USA > Massachusetts > Essex County > The story of Essex County, Volume II > Part 34
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 | Part 38 | Part 39 | Part 40 | Part 41 | Part 42 | Part 43 | Part 44 | Part 45 | Part 46 | Part 47 | Part 48 | Part 49 | Part 50 | Part 51 | Part 52 | Part 53
"The lodges of the county are divided among five districts, one of these districts being subdivided into two districts, each bearing the same number, but qualified by different names. Thirty-two of the lodges make up four of the districts, while the other lodge, William Sutton, which is in Saugus and was chartered in 1866, is in District (Melrose) No. VII. The other four districts are known as District (Salem) No. VIII, which has seven lodges with a membership of 2,996; District (Lynn) No. VIII, which has six lodges with a membership of 2,965 ; District (Gloucester) No. IX, which has six lodges, with a membership of 2,264; District (Newburyport) No. X, which has seven lodges with a membership of 2,686 and Dis- trict (Lawrence) No. XI, which has six lodges with a mem- bership of 2,799.
"Each of the districts is presided over by a District Deputy Grand Master, with the Salem and Lynn No. VIII having a deputy over each. The following are holding the positions at the present time: Harry E. Dearborn, Melrose; Everett A. Sumner, Salem; Kendall A. Sanderson, Swampscott; Lendal W. Harding, Gloucester; John B. Davis, Haverhill, and Walter I. Churchill, Methuen."
948
THE STORY OF ESSEX COUNTY
The lodges in order of seniority, location, Presiding Master and membership, follow :
Year. Name of Lodge and Location. Master.
Member- ship.
1760-Philanthropic, Marblehead . Clarence E. Chapman 410
1766-St. John's, Newburyport
Fred S. Noyes 413
1770-The Tyrian, Gloucester
Weston U. Friend 445
1779-Essex, Salem
George W. Curtis
472
1802 --- Merrimack, Haverhill
. Perley E. Miller
294
1805-Mount Carmel, Lynn
Francis Lord
1822-Saint Matthew's, Andover -Warren, Amesbury
Raymond O. Davis
410
1824-Liberty, Beverly
John D. Martyn
756
1825-Grecian, Lawrence
1851-Ashler, Rockport
J. Raymond Sanders 245
610
1862-Tuscan, Lawrence
. Dean K. Webster, Jr. 281
1863-Amity, Danvers
. Harry T. Wood 335
1864-Saggahew, Haverhill
. Warren B. Allen 546
-John T. Heard, Ipswich
. C. Gardner Caverly 327
-Starr King, Salem
. G. Layton Stearns 524
1865-Acacia, East Gloucester
. Lawrence W. Brown 359
-- Golden Fleece, Lynn
. Roger L. Currant 943
483
1867-Charles C. Dame, Georgetown
. Robert B. Adams
187
1868-Bethany, Merrimac
. Willard T. Kelly
15I
1869-Phoenician, Lawrence . Philip A. Carr
444
1870-Mosaic, Danvers . Henry E. Rider
1874-Cochichewick, North Andover . Edgar Bower
1906-Damascus, Lynn
John M. Nichols
477
1914-Wayfarers, Swampscott
Tames C. Soutter 446
1920-Budleigh, Beverly William Lochhead 151
-Bethlehem, Lynn
Clarence F. Wentworth 342
-Manchester, Manchester
Byron P. Roberts 132
1928-Benjamin F. Arrington, Lynn Henry J. Hatch 102
Norman P. Wentworth 685
1803 -- St. Mark's, Newburyport
Carlton A. Healey 1054
4II
James E. Downs
450
1808-Jordan, Peabody
. Frederick G. Casper 750
1860-John Hancock, Methuen
Harry G. Irving
1866-William Sutton, Saugus
. Dr. Paul E. Boyle
294
264
HIGHER DEGREES AND THE EASTERN STAR-It is not permissible, within the limits of this chapter, to go into detail concerning the local organizations of the higher degrees in Freemasonry, such as the Chapter, Council and Commandery. Essex County Masons are enthusiastic members of all the higher degree bodies in the usual pro- portion of the number of members of the Blue Lodge, as the body giving the first three degrees is usually called. Then there is the Ancient Arabic Order Nobles of the Mystic Shrine, not a Masonic Order, but having a membership open only to Knights Templar, or Masons who have taken the thirty-second degree. The Mystic Shrine was founded by Masons, open to those who have passed the usual Masonic investigations and received the usual Masonic recom- mendations. Its ritual is linked with Arabic traditions, legends, and titles, and is popular with so many Masons that it deserves mention here with strictly Masonic affiliations.
949
FRATERNAL ORGANIZATIONS
The Order of the Eastern Star is an organization for wives, mothers, sisters, and daughters of members of the Masonic Order, which has twenty-one chapters in Essex County. It has its own ritual, with lessons in harmony with those of Masonry; and Master Masons are privileged to join, a privilege which has been accepted by a large number.
The present membership of Essex County chapters of the Order of the Eastern Star is about 6,500, and this large total is constantly increasing as the worthy purposes and achievements of the various chapters and the general organization become better understood and appreciated.
Martha Washington Chapter, No. 21, of Gloucester, is the oldest in the county and one of the early chapters in Massachusetts, as its number indicates. It was instituted March 26, 1888, having a start of nine years on its nearest rival, Friendship Chapter, of Amesbury, instituted April 22, 1897, having just observed its thirty-eighth birthday.
A list of the chapters in Essex County, dates of institution, and membership at the beginning of 1935 follows :
No.
Name.
Location.
Instituted.
Member- ship.
21-Martha Washington
. Gloucester
. March 26, 1888.
342
58-Friendship
.Amesbury
April 22, 1897.
304
71-Bethel
Merrimac
.March 5, 1900.
I34
76-Laurel Hill
Newburyport
January 31, 1901
203
77-Regis
. Lynn
. March 8, 1901 .
749
78 Lawrence
Lawrence
April 29, 1901
742
90-Fidelity
Haverhill
January 26, 1904
278
95-Heard
Ipswich
December 27, 1904.
157
98-Salem
Salem
April 24, 1905. . 400
100-Toutoquon
East Saugus
.December 6, 1905.
389
IOI-Diana
. Beverly
January 17, 1906.
361
119-Mount Burnet
. Danvers
. October 27, 1908.
325
157-Victory
.Swampscott
. November 16, 1918.
247
162-Peabody
. Peabody
November 8, 1919
233
169-Lynn
Lynn
. November 6, 1920.
421
176-Georgetown
. Georgetown
October 15, 1921
152
186-Marblehead
Marblehead
. October 5, 1922.
221
187-Andover
.Andover
.October 25, 1922.
257
195-Radiant
Lynn
November 3, 1923
308
204-Methuen
Methuen
April I, 1925. .
163
207-Manchester*
Manchester
November 9, 1926.
*Manchester Chapter surrendered its charter February 28, 1935.
Within the past few years several organizations of the De Molay Order have brought to a large number of Essex County boys the teaching and principles of Freemasonry. The Rainbow Girls, for
950
THE STORY OF ESSEX COUNTY
those who look forward to membership later in the Eastern Star, has made commendable progress.
ODD FELLOWSHIP'S STEADY RISE-The present list of Odd Fel- low lodges in the county numbers thirty-four and the dates of their institution show that the Independent Order of Odd Fellows is one of the orders which won its way into the hearts of the people in this community while the order was young in the United States, and has always held such a favorable position.
James B. Barnes, the father of Odd Fellowship in Massachu- setts, came to Boston in 1817. He was an English Odd Fellow and made attempts to locate other Odd Fellows for fraternal sociability, frequenting the wharves when a vessel arrived in the hope of recog- nizing some fellow member of the order. After being in Boston about a year he learned that James Wilson, the town crier, was an English Odd Fellow. Wilson had an ale house at 23 Cornhill and at that address five English Odd Fellows soon met and held informal lodge meetings. In addition to Barnes and Wilson, there were Jacob Myers, of Jewish parentage; Thomas Kennedy, an Irishman; and H. D. Fregere, a Frenchman.
Five was the requisite number to form an Odd Fellows lodge, and they made a written record of their meeting March 26, 1820. It was somewhat difficult to hold meetings in the ale house without interrup- tion, although James B. Eaton was given the initiatory degree in such surroundings and under such conditions. Having become initiated, he invited the others to hold meetings at his home on Federal Street. There James B. Barnes was chosen Noble Grand; H. D. Fregere, Vice-Grand; Jacob Myers, Warden; and Thomas Kennedy, Secretary.
The new lodge attracted the attention of "Ye Boston Benevolent Society," which was composed of members whom Barnes and his asso- ciates considered worthy to become Odd Fellows. So the benevolent society members were initiated as Odd Fellows in April, 1822. They paid $3 each for their initiation and contributed their entire treasury fund, $22.
The old Masonic Hall on Market Square, near the head of Ann Street, which was occupied by the Masonic Grand Lodge from 1807 to 1821, was dedicated February 22, 1823, as the first Odd Fellows Hall in America. The Boston brethren believed there was no other
951
FRATERNAL ORGANIZATIONS
Odd Fellow lodge on this side of the Atlantic Ocean. But that same month a communication was received from Washington Lodge, No. I, in Maryland, asking for information regarding the Boston lodge. This startled and amazed the Massachusetts Lodge, No. I, but it was good news.
James Wilson took a vacation from his duties as town crier and ale house landlord and sailed from Boston to Baltimore to pay the first good-will or fraternal visit in American Odd Fellowship history. He visited the Maryland lodge and showed records and other papers of the Boston lodge. Both lodges had been self instituted, the one at Maryland having records of its meetings since April 26, 1819, while the Boston lodge began to keep records March 20, 1820, although it held informal meetings at the ale house perhaps earlier than the first meeting in Maryland.
No attempt was made by the visiting Massachusetts Noble Grand to claim seniority of Odd Fellowship in America. He was willing to acknowledge the jurisdiction of Maryland as the parent Odd Fel- lowship in the United States, and it has just been celebrated that such has been the record for one hundred and sixteen years. Subsequently, the Maryland lodge obtained its charter from England.
Under date of March 28, 1823, the Boston lodge applied to the jurisdiction of Maryland for a charter. It was granted and delivered in person by Grand Master Thomas W. Wildey, June 9, 1823. In the meantime a second lodge had been organized in Boston, called Siloam Lodge, No. 2. Grand Master Wildey presented the charter in the presence of the two lodges.
On June 11, 1823, Past Grands of the two lodges assembled to open the Grand Lodge of Massachusetts, with Daniel Hersey, a native of Hingham, as the first Most Worthy Grand Master. Thomas W. Wildey had, since February 7, 1821, been Grand Master of "The Grand Lodge of Maryland and of the United States of America of the Independent Order of Odd Fellows."
Daniel Hersey, the first Grand Master of the Grand Lodge of Massachusetts, was born in Hingham, December 14, 1786. He was a Boston merchant. It is largely due to him that Odd Fellowship maintained from the first in this jurisdiction a high moral standard and was worthy to defend itself against prejudice and slander. Not everyone thought well of secret societies in those days or for a long
952
THE STORY OF ESSEX COUNTY
time afterward. At late as 1845 a Boston clergyman urged all good citizens to come to the communion table, saying : "All those who are in good standing in the Baptist church, excepting slave holders and Odd Fellows, are invited to partake with us at the table of the Lord."
Official or ecclesiastical opposition was not worn out in 1895 as, on January 5, 1895, the Roman Catholic Archbishop of Cincinnati, on the authority of the Holy See, announced the position of that church with respect to the Odd Fellows, Knights of Pythias, Sons of Temperance and, incidentally, the Freemasons, in part, as follows :
"All the ordinaries of the various dioceses of the United States must use their exertions to keep the faithful away from all and each of the three societies called the Odd Fellows, the Knights of Pythias, and the Sons of Temperance. And the faithful themselves must be admonished of this, and if, after the admonition, they still adhere to these societies, and will not leave them effectually, they must not be admitted to the Sacraments. . . First these societies seem to have a decided influence to lead Catholics toward Freemasonry, and Freemasonry is under the absolute condemnation and excom- munication of the church."
ORDER GREW UP WITH THE COUNTY-Whether the first Odd Fellow lodge in Massachusetts included members from the Cape Ann District of the Commonwealth is not easy to substantiate. Before Odd Fellowship in America observed its twenty-fifth anniversary, ten of the thirty-four lodges now in Essex County had been instituted. Kearsarge Lodge, of West Lynn, was formed in 1842, following the period from 1832 to 1841, when the Odd Fellow Order was prac- tically dormant in Massachusetts, the only two subordinate lodges in existence in 1840 being Massachusetts Lodge, No. I, and Merrimac Lodge, No. 7. They petitioned to have the Grand Lodge revived. December 23, 1841, it was reinstated.
In 1897, according to a history of Odd Fellowship published that year, the average number of members in the Massachusetts lodges was the largest in any grand jurisdiction. Bay State Lodge, No. 40, of Lynn, had eight hundred and ten members and was the largest Odd Fellow lodge in the world. There were in this State eight with over five hundred members.
953
FRATERNAL ORGANIZATIONS
The order was introduced in Lowell in 1829. In 1897 that city had eight lodges. Lynn had seven, the oldest, Kearsarge, of West Lynn, having been instituted in 1842; and Bay State Lodge in 1844. Lawrence had three lodges, the oldest being United Brothers Lodge, instituted in 1847.
How rapid was the recovery of Odd Fellowship in Massachusetts, after the restoration of the charter in 1841, was demonstrated on the fourth anniversary of the revival, when a celebration took place in Boston, June 19, 1845. There was a parade through the business center of the city with twenty-three bands furnishing music. Boston Common was used for the speaking and the dinner. There was an evening celebration in historic Faneuil Hall. It was the largest Odd Fellow turnout in New England.
Essex County lodges attended annual sessions of the Grand Lodge of the United States at Boston in 1864 and again in 1886. The latter date was September 20, and the name had been changed to the Sov- ereign Grand Lodge. At the session in 1864 the Civil War was drawing to a close. The session the previous year had been held in Baltimore, and the Southern atmosphere was decidedly chilly. Ten- nessee was represented at the Boston session, but none of the other Southern States. The session was characterized by social and fra- ternal merriment, a contrast to the meeting in Baltimore. But the restraining influence of Daniel Hersey forbade the use of ardent spirits at the entertainment and reception ceremonies. So conspicuous was the supply of Cochituate water that officials and delegates requested that they be taken to the source of so much water and the pilgrimage to Cochituate was a great success.
The following year the annual session of the Sovereign Grand Lodge was again held at Baltimore. The War Between the States was over. Every State in the restored Union was represented, except Florida and North Carolina, and the reason for the non-representa- tion of the latter was the sudden death of Grand Representative Clark. The national monument to Thomas W. Wildey was dedicated and returned soldiers, who had just taken off the blue and gray uni- forms, marched shoulder to shoulder wearing the regalia of Odd Fellowship.
Elsewhere in this story of Essex County it is related how the beginning of many things took place in Essex County, the Puritans
954
THE STORY OF ESSEX COUNTY
having first established themselves at Salem before the capital of the Massachusetts Bay Colony became located in Boston. The latter became the largest town in the neighborhood at an early date, but men of prominence in Essex County have also been prominent in many affairs credited by history to Boston. It is so with fraternal organi- zations, as well as other movements and achievements; hence the propriety of including in this chapter certain references to Boston, when Essex County residents were leading actors in Boston scenes.
It is on the records of lodges in this county how, in 1834, the Great and General Court of Massachusetts passed an act against "non judicial oaths," with penalty attached of $200 for each violation. The law was supposed to be directed against the Masonic fraternity, but referred directly to such obligations as were taken by the Inde- pendent Order of Odd Fellows at initiations, installations, etc. The act was referred to the Grand Lodge of Odd Fellows, and lodges in Massachusetts were authorized to admit members, confer degrees and install officers "on the pledge of honor," clearing up the situation.
Following is a list of the Odd Fellow lodges in Essex County, with their locations and, in some instances, the year of institution :
Year. Name of Lodge.
Location.
1842-Kearsarge
Lynn
1844-Agawam Ipswich
1844-Bay State Lynn
1844-Quascacunquen
Newburyport
1844-Hope
Methuen
1845-Powow River
Amesbury
1845-Ocean
Gloucester
1845-Mutual Relief
Haverhill
1846-Holton
Peabody
1846-Essex
Salem
1847-United Brothers Lawrence
1851-Andover Andover
1867-Monadnock Lawrence
1868-Protection Georgetown
1869-Lawrence Lawrence
1869-Mizpah Haverhill
1870-Danvers
Danvers
1874-Fountain Topsfield
1875-Providence
Lynn
1878-West Lynn
West Lynn
1881-Richard W. Drown
Lynn
1881-Wauwinet
North Andover
1885-Glenmere
East Lynn
1890-East Lynn
East Lynn
1894-Andover
Andover
1907-Consort
Beverly
1914-Prince Jonathan
West Lynn
-Masconnomet
Rowley
-Atlantic
Marblehead
.
955
FRATERNAL ORGANIZATIONS
Year.
Name of Lodge.
Location.
-Fraternity
Salem
-Granite
Rockport
-Swampscott Swampscott
-Bass River Beverly
-Magnolia
Manchester
-Riverside
Merrimac
Higher degrees in Odd Fellowship have been added as this "first American fraternal order" has developed. The Degree of Rebekah was founded in 1851. Rebekah lodges for wives, mothers, daughters, and sisters of Odd Fellows are almost as universal as the Odd Fellow lodges. There was a time when the display of Odd Fellow regalia outside the lodge rooms was not authorized by the Supreme Lodge, but there was a tendency, especially after the Civil War, among the younger members of the order, to have some outdoor appearances to show their colors; something in appearance like the Knights Templar and Mystic Shrine in Freemasonry.
The Patriarchs Militant Branch was added in 1884. Massasoit Encampment, No. I, was instituted in Boston February 11, 1843. Monomake Encampment, No. 4, was instituted at Lowell, June 29, 1843, by District Deputy Grand Sire Daniel Hersey, on a war- rant issued by Thomas Barr and six others. In 1872 a Massachu- setts representative introduced a resolution authorizing encamp- ments to wear such a style of street uniforms on parade as might be sanctioned by the Grand Encampments of their respective jurisdic- tions. Previously the wearing of chapeaux, swords, belts, gauntlets, etc., was forbidden or, at least, lacked authorization.
The Encampment Branch and evolution of the Patriarchial Order and the reception of all the degrees of Odd Fellowship in Essex County constitute an interesting story. Such is the case with the remarkable success of the Rebekah lodges. It is regretted that a large volume, rather than a brief chapter, is not being written to do justice to the institution of which Past Grand Sire Ellison, of Massa- chusetts, once said : "Where can you find an institution that has done more for the amelioration of man's condition, and the relief of human suffering, than this fraternity of Odd Fellows ?"
KNIGHTS OF PYTHIAS, GRANGES AND OTHER ORDERS-Numerous fraternal organizations using the word "Knight" have been much in favor in all towns of the county. The idea of knighthood, as trans- planted in this country, suggests ceremony, solemnity, chivalry, with-
956
THE STORY OF ESSEX COUNTY
out fear and above reproach, and the name and idea have had strong appeals to each succeeding generation. The Knights of Pythias is one of the orders in which numerous residents of Essex County have won honors and distinction by their services to the institution and their exemplary conduct, true to its principles.
It was not long after the Order Knights of Pythias was organized on February 19, 1864, by Justus H. Rathbone and a small group of friends in Washington, District of Columbia, that lodges were insti- tuted in Massachusetts. Among the first were: Calantha of Lynn, Everett of Lynn, Palestine of Haverhill, and North Star of Salem, all organized in 1870. Phintias of Amesbury was organized in 1874 and Constantine of Gloucester in 1877. Before the end of the cen- tury Syracuse Lodge of Ipswich, organized in 1888; Peter Woodland of Lynn, organized in 1889; Starr King, Essex, 1890; Saugus, Saugus, 1892; Abraham C. Moody, Haverhill, 1892; Kearsarge, Methuen, 1895; Abraham Lincoln, Lynn, 1896; well represented the order. Since the opening of the twentieth century, growth of the subordinate lodges and its associated organizations, the Pythian Sis- ters and Uniform Rank, have initiated thousands and conferred upon them the ranks of Page, Esquire, Knight and the distinctions which the order permits. The Dramatic Order Knights of Khorassan has brought results to justify its existence and make it popular.
Several of the Pythian lodges in this county have erected their own temples, contributed much to the relief of those who come under their knightly care, and have exerted a potent influence in promoting good citizenship and fellowship. Friendship is the basic principle of the order and it has Friendship, Charity, and Benevolence as its objects.
Justus H. Rathbone, in 1869, was employed by a publishing house in Boston. The Endowment Rank for the payment of Pythian life insurance was established in 1877, but in recent years has been changed into an old line life insurance company. The Dramatic Order Knights of Khorassan was established in 1894. All branches of the order are represented with strength and excellence in Essex County.
The Knights of Pythias of North and South America, Europe, Asia, and Africa exists for colored people. Lodges affiliated with the far-flung institution are in several towns in the county.
957
FRATERNAL ORGANIZATIONS
Patrons of Husbandry, subordinate branches of which are called granges, was instituted in 1868 with the object of bettering the con- dition of agriculture in the country, following the Civil War. It was primarily a fraternal order for the rural communities, admitting both men and women. In Massachusetts there are many local granges, recently formed in the cities, including cities in Essex County. The order keeps the family united in its meeting places, as candidates may be admitted after reaching fifteen years of age. There is also a Juvenile Grange. The granges, as they are usually called, have a very attractive ritual, and exert an uplifting social influence.
The first grange in Massachusetts was instituted in 1872 and the first one in Essex County in 1886. Granges were organized in Janu- ary of that year in Amesbury and North Andover. There are at present thirty-three granges in twenty-seven of the thirty-four cities and towns in the county, with a total membership exceeding 4,600. Thirteen granges own their halls, which are community centers in their respective neighborhoods.
Essex County Grange was instituted in 1888. This was a purely social organization to promote acquaintance and good fellowship among the member granges and was no part of the official organiza- tion of the Order of Patrons of Husbandry.
Essex County Pomona Grange was instituted in 1891, and took the place of the Essex County Grange. It confers the fifth or Pomona degree of the order upon its members who come from the membership of the local or subordinate granges. The local granges belonging to Essex Pomona Grange are located in Amesbury, North Andover, West Boxford, West Newbury, Haverhill, Methuen, Laurel of West Newbury, Merrimac, Andover, Salisbury, Newbury, Quascacunquen of Byfield, Groveland, Bradford, and Newburyport.
As the number of subordinate granges increased, Essex County Pomona became too large. So the granges in the southern part of the county formed Chebacco Pomona. They each have fifteen subordi- nate granges within their jurisdiction, those assigned to Chebacco being Ipswich, Topsfield, Rowley, Danvers, West Gloucester, George- town, Hamilton-Wenham, Boxford, West Peabody, Beverly, Middle- ton, Riverdale of Gloucester, Peabody, Essex, and Salem. The granges in Lynnfield, Lynn and Saugus belong to Middlesex-Essex Pomona.
958
THE STORY OF ESSEX COUNTY
Pomona granges meet once a month (except during the summer) with the subordinate granges, in turn, holding two sessions, either morning and afternoon, or afternoon and evening. Instructive pro- grams are put on, consisting of discussions on agricultural subjects and questions of the day by the members, and of talks by speakers from the outside. Field days are held during the summer, when speakers from the State Grange, National Grange and the Depart- ment of Agriculture are supplied.
Need help finding more records? Try our genealogical records directory which has more than 1 million sources to help you more easily locate the available records.