USA > New Hampshire > Grafton County > Littleton > History of Littleton, New Hampshire, Vol. II > Part 60
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Freemasonry.
presiding with dignity and administering its various duties with urbanity and absolute mastery of the ritual.
Mr. Haskins was succeeded in the East by Elbert C. Stevens, who filled the chair but one year, declining a re-election ; then came Albert Stillman Batchellor and John Franklin Tilton, each holding one year ; Ruel W. Poor, Millard Fillmore Young, and Charles F. Bingham. each for two years. In 1891 Thaddeus E. Sanger filled the chair for one year, and its occupants since have been Charles F. Eastman, Solon L. Simonds, Herbert K. Hallett, Wilbur Fisk Robins, Alfred W. Coburn, and the present occupant, William M. Silsby, who, with the exception of W. F. Robins, who was elected three times, held for two years each.1
Burns Lodge is one of the flourishing institutions of the town, and ranks well with similar bodies in the State. It has a present membership of 193. As Masonic bodies are secret associations, the difficulties attending the preparation of a history of its transactions are obvious. We know who are in, but not what transpires after they passed the outer gate, nor the names of those who have knocked at its doors only to be denied admission. In late years liberal sums from the treasury have been appropriated for charitable work, but in its giving, as in its work, it has followed the injunction, " When thou doest alms, let not thy left hand know what thy right hand doeth."
At the time when Burns Lodge had recovered from the depres- sion incident to the war, the members of Franklin Chapter at Lisbon, resident in this town, desired the establishment of a com- mandery of Knights Templar and the appendant orders here. Having first procured the assent thereto of North Star Com- mandery at Lancaster, they, in May, 1868, petitioned Sir Knight Charles A. Tufts, Grand Commander of the Grand Commandery of the State, to grant them a dispensation for a commandery in Littleton, which was granted in the following terms :
[DISPENSATION.]
To all whom it may concern, Greeting, whereas, a petition of sundry Knights Templar in the town of Littleton, praying that a dispensation may be granted them to open and hold a Commandery of Knights Templar and Councils of the appendant orders at the town of Littleton, in the County of Grafton and State of New Hampshire, aforesaid, has been presented to me for consideration, and whereas it appears to me that the prayers of the petitioners ought to be granted.
NOW KNOW YE, that I, CHARLES A. TUFTS, Grand Commander of the
1 For list of officers in the several Masonic bodies in this town, see statistical tables relating to Masonry.
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History of Littleton.
Grand Commandery of Knights Templar for the State of New Hamp- shire, by virtue of the power in me vested, do grant this my Dispensa- tion to CHAUNCEY H. GREENE, JAMES J. BARRETT, CHARLES C. SMITH, NELSON C. FARR, LORENZO C. KENNEY, PHILIP H. PADDLEFORD, THAD- DEUS T. CUSHMAN, AARON D. FISHER, and GEORGE ABBOTT, the peti- tioners aforesaid and to their associates and successors, and empower them to open and hold a Commandery of Knights Templar and Councils of the appendant orders at the place aforesaid, to be called and dis- · tinguished by the name of St. Gerard Commandery, No. 9, and in each of the several Orders to confer the respective degrees thereof upon such person or persons possessing the requisite qualifications as they may think proper.
And I do by these presents appoint SIR CHAUNCEY H. GREENE as Eminent Commander, SIR JAMES J. BARRETT as Generalissimo and SIR LORENZO C. KENNEY as Captain General, with continuance to them of the said powers and privileges until the fourth Tuesday of September, in the year of our Lord, one thousand eight hundred and sixty-eight, and no longer; at which time they are hereby enjoined to make a re- turn of this Dispensation with all their official doings under the same. Provided, nevertheless, that the said officers and members of said Commandery, pay due respect to our Grand Commandery and the Con- stitution and Edicts thereof, and in no way remove the ancient land- marks of the Order ; otherwise this Dispensation and all things therein contained to be void and of no effect.
Given under my hand and seal, at the City of Dover, this tenth day of June, in the year of our Lord, one thousand eight hundred and sixty-eight.
CHARLES A. TUFTS, G. C. [SEAL.]
At the time the petition was filed it was proposed by the petitioners that the Grand Commander, Charles A. Tufts, of Dover, Albert R. Hatch, of Portsmouth, and Thomas E. Hatch, of Keene, suggest a name for the new organization, and their selection of " St. Gerard " was written into the dispensation and afterward into the charter. This name is revered in Masonic circles, but it is not known why St. has been prefixed. This Gerard was the founder of the Order of Hospitalers, or St. John of Jerusalem, afterward known as the Order of Malta, but he was never canon- ized. Most likely the error in regard to the title arose, as in many other cases, from the fact that it should have been bestowed, and custom sanctions its use, especially in Masonic bodies.1
1 John F. Tilton, who gathered the material for this brief sketch, wrote Albert S. Wait, asking for the history of the name, and his reply follows :
NEWPORT, N. H., September 26, 1903. JOHN F. TILTON, Esq., Littleton, N. H. :
MY DEAR SIR AND BROTHER, -I am in receipt of your note of the 24th inst., in which you inquire the origin of St. Gerard, and why the Littleton Commandery
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Freemasonry.
The first regular conclave of the Commandery was held August 31. 1868, at half-past nine in the forenoon. Grand Commander Charles A. Tufts was present. At this morning conclave William H. Chandler and George W. Eastman received the orders of the Red Cross. In the afternoon the order of the temple was conferred on the same candidates, and in the evening Andrew J. Edgerly, of Haverhill, received the same orders. William H. Chandler was then elected and installed Standard Bearer, and A. J. Edgerly as First Guard.
At the annual conclave of the Grand Commandery held in Knights Templar was named from him. I will give you the best information I possess upon the subject.
This Gerard was the founder of the Order of Hospitalers, or St. John of Jerusalem, afterwards and still known as the Order of Malta. Says the " Modern Universal His- tory," vol. xv. pp. 216-217 (which has the completest and best history of the Order of Malta which I know), speaking of the Christians in Jerusalem just prior to the siege of that city by the Crusaders under Godfrey de Bouillon : " Among these was the celebrated Gerard, a Frenchman of Provence, who, from the time he came to visit the places of the city, had dedicated himself to the service of the hospital of St. John, and, from his singular piety and tenderness to the pilgrims, had the care and manage- ment of that house committed to him, under the title of administrator." The ac- count goes on to describe his exertions, assisted by a Roman lady by the name of Agnes, for the relief of the suffering Christians, until his death in the year 1118, when he was succeeded in the government of the Order by Raymond Dupuy, under whom, from a peaceful monastic society devoted to charitable works, the institution be- came a military order, devoted to the defence of Jerusalem against the Moslems. Gerard's birth was about the year 1040; his death, as already stated, in 1118, or, as some notices of him say, about 1120.
There is also some account of this person in Addison's " History of Knight Tem- plars," ed. by Macoy, p. 165 and seq. His name occurs also in a short paragraph among the proper names in the Century Dictionary.
Some account of him will be found in the 9th ed. of the Enclyclopædia Britannica, vol. x. p. 439, and vol. xxi. p. 174 ; also in the International Cyclopædia, vol. vi. p. 607. A very good notice of him will be found in Mackey's Encyclopædia of Free- masonry, in the article entitled " Knights of Malta," and the statements there appear well authorized by the " Universal History."
Although the undoubted founder of the order, Gerard is not generally esteemed its first Grand Master, that distinction being generally accorded to Raymond Dupuy, I suppose for the reason that it was under the latter that the Order first took its mili- tant character. In some of the references to him he is distinguished as "The Blessed," but I do not find him anywhere in history referred to as a saint, or any intimation that he was ever canonized. Whether his name actually appears upon the church calendar as a saint, I am not informed. I doubt whether it does. There was a Saint Gerard, undoubtedly canonized as such, who lived some four hundred years later, seldom mentioned, and only slightly known in history ; but this person never had anything to do with the Order of Malta, or anything else in which Masonry or any Masonic order is interested, and is clearly not the person about whom you inquire.
I have thus suggested to you all the sources of information to which I have access, and shall be only too glad to know that I have been able to assist you in any degree in the pursuit of your inquiry.
Very fraternally yours, ALBERT S. WAIT.
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History of Littleton.
Concord on September 29, 1868, St. Gerard Commandery re- ceived its charter.1
On January 15, 1869, the following officers were installed by Grand Commander Henry O. Kent, of Lancaster : Chauncey H. Greene, Eminent Commander; James J. Barrett, Generalissimo ; Lorenzo C. Kenney, Captain General ; Philip H. Paddleford, Prelate ; Charles C. Smith, Senior Warden ; Cephas Brackett, Treasurer ; Nelson C. Farr, Recorder ; William H. Chandler, Standard Bearer; George Abbott, Sword Bearer; Aaron D. Fisher, Warden; Andrew J. Edgerly, First Guard; Charles H.
1 (COPY.) [CHARTER.]
THE GRAND COMMANDERY OF KNIGHTS TEMPLAR OF THE STATE OF NEW HAMPSHIRE,
Assembled in Grand Conclave in Concord in said State.
SEND GREETING : BE IT KNOWN, That whereas a petition has been presented by CHAUNCEY H. GREENE, JAMES J. BARRETT, LORENZO C. KENNEY, CHARLES C. SMITH, NELSON C. FARR, P. H. PADDLEFORD, T. T. CUSHMAN, A. D. FISHER, and GEORGE ABBOTT, all Knights Templar in regular standing, residing in Littleton, in the State of New Hampshire, and its vicinity, praying for authority to assemble at a regular Com- mandery in said town of Littleton ; and whereas, said petition is accompanied with satisfactory recommendations.
NOW KNOW YE, That We, the Grand Commandery of Knights Templar and the ap- pendant Orders of the State of New Hampshire, by our Grand Officers, do hereby authorize and empower the said CHAUNCEY H. GREENE and his associates above named, to form, open and hold a regular COUNCIL OF KNIGHTS OF THE RED CROSS, and COMMANDERY OF KNIGHTS TEMPLAR and KNIGHTS OF MALTA, of the ORDER OF ST. JOHN OF JERUSALEM, in said town of Littleton, by the name, style and title of ST. GERARD COMMANDERY, No. 9, and said Commandery is hereby invested with full power to assemble on all lawful and proper occasions, to create KNIGHTS OF THE RED CROSS, KNIGHTS TEMPLAR and KNIGHTS OF MALTA; to make By-Laws for their own government, and generally to transact all such matters and things as may and ought to be transacted, consistent with the ancient usages and customs of the Order.
And we do hereby appoint said CHAUNCEY H. GREENE First Commander, said JAMES J. BARRETT, First Generalissimo, and said LORENZO C. KENNEY, First Cap- tain General of said St. Gerard Commandery.
And we hereby require said St. Gerard Commandery to make annual returns to the Grand Commandery of New Hampshire, of the names of their officers and mem- bers and the names of all candidates accepted and rejected, and to pay annually the sum of two dollars for each and every Knights Templar created therein, for the benefit of the funds of said Grand Commandery, or such other sums as said Grand Commandery may from time to time require.
And we do furthermore enjoin it upon said St. Gerard Commandery to conform in all their doings to the Constitution, Laws, and Edicts of the Grand Commandery of New Hampshire and of the Grand Encampment of the United States, and in failure thereof, this Charter and all the powers hierein granted, shall be null and void.
Given under our hands and seal of the Grand Commandery, at Concord, this twenty-ninth day of September, A. D. 1868, A. O. 750.
(SEAL)
. HORACE CHIASE, Grand Recorder. 1
HENRY O. KENT, Grand Commander.
WILLIAM BARRETT, Dep. Gr. Commander. JOHN D. PATTERSON, Grand Generalissimo. S. G. GRIFFIN, Grand Captain General.
,
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Freemasonry.
Applebee, Second Guard ; Samuel P. Ford, Third Guard. Ac- cording to the provisions of the constitution the annual conclave was held in June, when the above officers were re-elected.
In his annual report to the Grand Commandery in September, 1869, Grand Commander Henry O. Kent says : "St. Gerard of Littleton was formally instituted by me in 1869. This com- mandery deserves special official commendation and warrants pre- dictions of success. Its members possess an indomitable spirit. They have prepared one of the most elegant and capacious halls in the State, are well supplied with regalias, are proficient in work and discipline, and afford abundant evidence of the executive ability of the officers and zeal of the members." These predictions have been abundantly fulfilled.
The commandery, on its social side, has entertained several visiting commands, and has been entertained by them in return. In June, 1885, the commandery visited St. Johnsbury, Vt., and took part in the dedication of the Masonic Hall ; on June 22- 25, 1886, it entertained William Parkman Commandery of East Boston, Mass., and Cœur De Lion of Charlestown, Mass. The visiting commands came on a special train, and were escorted to the Oak Hill House. In the evening they were entertained at a banquet in Union Hall. In commemoration of this event a testi- monial was presented St. Gerard Commandery. Several other commands have been the guests of St. Gerard since that time.
The commandery made pilgrimages to Charlestown, Mass., in June, 1888, and to Boston, in August, 1895, to attend the Twenty- sixth Triennial Conclave. Ninety-five members were guests of the Hugh De Paine Commandery, of Malden, Mass., on this occasion.
An interesting event in the history of St. Gerard Commandery occurred in June, 1886, when the heirs of the late Sir Knight James J. Barrett presented St. Gerard, for preservation, the diploma of Cush. R. Edson, given him by the General Assembly under sanction of Lodge No. 15, in Fairfield County, South Caro- lina, which came into possession of Sir Knight Barrett by gift from Samuel Alden Edson, a grandson of the Sir Knight who issued it. The diploma is dated September 25, 1795. It bears the sig- natures of William Johnston, High Priest ; Samuel M. Mills, Cap- tain General ; George Kennedy, Grand Master, and J. Johnston, Scribe.
St. Gerard has an extensive jurisdiction and a large and in- fluential membership, and has continuously maintained its position among the strong commanderies of the State.
586
History of Littleton.
Omega Council, No. 9, Select, Royal, and Super-Excellent Mas- ters, was organized under a dispensation granted on the thirteenth day of March, 1875, by Oliver C. Fisher, Most Puissant Grand Master of the Grand Council of New Hampshire. The petitioners were Charles B. Griswold, of Haverhill, a member of Bradford, Vt., Council, No. 11; Samuel B. Page, of Haverhill, member of Horace Chase Council, No. 4, of Concord ; Samuel P. Carbec, of Haverhill, member of Bradford, Vt., Council No. 11; George W. Barrett, of Littleton, member of Pythagorean Council No. 4, of Laconia ; Wil- liam A. Haskins, of Littleton ; Frank Simpson, of Haverhill, of Pythagorean Council ; George F. Savage, of Lisbon, a member of Caledonia Council, No. 13, St. Johnsbury, Vt. ; and Benjamin F. Wells, of Littleton, of an army council which was located at Fort Slocum near Washington, in 1864.
In the dispensation Most Puissant Grand Master Fisher desig- nated William A. Haskins, T. I. Master, and Samuel B. Page, Deputy Master.
The first meeting was held March 28, 1876, and a large number of petitions for membership and degrees were received.
At the annual meeting of the Grand Council, May 15, 1876, a petition for a charter for this council was presented. The names attached, beside those who asked for the dispensation, were Chauncey H. Greene, Curtis Gates, Benjamin Morrill, Ezra B. Mann, Nelson C. Farr, George F. Abbott, and Cephas Brackett.
The council was regularly instituted March 9, 1877, when Deputy Past Grand Master Henry Colby, assisted by companions, Henry L. Currier as Grand Marshal, performed the ceremony and installed the officers elected under the charter.
For some time previous to 1880 the removal of the council to Plymouth had been under consideration, and at the annual meet- ing on April 24 of that year, it was voted to concur in the propo- sition for its removal to that town. The last meeting in this town was held in January or February, 1881. A special meeting, un- der dispensation, was held at Plymouth on the 3d of February, 1881, and degrees conferred on a large number of applicants of Plymouth and vicinity. The pilgrims who transferred the para- phernalia to Plymouth were C. H. Greene, H. A. Johnson, J. F. Tilton, G. W. Barrett, T. M. Fletcher, George T. Cruft, G. F. Abbott, E. D. Dunn, and C. C. Smith. The council has flourished in its present location, and justified the wisdom of the change.
There are two orders of Ancient and Ancient Accepted Scottish . Rite Masonry located in Littleton, - a council of the Princes of
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Freemasonry.
Jerusalem and a chapter of St. Rose of Croix. Both were insti- tuted under dispensations, and each was chartered September 19, 1895.
The officers of the council at the time of its institution in 1894 were Thomas M. Fletcher, M. E. Grand Master ; Oscar C. Hatch, Deputy Grand Master; Charles F. Eastman, M, E. Senior Grand Warden ; William H. Bellows, M. E. Junior Grand Warden ; Charles C. Smith, Grand Treasurer, and Fred H. English, Grand Secretary.
The chapter officers at the same time were Chauncey H. Greene, M. W. and P. Master ; Charles L. Clay, M. E. Senior Warden ; Herbert E. Kenney, M. E. Junior Grand Warden ; Thomas M. Fletcher, M. E. Grand Orator ; Charles C. Smith, R. and P. K. Treasurer, and Fred H. English, R. and P. K. Secretary.
All the Masonic bodies in Littleton at the present time are strong in numbers, well officered, and representative of the professional and business life of the town in their membership.
588
History of Littleton.
LIV. ODD FELLOWS AND OTHER FRATERNAL ORDERS.1
A MMONOOSUC LODGE of Odd Fellows, No. 24, was insti- tuted at Littleton, October 26, 1848, by Grand Master J. C. Lyford, upon petition of Otis Batchelder, M. L. Goold, Ebenezer Eastman, D. P. Sanborn, and J. H. Angier. Among its early members were John G. Sinclair, who was many years after- ward granted permission to join the lodge at Orlando, Florida. Other distinguished gentlemen were members during its existence whose names we need not mention. The lodge continued its existence with varying fortunes for a period of twelve years. At one time it had a substantial membership of about sixty ; but with removals, suspensions, and deaths, with a general lack of interest, in 1860 it surrendered its charter in an honorable manner and returned its effects to the Grand Lodge. At the time of its surrender it granted final cards to thirty-three members. On this list we find the names of three of the charter members, viz., Batchelder, Sanborn, and Goold; also the names of Sinclair and E. D. Kenney. Marquis L. Goold was Secretary for some six years, and the records under his hands are models of neatness and correctness. But at the time of the surrender General Kenney, a noble man and true Odd Fellow, held the office. Having concluded the official records of the last proceedings, in a tone of sadness, if not of absolute sorrow, he added these sig- nificant words : " Thus ends a branch of one of the best institu- tions ever devised by man." It was in view of the dissolution that the Bible was presented to the Masonic Lodge, and Brother Kenney appointed to make the presentation, which he did in an appropriate speech.2
In response to the remarks of General Kenney, an address was made by Col. Henry W. Rowell, in behalf of Burns Lodge, which expressed their grateful appreciation of the fraternal regard of
1 This brief sketch of Ammonoosuc Lodge was written by Joseph Kidder, of Manchester.
2 See Manchester Daily Union, June 26, 1886.
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Odd Fellows and other Fraternal Orders.
Ammonoosuc Lodge, manifested both by word and deed on this occasion, and which prompted the presentation of the Bible which the lodge accepted. The book is still on the altar, bearing a suitable inscription in testimony of its interesting history, and, as the great Light in Masonry, has been opened and closed, as Burns Lodge has been opened and closed, for more than forty years.
The last meeting of Ammonoosuc Lodge was held January 25, 1860. "The immediate cause of the surrender at that time," says the same writer, "with so many members 'square on the books' is not now apparent. The untoward event occurred at a period when there was a loss of interest in the order generally, and just before the great civil commotion that shook our country from centre to circumference. Probably the members were dis- couraged, and really believed this order in a short time would collapse. But the best of men and in their best estate are short- sighted and oftentimes in error. With thirty-one members the lodge should have lived and prospered. It was about the period of the turning-point in the order. It soon recovered from the paralysis that threatened its local and national existence, and its subsequent march as a fraternal organization has been as a giant among kindred organizations, firm and unshaken. To-day it occupies a proud position, and its future history will be one of triumphs, marking in an emphatic manner the civilization of the age that is passing. Ammonoosuc Lodge was never resuscitated, nor its charter returned. In 1876, in the centennial year, a lodge was established at Littleton, called Lafayette, and took No. 11 of defunct Monadnock, at Mason Village. A few months later Web- ster Lodge was christened at Goffstown, and the old No. 24 was given to that lodge under the laws of the order. During the same year (1877) a lodge was instituted at Groveton, and it was allowed to take the name of Ammonoosuc, with the old No. 29 that once belonged to Fitztrojan Lodge at Fitzwilliam. It will thus be seen that both names and numbers underwent many strange changes but without detriment to the order. There are now few better lodges in the jurisdiction than Lafayette No. 11 at Littleton, Webster No. 24 at Goffstown, and Ammonoosuc No. 29 at Groveton. They are all well established, in good working con- dition, with funds in the treasury and a membership thoroughly imbued with the principles of the order. There is no question of their continued growth and prosperity."
The first officer in a lodge of Odd Fellows is designated as Noble Grand. The incumbents of the office in Ammonoosuc
590
History of Littleton.
Lodge No. 24 in Littleton were: 1848, James H. Angier ; 1849, David P. Sanborn ; 1850, Otis Batchelder, Marquis L. Goold ; 1851, Adams Moore, Francis Hodgman; 1852, Charles W. Brackett, Joseph L. Gibb; 1853, James H. Angier, Benjamin W. Kilburn ; 1854, Edward O. Kenney, George S. Woolson ; 1855, Aaron B. Miner, Josiahı Kilburn; 1856, George F. Batchelder, George Abbott ; 1857, Albert H. Quimby, James J. Barrett; 1858, Calvin J. Wallace, Ai Fitzgerald ; 1859, Alonzo Weeks, Chester M. Goodwin.
The growth of the town in the years following that of the sur- render of the charter of Ammonoosuc Lodge No. 24 brought here as residents a number of members of the order. In 1874 the question of re-establishing a lodge was considered. Such progress was made that in 1876 application was made to the Grand Lodge for a charter, which was granted, and Lafayette Lodge No. 11, I. O. O. F., was instituted, October 4, 1876, with the following charter members : William A. Richardson, Horace Gates, Chauncey H. Greene, George W. Barrett, Royal D. Rounsevel, George W. Ruland, and Henry H. Porter. The officers installed at the time of the institution of the lodge were as follows: William A. Richardson, Noble Grand ; Horace Gates, Vice Grand ; Chauncey H. Greene, Secretary ; George W. Barrett, Treasurer ; Henry J. Fisher, Warden.
The lodge grew rapidly for a few years, but since 1900 has about maintained its strength of that time. Its present inember- ship (1903) is 126.
In 1890 the Paddleford building was purchased of William A. Richardson, and the necessary changes made in the upper story for the use of the several organizations connected with Lafayette Lodge, and it has since been occupied by them. The first floor is rented for mercantile purposes.
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