:
"Resolved, That the members of the Legislative Council and House of Representatives will wait upon His Excel- leney as he returns to Vincennes, and, in their own names, and in those of their constituents, welcome him home; and that General W. Johnson be and he is hereby appointed a committee to make the same known to the Governor at the head of the army, should unforeseen circumstances not prevent."
The question of slavery came prominently before the Territorial Legislature of 1808, of which General Johnson was one of the most prominent members. Numerous pe- titions were presented on both sides of the question, the greater number, however, being opposed to slavery. A special committee of three, of whom General Johnson was chairman, was appointed, to which the petitions were re- ferred. Johnson was known to have favored slavery, and his appointment was supposed to be for the purpose of kill- ing him off politically, as it was certain at that time that a large majority of the people of the Territory were bitterly opposed to it. The following extract is from Jacob P. Dunn's "Indiana." The author says:
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"Whether Johnson still had hopes of an election to Con- gress, or merely looked forward in a general way to a po- litical future in Indiana, is difficult to say, but that he faced about on the slavery question is certain. He had acted openly and avowedly with the pro-slavery party at the pre- ceding session of the Legislature, though he afterwards de- clared that he was always morally opposed to the introduc- tion of slavery, and had favored its introduction as a Rep- resentative only because a majority of his constituents were so minded. On the morning of October 19th he presented to the House the report of the committee, of which he was chairman-a report which appears to be wholly his work, and one which is entitled to rank among the ablest, if not as the ablest, of state papers ever produced in Indiana."
The reasons, which were clear, cogent and logical, are too lengthy for insertion here. The report conchided as fol- lows:
"The committee are of opinion that slavery cannot and ought not to be admitted into this Territory; that it is inex- pedient to petition Congress for a modification of the ordi- nance (1787) relative to slavery; and that the act of the Legislature of Indiana for the introduction of negroes and mulattoes into the said Territory ought to be repealed, for which purpose they have herewith reported a bill."
"The report," Mr. Dunn continues, "carried that little legislative body beyond the power of debate or objection. It was at once resolved, without division, that the House concur in the report. The bill which the committee had reported for the repeal of the indenture law was then taken up, hurried through three readings, passed, signed, and sent. to the Council, all before the House adjourned for the morning."
This is a remarkable record for a man who had previously been on the other side of the question, and shows the great power he wielded over the Legislature, which had been nearly two to one the other way. It is quite probable that this action of Johnson did more than any other influence exerted at that formative period of our State's history in preventing slavery from being established in Indiana.
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