USA > Rhode Island > Providence County > Providence > State of Rhode Island and Providence Plantations at the end of the century : a history, Volume 3 > Part 54
Note: The text from this book was generated using artificial intelligence so there may be some errors. The full pages can be found on Archive.org (link on the Part 1 page).
Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3 | Part 4 | Part 5 | Part 6 | Part 7 | Part 8 | Part 9 | Part 10 | Part 11 | Part 12 | Part 13 | Part 14 | Part 15 | Part 16 | Part 17 | Part 18 | Part 19 | Part 20 | Part 21 | Part 22 | Part 23 | Part 24 | Part 25 | Part 26 | Part 27 | Part 28 | Part 29 | Part 30 | Part 31 | Part 32 | Part 33 | Part 34 | Part 35 | Part 36 | Part 37 | Part 38 | Part 39 | Part 40 | Part 41 | Part 42 | Part 43 | Part 44 | Part 45 | Part 46 | Part 47 | Part 48 | Part 49 | Part 50 | Part 51 | Part 52 | Part 53 | Part 54 | Part 55 | Part 56 | Part 57 | Part 58 | Part 59 | Part 60 | Part 61 | Part 62 | Part 63 | Part 64 | Part 65 | Part 66 | Part 67 | Part 68 | Part 69 | Part 70 | Part 71 | Part 72 | Part 73 | Part 74 | Part 75
"Permit us then Illustrious Brother cordially to salute you with three times three and to all our fervent supplieations that the Sov- ereign Arehiteet of the Universe may always eneompass with his holy protection.
Moses Seixas,1 1 Committee. "By Order, Henry Sherburne, J
"William Litelifield, Seet'y."
1Moses Seixas, whose name appears upon the address to Washington, was a prominent early merchant of Newport, and served also as cashier of the Bank
r
499
FREE MASONRY AND ODD FELLOWSHIP.
To this communication President Washington graciously replied as follows :
"To the Master, Wardens and Brethren of King Davids Lodge in Newport, R. I.
"GENTLEMEN : I receive the welcome which you gave me to Rhode Island with pleasure, and I acknowledge my obligations for that flat- tering expressions of regard contained in your address with grateful sincerity, being persuaded that a just application of the principles on which the Masonic Fraternity is founded must be promotive of private virtue and public prosperity. I shall always be happy to advance the interest of the Society and to be considered by them as a deserving Brother.
"My best wishes Gentlemen, are offered for your individual happi- ness.
George Washington."
President Washington visited Rhode Island in 1790 (as elsewhere noticed in this work), and it was at about the same date that the subject of a Grand Lodge of the United States was discussed through- out the country. The records of both the Providence and the Newport lodges show that a communication was received from Grand Master Jackson, of Georgia, relating to certain resolutions passed by that Grand Lodge in reference to a proposed general Grand Lodge. It is probable that this agitation led the brethren of Rhode Island to the consideration of the subject of a Grand Lodge in this State. In pro- motion of the matter committees were appointed to confer upon it, and after a conference between representatives of the two lodges, a plan was formed for the founding of the Grand Lodge. At the same time steps were taken by the Newport brethren to revive St. John's Lodge, and thus secure the precedence which they deemed was theirs in the Grand Lodge. In pursuance of this purpose a committee was ap- pointed, September 20, 1790, from King David's Lodge to confer with members of the older organizations upon the subject. The result was the revival of St. John's on October 19, 1790, the two bodies acting in the most perfect harmony for the general good. Peleg Clarke was appointed temporary Master of the reorganized body. Eleven mem- bers of St. John's and one hundred and thirty members of King David's Lodge participated in the revival. Moses Seixas was chosen Master to serve until the 24th of June, 1791.
Harmonious agreement was soon reached by the Newport and the Providence Masons in relation to the Grand Lodge movement, and the plan reported by the committee received approval of St. John's Lodge, of Newport, on March 14, 1791, and of St. John's in Provi- dence on April 6, 1791. The plan provided for the choice of the first
of Rhode Island (of which Christopher Champlin, first Grand Master of Masons in Rhode Island, was president), a position which he held until his death in 1809. He was a devoted Mason.
500
STATE OF RHODE ISLAND AND PROVIDENCE PLANTATIONS.
Grand Master by the Newport lodge and for the Deputy Grand Master by the Providence lodge, while the other officers were to be equally divided between the two districts. The first district comprised the counties of Newport, Washington, and Bristol, and the second of Providenee and Kent. The Grand Master was to be appointed by the two lodges in alternation, the first offieers to hold their positions until 1793. Under this plan Newport eleeted the following to the offiees named : Most Worshipful Chris. Champlin, Grand Master; Peleg Clarke, Sen. Grand Warden; George Sears, Sen. Grand Deaeon ; John Handy, Grand Seeretary; Jabez Champlin, Grand Marshal; Henry Hunter and George Gibbs, Honorary Members. The Providenee lodge eleeted the following: Rt. Worshipful Jabez Bowen, Deputy Grand Master ; Daniel Tillinghast, Jun. Grand Warden ; Ebenezer Thompson, Jun. Grand Deaeon; Joseph Russell, Grand Treasurer; Gershom Jones, Grand Sword Bearer; John Brown and Benjamin Bowen, Honorary Members.
On June 27, 1791, a number of brethren of the two lodges met in the State House at Newport and organized the Grand Lodge of Rhode Island. Right Worshipful Moses Seixas presided over the meeting. When the organization was effeeted the new offieers, with members of the Grand Lodge and visiting brethren, marehed to Trinity ehureh, where an appropriate diseourse was delivered by Reetor Rev. William Smith. A collection was taken, amounting to £11 9s. 4d., which money it was ordered should be "invested in wood, and distributed to the poor of this town during the ensuing winter". Thus was signified the respeet aeeorded to religion and charity at that early time by the Masonie Order. The diseourse delivered by Mr. Smith was the first sermon before the Grand Lodge of Rhode Island and was ordered printed for the brethren.1
The governing regulations of the Grand Lodge provided for holding annual sessions at Newport and Providenee alternately. The mem- bership of the two lodges then constituting the Grand Lodge num- bered about two hundred and twenty-five, who were nearly equally divided between the two organizations. The eighteen brethren identified with the beginning of the Grand Lodge were in several instanees men of high eharaeter. Christopher Champlin, the first Grand Master, was president of the Bank of Rhode Island, Newport, and was in the State Legislature sixteen years. Jabez Bowen, first Deputy Grand Master, and who sueeeeded Mr. Champlin as Grand Master in 1794, was a man of high seholarship and greatly esteemed in Providenee and elsewhere. Peleg Clarke, Daniel Tillinghast, John Carlile, George Sears, and others were men of exeellent standing and zealous Masons.
The elosing years of the eighteenth century are remembered as a 'The sermon is printed in full in "Freemasonry in Rhode Island," pp. 59-64.
-
501
FREE MASONRY AND ODD FELLOWSHIP.
period of growth and deep interest in the advancement of Freema- sonry in this State. The general repute of the membership was also kept on a high plane, fully as large a percentage of applicants being rejected from year to year as in more recent times. In 1797 St. John's Lodge, of Providence, rejected five, and a still larger number was rejected in years closely following. The three degrees were then conferred for a fee of $21-$12 for initiation, $3 for passing, and $6 for raising. At the first meeting of the Grand Lodge in Providence, June 25, 1792, a discourse was delivered by Rev. Bro. Badger, while Rev. Mr. Maxcy, president of Brown University, officiated as Chaplain. Many pastors of churches were early identified with the Order, Rev. William Smith, before mentioned, and Rev. Abraham L. Clarke, of Newport, having acted as Grand Chaplains, as seen by the records of 1796. Mr. Smith prepared a Masonic Burial Service, which was approved by the Grand Lodge at the annual communication held in Newport June 26, 1797.
Although there was at the first a sentiment among the members of the Rhode Island Grand Lodge in favor of establishing a Grand Lodge of the United States, a decidedly different feeling was manifested at the meeting of 1802, when the following action was taken in response to communications from other lodges in relation to the subject :
"Resolved, That in the opinion of this Grand Lodge, the establish- ment of a superintending Grand Lodge for the United States is in- expedient.
"Resolved, That this Grand Lodge coincide in opinion with the Most Worshipful Grand Lodge of Virginia, that a Grand Masonic Convention, to be holden not oftener than once in three years, for the purpose of adopting an uniform mode of carrying on the great work of Masonry in the several degrees of Entered Apprentice, Fellow Craft & Master Mason, & such general regulations as may be deemed expedient & proper, might be of great utility to the craft."
Other resolutions approving of sending delegates to such a conven- tion in case the measure was adopted, etc., were adopted at that time.
In the year 1796 a dispensation was granted, under date of June 24, to a number of brethren in Warren, and on March 15, 1798, a charter bearing this date was granted to Washington Lodge No. 3. The lodge was duly constituted October 3, 1799, and was incorporated in the same month as No. 1; the civil charter was vacated in May, 1834, and re-issued in June, 1851, as No. 3. Charles Wheaton was chosen the first Master and held the office until 1806, when he was succeeded by Seth Peck, who continued until 1818. This lodge has kept up its active existence to the present time.
Before the close of the century the Masons of Providence had be- come so numerous and enthusiastic that a new lodge was projected, which took the name Mount Vernon. There is no record of a dis-
502
STATE OF RHODE ISLAND AND PROVIDENCE PLANTATIONS.
pensation having been issued, but a Warrant of Constitution was ordered on June 24, 1799, and the charter bears this date. Mount Vernon No. 4 wasincorporated in February, 1800 ; the civil charter was vacated in May, 1834, and a new charter was issued at the January session of 1872. The first Master of this lodge was Amos Maine Atwell, who occupied the position until 1806, when he was followed by Michael Anthony. The lodge is still in prosperous existence.
A dispensation was granted for Washington1 Lodge No. 5, Wickford, on July 11, 1798, to remain in force from the 5th day of August next ensuing, or until the charter should be granted. The original charter was granted June 24, 1799, and the lodge was constituted September 23, 1799. It was incorporated in May, 1801, as No. 2; rechartered in October, 1825, as No. 5; vacated in May, 1834, and reissued at the January session of 1868. John Aldrich was Master from the date of constitution until 1803, when Hezekiah Babcock was chosen and held the office until 1810. There are several breaks in the records.
The first year of the incoming century saw the establishment of two lodges in Rhode Island, the dispensations for both being dated June 25, 1800. The charter for St. Alban's Lodge No. 6, Bristol, was granted and dated October 21, 1802, and the lodge was constituted on the same day; it was incorporated at the May session of 1858. Nathaniel Waldron was the first Master, but held the office only one year, when lie was succeeded by Joseph Rawson, who continued to 1804.
The charter for Friendship Lodge No. 7, of Chepachet, was granted June 24, 1805, and the lodge was constituted and the charter dated October 21, 1805; it was incorporated in February, 1807, and the charter was amended in January of 1834, 1835, and 1836. Joseph Bowen was the first Master and held the office until 1805, when he was. succeeded by Anan Evans; he was followed in 1809 by Chad Sayles.
The establishinent of these several lodges in different parts of the State are an indication of the interest felt in the advancement of this Order during the closing years of the last century and the first one of the succeeding century.
The Grand Lodge of the State held several communications during the year 1802, one of which was in Providence on February 26, which was marked by important action in revision of the constitution. One of the committee to whom was entrusted this task was Bro. Thomas Cmith Webb,2 a most enthusiastic Mason, who became a resident of
1These several names, Washington and Mount Vernon, were adopted in honor of President Washington, whose death took place on December 14, 1799. On that occasion all Masons in this jurisdiction were requested by Grand Master Olney to wear a mourning ribbon nine days, in token of their great loss.
2 Thomas Smith Webb was born in Boston October 30, 1771. He was pos- sessed of unusual mental qualifications and was of a studious and thoughtful temperament. He learned the printing trade and removed to Keene, N. H.,
.
Thomas & Wet
504
STATE OF RHODE ISLAND AND PROVIDENCE PLANTATIONS.
Providence about 1800. The new constitution was presented Feb- ruary 25, 1802, was considered at an adjourned meeting two days later and adopted March 5, 1802. The previous rule allowed only those brethren who were Masters or Past Masters of Rhode Island lodges to be eligible to the higher offiees, which was changed by the revised con- stitution,1 so that any brother who had held the office of Master "in some regularly constituted lodge" might be a candidate for the highest offiee in the Grand Lodge. The constitution was again revised in 1808, one new seetion providing that no lodge in the jurisdietion should be permitted to eonfer the three degrees for less than $30.
During many years that followed the anti-Masonic crusade of 1829 and later, the Fraternity in Rhode Island, as well as in other parts of the country, worked harmoniously and enjoyed prosperity. A slight exeeption to this was dissension among some of the brethren of St. John's lodge, of Newport, who attempted to usurp authority and establish an independent Masonie body ; they took foreible possession of the charter and property of the lodge and made a bold effort to carry out their purpose ; but the dissatisfied members soon learned that wrongful possession of the charter gave them no standing. The seeeders were summarily dismissed from all Masonic fellowship. In retaliation they brought libel suits against the Grand Master and Grand Secretary, but were defeated. In course of time the maleon- tents were allowed to return to their allegiance in St. John's Lodge. In 1826, just prior to the beginning of the anti-Masonry warfare, there were nineteen chartered lodges in the jurisdietion of the Rhode Island Grand Lodge. From that time forward to 1856, so crushing and widespread was the effect of the memorable crusade in this State, no new lodge was chartered in Rhode Island. Of the lodges chartered after No. 7, which has been notieed, and down to and including No. 19, Mount Moriah No. 8. Limeroek, was the first. The dispensation for this lodge was granted July 28, 1804, and the charter was granted on
where he took the first three degrees of Masonry in Rising Sun Lodge of that place. In 1793 he removed to Albany, N. Y., where he established a news- paper, which he conducted about seven years. During the closing years of the century he studied and made himself familiar with every phase of Masonic knowledge, and in 1797 published the Freemason's Monitor, or Illus- trations of Masonry, which gave him an extended reputation in the Order. To him belongs the credit of framing the American system of Royal Arch Masonry as it now exists. A second edition of the Monitor was issued in Providence in 1802 and he became a member of St. John's lodge. He was elected to all the high offices in the Grand Lodge of the State-Junior Grand Warden in 1802; Senior Grand Warden in 1803; Deputy Grand Master in 1811, and Grand Master in 1813. In 1801 he was elected Hig Priest of the Providence Royal Arch Chapter, and held many other positions of high honor in the Order. The establishment of the Grand Encampinent of Knights Templar was his crowning Masonic labor. In 1815 he removed to Boston, and died suddenly in Cleveland, Ohio, on July 6, 1819.
'For copy of the new constitution see "Freemasonry in Rhode Island," pp. 76-81.
505
FREE MASONRY AND ODD FELLOWSHIP.
June 24 of the following year. The lodge was constituted and the charter dated September 30, 1805; incorporated in October, 1811; civil charter vacated May, 1834, and reissued at the January session, 1863. From 1804 to 1809 Moses Aldrich was Master and was succeed- ed by Christopher Dexter.
Harmony Lodge No. 9, Pawtuxet, was granted its dispensation May 6, 1805, and its charter was granted June 24, 1808. The lodge was duly constituted September 20, 1808; incorporated in. February, 1809; charter amended in January, 1834, 1835, and 1842. Jonathan Nichols was the first Master, U. D., from May 6, 1805, until June 24, 1807, and Ephraim Bowen from this date until June 14, 1808, when he was succeeded by Peleg Rhodes, who occupied the office until 1814. From 1830 to 1849 no election was hield.
Union Lodge No. 10, Pawtucket, received its dispensation April 15, 1808, but there is no record of the date when the charter was granted. The lodge was constituted and the charter dated June 26, 1809; incor- porated May, 1824 ; civil charter repealed, January, 1834 ; new charter, January session, 1866. Ebenezer Tyler was the first Master and held the office until 1812, when he was succeeded by James Mason for one year. Mr. Tyler was then again chosen and remained in office until 1817.
King Solomon's Lodge No. 11, East Greenwich, was the next one constituted. The dispensation was granted June 24, 1806, and the charter on September 4, 1810. The lodge was constituted and the char- ter dated October 4, 1810; incorporated February, 1811; civil charter vacated, May, 1834. No returns from this lodge to the Grand Lodge were made after 1827 until March, 1843, at which time the charter was surrendered. Lucius M. Wheeler was probably Master during that period of fifteen years. Upon petition from several members, the Masonic charter was restored by the Grand Lodge, Dec. 27, 1852. The first Master was Stephen Franklin.
Manchester Lodge No. 12, Anthony, was organized under a dispensa- tion granted at the session of the Grand Lodge on November 28, 1808, and on June 26, 1809, it was extended one year. Again, on June 25, 1810, another extension of one year was granted. The charter was granted September 4, 1810, the lodge was constituted October 3, 1810, and the charter is dated the following day; incorporated in October, 1810; the civil charter was voluntarily surrendered in May, 1834. Richard Anthony was the first Master.
Morning Star Lodge No. 13, Woonsocket, was originally located at Cumberland Hill. The dispensation was granted January 22, 1810, and the charter was granted August 26, 1814. The lodge was con- stituted and the charter dated September 25, 1811; incorporated in February, 1812 ; civil charter amended in January of 1834, '42, and '50. This lodge was prosperous for about twenty years, when, from some
506
STATE OF RHODE ISLAND AND PROVIDENCE PLANTATIONS.
cause, it lapsed into dormancy and meetings were few between 1833 and 1848; on December 12 of the latter year a reorganization was effected, the lodge was removed to Woonsocket, and the forfeited charter was restored December 27, 1848. David Sayles was Master from the date of organization to 1815, when he was succeeded by Neliemiah A. Potter.
Saint Paul's Lodge No. 14, Newport, was formed by a number of former members of St. John's Lodge, who held several preliminary meetings for the purpose of considering the subject. Application was finally made for a dispensation, which was granted January 16, 1816, and the original charter was granted June 24 of the same year. The lodge was constituted and the charter dated October 23, 1817; incor- porated in October, 1817; charter amended in January and May, 1834. The lodge surrendered its Masonic charter September 18, 1818, when the members affiliated with St. John's Lodge, and from that date until 1875 there was again only one lodge of Masons in Newport. In the year named Francis Brinley Fogg, the only surviving member of the original St. Paul's Lodge, with other brethren, petitioned for the re- establishment of the old lodge, a dispensation was issued on August 3 of that year, and the lodge was reconstituted June 10, 1876. George F. Crandall was chosen the first Master after the revival. From that time to the present the lodge has enjoyed uninterrupted prosperity.
Upon the presentation of a petition on February 26, 1816, by Dr. Joseph Rice and others, asking for a dispensation for a lodge to be held in Coventry, under the name of Hamilton Lodge No. 15, the dispensation was granted by the Grand Lodge on May 27, 1816; there were six charter members. In 1817 the lodge built a hall for its use, but becoming dissatisfied with the location, a hall was purchased at Foster Center and the removal thither was made in 1825. Possession of this hall was subsequently lost through the action of one of the members. The date of the charter of this lodge was October 9, 1817, and on that date the lodge was duly constituted. Thomas O. H. Carpenter was the first Master and held the office until 1823.
Warwick Lodge No. 16, at Phenix, was organized under a dispensa- tion granted November 25, 1822. William Harrison was the first Mas- ter. Meetings were held in a private dwelling many years. A charter was granted September 16, 1825, and the lodge was then duly con- stituted. Owing to anti-Masonry the charter was surrendered Decem- ber 28, 1830, but the lodge was revived March 12, 1855, and on June 22 of that year the old charter was received from the Grand Lodge. The lodge was located at the village of Greenville, but removed to Phenix, February 6, 1857, and a hall there, fitted up in 1872, was burned the following year and the silver jewels of the lodge were destroyed. A new set of solid silver was presented the lodge by What Cheer Lodge,
507
FREE MASONRY AND ODD FELLOWSHIP.
of Providence. Meetings were held for a time at River Point, until a new hall was ready at Phenix. This lodge was incorporated March 29, 1866. William Harrison was Master from the organization until 1828.
The next lodge formed is now extinct. It was Evening Star Lodge No. 17, at Smithfield. The dispensation was granted June 24, 1824, and the charter was granted February 28, 1825; the lodge was duly constituted May 18, 1825 ; incorporated in June, 1827 ; civil charter re- pealed in January, 1834. During a few years this lodge was pros- perous, but the crusade of the anti-Masonic forces was more than it could withstand; only two meetings were held in 1832, and one in 1833. From that date until November 15, 1839, no work was done by the lodge. From this time meetings were held at intervals in the hall of Mount Moriah Lodge during a few years. No election of officers was held for 1843, and the last report was made for 1846, and the record book shows that the last meeting was held on October 31, of that year. An effort was made by the Grand Lodge to secure the property of this lodge, but the charter is missing. Abel Wilder was the first Master of this lodge.
Temple Lodge No. 18, Greenville, was another that was formed just prior to the anti-Masonic period and went before the crusade, but was subsequently revived. The dispensation was granted February 22, 1824, and the charter was granted June 26, 1826, and its date was August 31, 1826; incorporated in May, 1867. The lodge seemed pros- perous, six being initiated the first year of its existence, and seventeen the second. From 1830 to 1840, the register of the Grand Lodge bears against the name of Temple Lodge the words, "Not represented; no returns", and after 1840 the name disappears from the Grand Lodge roll of subordinate lodges. An attempt at reorganization was made in August, 1860, but there was enforced delay, and it was not until November 2, 1865, that a dispensation was granted authorizing the opening of a lodge at Greenville, with the name of Temple; it was constituted October 31, 1866. Upon the reorganization, A. B. Arm- strong was chosen U. D., and from that date to the present the lodge has been prosperous.
The last lodge formed in Rhode Island previous to the beginning of the anti-Masonic warfare was Lafayette Lodge, No. 19, Cumberland, which is extinct. The dispensation was granted October 24, 1825, and the charter was granted June 26, 1826, bearing date of October 5, 1826 ; incorporation was effected in October, 1827, and the civil charter was repealed in January, 1834. This lodge built a hall at a cost of $600 in 1826, which was dedicated on St. John's day, June 24, 1828. At the quarterly communication of the Grand Lodge, held September 25, 1843, the charter of the lodge was declared forfeited, but it was not until August 28, 1848, that the final proceedings were taken to close up the affairs of the lodge. Oliver Harris was the first Master.
508
STATE OF RHODE ISLAND AND PROVIDENCE PLANTATIONS.
The original cause of the anti-Masonic uprising and the principal events leading thereto are well known. It may be briefly stated that one William Morgan, who was a resident of Batavia, N. Y., and a Mason, threatened to publish a book which he had written revealing the secrets of the Masonic fraternity, in direct violation of his oath. After numerous attempts by members of the Order to induce him to abandon his purpose and surrender his manuscript, he was arrested on a trifling charge and confined in the Ontario county jail. On the following day he was released at the instigation of several Masons and upon reaching the street was seized, placed in a close carriage and driven rapidly westward. He was accompanied by three Masons and was taken first to Lewiston, N. Y., and thence down the Niagara River to Fort Niagara, which was reached about midnight of the 13th of February, 1826. He was there confined in a magazine until the 19th, when he disappeared. Arrests and trials for the abduction followed. Eli Bruce, then sheriff of Niagara county, the commandant at Fort Niagara, and several prominent Masons of that vicinity were tried and a few convicted for complicity in the affair and were fined or im- prisoned. The trials were so manipulated that they extended over a period of five or six years, thus aiding in keeping alive the intense excitement caused by the event. What became of Morgan, or whether he was murdered, as charged and believed by many, or whether Masons were responsible for his death if he was killed, were questions that were never proven; but the known fact that he was taken away from his home at the instigation of members of the Fraternity was sufficient to give rise to the wildest rumors and theories, and served as the torch to light the fires of anti-Masonry.
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.