JohnTHeard

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JOHN T. HEARD LODGE

Location: Ipswich

Chartered By: William Parkman

Charter Date: 06/14/1865 VII-13

Precedence Date: 08/26/1864

Current Status: Active



YEARS

1864 1865 1875 1883 1894 1896 1910 1917 1919 1921 1927 1932 1939 1952 1956 1960 1963 1964 1972 1976 1978 1979 1982 1996 2003 2004


EVENTS

CONSTITUTION, JULY 1865

From Moore's Freemason's Magazine, Vol. XXIV, No. 10, August 1865, p. 295:

JOHN T. HEARD LODGE, Located in the old and pleasant town of Ipswich, in Essex County, was duly constituted on the 7th July last by the M. W. Grand Lodge. The Consecration and Dedication services took place in the Hall of the Lodge; at the conclusion of which the Brethren, with the Grand Lodge, moved in procession to the North Church, where the Installation services were performed by the M. W. Grand Master, in the presence of between four and five hundred ladies and gentlemen. The body and galleries of the church were filled with Brethren, (many of whom were from the neighboring towns, and residents of the village.) The music was performed in very excellent taste by a large and select choir, and added much to the interest of the occasion. At the conclusion of the services M. W. Grand Master Parkman delivered one of his racy and interesting addresses. A procession was then formed and marched to the Town Hall, where the tables were spread for supper. That having been disposed of, brief speeches were made by the Grand Master, and by R. W. Past Grand Master Heard, in compliment to whom, and in recognition of his eminent services to the Fraternity, the new Lodge is named. Short speeches were also made by Rev. Mr. Collamore, of Ipswich, and W. Br. Tarbell, of Boston, when the company was dismissed.

The Lodge is in a prosperous condition, and we understand has it in contemplation to erect a new Hall, which it much needs. The officers for the current year are as follows:—

  • John R. Baker, W. M.
  • John S. Glover, S. W.
  • R. T. Dodge, Treas.
  • N. R. Wait, Sec.
  • A. Geyer, S. D.
  • J. W. Bond, J. D.
  • S. Hunt, S. S.
  • C. R. Jewett, J. S.
  • J. W. Walls, T.

INSTALLATION, JANUARY 1875

The installation of the officers of this Lodge occurred on Wednes¬ day, the 6th instant, and was an occasion of much interest, not only to its members, but to their friends, ladies and gentlemen, who were invited to witness the ceremonies. The number of members of the Lodge is eighty-five; the number of persons present, including members, was about two hundred and twenty-five. The commodious and elegant lodge-room was filled to overflowing, so that the ante-rooms, which are extensive, became requisite for the accommodation of a portion of the large company. The Lodge was opened, without form, at 8 o'clock, P. M., when Wor. E. A. Annable, Past Master of Starr King Lodge, of Salem, and Wor. W. F. Annable, Master of [http://www.masonicgenealogy.com/MediaWiki/index.php?title=Essex2 Essex Lodge, also of that city, were introduced; the former as installing officer, the latter as his Marshal.

R. W. John T. Heard, Past Grand Master, then entered the hall, and was presented to the audience by the Master, Wor. Charles W. Bamford, in complimentary terms, to which Bro. Heard replied : "It always affords me pleasure to meet my Masonic Brethren inside or outside of a Lodge, but it is peculiarly gratifying to me to meet the Lodge which has conferred upon me a very distinguished honor." The officers were then installed by Bro. Annable, viz :

  • W. M., Charles W. Bamford
  • S. W., Nathaniel Shatswell
  • J. W., Daniel Howe
  • Treasurer, James W. Bond
  • Secretary, E. H. Martin
  • S. D., James N. Webber
  • J. D., Samuel G. Brackett
  • Chaplain, John A. Newman
  • Marshal, George Spencer, Jr.
  • S. S., George H. Green
  • J. S., Albert P. Hills
  • Tyler, Ezra W. Lord.

The installation having been concluded, and the proclamation made that the Lodge was duly organized for the ensuing year, the Master briefly addressed Bro. Heard, and requested him to make some remarks to the Brethren. In reply, he said:

"Worshipful Master:

I need not repeat the expression of pleasure I experience in being present with you to-night. Our installation services, always impressive, have, on this occasion, been conducted in so thoroughly graceful and elegant a manner as must have enlisted the serious attention of those present who are not of the Fraternity. Although the charge to the Secretary was more than usually comprehensive, yet I would add a few remarks to which I would ask the attention of that officer.

Of course, I have no official position through which to order or instruct ; yet, perhaps, a word from one who takes the liveliest interest in the welfare of our Institution will not be disregarded. I would therefore charge the Secretary to make his records full and complete, showing all the transactions of his Lodge; so that, in after years, when the historian or archaeologist shall examine them, he will find a reliable response to his inquiry. It is to be presumed that the recording officer, under the direction of the Master, will be discreet in excluding every thing of an esoteric character; with this qualification, all that transpires at a Lodge-meeting should be faithfully recorded.

During my Masonic experience, embracing a period of thirty years, I have repeatedly been led to consult the records of the Grand Lodge of this jurisdiction, and of many of the older subordinate Lodges belonging to it. To a considerable extent these records are remarkable for elegance, many of them possessing artistic merit; and generally they appear to faithfully reflect transactions. Though elegant chirography is to be commended, 1 would not have the securing it interfere with a full, intelligent, and accurate registry of facts. In the course of my examination of records, I have been struck with the fact that our chroniclers, especially those of more than a century ago, have given the names of all Brethren present at Lodge-meetings, of those who were visitors, as well as of the officers and members of the Body convened. I found, from the book of records of the Saint John's Grand Lodge, that Benjamin Franklin was present at a meeting held on the 11th of October, 1754; his name standing at the head of the list of visitors. On turning to his autobiography, it is there men¬ tioned that he was in Boston at that time. Through the same means I learned that the distinguished James Otis was a frequent visitor. It appeared that at one time he was a member of that Grand Lodge, as a Warden of a subordinate Lodge. Many other leading men of that day, whose names I do not recall, have a place in the registry of visitors. The records of the Massachusetts Grand Lodge afford similar mention of distinguished persons, both members and visitors.

I think I have said sufficient to show that I deem it important that Lodge-records should be full and accurate — discreetly so, of course. If others think as I do on this point, may we not hope that all installing officers and Masters of Lodges will instruct Secretaries to perform this part of their work as I have suggested? The labor of writing into the record the names of all Brethren present, in country Lodges, would not be great; the task would fall on city Lodges, especially those of the metropolis, where the attendance amounts often to three hundred persons. But if the large Lodges would provide a book in which all Brethren should write their names, record themselves, no undue labor would fall upon the Secretaries ; they would have the custody of the registries, and keep them with their record books. These registries should not supersede the giving the names of officers, and, perhaps, of prominent members, as is now done in the minute books.

Worshipful Master and Brethren: I have not come prepared to make an address, nor shall I attempt to make one. Out of respect to the intelligence of this assembly I would not venture to speak on any subject suited to the moment without preparation. I received your kind invitation to visit you to-night only on the evening of the 4th inst. The lapse of time since has hardly admitted of my getting up remarks in form, even if I had supposed such a thing was expected of me. Then the invitation was accompanied by a "Programme", the extent of which clearly indicated to my mind that you would require an entire evening to go through with it, and therefore did not expect me to take a partin your exercises. I came as a listener and observer, not as a speaker.

Before leaving my home this afternoon, however, it occurred to me that I had some extracts from Grand Lodge records which I made in 1850, relating to early Freemasonry in this ancient town. Thinking that they might be interesting to the older members of your Lodge, I have brought them with me. I did not intend to present them in open Lodge; but will do so, and read them, if your time will permit. The first Masonic organization in Ipswich was named Unity Lodge. It derived its Charter from Massachusetts Grand Lodge, the first Grand Master of which was General Joseph Warren, of revolutionary fame. The vote in that Body granting the Charter was passed on the 9th of March, 1779. From the records of the Grand Lodge, after the union of the two Grand Lodges I have referred to, it appears "that Unity Lodge was the twelfth in rank, and that its Charter was dated March 8, 1779." During its existence of forty-five years, the period which the extracts cover, it seems at several times to have languished, and been in a "deranged situation," and unable to fulfil its pecuniary obligations to the Grand Lodge. It will be observed that the last extract I present is dated December 27, 1824, about two years before the anti-Masonic excitement commenced. So long a time has now elapsed since I examined the records, that I do not remember whether or not I extended my researches beyond 1824; had they been continued, it seems almost certain that I should have come across evidence of the time when the Lodge ceased to work. It is, however, very probable that it surrendered its Charter to the mother Lodge during the excitement referred to.

These extracts have been placed on the Unity Lodge page.

In the course of my remarks I have mentioned three Grand Lodges, namely : Saint John's, Massachusetts, and that formed by the union of these two. It may be proper, for the information of those who are not furnished with our history, that I should state, in the briefest way possible, the dates of their origin, respectively; and, also, such other facts connected therewith as the statement may suggest. Saint John's and Massachusetts were Provincial Grand Lodges ; the former was organized in Boston, in 1733, under a dispensation issued by the Grand Master of England ; the latter was also organized in Boston, in 1769, by authority of a warrant granted by the Grand Master of Scotland. During the Revolutionary war, the former suspended its meetings almost entirely, while the latter did not, or with but few exceptions. On the 14th February, 1777, the Massachusetts Grand Lodge took steps which soon led to its declaring itself an Independent Grand Lodge; that is, independent of the Grand Lodge of Scotland. Still, it continued to be styled as before. After the war, on the 5th of March, 1792, these Grand Lodges united under the name of "The Grand Lodge of the Most Ancient and Honorable Society of Free and Accepted Masons for the Commonwealth of Massachusetts." Since then, the legislative Masonic Body thus formed has been the only supreme authority in this jurisdiction.

Had it not been for the deplorable loss, by fire, of the Masonic Temple in Boston, in 1864, and the consequent destruction of almost every thing in it, we should not now, probably, have to grope about in the manner we have done to find the little which has been told of Unity Lodge. Its Charter, books and files of papers were in the Temple, in possession of the Grand Lodge, and, of course were all consumed. Could we have had them before us to-night, how much of real enjoyment and satisfaction should we not have experienced in examining them! How much their revelations of transactions and of personal history would have heightened the interest of this occasion! May we not hope that there may yet be found papers of some kind, in possession of some of the families here living, which can give us something more of the life of Unity Lodge than we now possess? Before I sit down, Worshipful Master, permit me to present to you this work—Masonic Memorials—for your library. It has been but a few weeks in this country. It was compiled and edited by the distinguished English Brother, William James Hughan, who has dcvuted his great ability in finding out the ancient past of Freemasonry. In that part of the work which gives the history of the several Grand Lodges in England, will be seen the rise of the Royal Arch Degree.

[The Ipswich Chronicle, on the Saturday following the installation, gave a full and interesting account of it. The editor, Edward L. Davenport, Esq , though not a Mason, seems to have well understood the occasion, and has pleasantly described it.]


GRAND LODGE OFFICERS


DISTRICTS

1864: District 2

1867: District 5 (Salem)

1883: District 9 (Newburyport)

1911: District 9 (Gloucester)

1927: District 9 (Gloucester)

2003: District 10


LINKS

Lodge web site

Massachusetts Lodges