A history of freemasonry in Indiana from 1806 to 1898, Part 4

Author: McDonald, Daniel, b. 1833
Publication date: 1898
Publisher: Indianapolis : By authority of the Grand Lodge
Number of Pages: 614


USA > Indiana > A history of freemasonry in Indiana from 1806 to 1898 > Part 4


Note: The text from this book was generated using artificial intelligence so there may be some errors. The full pages can be found on Archive.org (link on the Part 1 page).


Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3 | Part 4 | Part 5 | Part 6 | Part 7 | Part 8 | Part 9 | Part 10 | Part 11 | Part 12 | Part 13 | Part 14 | Part 15 | Part 16 | Part 17 | Part 18 | Part 19 | Part 20 | Part 21 | Part 22 | Part 23 | Part 24 | Part 25 | Part 26 | Part 27 | Part 28 | Part 29 | Part 30 | Part 31 | Part 32 | Part 33 | Part 34 | Part 35 | Part 36 | Part 37


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At the meeting of the several lodges in the State at Cory- don, December 3, 1817, called to take into consideration the advisability of forming a Grand Lodge, he represented Vincennes Lodge, and his name is the first that appears on the records. At that meeting lie was appointed chairman of the committee to formulate an address to the Grand Lodges of Kentucky and Ohio that the lodges represented had determined to form a Grand Lodge and would recede from their mother lodges so soon as a Grand Lodge should be organized. The address is a model of terseness and ele- gance of diction.


At the session of the Grand Lodge held at Salem in 1824 he sent the following to the Grand Lodge:


"BRETHREN-Having ever been taught to believe that Masonry, from its incipiency to its ultimatum, made it in- dispensably requisite on the Craft to believe in the authen- ticity of the Holy Scriptures, and having lately heard an opinion expressed in Vincennes Lodge No. 1 by our Dis- trict Lecturer (James T. Moffatt, Most Excellent High Priest of Vincennes Chapter No. 2), and some few others, to the contrary-nay, even further, that a person tenacious might be obligated upon the Koran-I was not only startled, but am considerably mortified; and should I have heretofore been in error, wish and feel a great anxiety now to be corrected before time closes my earthly pilgrimage and stewardship. The question, I conceive, may fairly and properly be brought before you. It is a highly important one, and demands your immediate and serious considera- tion. Having the utmost confidence in your wisdom and purity, I have made the present appeal, and humbly request an attentive hearing and serious decision.


"G. W. JOHNSON."


The Grand Lodge, not conceiving that it was a matter for legislation, did not consider the question further than to in- definitely postpone action.


His first appearance in the Grand Lodge was in the ses- sion of 1828, when he was present as the Worshipful Mas- ter of Vincennes Lodge No. 1, Elihu Stout, of that lodge, being Grand Master. He was made chairman of the Com-


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mittee on Grievances, on Foreign Correspondence, and of a select committee relative to the appointment of District Deputy Masters. Hle recommended the appointment of District Deputies, and that the State be divided into three districts. He took a very active part in the proceedings of that session, and seems to have been the moving spirit in the transaction of nearly all the business. Among other things, he introduced a resolution to the effect that the Grand Orator be requested to deliver an oration upon the Order of Freemasonry on the third day of the next session, and that the Grand Chaplain be requested to preach a ser- mon to a public audience on the same day. The recom- mendation was concurred in. He also, as chairman of the Committee on Foreign Correspondence, recommended the passage of a resolution requesting subordinate lodges to use their utmost influence to suppress the use of ardent spirits by members of the Fraternity and others, and the same was adopted. He also recommended the following: "That no officer of a subordinate lodge can Masonically resign or secede during the period for which he may have been in- stalled; that no one can constitutionally officiate as Master or Warden of a lodge until he has been duly installed." At this session he was elected and installed Deputy Grand Master.


He was also present at the session of 1829, and was again elected Deputy Grand Master. He was not present at the session of 1830, and there being no quorum, owing to the "Morgan excitement" then prevailing, an adjournment was taken until December of that year, but he was not pres- ent and never appeared in the Grand Lodge again. Had he been present he would have been elected Grand Master without a doubt. He was probably detained by illness, as he died two years later.


Among the numerous distinguished men of his time who took an active part in State and Masonic affairs, he had few equals and no superiors in all that goes to make up the typ- ical American citizen.


PARMENAS BECKES, the first upon whom the degree of Entered Apprentice and Fellow Craft was conferred by the


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lodge and the first to receive those degrees in the Indiana Territory, and the second upon whom the third degree was conferred, took an active part in the battle of Tippe- canoe and afterwards was elected sheriff of Knox county, which office he was holding at the time he was killed in a duel by Dr. Scull. The cause which is said to have led to the duel between these two men was the circulation of a re- port by Dr. Seull involving the reputation of Parmenas Beckes' stepdaughter, a beautiful, dashing and accomplished girl. In speaking of her the doctor said: "If she was as good as she is pretty, she would be a jewel." This lan- guage coming to the ear of her stepfather, angered him, and resulted in a duel fought on Illinois soil just opposite Vincennes, resulting in the death of Beckes, July 15, 1813. The weapons used were dueling pistols; distance, ten paces. Dr. Scull is said to have gone into the fight with great re- luctance, and at the word "fire" discharged his piece in the air. The shot of his antagonist was harmless. The doctor said to his friends, the account goes on to say: "That he did not wish to kill or injure Captain Beckes, and that he had no cause to quarrel with him." Their seconds endeavored to bring about a reconciliation, but Beckes would not consent. Their pistols were charged anew; each took his post and fired nearly at the same instant. Captain Beckes was struck in his right side, and as he fell, ex- claimed: "Doctor, you have killed me!" He died in a few moments. Dr. Scull was unharmed, and immediately put his accounts and unfinished business in the hands of an agent for settlement and left the place.


In those days settling personal disputes under the "code of honor" was considered indispensably necessary if a man desired to maintain any sort of standing in the "best soci- cty." If he failed to offer a challenge to fight a duel, or to accept one when offered, he was considered a coward, and treated as such. This was the condition of society at the time Parmenas Beckes lost his life in the encounter re- ferred to.


BENJAMIN V. BECKES was another distinguished member of this lodge. After the death of Parmenas, his brother,


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Benjamin Vincennes Beckes was appointed sheriff to fill out the unexpired term. He was also a Mason, having been made in Vincennes Lodge prior to the organization of the Grand Lodge. He was the representative of Vin- cennes Lodge at the organization of the Grand Lodge Jan- mary 12, 1818, at Madison. Vincennes Lodge was No. 15 on the roll of Kentucky lodges. He surrendered the char- ter, and his lodge was granted a charter by the new Grand Lodge of Indiana as Vincennes Lodge No. 1. Marston G. Clarke had been elected and installed Junior Grand Warden. He surrendered the charter of his lodge at Sa- lem, but declined to receive a charter from the new Grand Lodge. Thereupon the Grand Lodge resolved that Mars- ton G. Clarke, having forfeited his seat in the Grand Lodge and also his office, that the Grand Lodge proceed to the election of a member to fill the vacancy. On counting the ballots, Benjamin V. Beckes was found to be duly elected. He was not present at the next annual session, and did not appear again until the year 1821, after which he seems to have dropped out entirely.


He was born in Vincennes in 1786, and was claimed to be the first white child born in that place of American par- ents. He took part in the battle of Tippecanoe, and also commanded a company from Vincennes in the Black Hawk war. He was very popular among the people, and was several times, in Territorial days, elected a Representative in the Legislature, and was also twice elected sheriff of Knox county. He joined the Catholic Church and died in that faith December 3, 1859.


WALLER TAYLOR was another prominent member of this lodge. He came from Virginia, and was a Territorial Judge in the early days. On the 7th of November, 1816, the Territorial government ceased and was superseded by a State government, and the State of Indiana was formally admitted into the Union by a joint resolution of Congress, approved December 11, 1816. On the Sth of November, 1816, the General Assembly, by a joint vote of both houses, elected Waller Taylor as one of the Senators to represent the State in the United States Senate. He was a major in


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Harrison's army at the battle of Tippecanoe. In that bat- tle the gallant Jo Daviess and Thomas Randolph, the bosom friend of Taylor, fell, pierced by Indian bullets. Taylor caused them to be buried side by side on the sanguinary field. Before committing their bodies to the grave he took a pin from Randolph's bosom, cut off a lock of his hair, and on his return home gave them to Randolph's wife. He also cut the initials of the names of the dead soldiers on the tree under which they were buried, that the place might be known should occasion ever require it.


THOMAS RANDOLPH, a conspicuous member of this lodge was a second cousin of John Randolph, of Roanoke, Vir- ginia, and was born in Richmond, that State, in 1771. He located in the Indiana Territory in 1807, and soon after his arrival was appointed by Governor Harrison Attorney-Gen- eral of the Territory, a position of honor, but of little profit. He had one daughter, who became the wife of Past Grand Master William Sheets. In 1809 he was a candidate for Delegate to Congress against Jonathan Jennings, after- wards Governor and Grand Master, and was defeated by only thirty-nine votes. He contested the election, but Con- gress decided that the election had been legally held and confirmed Jennings in his seat. Out of this contest grew much bad feeling between the two leaders of the political parties of that day, Randolph being considered the leader of the party of Governor Harrison. In January, 1811, writing to a friend, he said: "I have nothing to expect from Mr. Jennings more than all the injury he can do me. His unremitted exertion to identify me in all things with the Governor proceeds from his inimical disposition toward me. If he means, in this side way, to produce in the minds of his hearers that I am the echo of the Governor, he is a fool and a liar."


Ile joined General Harrison's forces as a volunteer aid, and was killed at the battle of Tippecanoe.


WILLIAM PRINCE was a lawyer of note, the first sheriff of the Territory, a member of the Legislature, and mem- ber of the committee that located the State capital at In-


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dianapolis, was a member of Congress, and participated in the battle of Tippecanoe under General Harrison.


HENRY VANDERBURGH was appointed by President Adams in 1799 a member of the Legislative Council of the North- west Territory, and upon the organization of the Council was elected President. The seat of government for the Indiana Territory was fixed at Vincennes. He was, shortly after the organization, appointed one of the Territorial Judges. He was a captain of the regular army in the war of the Revolution. The county of Vanderburgh was named in his honor. On the records of the lodge his name appears as a compound word: "Vander-Burgh."


ROBERT BUNTIN, SR., was a Captain in the War of the Revolution, and in the Indian wars under General Wilkin- son. General St. Clair, Governor of the Northwest Ter- ritory, met with a disastrous defeat in a battle with the Miami Indians under Little Turtle, Blue Jacket and others on the 4th of November, 1791, at Fort Washington, near where Fort Recovery was afterwards established. Three months later, in February, 1792, Captain Buntin, under General Wilkinson, visited the field of the disaster, and in a letter to Governor St. Clair said: "I went with General Wilkinson to the field of action to recover the artillery car- riages, which he was informed remained there, and to bury the dead. We arrived on the field of battle about 10 o'clock on the morning of February 1st. The scene was truly melancholy. In my opinion, those unfortunate men who fell into the enemies' hands with life were used with the greatest torture, having their limbs torn off; and the women who accompanied their husbands have been treated with the most indecent cruelty, having stakes as thick as a person's arm drove through their bodies. The first I ob- served when burying the dead; the latter was discovered by Colonel Sargent and Dr. Brown."


General St. Clair, who suffered this defeat, was a Mason. He died August 31, 1818, at Greensburgh, Pa., where the Masonic Fraternity erected a marble monument over his grave, the only one ever erected in that place by the Ma-


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sons. Robert Buntin was surveyor of Knox county, also clerk of the courts of that county, and seems to have been a most useful and excellent citizen.


ROBERT M. EVINS was one of the early attorneys at Vin- cennes in Territorial days, a general in the State militia, and a member of the Legislature.


EPHRAIM JORDAN was a distinguished officer in the Indian wars and in the war of 1812.


There were many others, no doubt, whose names are wor- thy of preservation here, but the necessary information to prepare sketches of them is not at hand.


A detailed history of this lodge would be not only a his- tory of Masonry in its infancy in the great Northwest Ter- ritory, but a pioneer history of the formative period of In- diana that would be most valuable for the information of future generations.


UNION LODGE No. 2, MADISON.


Notwithstanding Union Lodge No. 2, at Madison, is not the oldest lodge in the State, yet it ranks first as having been the lodge in which the Grand Lodge of Indiana was organized, and where the proceedings were had that gave it existence and exclusive jurisdiction within the borders of the new State of Indiana. This important event in the history of Freemasonry in Indiana took place on the 12th and 13th of January, 1818. The representatives in that meeting of the Grand Lodge from Union Lodge were Alex- ander 1. Meek, Jeremiah Sullivan and Henry P. Thornton. There were also present members of the lodge as visitors: Richard C. Talbott, Abraham King, John Meek, Alexan- der MeCoskey, James L. White, Moses Gray, James Ross, Nicholas D. Grover, Copelin P. J. Arion, Joshua Wilkin- son and George Leonard. Alexander A. Meek, of this lodge, being the oldest Past Master present, was accorded the honor of being chosen to preside over the preliminary deliberations of the brethren assembled to form a Grand Lodge. When the Grand Lodge was organized, Brother


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Meek was elected first Deputy Grand Master, Alexander Buckner, of Charlestown, being elected first Grand Master. At this session the following members of this lodge were chosen officers of the Grand Lodge: Alexander A. Meek, Deputy Grand Master; Henry P. Thornton, Grand Secre- tary; Jeremiah Sullivan, Grand Orator; Nicholas D. Grover, Grand Pursuivant; Alexander McCoskey, Grand Tyler. At the next annual meeting of the Grand Lodge Brother Meek was elected Grand Master.


At the time of the organization of the Grand Lodge Madison Lodge was working under a charter granted by the Grand Lodge of Kentucky, dated August 30, 1815, and was designated on the Kentucky register as "Madison Union Lodge No. 29, Madison, Indiana." Alexander A. Meek was the first Master. Upon the organization of the Grand Lodge the name and number was changed to Union Lodge No. 2, which name and number it has retained up to the present time.


The names that appear on the account book for dues, etc., while the lodge was under the jurisdiction of Kentucky are as follows: The first page is so badly worn that the first name cannot be deciphered. The second name is partly defaced, but appears to be Robert Kruzy. The other names are as follows: Alexander McCosky, Jeremiah Sul- livan, Robert Cravens, Joshua Williams, C. P. J. Arion, Robert Branham, Henry P. Thornton, Elutherus Cook, William C. Keen, John Test, Samuel Alexander, George W. Powers, James L. White, Daniel Dufour, Alexander A. Meek, John Sheets, Richard C. Talbott, Zachariah C. Tannehill, George W. Leonard, John Lee, Nicholas D. Grover, James Ross, Lewis R. Leonard, Thomas Douglass, James Noble, Steven C. Stevens, Bazil Bently, Moses Gray, Henry Powers, Jacob Thomas, John Pugh, Alex. C. Lanier.


How long after the organization of the Grand Lodge Union Lodge No. 2 began work under the new order of things is not known. As is usually the case in the begin- ning of new organizations, the first records are kept on slips of paper, and are seldom recorded, or are not kept at


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all. 6 There is no record to be found in the "archives" prior to May 26, 1818, so whatever was done from January 13, 1818, to May 26th will never be known. At the latter meeting the following was placed on record:


"Ordered, That a committee be appointed to correspond with the several subordinate lodges working under the jurisdiction of the Grand Lodge of this State on the prac- ticability of adopting a system and uniform course of lec- tures."


Thomas Douglass and Henry P. Thornton were appoint- ed such committee. This resulted later in the adoption by the Grand Lodge of the Webb work and lectures. But ex- actly what the Webb work was no one at that time in the entire jurisdiction seemed to have any well-defined opinion. It was over fourteen years after that before the Webb work was put in its present perfect shape and finally adopted by the Grand Lodge, as has been fully shown under the cap- tion, "The Struggle for Uniformity of Work."


The next meeting of the lodge was held on the anniver- sary of St. John the Baptist, June 24, 1818. The com- mittee of arrangements reported that "Mr. Oglesbee would deliver a sermon at the Methodist meeting house, and that Messrs. Banham & Step had prepared us a dinner!" The record then goes on to say: "A procession was formed agreeably to the ancient manner, and marched to the meet- ing house, when, after hearing an eloquent and appropriate discourse, we then repaired to the house of Messrs. Banhamn & Step, partook of an elegant repast provided for the occa- sion, thence to the lodge room at 5 o'clock p. m."


The following action was then taken:


"Ordered, That Bro. Jeremiah Sullivan and Thomas Douglass be appointed a committee to pay Mr. Oglesbee, orator of the day, the sum of $15, and that they tender to him the thanks of this lodge for the eloquent, elegant and appropriate discourse delivered by him to us this day."


Out of this celebration, the first that had taken place after the organization of the Grand Lodge, grew a little un- pleasantness that was, however, finally amicably settled. At the next regular meeting a committee was appointed to


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examine and ascertain as to the truth of a report that Brother Henry P. Thornton had spoken words derogatory to Masonry on that occasion. The committee subsequently reported as follows:


"We have ascertained to our satisfaction that Brother Thornton did on that day, in the presence of Colonel Paul and John Sering, at the door of the counting-room of the bank in Madison, and just as the procession was moving towards the meeting house, observe that he was opposed to such parades, and that it was d-d nonsense, and that it was done to gull the world, or that it served to gull the world (or words to that effect), thereby creating an unjust and invidious censure on such members of the society as were endeavoring in a devout and becoming manner to celebrate that sacred festival."


Brother Thornton was cited to appear at the next meet- ing. He was present, and the lodge, after hearing the ex- planation of Brother Thornton, adopted the following reso- lution :


"Resolved, That Bro. H. P. Thornton having been charged with speaking and publishing words derogatory to the honor of Masonry, and on the same being investigated and explained by him, it is the opinion of this lodge that the offense is not so great but that, on his making an apology and acknowledging his imprudence, that he be acquitted from all charges exhibited against him in this behalf."


Brother Thornton made the apology and acknowledge- ment required, and was acquitted accordingly. This was the first Masonic trial the lodge engaged in.


At the November meeting, 1818, the following resolu- tion was adopted :


"Resolved, That a committee be appointed to draft a peti- tion to be presented to the next Legislature to be holden for the State of Indiana, praying for an act to authorize the lodge to raise by way of lottery $12,000 for the purpose of building a Masonic Hall in the town of Madison, Indiana."


A committee was appointed, but no record is made as to whether the prayer of the petition was granted or not. For a number of years the lottery question was one that caused the Grand Lodge no end of trouble, but it finally got rid of


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it by passing an edict prohibiting lodges from engaging in any kind of chance schemes for the purpose of raising funds to build or furnish lodge halls, or even for charitable pur- poses.


At the August meeting, 1819, of this lodge the following resolution was adopted :


"Resolved, That the members of this lodge do wear crape upon the left arm for thirty days in testimony of our regard for the memory of our late friend and brother, Thomas Smith Webb."


At that time Brother Webb was looked upon as a verita- ble King Solomon in Masonic ritualism, and had only a short time previously formulated and introduced the ritual which has ever since been known as the "Webb work." This lodge, as well as the Grand Lodge, had practically adopted the work formulated by Webb, and he was looked upon with the utmost reverence and veneration, and with feelings of brotherly love, and as a personal friend by the members of the Fraternity generally. Shortly before his death, as Deputy Grand High Priest of the General Grand Chapter of Royal Arch Masons of the United States, he granted a dispensation for the formation of a Chapter at Madison, the first in the State, and this was an additional reason why the brethren felt kindly towards him.


On the early records of this lodge, which are too volum- inous to be inserted here, are many curious entries, the meaning of which, at this late day-owing to the evolution that has taken place in the manner of doing business dur- ing the past seventy-five years-cannot be even guessed at. One of these entries appeared in 1828, as follows:


"Brother N. D. Grover got the privilege of the lodge of being considered as a two months' member."


Diligent inquiry has failed to elicit any information as to what the privilege meant.


JEREMIAH SULLIVAN was a resident of Madison, and was present and took part in the organization of the Grand Lodge in January, 1818, as one of the representatives of Madison Union Lodge, and was appointed Senior Grand Deacon for the time being. When the organization was


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perfected and officers elected, he was chosen Grand Orator. He was appointed chairman of the committee whose duty it was made to prepare and forward an address to the several Grand Lodges in the United States from the newly organ- ized Grand Lodge explanatory of their reasons for forming a Grand Lodge in the State of Indiana, and asking a recip- rocation of correspondence and communication. He served on two or three important committees, but was not there- after a member of the Grand Lodge so far as the records show.


He was of Irish descent, and was born in Virginia about 1796. He settled in Madison in 1817, and remained there the remainder of his days. Ile was a successful lawyer, and served as one of the Supreme Judges of the State for a period of nine years. In 1820 he was elected a member of the Legislature, and it is worthy of note that it was he who gave Indianapolis its name. In a letter to Conrad Baker, during his term as Governor, Brother Sullivan explained how the name Indianapolis was adopted, as follows:


"I have a very distinct recollection of the great diversity of opinion that prevailed as to the name the new town should receive. The bill was reported by Judge Polk, and was, in the main, very acceptable. A blank, of course, was left for the name of the town that was to become the seat of government, and during the two or three days we spent in endeavoring to fill that blank there were some sharpness and much amusement. General Marston G. Clark, of Washington county, proposed Tecumseh as the name, and very earnestly insisted on its adoption. When that failed he suggested other Indian names which I have forgotten. They also were rejected. Somebody suggested 'Suwarro,' which met with no favor. Judge Polk desired the blank to be filled with 'Concord;' that also failed. Other names were proposed, but they were all voted down, and the House, without coming to any agreement, ad- journed until the next day. There were many amusing things said during the day, but my remembrance of them is not sufficiently distinct to state them with accuracy. I had gone to Corydon (the then State capital) with the in- tention of proposing 'Indianapolis' as the name of the town,




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