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ALLEN COUNTY PUBLIC LIBRARY 3 1833 03224 5885
From Thomas H. Bateman 1343 Vestern Saring Fund Bldg. Broad & Chestnut Sts. Philadelphia ?, Pa.
Gc 974.802 P53cr v. 2
An historical catalogue of the St. Andrew's Society of
HISTORICAL CATALOGUE OF THE ST. ANDREW'S SOCIETY OF PHILADELPHIA
THIS EDITION IS LIMITED TO FOUR HUNDRED COPIES
ID N49
Great Britain Scotland The St. Andrew's Society Pennsylvania United States City of Philadelphia STANDARDS OF THE ST. ANDREW'S SOCIETY
HISTORICAL CATALOGUE
OF
THE ST. ANDREW'S SOCIETY OF PHILADELPHIA
WITH BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCHES OF DECEASED MEMBERS
COMPILED BY ROBERT B. BEATH
VOLUME II 1749-1913
PRINTED FOR THE SOCIETY
1913
Allen County pont Library 900 Wch 2 130 1 PO Born Fort Wayne, IN 48901-2270
PRINTED BY J. B. LIPPINCOTT COMPANY AT THE WASHINGTON SQUARE PRESS PHILADELPHIA, U. S. A.
ROBERT BURNS BEATH President 1906-1907 Historian, The St. Andrew's Society
PREFACE
IN issuing this second volume of the Historical Cata- logue of The St. Andrew's Society of Philadelphia, the writer may properly feel that he can now be relieved of further work and responsibility in this direction. The work has been carried on between times in a busy life, and has proved pleasant and interesting.
It is to be regretted that a number of names of our deceased members have been omitted from this volume after repeated inquiries failed to secure the information desired.
The St. Andrew's Society is greatly indebted to one, not a member, Mr. Frank Willing Leach, whose mono- graphs on " Old Philadelphia Families " in the Sunday edi- tion of the "North American " have been freely drawn upon.
The Biddle, Burd, Dundas, Leiper, McCall, McIlvaine, Smith, and other Scotch families have been portrayed in Mr. Leach's interesting articles as among the foremost and best of those who helped in the building of City, State, and Nation.
In later important events, as circumstances or conditions have demanded, other members of The St. Andrew's So- ciety have also well performed their several parts as citizens of our country, by birth or adoption, and they will continue to do so.
ROBERT B. BEATH
December, 1913
V
CONTENTS
PAGE
A SYNOPSIS OF THE RECORDS OF THE EARLY YEARS OF THE SOCIETY. . I
SEAL AND CERTIFICATES OF MEMBERSHIP. 19
CONTINUATION OF THE MINUTES OF THE SOCIETY 22
NOTES OF SPECIAL SERMONS. 32
ONE HUNDRED AND SIXTY-FOURTH ANNIVERSARY 176
BIOGRAPHIES OF DECEASED MEMBERS
AITKEN, ROBERT 41
ANGUS, CAPTAIN JOHN 44
BAINE, JOHN 45
BALD, ROBERT L. 46
46
BARTRAM, GEORGE, JR.
47
BINGHAM, GEN. HENRY H
48
BINNY, ARCHIBALD
50
BLACKIE, JAMES
54
BOWIE, RALPH, EsQ. 54
BOYD, MALCOLM PETER 55
BOYD, PETER, EsQ. 56
BROCKIE, WILLIAM.
58
BUCHANAN, REV. DUNCAN MCLENNAN
59
BUIST, ROBERT, JR
60
BURNS, FRANK .
61
BURNS, DR. ROBERT BRUCE.
62
CAMPBELL, JAMES FAIRMAN.
173
CARSTAIRS, JAMES .
63
CRAIG, HUGH, JR.
172
CUMMINGS, COL. ALEXANDER
65
DOBSON, THOMAS.
67
DUNDAS, THOMAS.
67
FREEMAN, TRISTRAM B.
70
GALEY, WILLIAM THOMAS.
70
GOODFELLOW, GEORGE
71
GRAHAM, WILLIAM.
72 73
HAMILTON, GAVIN, SR
74
HARDING, ALEXANDER
75
HAVILAND, JOHN 76
HENDERSON, ROBERT
77
vii
HAMILTON, GAVIN, JR
CARSTAIRS, THOMAS. 64
BARTRAM, GEORGE, SR.
Contents
HENDERSON, SAMUEL JONES.
78
HOGAN, JAMES . 78
HOPE, JAMES FERGUSON. 79
HUNTER, CAPTAIN WM. M (U. S. N.).
80 81
KENNEDY, ROBERT GRAY
LEIPER, THOMAS.
82
LUKENS, DR. ISRAEL
82
LUNAN, ALEXANDER.
83
MACALISTER, JAMES, M.A., LL.D.
I73
MACGREGOR, DAVID A.
83
MACLURE, WILLIAM
83
MACPHERSON, MAJOR JOHN, JR. (From Oration by Rev. Dr. Wm. Smith).
88
MASON, JOHN
89
MAYWOOD, ROBERT CAMPBELL
89
MELISH, JOHN
91
MELVILLE, REAR ADMIRAL GEO. W.
93
MERCER, GENERAL HUGH-(Relative to Sword of)
97
MILNE, CALEB JONES
100
MILNE, FRANCIS FORBES.
104
MURRAY, REV. ALEXANDER, D.D.
105
MURRAY, GEORGE (Bucks Co.)
107
MCCLELLAN, COL. CARSWELL
108
MCCLELLAN, PROF. GEORGE
109
MCCREA, JAMES.
III
MCILVAINE, DAVID.
I13
MCILVAINE, JOSEPH, JR.
114
MCILVAINE, WILLIAM.
I14
MCILVAINE, DR. WILLIAM
116
McLEAN, HUGH.
II7
NIMLET, DAVID CAMPBELL.
118
NORTH, HON. HUGH MCALISTER
119
ORR, HECTOR.
122
ORR, THOMAS.
122
OSWALD, COL. ELEAZAR.
122
PALMER, GEORGE
125
PITCAIRN, ROBERT
I26
RAMAGE, ADAM. 128
129
REGISTER, ISAAC LAYTON 129
RICHARDSON, JOHN, C. 130
RITCHIE, CRAIG DORSEY, ESQ. 131
RONALDSON, CHARLES E. I33
RUSSELL, REAR ADMIRAL ALEX. W I35
SCOT, CAPT. JOHN AGNEW (U. S. N.)
137
viii
REESIDE, COL. JAMES
Contents
SIMS, CAPT. WALTER.
I38
SINGLETON, CAPT. STEPHEN C. 138
SINKLER, DR. WHARTON.
138
SMITH, EDMUND 142
SMITH, JOHN R. C.
143
SMITH, ROBERT
I45
SMITH, ROBERT HOBART
I49
SMITH, WILLIAM, M.D.
I 50
SMITH, WILLIAM ANTHONY, M.D.
151
SMITH, WILLIAM HARRISON .
151
SNOWDEN, COL. ARCHIBALD L.
152
SOMMERVILLE, JAMES LAING.
153
SPROAT, DAVID.
155
ST. CLAIR, SIR JOHN . I57
THOMPSON, HON. SAMUEL GUSTINE. 158
TOLAND, HENRY. 160
TRAQUAIR, ADAM .
160
TRAQUAIR, SAMUEL HENDERSON, EsQ.
161
TROTTER, JAMES. 161
TURNBULL, FREDERICK.
161
WALKER, PETER. 162
WALLACE, JOHN (Founder) 163
WALLACE, JOHN BRADFORD, ESQ.
165
WALLACE, JOSHUA MADDOX 166
WALLACE, PROF. SHIPPEN.
167
WARDEN, WILLIAM GREY 168
WILKIE, SAMUEL 170
YOUNG, CAPT. JAMES.
I71
ILLUSTRATIONS
PAGE
STANDARDS OF THE ST. ANDREW'S SOCIETY.
Frontispiece
ROBERT BURNS BEATH. iv
GRAEME PARK.
3
FREEMASON'S LODGE
7
BUSH HILL
IO
INDIAN QUEEN HOTEL. II
CITY TAVERN
15
CERTIFICATE OF MEMBERSHIP 1750.
20
CITY RESIDENCE, REV. DR. WM. SMITH. 21
TITLE PAGE OF HOLY BIBLE 42
MOUNT PLEASANT. 88
PRESENT AND RECENT OFFICERS THE ST. ANDREW'S SOCIETY, 1913. I
DARRACH, HENRY
MCPHERSON, HON. JOHN B.
FERGUSSON, ALEXANDER C., JR.
MILNE, CALEB J., JR.
FERGUSSON, JOHN
MITCHELL, DR. S. WEIR
GIGER, FREDERICK S.
MITCHELL, DR. JOHN K.
GRAY, JOHN GORDON
RODGERS, JOHN J. S.
HOFFMAN, BENJAMIN R.
SMITH, LATIMER P.
KERR, WILLIAM McM.
THOMAS, J. FREDERICK
LAMB, REV. JAMES H., D.D.
TODD, HON. M. HAMPTON
MACFARLAN, DR. MALCOLM
PORTRAITS OF DECEASED MEMBERS
(Titles following names as President, Physician, etc., refer to positions in The St. Andrew's Society.)
AITKEN, ROBERT
41
BINGHAM, GEN. H. H.
48
BINNY, ARCHIBALD 50
BOYD, PETER. 56
BUCHANAN, REV. D. McL.
59
BURNS, DR. ROBT. BRUCE
62
CRAIG, HUGH, JR.
172
HARDING, ALEXANDER.
75
HOPE, JAMES F.
79
MACALISTER, JAMES, M.A., LL.D
173
MACLURE, WILLIAM. 84
MELVILLE, ADMIRAL G. W 93
MILNE, CALEB JONES. 100
MCCLELLAN, DR. GEORGE 109
xi
Illustrations
MCCREA, JAMES. III
NIMLET, DAVID C. I18
NORTH, HON. HUGH MCA. 119
OSWALD, COL. ELEAZAR. 122
PITCAIRN, ROBERT. 126
REGISTER, ISAAC L. 129
RITCHIE, CRAIG D. 131
RONALDSON, CHARLES E. 133
RUSSELL, ADMIRAL ALEXANDER W. I35
SINKLER, DR. WHARTON 138
SMITH, CAPT. ROBERT. I45
SMITH, THOMAS DUNCAN. 150
SNOWDEN, COL. ARCHIBALD L. 152
THOMPSON, HON. SAMUEL G 158
WALLACE, PROF. SHIPPEN 167
WARDEN, WILLIAM G. 168
THE ST. ANDREW'S SOCIETY OF PHILADELPHIA
OFFICERS AND COMMITTEES FOR THE YEAR ENDING NOVEMBER 30, 1914
PRESIDENT ALEXANDER C. FERGUSSON, JR.
VICE-PRESIDENTS CALEB J. MILNE, JR. J. FREDERICK THOMAS
SECRETARY BENJAMIN R. HOFFMAN (Room 610, 328 Chestnut St.)
TREASURER FREDERICK S. GIGER (Room 610, 328 Chestnut St.)
PHYSICIANS MALCOLM MACFARLAN, M.D. JOHN K. MITCHELL, M.D.
CHAPLAIN REV. JAMES H. LAMB, D.D.
COUNSELLORS HON. M. HAMPTON TODD LATIMER P. SMITH, EsQ.
HISTORIAN ROBERT B. BEATH
ASSISTANTS
JOHN FERGUSSON WM. McM. KERR
JOHN J. S. RODGERS FREDERICK S. GIGER
HENRY DARRACH
Standing Committees
FINANCE COMMITTEE WM. RUDOLPH SMITH, Chairman JOHN G. CARRUTH WILLIAM E. HELME
AUDITING COMMITTEE ALEXANDER C. FERGUSSON, Chairman W. WALLACE ALEXANDER JAS. BURNETT GIBB
QUARTERLY MEETING COMMITTEE GEORGE DUNCAN, Chairman
WILLIAM McCLEAN CHAS. J. MAXWELL
ELECTIVE COMMITTEE DAVID MILNE, Chairman
DR. J. LAWSON CAMERON
CHAS. M. McCLOUD
JOHN P. MACBEAN A. REED MCINTIRE
WOODLANDS BURIAL LOT COMMITTEE W. W. WALLACE, Chairman CHAS. DAVIS CLARK JOHN GRAHAM
LIBRARY COMMITTEE DAVID MILNE, Chairman
BENJAMIN R. HOFFMAN
DR. R. T. MCKENZIE
F. E. STEWART, M.D.
REV. E. MORRIS FERGUSSON
ROBERT B. BEATH FREDERICK S. GIGER
OFFICIAL PIPER DONALD MACNEAL
STANDARD BEARERS CHARLES E. MAXWELL, Chairman CALEB J. MILNE, 3d THOMAS DUNCAN SMITH
FREDERICK T. THOMAS FRANK S. MUZZEY
A. REED MCINTIRE
PORTRAITS OF PRESENT AND RECENT OFFICERS THE ST. ANDREW'S SOCIETY
JOHN GORDON GRAY President 1912-1913
ALEXANDER CUTHILL FERGUSSON, JR. President 1913-
CALEB JONES MILNE, JR. Vice-President 1911-
J. FREDERICK THOMAS Vice-President 1913-
HON. JOHN BAYARD McPHERSON Vice-President 1904-1906
BENJAMIN ROSE HOFFMAN Secretary 1913-
FREDERICK SIDNEY GIGER Treasurer 1910-
MALCOLM MACFARLAN, M.D. Physician 1880-
3
REV. JAMES HART LAMB, D.D. Chaplain 1906-
HON. M. HAMPTON TODD President 1890-1891 Counsellor 1872-
LATIMER PAINTER SMITH, ESQ. Counsellor 1912-
ASSISTANTS
WILLIAM McMURTRIE KERR JOHN JACOB SMITH RODGERS JOHN FERGUSSON FREDERICK SIDNEY GIGER HENRY DARRACH
HISTORICAL CATALOGUE
OF
THE ST. ANDREW'S SOCIETY OF PHILADELPHIA
A SYNOPSIS OF THE RECORDS OF THE EARLY YEARS OF THE SOCIETY*
THE first Minute-book of The St. Andrew's Society of Philadelphia covers the period from the date of formal organization, December 7, 1749, to November 30, 1776, important years in the history of Province, State, and Nation; from the time of the preliminary movements to secure and establish British possession in Western Pennsyl- vania and beyond its borders, to within but a few months after the Declaration of Independence, in all of which events members of this Society bore prominent parts.
Some twenty-five men-all of Scottish birth, as appears by the statement in the " Advertisement " printed in full in the Historical Catalogue of the Society of 1907-met in Philadelphia on the date first named to put into formal operation a Society for the relief of " the poor and dis- tressed " of their countrymen.
* In compiling the first volume of the Historical Catalogue of The St. Andrew's Society of Philadelphia, the Committee did not deem it necessary to traverse the ground gone over by a former committee, of which the able Secretary, Craig D. Ritchie, Esq., was chairman, but since that time the writer has carefully scanned the old Minutes and deemed it well to present, in this form, not only the objects aimed at in the organization of the Society, but also the personnel of the men to whom we are so much indebted. R. B. B.
I
Synopsis of Early Records
In explanation of their purpose, they said :
We, who are Natives of that part of Great Britain called Scotland and reside in the City of Philadelphia, meeting frequently with our Country-people here in distress, who generally make application to some one or other of us for relief, have agreed to form ourselves into a Society in order to provide for these Indigents whereby they may be more easily, more regularly, and more bountifully suppl'd than cou'd well be done in the common troublesome way of making occasional collections for such purpose.
As we propos'd to restrict the Charities of our Society to our Indigent Country-Folks alone, so it was our original intention to admit none but Scotsmen born into the Society, and to apply to or receive contributions from none else.
The requisites for membership were :
Any man of honour and integrity provided he be a Scotsman or the son of a Scotsman or of Scots Parentage . . able and willing to contribute towards a Charitable design of this Nature whereby their own Kinsmen from Scotland might some time be relieved in time of want and Necessity.
The Rules adopted, twenty-seven in number, provided means for carrying out the objects aimed at, which included benevolent, social and fraternal features.
The Minutes state as to the organization :
At a general meeting of The St. Andrew's Society held this day, the committee appointed to draw up Rules for the Society had them in readyness, they were accordingly laid before the Society and being unanimously agreed to, were signed by the members and agreeably to the said Rules the Society elected the following officers.
The record of this meeting ends :
Voted unanimously agreed and Seal'd with the Society's seal at Philadelphia in the Province of Pensilvania this Seventh of December in the year of our Lord, One Thousand Seven hundred and forty-nine.
It is a proper inference from the above that prior meet- ings had been held, a committee appointed on Rules, and the name and form of the Society agreed upon, for both Advertisement and Rules show careful consideration and
2
Copyright, 1912, by J. B. Lippincott Company
GRAEME PARK
Horsham, Montgomery County, Penna., Country-residence of Dr. Thomas Graeme, first President The St. Andrew's Society From " Colonial Homes of Philadelphia and Its Neighbourhood "
Synopsis of Early Records
required time for their preparation, but, as we find no record of any earlier meetings, the date named (December seventh) must be held as the date of organization.
The signatures of the Founders of the Society were written evidently on a separate sheet and later pasted in this Minute-book; several of the names have been in part mutilated, but they can be easily identified from the con- text. Following these twenty-five names is written " these are the original members." The signatures of twenty-two others are appended without specifying the dates of their election to membership.
The officers then elected were: President, Dr. Thomas Graeme; Vice-President, James Burd; Treasurer, John Inglis; Secretary, James Trotter; Assistants (Almoners), Dr. Adam Thomson and William McIlvaine.
With the exceptions of Doctors Graeme and Thomson, the officers named were engaged in business of various kinds, and doubtless all the members were selected because of their standing in the community.
Dr. Graeme, the President, was then second on the roll of Justices of the Supreme Court of the Province, appointed April 9, 1731. He was born in Perthshire, Scot- land, of the powerful family of the Grahams of that sec- tion. Educated as a physician, Dr. Rush later said of him that for nearly half a century he maintained a place in the front rank of his profession.
He was active also in political and social affairs, held various offices, and at the time of his death-in his 84th year, September 4, 1772-had been serving for about twenty years as naval officer for the port of Philadelphia. His city residence was on the north side of Chestnut Street below Seventh. His country-seat, Graeme Park, on a tract of 1200 acres on the southern boundary of the present Montgomery county, and some eighteen miles from the centre of Philadelphia, was one of the noted country estates of that period. His youngest daughter, Elizabeth Fergus-
3
Synopsis of Early Records
son, was reputed to be the most accomplished woman of pro- vincial times.
Colonel James Burd, Vice-President, was the founder in this country of the well-known Burd family. He had, as an advertisement shows, a store on Carpenter's Wharf, " opposite Wm. Coleman's," for the sale of English silk goods, etc. He was the leading engineer in building roads for the march of the troops in the Braddock campaign to Western Pennsylvania, and was promoted later for active service from captain to lieutenant-colonel, and to colonel in the subsequent campaign under General John Forbes.
John Inglis, Treasurer, a merchant, was conspicuous in public and social affairs and married one of the Mc- Calls, a prominent family of that day. He was President of this Society when he died.
James Trotter, Secretary, and William McIlvaine, an Assistant, were also engaged in mercantile business. Mr. Trotter, Secretary, advertised as an importer of broadcloths, etc., at his store " next door to Townsend White on Front Street."
Dr. Adam Thomson, an Assistant and later Vice-Presi- dent, was noted as one of the first physicians to practise inoculation for the prevention of smallpox. He removed to New York in 1755, and there interested himself in the formation of the Saint Andrew's Society of that city, of which he became Vice-President and then President, 1757. Full credit for his active assistance in this respect is accorded Dr. Thomson in the History of the Saint Andrew's Society of New York.
Membership .- It can be said of all the early members recorded in these Minutes, that they were prominent in the community. Those benighted people who look upon the Scotch as a " dour, crabbed lot " may be surprised to learn that the lists of the First Dancing Assembly in Philadelphia -composed of those who were then foremost in the social whirl-contained the names of each of the officers and of other members of The St. Andrew's Society, twenty-four
4
Synopsis of Early Records
in number. John Inglis, Treasurer of the Society, was a recognized leader in those festivities. His portrait was painted for the Assembly. The first name on the subscrip- tion list 1748-49, preserved by the Historical Society of Pennsylvania, is that of the Lieutenant-Governor, James Hamilton, elected President of The St. Andrew's Society November 30, 1750.
The Rev. Richard Peters, secretary to the Penns, in a letter relates, as a matter of society gossip, that the Gover- nor at the opening of the Dancing Assembly received a very decided snub from a lady whom he had invited to open the dance with him. She declined, it was understood, be- cause the Governor had not first called upon her. The letter says :
two or three other ladies out of Modesty and from no manner of ill- design excused themselves, so that the Governor was put to his shifts when Mrs. Willing, now "Lady Mayoress" in a Most Genteel manner put herself in his way. The Governor danced the first Minuet with this amiable lady who showed her fine breeding by stepping in to prevent his being placed in an awkward position.
The " Lady Mayoress " was before her marriage, Anne, daughter of Edward Shippen, first Mayor of Philadelphia under charter of 1701.
The Society was represented also in all the military companies of the time. A number belonged to the Church of England, several served as vestrymen in Christ Church and St. Peter's, and one prominent member, later President of the Society, Rev. William Smith, D.D., of the College of Philadelphia and first Provost of the University of Pennsylvania, was repeatedly chosen as orator for special public occasions and preached in both Christ Church and St. Peter's. Others were prominent members of the early Presbyterian churches and members and officers of the first Masonic lodge.
Mecting Places .- During the first seventeen years, the secretaries did not record on the Minutes the places where meetings of the Society were held. Fortunately, one of the
5
Synopsis of Early Records
Rules required publication in the newspapers of the time and place for such meetings, and an examination of old newspaper files has made it possible to supply these omis- sions except as to the place for the first meeting, before referred to, that of December 7, 1749.
The Pennsylvania Gazette was then published by Ben- jamin Franklin and David Hall, the latter one of the founders of the Society and at that time in full charge of the printing business established by Dr. Franklin. After Mr. Hall's death and the dissolution of the firm, his place was taken by his son William, who with William Sellers continued the publication of the Gazette, and they printed the catalogue of the Society for 1769. William Hall was also Secretary of the Society during a part of the Revo- lutionary War, in which he served as a sergeant of the famous company of cavalry, now known as the First Troop Philadelphia City Cavalry.
As before stated, no record has been found of the place of meeting on December 7, 1749, but the first Quarterly Meeting, that of February 28, 1750, was held at the " Tun Tavern," originally on King (now Water) Street below Chestnut, and likewise all the meetings in the years 1750- 175I. Therefore it is probable that the first meeting was held at the same place.
The call for the first Quarterly Meeting, February 28, 1750, appeared in both the Pennsylvania Gazette and the Pennsylvania Journal or Weekly Advertiser, reading :
The Members of THE ST. ANDREW'S SOCIETY
are desired to attend their Quarterly Meeting at the Tun Tavern on Water Street on Wednesday the 28th February [1750] precisely at Six o'clock in the Evening. JAMES TROTTER, CI'k.
A similar notice called for the next Quarterly Meeting to be held at the same place on Friday, August 31, 1750; and that for St. Andrew's Day, November 30, 1750, reads :
6
--
By courtesy of the Grand Lodge of l'ennsylvania
Copyright. 1908
FREEMASON'S LODGE 1755-1786 In Lodge Alley above Second Street, between Chestnut and Walnut Streets THE ST. ANDREW'S SOCIETY met here first February 28, 1755, and regularly thereafter until November 30, 1764, and occasionally until 1768
Synopsis of Early Records
The Members of THE ST. ANDREW'S SOCIETY
are desired to attend their Anniversary Assembly on Friday the 30th of this Instant at the Tun Tavern in Water Street, precisely at 10 o'clock in the forenoon. JAMES TROTTER, Sec'y.
At the second anniversary, on St. Andrew's Day, No- vember 30, 1751, the Vice-President, Dr. Adam Thomson, called attention " to some dissatisfaction existing about meeting in a Publick Tavern" on account of the added expense, and a committee was appointed to arrange for future meetings in the " Assembly Room on Mr. ( Andrew) Hamilton's wharf," and they were to furnish the wine and other necessaries for the suppers. This building was located on the Delaware River front, north of the old drawbridge at Dock Street, and was used for various stores, lodge- rooms, and the Dancing Assembly previously referred to. John Inglis, first Treasurer of the Society, was one of the tenants in this building.
The quarterly meetings from February 28, 1752, until the end of the year 1754 were held on Hamilton's wharf; but the Anniversary of November 30, 1752, was held at the " Bull's Head " on Market Street, that of 1753 at the " Tun Tavern," and that for 1754 at the "Three Crowns " at Second and Walnut Streets, " famed for the excellence of its table."
Freemason's Lodge .- In 1754 the Masons, on account of objections of members to meetings in the taverns, caused a building to be erected on Norris Alley-later named Lodge Alley and now Sansom Street-on part of the site now occupied by the U. S. Appraisers' stores on Second Street above Walnut.
The dedicatory sermon was delivered in Christ Church on Tuesday, 24th June, 1755, the Grand Anniversary of St. John the Baptist, by the Rev. William Smith, of The St. Andrew's Society.
A copy of the sermon, "printed by B. Franklin and
7
Synopsis of Early Records
D. Hall," elsewhere referred to, with notes by Dr. Smith, is in the possession of his great-great-grandson William Rudolph Smith, Esq., a Past President of The St. Andrew's Society.
On February 28, 1755, the Society met in the " Masonic Lodge," and continued to meet there until 1764, in all about nine years. Afterward frequent changes were made, as we find, in addition to the " Tun," the tavern of Patrick Byrne, Front Street below Walnut ;* then to John Mc- Intyre's, on Front Street, at the sign of the ship " Penn- sylvania "; "The Fleece," on Front Street; the " Bunch of Grapes," on Third above Market Street; and for the years 1774, 1775, and 1776 at the "Indian Queen," on Fourth Street south of Market, probably the most notable hostelry of that day. (See illustration.)
Membership .- The provision for membership has already been stated, but at first there was no rule as to "Honorary Members." On May 31, 1750, it was agreed-
That any of our Country-men who are strangers and are applyed to for Charity and they give twenty shillings or upwards shall be deemed Honorary Members and a copy of the Rules be delivered them.
Mr. James Wardrop of Virginia is thus first recorded, with a contribution of two pounds three shillings and six pence, and Mr. - Lawson of Maryland, one pound. There were quite a number of contributors of this charac- ter, and these entries have caused some confusion in re- cording also as "Honorary Members " persons residing within the State at a distance from Philadelphia. Notable instances are: Doctor, later General, Hugh Mercer, of the present Franklin County, member 1757, and General Arthur St. Clair, of Westmoreland County, member 1775. The latter presided over the meetings of Congress in Philadel- phia before a President of the United States was elected. In 1769 formal provision was made for two classes of
* The Society of the Sons of St. George organized in this tavern, April 23, 1772.
8
Synopsis of Early Records
membership, " Resident " and "Honorary," the latter to be of "those who residing at too great distance from Philadelphia to be considered as Resident members and present a sum not less than Twenty shillings to the Use of this Society,"-the applicant to be " a native of that part of Great Britain called Scotland, or the son or grandson of parents, one of whom at least hath been born in Scotland."
The Catalogue of 1769 contains the List of Officers for that year and the names of 76 Resident and 147 Honorary Members.
Attendance at Meetings .- A peculiar fact shown on these early Minutes is, that, excepting as to the officers, the names of members present at the meetings were entirely omitted, and only names of absentees recorded, who were to be fined under the Rules unless a reasonable excuse was presented at the next meeting. The fines first imposed were ten shillings for absence from the Quarterly Meetings and twenty shillings for absence on St. Andrew's Day. There are entries of committees appointed at various times to collect fines from delinquents when money was especially required for charities. The suppers at the Quarterly Meet- ings could not have been as liberally provided as they are now in the line of eatables, but from the bills, of which we have copies, the liquid refreshments were evidently more than liberal, and the Society had to rule that all who staid after a designated hour were to foot their own bills.
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