USA > Pennsylvania > Allegheny County > The history of the Masonic fund society for the county of Allegheny from the year 1847 to 1923; with biographical sketches of deceased members of the Board of trustees By Hiram Schock. > Part 23
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Yesterday morning terminated the mortal existence of Mr. J. W. Hailman, who was probably one of the most extraordinary busi- ness men to be found in the commercial circles of Pittsburgh.
Brother Hailman began his business career while still a youth in Greene county, Pa., where he was born. He had some early education in the public schools and some acquaintance with classical literature obtained by a brief attendance at Washington college, in Washington, Pa. His first business venture in Pittsburgh, when he was only 21
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years of age, was as the head of the firm of Hailman, Bur- bridge & Co., wholesale grocers. Some years later his health, never robust, failed and he went to Baltimore, Md., to reside, thinking the climate there would be beneficial. But he was not content to remain there, and returned to Pittsburgh, where he again engaged in the wholesale grocery business. Later he became connected with the firm of Singer, Hartman & Co. In 1846, about the time he began his Masonic activities, he withdrew from the grocery trade and with others established the Duquesne Iron Works, an important enterprise with which he remained connected during the remainder of his life. When he died in 1860, he was vice president of the Pittsburgh Dollar Savings bank, President of the Pittsburgh Life, Fire & Marine Insurance Co., and a trustee of the Masonic Fund Society. He had for more than twenty years been afflicted with stomach and throat troubles, which finally culminated in his death at his beautiful residence on Shady avenue in the East District of Pittsburgh, and which is now transformed into a family hotel. He left what in the year 1860 could be called a considerable fortune. Among the various bequests in his will was one, from the proceeds of which the poor of the city of Pittsburgh still receive benefits. This bequest was one of $10,000, to be used as directed in the following clause of his will:
I give and bequeath to the Mayor, Alderman and Citizens of Pittsburgh the sum of $10,000, to be invested from time to time, under the direction of Councils of said city, in bonds of the Common- wealth of Pennsylvania, or government stocks or bonds of the United States, and the interest thereof annually paid into the treas- ury of said city for the special purpose of being applied and appropri- ated to the purchase of bread and potatoes for distribution among the worthy poor of said city, during the winter season, annually for- ever, under the supervision and direction of the Mayor and Presidents of the Select and Common Councils of said City.
This bequest has ever since its inception been known officially as "The Hailman Fund," and is invested in United States bonds, the interest from which is put to charitable uses by the city government.
Brother Hailman began his Masonic life by becoming a Master Mason in Lodge 45, January 9, 1846. At that
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date Brother Samuel Mckinley was W. M. of Lodge 45, and he conferred the First and Second degrees upon the candi- date, the Third being conferred by Brother Alexander Mc- Cammon, who had succeeded Mckinley in the East. At this time Judge Charles Shaler had long been a member of that lodge, and so it came about that Brother Hailman was made a Mason in the midst of brethren who were soon after to be associated with him in the formation of the Masonic Fund Society and in the work of bringing about the con- struction of the Masonic Hall of 1851. The petition for membership from Brother Hailman into Lodge 45 was pre- sented October 10, 1845, and it gives this information:
A petition praying for initiation signed by James W. Hailman, age 36 years, profession, Merchant; residence, near East Liberty; recommended by Bros. S. Mckinley and J. J. Ashbridge, received.
But Brother Hailman did not long remain in Lodge 45. In March, 1846, a charter was granted for the institution of St. John's Lodge, No. 219, and he was one of the seventeen warrant members. With him in this group were Judge Charles Shaler and William W. Wilson, later members of the Board of Trustees of the Masonic Fund Society, of which organization he became a member on June 22, 1847. In 1854 Brother Hailman was instrumental in assisting to organize one of the two early Grand Encampments, K. T., in Pennsylvania, interesting information on this point be- ing given in an article printed in the July, 1854, number of Moore's Freemason's Magazine, published in Boston, Mass., as follows :
We have a copy of the proceedings of a Convention held at Brownsville, on the 12th April last, for the purpose of forming a Grand Encampment for the State of Pennsylvania. Three Encamp- ments were fully represented, viz: Pittsburg Encampment, No. 1; Demolay Encampment, Washington, No. 2; and St. Omar Encamp- ment, Uniontown, No. 3. The convention was held under a special warrant for Sir William B. Hubbard, G. G. M. Sir Alfred Creigh, of Washington, Pa., presided. It having been resolved to proceed to the organization of a Grand Encampment, a committee was appointed to report the draft of a Constitution for its government. The com- mittee having reported, and their report adopted, the following Grand Officers were elected: Sir W. W. Wilson, Grand Master; J. B. Musser, Deputy Grand Master; John Bierer, Generalissimo; An- drew Patrick, Captain General; Rev. Noble Gillespie, Prelate; J. W. Hailman, Senior Warden; J. R. Griffith, Junior Warden; George
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Passmore, Recorder; William Thornbell, Treasurer; William Wolf, Standard Bearer; Thomas Davage, Sword Bearer; D. Zimmerman, Warden.
It is interesting to note that four of the Masons men- tioned in the above article became later members of the Board of Trustees of the Masonic Fund Society; namely, Brothers Wilson, Hailman, Davage and Wolf. Brother Hail- man continued to fill a Grand Encampment office until Feb- ruary, 1857, in which year delegates from the two Grand Encampments met in convention in Philadelphia and brought about the consolidation of the two Grand Bodies into one Grand Encampment for the State of Pennsylvania. At this Philadelphia convention, Brother William W. Wilson, later a Masonic Fund Society trustee, presided.
In the establishment of the Scottish Rite in the Valley of Pittsburgh Brother Hailman took an early and an impor- tant part. The Rite was established in 1852 and the meet- ing place was in the Masonic Hall on Fifth avenue until April 1, 1873, when, owing to the lack of space in the Hall, they removed to Library Hall on Penn street near Federal, where they continued to meet until October, 1889, when they removed to the new Freemasons Hall on Fifth avenue. In his notable address delivered in Gourgas Grand Lodge of Perfection, December 27, 1883, Brother Samuel Harper, 33º, said :
The first fourteen years of the existence of the Rite in this Valley were uneventful. Brother James W. Hailman, 32°, was the first presiding officer, having been elected Thrice Potent Grand Mas- ter June 16, 1852, and holding office, I am informed, until 1857.
Press of business affairs and ill health prevented Bro- ther Hailman from devoting sufficient time to the Scottish Rite work, and his official duties were performed to a large extent by his deputy, Brother James S. Hoon. In his report to the Supreme Council of Sov. Grand Inspector Gen., 33º, in 1853, Ill. Bro. K. H. Rensselaer, D. D. for Pennsylvania and Ohio, said, referring to Brother Hailman:
With sorrow we report the continued ill-health of the T. P. G. Master of Gourgas Lodge of Perfection of Pittsburgh, now in for- eign lands. In consequence of his ill-health and long absence, the duties of his office have fallen to Bro. Hoon, Sov. Master of the G. Council of Princes of Jerusalem.
At this time Brother Hailman was making an extended
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journey through Europe. In December, 1855, he was ap- pointed, much against his wishes, because of bad health, D. D. Grand Master to succeed Brother James S. Hoon. He gave as much as possible of his time and strength to the po- sition, and continued in the office through the years 1856 and 1857. In May of the latter year, Brother Peter Williamson, the R. W. Grand Master, in company with Grand Lodge offi- cers, made a Visitation to Pittsburgh, and in his address to the Grand Lodge later he gave an interesting account of the condition of the Order at that time, under the deputyship of Brother Hailman:
At Pittsburg a number of brethren awaited us and received us with much courtesy. In the evening a large number of the mem- bers of the several lodges located there, and in Allegheny City, were convened in the spacious and convenient lodge room in their new Hall. The worshipful master of the oldest lodge presided. A formal Grand Visitation was made, and an address delivered, after which we were welcomed by Brother Judge Shaler on behalf of the assembled brethren. Encouragement was then given to all present to propose any question in reference to the work or other peculiarities of the Order, which being fully responded to, the convention closed. On the following evening the brethren were again assembled for instruction, when upon the recommendation of our kind Brother Dr. King, to whom we are indebted for the admirable oration pronounced at the dedication of this Hall, (the Philadelphia Hall, in which the G. M. was then speaking), a candidate was entered, passed and raised by virtue of my presence; previous to which, however, and address was delivered and report made by the Grand Secretary upon examination of the minutes of the several lodges in attendance. After exhibiting and explaining the work connected with the opening and closing ceremonies, and pointing out some errors, we closed, highly gratified with our reception. The D. D. Grand Master, Brother James Hailman, was absent in Europe at the time of our visit, in pursuit of health; but has since returned, I am happy to say, much improved, and has reported the result of his labors and the state of the other lodges in his district, which will be read by the Grand Sec- retary for your information.
Brother Hailman became a member of Zerubbabel Chapter, No. 162, in February, 1847, but never held office in that Body. But from the standpoint of his services as a member of the Board of Trustees of the Masonic Fund Society, even more than from that of his work in the Scot- tish Rite and other Bodies, the services of Brother Hailman to the Craft are of inestimable value. During the precarious
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period of the Masonic Fund Society through the years 1855 to 1859 inclusive, when that organization was sorely in need of funds, and when differences among the stockholders were not always amicable, it was mainly through the in- fluence and the resources of Brother Hailman that peace and prosperity came back permanently. How sincerely and openly that great fact was recognized and acknowledged by his fellow trustees is seen by the resolution adopted at a meeting held August 7, 1860:
Our late Brother, James W. Hailman, for many years President of the Board of Trustees of this Society, having ceased his labors with the Craft on earth, and gone to that reward promised to the good and faithful Craftsman, in the Temple above, be it-
Resolved that to him we are greatly indebted for the noble edifice in which we have this night assembled. His love for the brethren prompted its erection, his Masonic spirit pointed the way, his busi- ness talent suggested the means, and his financial skill and adminis- trative ability, enabled us "to owe no man anything."
Resolved, that we deplore his loss as a bright particular star gone down in the firmament, who in entering the South, Passing the West, and approaching the East, gave evidence of a brother worthy of all the jewels conferred upon him by his fellows of the Craft.
Resolved, that his Masonic virtues characterized him in all his dealings beyond the tyled door of the Lodge Room, adding dignity to his character as a man, and lustre to his graces as a Christian.
Resolved, that these resolutions be entered upon the minutes of the Society, and that a copy of the same be presented to the family of the deceased.
The following appreciative words are taken from a his- torical sketch of Franklin Lodge, No. 221, by Brother P. M. George A. Howe:
On July 3, 1860, the lodge and the fraternity suffered a great loss in the death of Brother P. M. James W. Hailman, one of our charter members and our second worshipful master. From the foundation of the lodge until his death he had taken a most active interest in its welfare and that of the Craft, and was looked upon as a man and as a Freemason of the highest type, one who was indeed a master in all that the name implies. Upon the evening of his death the lodge held a special meeting to make arrangements for his funer- al, at which appropriate resolutions were adopted, extolling his worth and lamenting his loss. On the 5th of July he was buried with Ma- sonic ceremonies, and our minutes record that 189 of his brethren marched in his funeral procession, from his residence in East Liberty to the Allegheny cemetery.
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SAMUEL MCKINLEY
There is in the minutes of the Masonic Fund Society for the County of Allegheny of the date of October 4, 1854, an eloquent memorial record of the death of Brother Samuel Mckinley, in which occur these impressive words:
By many years of unwearied devotion to Masonic labors and Ma- sonic charities-a devotion which glowed but more fervently when storms of persecution swept the fiercest, or when the Masonic love of many grew cold-he had endeared himself strongly to the affection and the admiration of the brethren of this and other States.
Those sentences epitomize the Masonic life of this revered brother. He had stood a real pillar of Masonry when bitter bigotry and persecution were heaving their forces against the Fraternity in days when the Craft in Pittsburgh was far less strong than it is now. He lived all his life in the old city of Allegheny, now incorporated in the municipality of Pittsburgh, and was widely known and res- pected and loved. He was for many years a contract paint- er and a dealer in paints, and had an extensive business. Back in the year 1846 his trade announcement in the local newspapers read as follows:
S. Mckinley-House, Sign and Ornamental Painter & Dealer in Paints. No. 44 St. Clair St., Pittsburg.
At the time of his death in 1854 he was a member of councils from the Fourth ward, in Allegheny, and some years prior to that period had served as a school director. In both these positions he was a capable and honest incum- bent. It is interesting to note here in connection with his work as a school director that his daughter, Miss Amanda Mckinley, was a teacher in the public schools for 44 years, and at this date (1922) this cultured lady is still a resident of Allegheny, now known as the North Side.
Brother McKinley met his death in a railroad accident on August 23, 1854. Having from early youth been an earnest member of the Methodist Church, he had gone to worship at a campmeeting near Altoona, Pa., and was re- turning home in the cabin of a locomotive. While on the journey the engine was thrown from the track, and he was crushed beneath it. The following brief account of the
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fatal accident is given in a Pittsburgh newspaper of the date of August 24, 1854:
A telegraph dispatch was received last night announcing the death of Mr. Samuel Mckinley in a railroad accident which occurred near Altoona, on the Pennsylvania railroad. It appears that Mr. McKinley was passing from Hillside Station, where he had been at a campmeeting, to the point above mentioned, upon the locomotive of a freight train. When within a short distance of his destination (Al- toona), the engine met with some obstruction, which threw it off the track, and it turned over. Mr. Mckinley was thrown underneath the engine, and killed almost instantly.
Mr. Mckinley was an old and well known citizen, having resided here for many years, and his mournful and sudden death will be regretted by all.
To the Masonic Fraternity his death was a terrible shock and a great loss. There are no available records which give information as to the Masonic career of Brother Mckinley prior to his connection with Lodge 45 on Septem- ber 29, 1841. Originally he was a member of Ohio lodge, No. 113, which was warranted in 1809 and went out of existence in the year 1835. But it is evident that just as soon as he had gone into Lodge 45 he became active in the promotion of Masonic affairs. Within two years from his entry into that lodge he became its worshipful master, and upon the formation of the Masonic Fund Society he was made one of the first seven trustees, and at the preliminary meeting held December 25, 1847, was made secretary of the Board of Trustees and held that office until 1853. He was a charter member of Zerubbabel Chapter, No. 162, and was knighted in Pittsburg Commandery, No. 1. In the year 1847 fortune was not smiling with particular effulgence up- on the Craft in Pittsburgh, and Lodge 45 was suffering a financial pinch. Brother Mckinley was one of a committee of five named to "address a letter to the Grand Lodge, stating to them the cause of our inability to meet our pay- ments to them, and requesting a remittance of the same." This request the Grand Lodge eventually granted. But there were numerous other lodges throughout Pennsylvania mak- ing similar appeals at the same time, for the Order had not yet recovered from the effects of the antimasonry perse- cution. Brother Mckinley was W. M. of Lodge 45 during 1844-45, and he was selected, January 22, 1845, with
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Brothers John Birmingham, George Armor and Alexander McCammon to take charge, on behalf of Lodge 45, of its side of of the litigation over the title to the property at Third and Smithfield streets in Pittsburgh, on which stood the small building wherein the Masonic Bodies had met for many years, and which was destroyed by the great fire in 1845. This litigation has been described elsewhere in this volume. After that disastrous conflagration Lodge 45 had for some weeks no place in which to meet. But we read in the minutes of the very next session of the lodge after the fire that it was "held at the home of Bro. Saml. Mckinley in Allegheny City." This house, the dwelling place of Brother Mckinley when he died, is still standing and is known as No. 224 Isabella street, North Side. The property is now owned by his daughter, Miss Amanda Mckinley.
To aid the distressed, whether members of the Masonic fraternity or not, was ever a cardinal virtue with Brother Mckinley, and so we find that he was named, as shown by the minutes of September 26, 1845, as one of "five mem- bers of Lodge 45, who shall be styled the Trustees of Charity, to serve until the November election." In the min- utes of Lodge 45 of a meeting held December 12, 1845, when he had been succeeded by Brother Alexander Mc- Cammon as W. M., this pleasing episode is noted:
Bro. John Bigler on the part of the members of Lodge 45 pre- sented to Past Master Bro. Samuel Mckinley an Apron and Sash as a testimonial of his worth as a true and firm Masonic Character. Whereupon Bro. Mckinley made a few appropriate and neat remarks, acknowledging the Honor conferred upon him and tendered his sincere thanks to the members.
Another record of Lodge 45, of date of March 30, 1853, states that-
Communication from the Board of Managers of the Washington National Monument Society was read, asking this lodge to send to the Board the names of three members to collect funds for said Monument. The W. Master appointed James S. Hoon, C. A. Colton and S. Mckinley said Committee.
Having been appointed at the beginning of the year 1850 D. D. Grand Master of the Fifth district, he at once entered with vim and high purpose upon the duties of his office. Always busy and efficient in the affairs of his lodge, he was no less successful in the larger field of operations
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as a District Deputy. When therefore he retired from that office, the brethren set about the pleasant task of showing practically their appreciation of his valuable labors. Brother Alexander M. Pollock, then and for many years later a prominent Pittsburgh physician, was master of Lodge 45 when the following action was taken at a meeting held Oc- tober 26, 1853:
On motion of Bro. John P. Glass, Resolved that a committee of three from this lodge be authorized to confer with a committee from other lodges in this Jurisdiction, in adopting suitable arrangements to procure and present to D. D. Grand Master Mckinley a suitable testimonial as evidence of the high regard entertained for him as a Mason and for his successful discharge of the duties of the office of D. D. Grand Master during the period he has held said office. Said Committee were also to confer with Committees from other lodges in selecting a candidate for D. D. Grand Master. The W. M. appoint- ed Bros. P. M. James S. Hoon, John P. Glass and William Noble, Committee on the above resolution.
The above action of Lodge 45 was one of the first prac- tical steps taken in a popular movement begun in 1853 for the presentation to Brother Mckinley of a gift which should be expressive of the high regard in which he was held by his fellow Masons. This movement was headed by such intimate friends of Mckinley as Brothers Charles Shaler, Wilson McCandless, James S. Hoon, James W. Hailman, John P. Glass, and with them were brethren from other counties included in the Fifth Masonic District. At a gen- eral meeting of Masons in Pittsburgh held late in October, 1853, arrangements were made, and it was decided to pre- sent the retiring District Deputy with an elaborate and costly tea set, the presentation to be made some time in the following summer. But this fraternal and appreciative ex- hibition of affection, begun so pleasantly, was to have a sorrowful ending. At a meeting of Lodge 45, November 30, 1853, it was announced that Brother John P. Glass had been appointed at the general meeting of the brethren to take charge of the matter, and he at once set about it in his characteristically hearty manner, backed enthusiastically by Brother Wilson McCandless and other leading Masons. They started a subscription and got a goodly sum. Then it seems to have occurred to Brother Glass and his fellow con-
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spirators in the good work, that it would not be at all amiss to request the Grand Lodge to send in a donation, seeing that Brother Mckinley had so long and faithfully served as a district deputy. Whereupon Brother Glass sent a telegram to Brother George L. Childs in Philadelphia, who was a representative to the Grand Body from Lodge No. 19, of that city. This telegram was as follows:
Pittsburgh, Mar. 6th, 1854.
To George K. Childs, Esq.
In a few days I will send you an order for the Silver Tea Service to be presented to Brother Samuel Mckinley.
We have upwards of five hundred dollars subscribed, and we expect from the Grand Lodge or its members one hundred dollars more. Seven years devoted service deserves, and should command, this much from the Grand Lodge, which meets tonight. Will you be good enough to present the facts, for action tonight and report to me in the morning.
Yours respectfully, (Signed) James P. Glass.
Aside from the inclusion of the above telegram, there is to be found in the published records of the Grand Lodge no other mention of this matter, and it is not known as to what extent the Philadelphia brethren responded to the request. Doubtless, however, as Brother Mckinley was very popular in Grand Lodge circles and among the Philadel- phia brethren generally, they sent in a donation. In the meantime, the coming presentation had got to a matter of public notice, and the newspapers took it up. A local paper announced, September 13, 1854, that "Col. John P. Glass, of the City Hotel, had the gift in charge," and that it consisted of the following pieces: "A water urn, coffee pot, cream jug, spoon bowl, tea pot, slop bowl, and waiter." Col. Glass at that date was, with Daniel D. Carr, proprietor of the City Hotel, which stood at the corner of Third and Smithfield streets. Later he was connected with the Pennsylvania railroad as freight agent at Pittsburgh and some years later was sent to the legislature and was Speaker of the House of Representatives in 1867. He then made his residence in Harrisburg and died there. He had become a member of Lodge 45 January 27, 1847, and in the following year had joined Zerubbabel Chapter, No. 162, R. A. M.
Apparently it had been decided to make the presenta-
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tion to Brother Mckinley late in the fall of 1854. But fate willed that this carefully planned expression of affection should not occur. For when at last the elaborate gift had been purchased and elegantly engraved, and all arrange- ments concluded for the presentation at a public gathering of the Craft in Pittsburgh, the brethren were plunged into deep sorrow by the untimely death in August of Brother McKinley. It was then determined to present the gift to the widow of the deceased brother, as indicated in the fol- lowing announcement in the Pittsburgh "Post" of August 11, 1854:
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