Social
Contents
SOCIAL LODGE
Location: Ashby; Ashburnham
Chartered By: Josiah Bartlett
Charter Date: 03/12/1798 II-126
Precedence Date: 03/12/1798
Current Status: unknown; no record after 1827, but note history in 1980.
NOTES
MEMBER LIST, 1802
From Vocal Companion and Masonic Register, Boston, 1802, Part II, Page 27:
- R. W. Amos Willington, M.
- W. John Locke, S. W.
- W. Allen Flagg, J. W.
- Isaac Wyman, Tr.
- Stephen Wyman, Sec.
- R. W. Abijah Wyman, P. M. (of Trinity)
- R. W. Benjamin Champney, P. M.
No. of Members, 25.
- Alexander T. Willard
- Asa Kendall, Jr.
- B. Barrett, Jr.
- Elijah Houghton, Jr.
- Samuel Rice, Jr.
- Stephen Wyman
- Elias Willington
- Oliver Kendall
PAST MASTERS
- Amos Willington, 1802, 1815
- John Locke, 1803
- Benjamin Champney, 1814
- Abraham T. Lowe, 1822
REFERENCES IN GRAND LODGE PROCEEDINGS
- Petition for Charter: 1798
HISTORY
- 1980 (brief history, 1980-179)
BRIEF HISTORY, DECEMBER 1980
From Proceedings, Page 1980-179:
1798-1832
Compiled by John M. Sherman
On the 5th day of March, 1767, the town of Ashby was incorporated from the west part of Townsend, the north part of Fitchburg and about twelve hundred acres taken from the northeast part of Ashburnham.
The first instance of an organization of a social nature in this town may be learned from the following extract taken from the records of the Grand Lodge of Masons in Massachusetts.
Grand Lodge, 12th March 1798.
A petition was received from Elias Wellington, and others praying for a charter to hold a Lodge in the town of Ashby, county of Middlesex, by the name of Social Lodge was read by the Grand Secretary with the papers accompanying the same, and being properly recommended, voted that the prayer of the petitioners be granted.'
"Abijah Wyman, the Wellingtons, the Kendalls, Cushing Burr, Sr., and others, not a large number, constituted the members of this fraternity at that time. During the last nine or ten years of its existence Rev. Ezekiel L. Bascom was its chaplain. This gentleman was also Grand Chaplain for six years, between 1804 and 1826, of the Grand Lodge of Massachusetts. This Lodge met at Oliver Kendall's house, near the place where John Fitch was taken captive by the Indians. In a quiet way this fraternity did some good until about 1830, when anti-Masonry went into politics and a great excitement spread throughout the country, caused by men who had 'a zeal but not according to knowledge'." (Excerpt from The History of Middlesex County; Ashby by Ithamar B. Sawtelle; compiled by D. Hamilton Hurd, 1809)
At the Quarterly Communication of the Grand Lodge of Massachusetts held on September 10, 1804, the Grand Lodge listed Social Lodge among its chartered Lodges with the date of Charter as March 16, 1798.
A Report of Committee on Delinquent Lodges, presented at the March 14, 1821 Quarterly Communication of the Grand Lodge of Massachusetts, stated that "the dues from Social Lodge, at Ashby, for the year 5817 (1817) appear to be still unpaid."
At the Quarterly Communication of the Grand Lodge of Massachusetts, held on December 12, 1827, a petition was presented to allow Social Lodge to remove from Ashby to Ashburnham. The Committee to which the petition was referred, voted that "These with some other circumstances in the case, induce your Committee to give their unanimous vote in the negative."
However, the Centennial Memorial of Aurora Lodge (Fitchburg) 1801-1901 stated that on "September 3, 1827, (Aurora Lodge) approved of the removal of Social Lodge from Ashby to Ashburnham village. It continued to hold its meetings in its new location until 1832, when it became extinct." Evidently, the petition to Grand Lodge was after the fact.
Artifacts originally belonging to Social Lodge of Ashby have been donated to the Museum of the Grand Lodge of Masons in Massachusetts at various times; (Appendix A).
The Bible, which was presented to Social Lodge by Brother Nathaniel Adams on January 18, 1821 contains a list of Petitioners for Social Lodge; (Appendix B). Legibility of the handwriting and variations of spellings not withstanding, the list of Petitioners provided the first source of members of Social Lodge; (Appendix C).
Research on the 24 Petitioners is capsuled in Appendix D. The Petition was evidently signed by men of good standing and reputation in the community; men who believed that it would be good for Ashby to have a Masonic Lodge.
It was the general rule at that time that a Petition for Charter for a new Lodge be signed by not less than seven affiliated Master Masons of known skill and good standing. Of the 24 names listed in the Bible, 14 of those were in the membership record file of the Grand Lodge of Masons in Massachusetts. Ten of those 14 were made Masons in Trinity Lodge of Lancaster and the remaining five were members of Saint Paul Lodge of Groton or Corinthian Lodge of Concord. The remaining nine of the 24 names listed have no known Masonic record at this date.
(Note—Most of the records in the Grand Lodge of Massachusetts' membership record file that are prior to 1867 are reconstructed. In 1864, a fire destroyed the building that contained the Grand Lodge offices and all the records therein were also lost.)
Many of the record cards in the Grand Lodge of Massachusetts membership record file refer to a Secretary's Minute Book and Annual Return in the archives of the Grand Lodge as the source of information given on the record card. The whereabouts of these records is not known at this time.
By searching the membership record files of the Grand Lodge of Massachusetts for names taken from lists of town officials and prominent citizens given in Ashby by Ithamar B. Sawtelle contained in the History of Middlesex County compiled by D. Hamilton Hurd, 1809 and other surrounding area histories, additional members of Social Lodge were collected.
Appendix E lists the officers and members of Social Lodge of Ashby obtained from the following sources:
- The Vocal Companion and Masonic Register Printed by Brother John M. Dunham, Boston, 1802
- A System of Speculative Masonry, Etc. By Salem Town, A.M. Grand Chaplain of New York and Principal of Granville Academy, Salem, New York.
- Masonic Diplomas and Certificates from the Collections of Grand Lodge of Masons in Massachusetts.
The names and biographical data of all known members of Social Lodge obtained by research but who were not listed as Petitioners, are capsuled in Appendix F.
(Appendix references refer to appendices contained in the complete report, copies of which are available in the Grand Lodge Library)
OTHER
- 1821 (Report on delinquency, III-321)
- 1827 (Petition on removal to Ashburnham, IV-97)
- 1828 (Petition on removal to Ashburnham, IV-100)
GRAND LODGE OFFICERS
- Ezekiel L. Bascom, DDGM, District 6, 1806-1808, 1814-1816; Grand Chaplain, 1805-07, 1809, 1817, 1825
- Abraham T. Lowe, Senior Grand Deacon 1849-1851, Deputy Grand Master 1855, 1856
OTHER BROTHERS
- Charles Barrett, Memorial
DISTRICTS
1803: District 5 (Framingham, West and North)
