MassachusettsYear1861
1861
WILLIAM T. COOLIDGE, Grand Master
G. Washington Warren, Deputy Grand Master
William North, Senior Grand Warden
Jessee P. Pattee, Junior Grand Warden
Contents
- 1 QUARTERLY COMMUNICATIONS
- 1.1 03/13 Agenda
- 1.2 06/12 Agenda
- 1.3 09/11 Agenda
- 1.4 12/11 Agenda
- 1.5 Grand Constitutions Amendment Proposals
- 1.6 Grand Master's Address
- 1.7 Lodge By-Law Changes
- 1.8 Necrologies and Memorials
- 1.9 Petitions for Charters
- 1.10 Petitions for Dispensation for Lodges
- 1.11 Petitions for Restoration of Charter
- 2 SPECIAL COMMUNICATIONS
- 3 FEAST OF ST. JOHN THE EVANGELIST
- 4 LIST OF LODGES BY DISTRICT: 1861
QUARTERLY COMMUNICATIONS
Held at Freemasons' Hall, Boston
- 03/13: VI-358;
- 06/12: VI-373;
- 09/11: VI-381;
- 12/11: VI-386; (Annual Communication)
03/13 Agenda
None.
06/12 Agenda
- VI-378; Presentation by the Grand Master of a patriotic Circular from the Grand Lodge of Tennessee, to which the Grand Lodge responded in a fraternal manner.
- VI-379; Note of the 83rd birthday of Rt. Wor. John B. Hammatt.
- VI-380; Acceptance of invitation to lay the cornerstone of Harvard Street Methodist Episcopal Church in Cambridgeport; the Grand Lodge proceeded with escort from Boston Commandery.
09/11 Agenda
- VI-384; Wor. Bro. Wilson, Past Master of Fredonia Lodge recognized.
- VI-385; Report of Charity Committee.
12/11 Agenda
- VI-387; Report of the Committee of Finance.
- VI-393; Re-election of Grand Master Coolidge (253 ballots) and other Grand Lodge officers.
- VI-393; Report of Charity Committee.
Grand Constitutions Amendment Proposals
None.
Grand Master's Address
- 03/13: VI-359; Report of the committee on the retiring Grand Master's Address.
- Regarding the appointment of a Committee of Foreign Correspondence: "A digest of the doings of the brethren elsewhere . . . would be of great value to us; . . .But the value of a report of such a committee would depend largely upon the qualification of the members, and their application to the arduous duties devolved upon them. This office [of the Corresponding Grand Secretary] has been hitherto more ornamental than useful; but in future, it is hoped it will possess both of these characteristics." They recommend that this office take care of these affairs.
- The committee applauds the suggestion that the work and lectures should be introduced into the subordinate Lodges, and that a Lodge that "does not have the ritual entirely at its command, word for word, letter for letter, and comma for comma" should perhaps be denied the vote at Grand Lodge.
- Further consideration was tabled and referred to a committee.
- 06/12: VI-379; Verbal report by Rt. Wor. G. Washington Warren.
Lodge By-Law Changes
- 09/11: VI-385; The Massachusetts Lodge, referred and accepted.
Necrologies and Memorials
- 03/13: VI-365; Death of Rt. Wor. and Rev. Paul Dean, Past Grand Master; presented by committee chaired by Rt. Wor. Jerome Van Crowninshield Smith.
- 03/13: VI-366; Death of Rt. Wor. C. Gayton Pickman, Past Junior Grand Warden; presented by committee.
- 03/13: VI-367; Death of Bro. Ebenezer Mower of Worcester at age 100.
- 06/12: VI-375; report presented by Rt. Wor. Winslow Lewis.
- 12/11: VI-392; Death of Rt. Wor. Sylvanus [Sylvester] Baxter, Past DDGM of the 8th District; referred to committee.
- 12/27: VI-402; report.
Petitions for Charters
- 06/12: VI-375; Petition for John Warren U.D., Hopkinton, granted.
- 06/12: VI-376; Petition for Dalhousie U.D., Newtonville, granted, with some revisions to By-Laws as noted.
- 09/11: VI-383; Petition for John Hancock U.D., Methuen, granted.
Petitions for Dispensation for Lodges
Mentioned in Grand Master's Address, beginning on Page VI-352:
- Orient, South Dedham (02/22)
- Pythagorean, Marion (07/13)
Army Lodges granted dispensations:
- Bay State Army #1, 3rd Regiment (05/06)
- Massachusetts Army #2, 16th Regiment (08/12)
- United Brethren Army #3, 17th Regiment (09/16)
- Fraternal Army #4, 25th Regiment (10/17)
- Bunker Hill Army #5, 2nd Regiment (11/04)
- Union (McClellan) Army #6, 1st Regiment of Cavalry (12/24)
Petitions for Restoration of Charter
None.
SPECIAL COMMUNICATIONS
None.
FEAST OF ST. JOHN THE EVANGELIST
(held at Masonic Temple, Boston, 12/27/1861); VI-398.
- VI-398: Lodge of Instruction.
- VI-400: Installation of Grand Master Coolidge and other Grand Lodge officers.
- VI-352: Report of the Grand Master for the preceding year:
- Corner Stone Layings:
- St. John's Episcopal Church, Lowell (04/15) by Rt. Wor. G. Washington Warren, Deputy Grand Master.
- First Universalist Church, Chelsea (05/30)
- Howard Methodist Episcopal Church, Cambridgeport (06/12)
- Lodge Hall Dedications:
- Hammatt, East Boston (01/02) consecration, constitution and installation of officers.
- John Warren, Hopkinton (01/17) consecration, constitution and installation of officers.
- New Bedford (01/22) and installation for Star in the East and Eureka Lodges.
- Southbridge (01/28), and installation for Quinebaug Lodge.
- Dalhousie, Newtonville (06/24); consecration, constitution and installation of officers.
- John Hancock, Methuen (09/20); consecration, constitution and installation of officers.
- Pacific, Amherst (09/20) consecration, constitution and installation of officers.
- Worcester (11/12), and installation for Montacute Lodge.
- Corner Stone Layings:
- VI-405: "Elegant and beautiful address on the subject of Masonic friendship" by Rev. Bro. William R. Alger, and an original Ode by Bro. John K. Hall.
LIST OF LODGES BY DISTRICT: 1861
This district layout is based on the O.P. edition of the Proceedings. However, this publication is riddled with errors, and some adjustment was necessary.
Note: There were 12 Districts in 1861, plus a special area for Chile.
DISTRICT 1
Benjamin Dean, Boston, District Deputy Grand Master; 11 Lodges
- St. John's (Boston, 1733)
- Lodge of St. Andrew, (Boston, 1756)
- Mount Lebanon (Boston, 1801)
- Bethesda (Brighton, 1819)
- Monitor (Waltham, 1820)
- Mount Tabor (East Boston, 1846)
- Baalbec (East Boston, 1852)
- Winslow Lewis (Boston, 1855)
- Revere (Boston, 1856)
- Pequossette (Watertown, 1856)
- Hammatt (East Boston, 1859)
DISTRICT 2
William Sutton, South Danvers, District Deputy Grand Master; 10 Lodges
- Philanthropic (Marblehead, 1760)
- St. John's (Newburyport, 1766)
- The Tyrian (Gloucester, 1770)
- Essex (Salem, 1791)
- St. Mark's (Newburyport, 1803)
- Mount Carmel (Lynn, 1805)
- Jordan (Danvers, 1808)
- Warren (Amesbury, 1822)
- Liberty (Beverly, 1824)
- Ashler (Rockport, 1851)
DISTRICT 3
William Sewall Gardner, Lowell, District Deputy Grand Master; 11 Lodges
- St. Paul's (Groton, 1797)
- Corinthian (Concord, 1797)
- Aurora (Fitchburg, 1801)
- Merrimack (Haverhill, 1802)
- Pentucket (Lowell, 1807)
- St. Matthew's (Andover, 1822)
- Grecian (Lawrence, 1825)
- Ancient York (Lowell, 1852)
- Caleb Butler (South Groton, 1859)
- Wilder (Leominster, 1859)
- John Hancock (Methuen, 1860)
DISTRICT 4
Daniel W. Taft, Blackstone, District Deputy Grand Master; 8 Lodges
- Montgomery (Milford, 1797)
- Olive Branch (Sutton, 1797)
- Solomon's Temple (Uxbridge, 1818)
- Franklin (Grafton, 1851)
- Blackstone River (Blackstone, 1855)
- Webster (Webster, 1858)
- Oxford (Oxford, 1859)
- John Warren (Hopkinton, 1860)
DISTRICT 5
Zachariah L. Bicknell, Weymouth, District Deputy Grand Master; 9 Lodges + 1 U.D.
- Old Colony (Hingham, 1792)
- Rising Star (Stoughton, 1799)
- Corner Stone (Duxbury, 1801)
- Rural (Quincy, 1801)
- Norfolk Union (Randolph, 1819)
- Plymouth (Plymouth, 1825)
- Orphan's Hope (Weymouth, 1825)
- Paul Revere (N. Bridgewater, 1856)
- John Cutler (Abington, 1859)
- Orient (South Dedham, U.D.)
DISTRICT 6
Henry Goddard, Worcester, District Deputy Grand Master; 9 Lodges
- Morning Star (Worcester, 1793)
- Middlesex (Framingham, 1795)
- Meridian (Natick, 1797)
- Mount Zion (Barre, 1800)
- Quaboag (Warren, 1858)
- Montacute (Worcester, 1858)
- Trinity (Clinton, 1858)
- United Brethren (Marlborough, 1859)
- Quinnebaug (Southbridge, 1859)
DISTRICT 7
James A. Cook, Taunton, District Deputy Grand Master; 8 Lodges + 1 U.D.
- Fellowship (Bridgewater, 1797)
- Bristol (Attleboro, 1797)
- King David (Taunton, 1798)
- St. Alban's (Foxborough, 1818)
- Star in the East (New Bedford, 1823)
- Social Harmony (Wareham, 1823)
- Mount Hope (Fall River, 1824)
- Eureka (New Bedford, 1857)
- Pythagorean (Marion, U.D.)
DISTRICT 8
Sylvanus Baxter, Hyannis, District Deputy Grand Master; 8 Lodges
- Union (Nantucket, 1771)
- King Hiram's (Provincetown, 1795)
- Marine (Falmouth, 1798)
- Fraternal (Barnstable, 1801)
- Mount Horeb (West Harwich, 1854)
- DeWitt Clinton (Sandwich, 1855)
- Pilgrim (Harwich South Village, 1859)
- Martha's Vineyard (Tisbury, 1859)
DISTRICT 9
William S. Shurtleff, Springfield, District Deputy Grand Master; 9 Lodges
- Cincinnatus (Great Barrington, 1795)
- Evening Star (Lee, 1795)
- Thomas (Palmer, 1796)
- Wisdom (West Stockbridge, 1803)
- Mystic (Pittsfield, 1810)
- Hampden (Springfield, 1817)
- Lafayette (North Adams, 1847)
- Mount Moriah (Westfield, 1856)
- Berkshire (Adams, 1857)
DISTRICT 10
W.B.C. Pearsons, Holyoke, District Deputy Grand Master; 9 Lodges
- Republican (Greenfield, 1795)
- Harmony (Northfield, 1796)
- Jerusalem (Northampton, 1797)
- Mountain (Shelburne Falls, 1806)
- Bethel (Enfield, 1825)
- Chicopee (Chicopee, 1848)
- Mount Tom (Holyoke, 1850)
- Orange (Orange, 1859)
- Pacific (Amherst, 1860)
DISTRICT 11
John R. Hall, Somerville, District Deputy Grand Master; 10 Lodges
- King Solomon's (Charlestown, 1783)
- Hiram (West Cambridge, 1797)
- Star of Bethlehem (Chelsea, 1844)
- Mount Hermon (Woburn, 1854)
- Putnam (East Cambridge, 1854)
- Mount Horeb (Medford, 1855)
- Wyoming (Melrose, 1856)
- John Abbot(Somerville, 1857)
- Mount Vernon (Malden, 1857)
- Henry Price (Charlestown, 1858)
DISTRICT 12
Wyzeman Marshall, Boston, District Deputy Grand Master; 10 Lodges
- The Massachusetts (Boston, 1770)
- Columbian (Boston, 1796)
- Union (Dorchester, 1796)
- Washington (Roxbury, 1796)
- Amicable (Cambridge, 1805)
- St. Paul's (South Boston, 1846)
- Germania (Boston, 1854)
- Gate of the Temple (South Boston, 1855)
- Joseph Warren (Boston, 1856)
- Dalhousie (Newtonville, 1860)
- Aberdour (Boston, 1860)
CHILE DISTRICT
Charles T. Ward, Jr., Valparaiso, Special Deputy for Chile; 3 Lodges
- Bethesda (Valparaiso, Chile, 1854)
- Hiram (Copiapo, Chile, 1858)
- Southern Cross (Valparaiso, Chile, 1858)
ARMY LODGES
Dispensations were issued for the following Lodges: