USA > New Hampshire > Grafton County > Hanover > A history of the town of Hanover, N.H. > Part 28
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
"Know ye, therefore, that we, the Grand Master and War- dens, by virtue of the power and authority aforesaid, and reposing special trust and confidence in the prudence, fidelity and skill in Masonry of our beloved brethren, above named, have constituted and appointed, and by these presents do con- stitute and appoint them, the said James Wheelock and others, a regular Lodge of Free and Accepted Masons, under the name, title and signature of the Franklin Lodge, No. (6), hereby giving and granting unto them and their successors full power and authority to meet and convene as Masons, in the town of Hanover, in said county of Grafton; to receive and enter Apprentices, pass Fellow Crafts, and raise Master Masons, upon the payment of such moderate compensations for the same as may hereafter be determined by said Lodge. Also, to make choice of Master and Wardens, and other office bearers annually, or otherwise, as they shall see cause; to receive and collect funds for the relief of the poor and decayed brethren, and their widows or children; and in gen-
281
Societies
eral to transact all matters relating to Masonry, which may to them appear proper for the good of the Craft, according to the ancient usage and custom of Masons.
"And we do hereby require the said constituted brethren to attend at the Grand Lodge or Quarterly Communications, by themselves of their proxies, on penalty of forfeiture of this charter ; and also to keep a fair and regular record of all their proceedings, and to lay the same before the Grand Lodge when required.
"And we do hereby enjoin upon our said brethren to behave themselves respectfully and obediently to their superiors in office, and not to desert their said Lodge without the leave of their Master and Wardens.
"And we do hereby declare the precedence of the said Lodge in the Grand Lodge and elsewhere to commence from the date of these presents, and require all ancient Masons, espe- cially of those holding of this Grand Lodge, to acknowledge and receive them and their successors as regularly constituted Free and Accepted Masons, and to treat them accordingly."
The first meeting of the petitioners was held at Mason's Hall in Hanover, April 3, 1796, with James Wheelock acting as chair- man. The Lodge was consecrated and the officers installed by the Grand Lodge May 22, 1796.
The Lodge publicly celebrated St. John's day that year as shown by its records :
"At two o'clock the fraternity moved in beautiful procession to the meet- ing house, where an oration was pronounced by Bro. Dunham, and prayer performed by the Rev. Professor Smith. The music on this occasion was excellent. After the exercises the procession returned to the hall, partook of an elegant repast, and returned in due season, the day having been spent in peaceful harmony and decent merriment."
A printed pamphlet in the archives of the Grand Lodge con- tains "An Oration Delivered at Hanover, New Hampshire at the request of the Brethren of Franklin Lodge-No. 6; at the celebra- tion of the Festival of St. John the Baptist ; and published by their desire, in the year of Masonry, 5798. By William H. Woodward, Esq., Secretary of said Lodge."
Another pamphlet has "An Oration pronounced at Hanover, New Hampshire January 9, 1800; at request of Franklin Lodge, No. 6 in Memory of their Illustrious Brother, the Beloved Washington ;
282
History of Hanover
who died at Mount Vernon, Dec. 14, 1799 by Brother William Woodward (Printed at Hanover by Brother Moses Davis.)"
The same year according to the Lodge records St. John's Day was celebrated.
"From Mason's Hall the procession proceeded to Deacon Dewey's Coffee House, where with rational conviviality, partaking of an elegant repast and drinking a number of toasts, Masonic, patriotic and moral, with the utmost order and harmony they ended the day amid the feast of reason and the flow of soul."
Again in 1803 the Dartmouth Gazette of July 2nd shows that St. John's Day was celebrated on June 24th :
"At high 12 procession formed, preceded by music, and moved, in Masonic Order, to the Meeting-house ; where was delivered a pious, well adapted Dis- course, by Rev. Brother Barber. After which followed a concise and senti- mental address by Worshipful Master Wm Woodward. Vocal and instru- mental Music, judiciously selected and well performed, gave animation to the whole."
In September 1805, there was a special visitation of all the lodges in the State by a Grand Deputation, headed by Dr. Lyman Spalding, Special Deputy Grand Master.1 They were escorted from Claremont to Hanover by a committee from Franklin Lodge, and on September 26th held a special Grand Lodge in the Lodge room. They reported :
"This is a very reputable Lodge. Their records and doings, their by-laws and regulations, evince the truth of this statement. The lectures on the three degrees were exhibited before the Lodge much to the satisfaction of this Lodge. At this place the Grand Deputation were treated with uncom- mon urbanity and great attention."
"After the Lodge was closed, the R. W. William Woodward, Esq., Dis- trict Deputy Grand Master, called on the deputation and apologized for not attending the Lodge that evening, having just arrived in town. He also begged to be excused from accompanying the Grand Deputation through his District, as business of an important nature demanded his immediate attention." 2
In 1803 the first District Deputy Grand Masters were appointed. One of the two was William H. Woodward 3 of Hanover. He served continuously for twelve years. In 1815 he was elected Grand Master of Masons in the State of New Hampshire at
1 Dr. Spalding was a lecturer in the Medical School at Dartmouth from 1798 to 1800, and Grand Secretary of the Grand Lodge of New Hampshire from 1801 to 1813.
2 Proceedings of New Hampshire Grand Lodge, Reprint of 1860. Vol. I. p. 110-1.
3 Mr. Woodward assumed the middle initial by authority of an act of the legislature passed in 1807.
283
Societies
the first session of the Grand Lodge held in Concord. His elec- tion was without any previous office in the Grand Lodge except his long career as a District Deputy. In 1816 he was reelected.
Between 1796 and 1812 Batchellor tells us that two hundred nine men were added to the Lodge rolls. His researches show that of this number one hundred fifteen were numbered among the graduates of Dartmouth College. This is especially note- worthy in view of a vote by the College Trustees at their meeting in August 1799: "Voted that if any undergraduate of this Uni- versity shall become a Member of any Lodge of Freemasons or shall attend any meeting of any Lodge of Masons he shall cease to be a member of this institution."
In June 1816, Moses Greenough and others presented to the Grand Lodge a petition for the removal of Franklin Lodge, No. 6, to Lebanon. Notwithstanding a favorable report from the com- mittee to which it was referred, the petition was not successful. The following year, June 11, 1817, the matter again came before the Grand Lodge and the removal was authorized. It was in accordance with the general practice of the period to make such changes in location, so far as the records show, without requiring special action by the Lodge concerned. Usually, as in this case, the petition would be held over for one year. The change of loca- tion threw the organization permanently into the hands of the Lebanon members, yet Hanover members retained their connection and continued to exercise from time to time important functions in it.
Batchellor says :
"The causes which moved in the change of location in 1817 are not appar- ent at this date. It was a time of general prosperity with the institution, and the removal was the result, doubtless, of local considerations. The controversy between the college and the university had developed at this time into a serious conflict, in which politics and other issues were involved. Such a state of affairs may have generated divisions in the Lodge. As to this, the suggestion is purely speculative. The removal of the Lodge left the Chapter in Hanover, and, by giving Lebanon the responsibility for the other, promoted a division of the labor of maintaining regular organizations and ritual work, which, presumably, was advantageous to both bodies. The final removal of the Chapter to Lebanon in 1831 indicates that in the dark days of that Masonic epoch the Masonic sentiment was stronger in Lebanon than in Hanover."
The Masters of the Lodge successively were James Wheelock, Josiah Dunham, Rufus Graves, Benjamin J. Gilbert, William H. Woodward, James Howe, Thomas Brigham, James Howe, Aaron
284
History of Hanover
Wright, James Poole, Henry Hutchinson, and James Poole. In the Grand Lodge Hanover furnished the following officers besides M. W. M. Woodward: James Poole, Grand Marshall 1815 and 1816, Grand Pursuivant 1822, Master of Ceremonies 1823 ; Henry Hutchinson, Senior Grand Deacon 1819; Jacob Carter, Grand Lecturer 1826; James Freeman Dana, District Deputy Grand Master 1823, Senior Grand Warden P.T .; Grand Master 1825 and reelected in 1826 but unable to complete his service on account of removal from the State. The election of James Freeman Dana as Grand Master of Masons in New Hampshire at the age of 31, only four years after making Hanover his residence and two years after he had affiliated by dimit with Franklin Lodge, was a strik- ing tribute to a brilliant man.1
After the removal of Franklin Lodge to Lebanon, Hanover continued to contribute in substantial numbers to the membership. A restriction on student membership became effective in 1812. In 1828 activity of the Lodge ceased as a result of the Anti-Masonic sentiment of the period. In 1854 the Charter was restored and for the next few years Hanover contributed about one-third of the new members. Among the Hanover Masons on the roll of honor for the Civil War may be mentioned Capt. James B. Perry, Capt. Lorenzo D. Gove, Major Israel O. Dewey, Edwin B. Frost, Everett S. Fitch, Luther C. Hurlbutt, and George W. Rand. Capt. Perry, Master of Franklin Lodge 1859 and 1860, District Deputy Grand Master 1861, and Master of Hughes Lodge in the Fifth New Hampshire Regiment, died heroically in the battle of Fred- ericksburg.
Batchellor tells us in his Historical Address that "Once before the Anti-Masonic period, in 1818, and after the removal of Frank- lin Lodge, and again in 1864, petitions were presented for the establishment of a Lodge at Hanover. The name suggested for the new Lodge in 1818 was Harmony, and for that in 1864, Dart- mouth."
1 Samuel F. B. Morse, in a published statement little known, acknowledges his indebtedness to Professor Dana for what is popularly credited to Mr. Morse by saying "The modification, since universally adopted, in the con- struction of the electro-magnet, is justly due to the inventive mind of Prof. JAMES FREEMAN DANA. Death, in striking him down at the threshold of his fame, not only extinguished a brilliant light in science, one which gave the highest promise of future distinction, but the suddenness of the stroke put to peril the just credit due him for discoveries he had already made."
Quoted in Historical Address by Harry M. Cheney in Proceedings Grand Royal Arch Chapter of New Hampshire, 1919.
285
Societies
In 1907 a petition was presented to the Grand Lodge for a new Lodge in Hanover to be called Bezaleel Lodge in honor of Bezaleel Woodward the first petitioner for the original Dartmouth Lodge. The special committee appointed by the Grand Master held a hear- ing on the petition but, owing to the short time available, asked for an extension of time until the next annual session of the Grand Lodge. May 20, 1908, the committee, after a hearing and a thorough investigation, reported favorably and a charter was voted.
The charter was duly issued, dated September 11, 1908, to the following twenty-three charter members: Lucius Waterman, Howard Nelson Kingsford, Alfred Willard Guyer, George Wilson Rand. Halsey Charles Edgerton, Carl Chester Ward, George Ray Wicker, Ashley Kingsley Hardy, Samuel Clark Rogers, John Franklin Aulis, Edward Payson Storrs, Huntington George Will- cox, John James Bond, Ellsworth Oliver Carter, Jerome Chesley, Newton Alvin Frost, Charles Jordan, George Andrew McKnight, William Henry Poole, Edwin Pierce Pushee, Jesse Siddall Reeves, Samuel Wright Smith, Charles Devere Williams.
On September 11, 1908 the Grand Lodge met in Hanover and duly consecrated the Lodge and installed its officers, the first twelve persons listed above. About one hundred seventy-five persons attended. From 1908 until 1925 the Lodge met in the I.O.O.F. Hall in the Bridgman Block. Since 1925 quarters have been available on the second floor of a block on the east side of Main Street owned by the Baptist Society and especially fitted up for Bezaleel Lodge. In 1927 the total membership numbered two hundred fifteen.
The Masters of the Lodge in order have been Lucius Water- man, Howard N. Kingsford, Alfred W. Guyer, Carl C. Ward, George R. Wicker, Halsey C. Edgerton, Adna D. Storrs, James P. Farnam, Arthur P. Fairfield, William H. Murray, Raymond R. Marsden, Leslie F. Murch, and Sidney C. Hazelton.
During this period Hanover has been represented in the Grand Lodge as follows : Halsey C. Edgerton, Grand Lecturer 1918, Dis- trict Deputy Grand Master 1919, Senior Grand Deacon 1927 ; and Arthur P. Fairfield, Grand Lecturer 1925 and 1926, and District Deputy Grand Master 1927.
The first Chapter of Royal Arch Masons in New Hampshire was established at Hanover under the name of St. Andrews, by warrant issued January 27, 1807 from Thomas Smith Webb of
286
History of Hanover
Boston, General Grand King of the General Grand Chapter of the United States. The Charter was approved by the Grand Chapter, June 7, 1816, no session of the General Grand Chapter having been held in the meantime.
The earliest account of the proceedings of this Chapter is found in the Dartmouth Gazette for March 13, 1807 :
"On Tuesday, 3d March A L 5807 By Virtue of a warrant underhand and seal of Most Excellent Benjamin Hurd, G. H. P. of the G. Chap. of Royal Arch Masons of the United States-Opened a Royal Arch Chapter at Mason's Hall in Hanover-Present, Most Excellent Sherman Dewey D. H. P., Orimel Hinkley, H. K., Thomas Hough, S., John Mann, Jun. Sec'y, Companions, Andrew B. Peters, Josiah Gates, Elisha Hitchcock, Charles Magill.
"At 2 o'clock, P.M. a procession of Companions and Brethren marched from the Hall to the Meeting house, where an excellent and appropriate dis- course was delivered by Rev. Bro. Thompson, of Pomfret, Vt., from John 1, 46-7, after which the procession returned to the Hall and partook of a small but generous repast."
The same paper of the date of June 5, 1807 tells of a joint cele- bration of the Chapter and the local Lodge.
"The Festival of St. John the Baptist will be celebrated at Hartford on Friday, the 26th day of June inst. by the FRANKLIN and WARREN Lodges. Brethren to assemble at Br. Leavitt's Hall at 9 o'clock A.M. and the procession to form at 11 .- It is expected a Sermon will be delivered by Brother Gross. The Brethren of the different Lodges are requested to attend."
By vote of the Grand Chapter in 1823 this Chapter was also distinguished by its number, as No. 1. Its meetings were held annually on the fourth Monday of January, and quarterly on the corresponding days of the appropriate months. In 1824 it had thirty-six members. During the period of Anti-Masonic activity, like other Masonic bodies, it languished. In 1830 St. Andrews Chapter, whose membership at that time was about sixty, was allowed to convene at Lebanon, and the next year the change was made permanent. In 1864 the Chapter was reorganized and given its old rank as the pioneer Chapter of the State.
The Charter and the records of the Chapter down to 1820 are lost. The following men from Hanover held the office of High- Priest: William H. Woodward 1812, Henry Hutchinson 1818 and 1819, James F. Dana 1824, Jacob Carter 1827 and 1828.
St. Andrews was one of the three Chapters which met in con- vention at Hopkinton, June 11, 1818, to adopt measures for the establishment of a Grand Chapter. Henry Hutchinson, lawyer,
287
Societies
of Hanover was on the committee to draft the constitution. On the formation of the Grand Chapter at Concord, June 10, 1819, three of the officers were taken from St. Andrews Chapter, Henry Hutchinson of Hanover being Grand King. The Grand Chapter on July 12th and 13th, 1820 met at the hall of the Dartmouth Hotel in Hanover, Henry Hutchinson being Grand Scribe. Henry Hutchinson and James Freeman Dana were subsequently elected Grand High Priest. In 1924 Professor Dana was President of the Council of High Priests.
There was also established at Hanover at a date that cannot be determined, but certainly as early as 1822, Washington Council of Royal and Select Masters, the second Council established in the State. The Council had regular meetings on the fourth Wednes- day of January and of each alternate month following. James Freeman Dana was one of the officers. The records of the Coun- cil for the early years have disappeared. The Council also dropped out of activity in the Anti-Masonic days, but was revived in 1887 at Lebanon. At that time it was given a number, 10.
In 1824 a number of Knights Templar, under the lead of Pro- fessor James F. Dana and assisted among others by Gen. James Poole and Henry Hutchinson, applied to Sir Henry Towle of Boston, Deputy Grand Master of the General Grand Encampment of the United States, and obtained in April a Charter for an encampment of Knights Templar and appendent orders at Han- over, under the name of Trinity Encampment No. 1. Sir James F. Dana was named the first Grand Commander. This was the first Commandery to be established in New Hampshire.
Preliminary meetings were held at Lebanon in March and again in April. On May 8th a meeting was held at Mason's Hall in Hanover for the purpose of consecrating the encampment and installing the officers. The encampment was opened by Sir. H. Towle, D. G. G. M., U. S. A. The Knights then proceeded in due form, accompanied by invited guests, to the hall of St. Andrews Chapter, where, after the audience had received the salutation of the Knights in due form, the following program was carried out.
1. An Ode by the Handel Society of Dartmouth College.
2. Prayer by the Rev. President Tyler of Dartmouth College.
3. Consecration of the Encampment by Sir H. Towle, D. G. G. M.
288
History of Hanover
4. Installation of the officers. Installing Prayer by Rev. Prof. Shurtleff.
5. Address by Sir H. Towle, D. G. G. M., U. S. A.
6. Ode by the Handel Society.
7. Prayer by Rev. Prof. Haddock of Dartmouth College.
8. Benediction by Rev. Prest. Tyler.
The Sir Knights then saluted the audience and retired to their room with the invited guests, and afterward proceeded to the Dartmouth Hotel where they partook of an "elegant dinner."
The encampment on April 25, 1825 voted to remove to Lebanon. Its meetings were always irregular, there being on the average not more than two each year until 1828. The annual meeting, May 3, 1830, appears to have been the last ever held, though the records of the Grand Encampment recognize the existence of the Chapter until 1837. The Commandery was revived June 12, 1860, the name being retained by the Commandery now located at Manchester. Sullivan Commandery at Claremont now has juris- diction over Hanover.
Hanover and Lebanon are the only two towns in Grafton which over a period of years have grown in population. Each has pros- pered in its own field. The link between them Masonically has been good for both. After the Lodge was moved from Hanover to Lebanon the Chapter remained in Hanover and later the Council and Commandery were organized in Hanover, with support from Lebanon. Who can say in this day and generation how much this really meant for the development of Masonry in the State of New Hampshire ?
Odd Fellows
The Grand Lodge of the Independent Order of Odd Fellows was established in New Hampshire at Concord, July 9, 1844. The Hanover Lodge, which took the name of "Good Samaritan Lodge, No. 75," received its charter from the Grand Lodge of the State under date of February 16, 1888. There were nine charter members, to whom were added fourteen on the date of installation, which was the same as that of the charter.1
1 The charter members were :
M. M. Amarall D. B. Currier E. T. Ford P. H. Whitcomb
D. S. Bridgman
H. Donaldson C. G. Piper C. H. Wood
C. D. Brown
The added members were :
J. N. Chase M. H. Howard
W. H. Rand H. J. Weston
J. H. Foster J. H. Loveland R. W. Sawyer G. H. Whitcher
N. A. Frost J. B. Paddleford W. H. Ticknor
G. A. Goodhue L. A. Purmont Simon Ward, Jr.
289
Societies
The first exercises of the Lodge were held in the hall of the G. A. R., where the Lodge continued to meet for a year and a half. For a short time it then occupied the third floor of Whitcomb's block, but in 1900 it removed to more commodious quarters in the Bridgman block across the street. In the fire of October 30, 1906, the block was destroyed and the Lodge lost all its possessions, including its record. Owing to insurance, the financial loss of the Lodge by the fire was happily small. During the construction of the new block, to which it returned in 1907, the Lodge held its meetings in the Episcopal chapel near the rectory. The order has prospered and has a present membership of 182.
Affiliated with it is the Golden Rod Rebekah Degree Lodge, No. 42, which receives relatives of Odd Fellows and unmarried white women not less than eighteen years old. Its meetings are held in the hall of the Odd Fellows. It has a membership of 240. Its charter was derived from the Grand Lodge of the Rebekah Degree of the State, and was issued September 29, 1891.
The Grange
The first chapter of the Grange in Hanover was organized at Etna in Hayes Hall, June 19, 1875, by a representative of the Grange, named Boynton from "some town in Vermont," and was at first known at "No. 60," but was later christened as "Grafton Star Grange."
There were thirty-six charter members 1 and the membership fees were $5 for men and $3 for women. The idea which lay at the foundation of the organization was the great financial benefit that was to come through co-operative buying, and a beginning was made in the purchase of twelve pairs of overalls for $9, a dozen brooms for $3.48, and a chest of tea at $50 a pound. In addition to the expected profit there was the purpose of other
1 The charter members were Mr. and Mrs. W. L. Barnes, Mr. and Mrs. J. D. Bridgman, Mr. and Mrs. J. L. Bridgman, Mr. and Mrs. H. F. Hoyt, Jr., Mr. and Mrs. Carleton H. Camp, Mr. and Mrs. David H. Camp, Mr. and Mrs. Charles D. Camp, Mr. and Mrs. Calvin Webb, Mr. and Mrs. Cyrus P. Smith, Mr. and Mrs. R. A. Tenney, Mr. and Mrs. William Hall, Mr. and Mrs. T. W. Praddex, Laura A. Camp, Emma Z. Shedd, Fannie E. Hall,' Carleton Corey, I. B. Camp, David H. Heath, Burton H. Heath, H. A. Prad- dex, David H. Tenney, Charles H. Hurlbutt.
The officers were W. L. Barnes, master, H. H. Harris, overseer, John L. Bridgman, lecturer, H. F. Hoyt, Jr., steward, David H. Camp, assistant steward, Carleton H. Camp, chaplain, Thomas W. Praddex, treasurer, John D. Bridgman, secretary, David H. Tenney, gatekeeper, Mrs. H. H. Harris, Ceres, Mrs. David H. Camp, Pomona, Miss Laura A. Camp, Flora, Miss Emma Z. Shedd, lady assistant steward.
-
290
History of Hanover
gains, which were to be secured by the establishment of a library and by literary entertainments at stated meetings, which were held in different places, often at private houses. But the hope of financial gain proved delusive, and the meetings languished, so that after four years the Grange was disbanded, December 27, 1879, the books in the library were sold and the money in the treasury was divided among the members.
Seven years later at the instance of Professor Charles H. Pettee of the New Hampshire College of Agriculture and the Mechanic Arts, then located at Hanover, the Grange was revived on Novem- ber 16, 1886, with twenty-eight members, of whom five had belonged to the earlier organization.1 This new movement was very successful. Within five years the Grange had 210 members and was the third in size in the State. Its meetings were held at Hayes Hall in Etna, and at Culver Hall and the Grand Army hall on the plain, the last becoming in course of time the per- manent home of the Grange. For the expectation of financial profit with which the earlier Grange began there was substituted the purpose of "agricultural, humane and social" benefit, and with this threefold interest the membership has had no more than nat- ural variation, and in 1920 there were enrolled eighty-nine male and one hundred and twenty-two female members. Bi-weekly meetings have kept the association active, and a definite object of effort has been supplied in the granting of scholarship aid to stu- dents of the town who are in attendance at the State College at Durham.
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.