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UNION LODGE (Nantucket)

Chartered by St. John's Grand Lodge

Location: Nantucket

Chartered By: John Rowe

Charter Date: 05/27/1771 I-185

Precedence Date: 05/27/1771

Current Status: Active


NOTES

From Moore's Freemason's Monthly, Vol. XXXI, No. 7, May 1873, Page 223:

Perhaps no Lodge in the United States has so large a number of aged brethren and old masons, as Union Lodge on the Island of Nantucket — one of the oldest and most respectable Lodges in this jurisdiction. We give a few examples. Bro. James T. Chase heads the list, and was made a Mason in 1807, and is consequently of 65 years standing; Bro. George F. Bunker has been a Mason 53 years; George Swain, 52; Nathaniel C. Cary, 50; Henry Cottle, 49 ; Barzilia R. Weeks, 49; Charles P. Swain, 47 ; Frederick W. Folger, 44; of these, Bros. Bunker, Swain and Folger have been Masters of the Lodge, and Bro. Chas. P. Swain, its present Secretary, has filled that office for twenty-three years. They are all active working masons, and a credit to the old Lodge to which they belong, and were all in the ranks last year, at the celebration of its Centennial anniversary.

CHARITABLE EFFORTS, 1868

From Moore's Freemason's Monthly, Vol. XXVIII, No. 1, November 1868, Page 10:

In our former Communication, we hinted at the possibility of treating at greater length the subject of Charity, as manifested in the history of the Lodge whose name stands at the head of this paper.

We then called attention to the early and earnest efforts of the brethren, at the inception of the Lodge, to found a Charity Fund, if possible; or, failing in that, to have means to relieve the most pressing necessities of those who might become subjects of masonic relief.

As early as October, 1771, measures were adopted to secure moneys, to be paid into the Fund of Charity; and it was made imperative, by a deliberate vote of the Lodge, that visitors as well as members should contribute for the purpose.

It is quite possible that the seasons of the year produced some effect upon the minds of the brethren, for it is a noticeable fact, that the coming on of winter, and the following unpropitious first month of spring, were attended with a glow of charity in the Lodge-room that sent throughout the length and breadth of the island, the benignant light of that divine law which bespoke peace on earth, and good-will toward all mankind; neither did it stop here, for the mariner from distant shores, and different countries, often found relief when the pitiless ocean had cast him helpless upon the island.

At the meeting held April 6, 1772, it is recorded that thirteen persons were present; that five shillings were collected for charity money past due, and thirteen shillings from those present, — making eighteen shillings lawful money for the Charity Fund; and, on subsequent occasions, limited record is made of the kindness constantly held in the hearts of the brethren towards those who might need their aid and sympathy. In their prosperity, they did not forget those in adversity ; and, when the approach of winter was again beginning to manifest itself, they, on Dec. 16, 1773, —

  • Voted, That, for the relief of Brother Barrett, the sum of three pounds be sent to him by the secretary, and that six pounds be sent to the Grand Fund;

and again, in Feb. 7, 1774, it was —

  • Voted, That the charity to be paid, shall be three shillings each quarter for each member.

This same spirit of earnestness was present always in the meetings of the Lodge: years did not enfeeble it, time did not repress its activity; the good it hastened to accomplish in the beginning, it was steadfast to pursue unto the end ; its hands were not to be folded when the helpless cried for bread, its work was not ended when other burdens needed to be lifted, it never courted repose while sorrowing or sighing, or weariness or helplessness, or orphanage or widowhood came within the circle of its sympathies. Years of labor strengthened it; and at ten, at twelve, and at fifteen years after it had its home in the Lodge, it was as earnest to go into the family with its ministrations, as it had ever been to go to the individual. On Jan. 3, 1785, the Lodge voted twelve dollars to relieve one family; February, three pounds to relieve another, and, on May 2, seven dollars more, and loaned three pounds to another till able to pay; and in September, of the same year, ten dollars were placed at the disposal of a committee, to be by them expended for the relief of another family as circumstances might dictate, — and all this by a Lodge whose resources were necessarily limited, numbering on the roll, in 1772, thirty-nine members, and twelve years later having only twenty-four members present at the Annual Dinner on St. John's Day, in December.

It was not to charities like the foregoing that the brethren limited their attention, as the following extract from a letter to the Grand Lodge will show.

Under date of October, 1772, they write : "As for charity-money, we have none in our Lodge, by reason that we have had the misfortune to have a brother to support, he having been cast away on our Island the last winter, and very much froze, and was under the doctor's hands almost six months. We shall always be ready to deposit what charity-money in the Grand Fund we can, but we think it our duty to keep a small stock by us, as we are so liable to have distressed brethren fall on us for relief." How modestly did the brethren set forth their services in the cause of charity, and how steadily they maintained their right to be their own almoners, measuring their contributions only by the necessities which the future might send to them for relief. In 1778, their sympathies were excited in a new direction, and in October, of that year, they voted "that there be a letter written to some friends in Boston to do what could be done to liberate our brothers living now in captivity on board of prison-ships in New York." The result of this effort on their part was not manifested on the records, though it is to them a record of praise.

"Though I speak with the tongues of men and of angels, and have
not charity, I am become as sounding brass or a tinkling cymbals. . . .
And now abideth faith, hope, and charity, these three ; but the greatest
of these is charity." - C.

From Moore's Freemason's Monthly, Vol. XXVII, No. 12, October 1868, Page 358:

Within the space, bounded on one side by the lines of youth, and on the other by those of old age, lie many hidden things, which the dimness of the one period and the mists of the other are powerless to unveil; but which await only the steadier gaze of manhood to make their revelations.

With some such thoughts in our mind we took up the early records of the Lodge at Nantucket, and read the beginning of the first page of a well kept and well preserved histoi^of one of the oldest Lodges in New England, as follows : —

"Nantucket, New England, May 9, in the year 5771. In our Lodge duly formed. Br. William Breck, Master; Br. Joseph Denneson, Senior Warden ; Br. Henry Smith, Junior Warden."

At this meeting we find that three candidates were duly initiated, and their names fully entered in the record.

The founders of this Lodge were, no doubt, careful and painstaking in all that belonged to Freemasonry; and whether in the character of Ritualists or Almoners, they paid strict attention to the full performance of their duties.

As early as October, 5771, at the Quarterly Communication, it was "Voted, that each member of this society shall pay one shilling lawful money, into the fund of Charity, at every Quarterly Communication"; following this, as if to give emphasis to the earnestness of their feelings on the subject, it was voted at the Quarterly Communication in January, 5772, "to meet the first Monday of every month for the space of one quarter, and each member to pay one shilling lawful money, at every meeting, for the fund of Charity," and it was further voted "that every visitor, after the first visit, shall pay one shilling lawful money, into the fund of Charity." This vote was repeated at the next Quarterly Communication in April 5772, and seems to have prevailed as a rule through many years of the history of this Lodge; indeed so well established did the Charity Fund become, that it was one of the first objects of care on every occasion when it was possible to increase it, by contribution, collection, or assessment.

This prudent forethought and management, at once enabled the brethren to afford relief to the sick, the destitute, and the distressed, with a liberality I think unparalleled, and a discrimination praiseworthy and satisfactory.

The record is fruitful with the story of bounties bestowed, and rich with the testimonials of gratitude in acknowledgement thereof; but though the example is worthy of more than a passing notice, we must defer to another time, further notice of their exemplification of the "greatest virtue, Charity."

In March 1772, it was voted "that each member serve in their terms as Treasurer, until they should get an established Treasurer, except five brothers, who had been elected a committee for the quarter."

At the meeting held November 11, 5771, it is recorded that William Johnson was initiated, passed on the 21st of the same month, and raised January 6, 5772, and on May 4, 5772, he attests the records (for the first time) as Secretary, and this practice is henceforth followed.

The founders of this Lodge were not drones in any sense of the word, and what they ought to do, they were careful should be done; a Lodge without the attendance of its members was, to them, no Lodge at all; duty claimed attention, and duty was attended to; so it was enacted on August 3, 5772, by vote, " that if any member absent himself from the Lodge one year, then that member shall be erased from the Lodge as a member." But this was not usually enforced until a committee was appointed to wait on brethren who absented themselves, to shew cause why they should not be deprived of membership ; and this usually secured an apology with a promise of attendance in the future.

The Brethren early recognized the advantage of having a well regu
lated Lodge, and on December 18, 5772, a Committee was appointed
" to examine the By-Laws, and see if they are sufficient for the regu
lation of the Lodge; and if they are not sufficient, to make amendments
as they shall see lit, and report accordingly." So careful were they in
this respect that they did not hesitate to inquire into the motives which
actuated the doing of-any deed that seemed likely to militate against the
individual, or aggregate prosperity of the Lodge, or its members, and 
hence with equal honesty and confidence in their own uprightness, they
appointed a Committee "to inspect the reasons those members have for
blacking a candidate;" and another to inquire into and settle the differ
ences existing between two of the brethren about a matter of business,
and whether they exceeded what we may regard as the scope of masonic
jurisprudence or not, they were generally successful in adjusting all
 difficulties to the satisfaction of all parties; peace they would have in
 their sphere, prosperity followed, and still continues in this time-honored 
Lodge. C.

From New England Freemason, Vol. I, No. 9, September 1874, Page 416:

Union Lodge of Nantucket.

We have recently been much interested in examining the early records of St. John's Grand Lodge from 1733 to 1792. We find in this volume much that is exceedingly interesting and which we should be pleased to lay before our readers. From this embarrassing abundance we select for this issue what relates to Union Lodge, of Nantucket, the fourth now in existence which was chartered by that Grand Lodge.

At the Grand Lodge or Quarterly Communication held at the Bunch of Grapes Tavern in Boston on Friday the 26 day of April, 1771.

The Lodge was informed from the Chair that a number of Brethren belonging to Nantucket had petitioned for a Warrant to hold a Lodge in that Place; and said Petition being read, the Grand Master asked Counsel of the Lodge, who joined with him in Opinion that the Grand Secretary do acquaint the Petitioners by Letter, that Three Master Masons are necessary to the Constituting a New Lodge; also with the Expense attending the same; and desire them to nominate one of the Petitioners for their first Master.

The Petition above mentioned from Nantucket.

Nantucket, April 16, 1771.

To the Right Worshipful John Rowe Esqr., Grand Master Mason for North America.

Right Worshipful Sir,

We the Subscribers being sensible that it lies in our power to Propagate that Ancient & Honorable Society of Free and Accepted Masons here in this Place: And as we think it our indispensible Duty to use our best Endeavors to Propagate so noble an Art with all the strictness and regularity as becomes Members of a just and perfect Lodge; And Right Worshipful we are likewise sensible that no one ought to come to any light or knowledge by any Clandestine or unregular Method, that may tend to cast any Disgrace upon the Fraternity, which we shall always be sorry to hear of; And we shall always do our best Endeavors to promote so laudable a Society when it is established in due form. And now Rt. Worshipful Sir We desire and request of your Worship that if it is consistent with your will and pleasure that you would send us a Warrant so that we may have a just and perfect Lodge Consecrated here, so that when any Candidates offer themselves, we may be able to deal with them in due form. Right Worship [sic] our Motive is this, first our Duty to our Maker; secondly to our fellow men; thirdly to the Fraternity in general throughout the Globe; and Sir we would acquaint your Worship that there is several that hath offered themselves as Candidates thinking that we had power to deal with them & men of good Character. And now Right Worshipful we would have you to take the matter into your serious Consideration, and to act agreeable to the trust reposed in you, and if your Worship thinks we are worthy of a Warrant and will send us one, we your worthy Brothers in Duty Bound shall ever pray.

Willm. Brock, M. M.
Josh. Deniston.
Henry Smith.
William Worth.
Chrisr. Hussey, F. C.
Timo. Folger, Do.

P.S. We would desire your Worship to send us an Answer as soon as is convenient.

Reply of the Grand Secretary.

Boston, 27th April, 1771.

Mr. Christ. Hussey, at Nantucket:

Sir, At a Grand Lodge, or Quarterly Communication held at the Bunch of Grapes Tavern in Boston on Friday the 26th Instant, a Petition from a Number of Brethren dated at Nantucket, April 16"', 1771, requesting a Warrant to hold a Lodge of Free and Accepted Masons in said Place, was Read; And after due Consideration thereon, the Grand Master with the Advice of said Grand Lodge, directed that the Grand Secretary do acquaint the Petitioners by Letter, that Three Master Masons are necessary to the Constituting a New Lodge; also with the Expense attending the same; And desire them to Nominate one of the Petitioners for their first Master.

In Obedience to said Direction I take this Opportunity thro' you Sir, to acquaint the said Petitioners with the Proceedings of the Grand Lodge relative to their Petition, and inform you that the Cost of a Deputation will be Three Guineas and an half, to be paid on the delivery thereof. I likewise desire you would let me know if there are Three Master Masons of your Number: and who you think fit to Nominate as your first Master. After 1 am made acquainted with these particulars, I presume the Grand Master will give Directions for a Deputation to be made out with all convenient Dispatch.

Interim I remain

Sir,
Your and the other Petitioners
Affectionate Brother
and very humble Servant,

Tho. Brown Gd. Sec.

Charter of Union Lodge.

[Seal.]

John Rowe, G. M.

To all and every our Right Worshipful and Loving Brethren, Free and Accepted Masons now Residing or that may hereafter Reside in Sherburne in the County of Nantucket in the Province of the Massachusetts Bay in New England. We John Rowe, Esquire, Provincial Grand Master of the Antient and Honourable Society of Free and Accepted Masons for all North America, where no other Grand Master is Appointed,

SEND GREETING.

Whereas, Application hath been made unto us by several Brethren Free and Accepted Masons now residing at Sherburne aforesaid: setting forth that they think it their indispensible Duty to propagate the Royal Art with all the Strictness and Regularity that becomes Masons of a just and perfect Lodge; that they shall always use their best Endeavors to promote so laudable a Society when it is Established in due form: Therefore Pray that we would Constitute them into a Regular Lodge, and appoint our Brother, Captain William Brock to be their first Master.

Now therefore know ye, That We of the Great Trust, Power and Authority reposed in us by his Grace the Most Worshipful, Henry Somerset, Duke of Beaufort &c, Grand Master of Masons, have Constituted and Appointed our Right Worshipful and well beloved Brother Captain William Brock to be the first Master of the Lodge at Sherburne aforesaid, and do hereby impower him to Congregate the Brethren together, and form them into a Regular Lodge, he taking special Care that all and every Member thereof and all transient Persons admitted therein have been, or shall be regular made Masons: And that he appoint two Wardens and other Officers to a Lodge Appertaining, for the due Regulation of said Lodge for One Year; at the end of which he shall Nominate a new Master to be approved by the Lodge, at least two thirds of the Members in his favour, and said new Master shall Nominate and Appoint two Wardens and a Secretary for the ensuing Year, also a Treasurer, who must have the Votes of two thirds of the Members in his favour: and so the Same Course Annually.

And we do hereby give to said Lodge all the Privileges and Authority of other Regular Lodges; Requiring them to observe all and every of the Regulations contained in the Printed Book of Constitutions (except such as have been, or may bo Repealed at any Quarterly Communication or other General Meeting of the Grand Lodge in London,) to be kept and observed, as also all such other Rules and Instructions as may from Time to Time be transmitted to them by Us, or our Deputy, or Successors to either for the Time being: And that they do Annually send an Account in Writing to Us, or our Deputy, or Successors to either of Us for the Time being, of the Names of the Members of said Lodge, and their Place of Abode, with the Days and Place of Meeting, with any other things they may think proper to Communicate for the benefit of Masonry; And that they do Annually keep the Feast of St. John the Baptist, or St. John the Evangelist, or both, and Dine together on said Day or Days, or as near either of them as shall be most convenient; And lastly, that they do Regularly Communicate with the Grand Lodge in Boston, by sending to the Quarterly Communication such Charity as their Lodge shall think fit, for the Relief of Poor Brethren, with the Names of those that Contributed the same, that in case any such may conic to want Relief, they may have the preference to others.

Given under Our Hand and Seal of Masonry, at Boston, the 27th day of May, A.D. 1771, and of Masonry, 5771.

By the Grand Masters Command, Tho. Brown, Gr. Sec.

Richd. Gridley, D.G.M.
Jno. Cutler, S.G.W.
Abr. Savage, J.G.W.

Quarterly Communications

At the Grand Lodge or Quarterly Communication, held at the Bunch of Grapes Tavern in Boston, on Friday, the 29th day of January, 5773. A Letter from Nantucket Lodge was Read, praying that said Lodge may be registered in the Grand Lodge Books by the name of the Union Lodge, No. 5. Voted unanimously that the Prayer of said Petition be granted.

At the Grand Lodge or Quarterly Communication held at the Bunch of Grapes Tavern, in Boston on Friday, the 30"' day of April, 5773, a Letter from Hiram Lodge, in New naven and a Letter from Union Lodge, No. 5, at Nantucket were Read; Voted that both said Letters be Recorded. Voted that the Grand Secretary retain the Six Pounds lawful Money he has received from the Nantucket Lodge for the Relief of Bro. Jeremiah Russell, in his own Hands untill he obtains a Receipt from said Bro: for said Sum.

The Letter from Union Lodge N' 5.

Union Lodge No. 5 in Nantucket, March 13th 5773.
To the Right Worshipful John Rowe Esq; Provincial Grand Master of Masons in North America.

Right Worshipful Brother:

By Order of the R' Worshipful Master of this Lodge I am to answer yours of the 1st. Jan; last, also of the 30th of the same Month, both which he has received together with the Petition of Bro. Russel.

The Remoteness of our Situation on an Island, the Difficulty of passing in Winter, we hope will be accepted as a sufficient Excuse for our Non-Attendance at the Grand Lodge according to Summons. Our Lodge is yet in its Infancy, the Members chiefly Seamen, and none of us blessed with a Fortune, our Lodge as yet not properly settled, furnished, &c, &c, Insomuch that it is out of our Power (at present) to transmit anything to the Grand Fund, but humbly hope that Maturity and the united Efforts of our greatest Abilities will in a short time enable us liberally to contribute thereto.

The calamitous Circumstances of Br. Russel we look upon well worthy of the immediate Commiseration & Assistance of every tender hearted & good Mason; have therefore voted the sum of 6£ to the Relief of our s. unfortunate Br., and the same transmitted to you pr. the Bearer hereof, M. Jos. Roby.

I am likewise directed to inform you, agreeable to our Deputation, that on the celebration of the Feast of St. John the Evangelist last past we proceeded to the Choice of New Officers, and there were elected

  • R. W. Master, Br. Timothy Folger, Esq.
  • S. W. Br. Tristram Barnard.
  • J. W. Br. Thomas Worth.

Also Members admitted since our last are Br. William Bunker, Josiah Coffin Junr., Zacheus Bunker, Phinehas Fanning, John Gardner, 2d, John Bard, Barrett Bard, Paul Pinkham, Robert Macy & Peleg Bunker all Inhabitants of this Island.

Right Worshipful Brother, Do us the Honor to Believe that every Member of this Lodge has the Honor of Masonry at Heart and will on all Occasions exert his utmost Faculties to promote the Royal Art.

By Order of Timothy Folger Esq., R. W. Master, I have the happiness to be your affectionate Brother and in Nantucket and Most obedient humble Servant Phinehas Fanning Sec;.

Quarterly Communications

At the Grand Lodge or Quarterly Communication held at the Bunch of Grapes Tavern in Boston, on Friday the 28th day of January 5774. The Grand Secretary Read two Letters to the Lodge which he had received since the last Quarterly Communication from Union Lodge N" 5, at Nantucket, together with his Answer to one of them : which Letters were highly approved of by the Lodge, and ordered to be Recorded.

Letter from Union Lodge

P; Order of the Master.
To M; Thomas Brown
Merchant in Boston.
Nantucket 10th Novemb; 1773.

Much Respected Brother,

I am directed by our Lodge to inform you that some time in October ult., we received a Petition from one Philip Bass of Boston who is recommended to us by Bro. Nathl. Barber, (a truly worthy Member of our Society & in particular of this Lodge,) to be a worthy Mason & in Circumstances really necessitous, all which we cannot doubt, but as we are most of us intirely unacquainted with Bro. Bass who is an Inhabitant of Boston & immediately under the Eye of the Grand Lodge, we conceive that to be the Chanel thro' which our Charity ought to be conveyed. We shall most willingly contribute to the Necessities of Bro. Bass or any other Indigent. Brother. But those who are Inhabitants of Boston we conceive should be represented to us as such by the Grand Lodge. Request your Answer with your Sentiments on this matter as soon as convenient.

I am your affectionate Brother
and most obedient humble Servant
Phinehas Fanning, Sec .

Answer.

To M; Phinehas Fanning,
Secretary to Union Lodge N" 5 in Nantucket.
Boston, 30th November. 1773.

Worshipful Brother. I received a Letter from you bearing Date the 10th Instant wrote by direction of your Lodge, wherein you desire my Sentiments respecting a Grant of Charity requested from said Lodge by one Philip Bass of this Town.

I take this opportunity to acquaint your Worshipful Lodge, that I verily believe Cap. Bass to be a genuine Mason, and in other respects a Man of a fair Character, and that he is in necessitous Circumstances ; the Second Lodge in this Town, of which I have the honor to be a Member, looked upon all this to be fact, and made him a Grant very lately out of the Stock of the Lodge; your worshipful Lodge must however excuse me from presuming to dictate to them in a Matter wherein they are at perfect Liberty to act as to them appeareth expedient.

My Opinion coincides with theirs, that the Grand Lodge is the proper Chanel through which Recommendations for Charity ought to pass to the Lodges in this Jurisdiction, and I doubt not of their readiness in paying due Notice to such Recommendations wheu regularly Issued; but still, when any Brother petitions a particular Lodge for Relief, and they are satisfied with the Petitioner's Character & Circumstances, it lays intirely with them to grant him such a Sum as they think convenient, or none at all, if they find the State of their Lodge at a low Ebb.

I could heartily wish that the Lodges within this Jurisdiction did exert themselves as much to encrease the Fund of the Grand Lodge, as the several Lodges do in Boston; here, each Member pays one shilling lawful Money Quarterly for the sole purpose of Charity, and the whole Amount collected is deposited Annually in the hands of the Grand Treasurer; which method if adopted by the Lodges in general, would prove greatly Advantageous to individual Brothers who might by the Providence of God be reduced to indigent Circumstances ; for instance, if such a Brother should apply to a particular Lodge for Relief which had contributed to the general Fund of Charity, and it should not be in the power of that Lodge to afford him such Assistance as they knew the exigencies of his Condition required : in such case they might with strict propriety recommend him to the consideration of the Grand Lodge for further Relief. I cannot but recommend this Method to the candid deliberation of your Lodge and hope I shall not be deemed impertinent for so doing.

I sincerely wish your Lodge every Masonic Blessing and am with Esteem, their and your

Most affectionate Brother and very humble Servant
Tho. Brown Gr. Sec.

Another letter from Union Lodge.'

Nantucket, 16'" Decern; 1773.
To Br;' Tho; Brown,
Grand Secretary.

Worshipful Brother,

Received yours concerning Bro. Bass's Petition, &c., am much obliged to you for the favor; have laid the same before our Lodge, who have voted for the Relief of said Bro. Bass 3£. The Lodge also voted 6£ to be sent to the G. Charity Fund, which you will receive by the bearer hereof our Worshipful Master Br': Samuel Barrett. Our Lodge as yet (as you must be sensible) is in its Infancy our Members generally Seamen & rarely a full Meeting. We have not as yet attained to that stated method of Business & steady (Economy we hope soon to acquire. We shall immediately enter into some regular method of depositing Money in the Grand Charity Fund & make use of the first Opportunity to inform you thereof, which tho' it may be little, as we are poor, hope it will be accepted of. The Worshipful Grand Lodge may be assured that we shall never be backward to contribute to the general Fund according to the utmost of our Ability; and that we shall on all Occasions contribute to the utmost of our Power in promoting the royal Art.

I am likewise agreeable to our Deputation, to inform the most Worshipful Grand Lodge that on the first Monday of this Instant in our annual Meeting for the Election of Officers we proceeded to chuse for the current Year the following (viz1) Bro. Samuel Barrett, Master; George Calder, S. W.; John Sherman, J. W.; Christopher Hussey, Senr., Treasurer, & Phinehas Fanning Secretary, And that we at present enjoy that Unity, Harmony and Brotherly Concord which is the Foundation of Masonry and the Honor and Support of our Society. Am

By Order of the Worshipful Master with great Esteem
your affectionate Brother and most obedient humble Servant,
Ph. Fanning Secy.

Quarterly Communications

At the Grand Lodge or Quarterly Communication held at the Bunch of Grapes Tavern in Boston on Friday the 27th. Day of January, 5775. A Letter from Union Lodge N'.' 5, at Nantucket was read and Voted that the same be Recorded.

Letter

Union Lodge, N° 5. Nantucket
28th Decemb;,5774.

Mr. Thomas Brown.

Worshipful Brother,

I am directed agreeable to our Deputation to inform the Right Worshipful, the Grand Master and the Grand Lodge, that in our Lodge proceeding the Celebration of the Feast of S! John the Evangelist, we proceded to the Election of Officers for the Year ensuing; when we made choice of the Following, viz.:

  • R. W. B. Timothy Folger, Esqr., Master;
  • W. B. Christopher Hussey, Senr., Treasurer; and
  • George Calder, S. W.
  • John Bearde, J. W.
  • Nathl Barrett, S. D.;
  • John Gardner, J. D.; and
  • Silvanus Pinkham and Jonathan Jenkins, Stewards.

On the 27th Decemb. we met at the Lodge Room to celebrate the Feast of S! John, from whence we proceeded in Procession to the Rev. Mr. Shaw's Meeting House, where the Beauties of Masonry, the infinite Profit & Advantage of Brotherly Love and Unity, were learnedly, elegantly and politely displayed in a Sermon, to a numerous and respectable Audience, by our Brother Zebulon Butler, the Subject whereof he made, Psalm 133, Verse 1st: "Behold how good and how pleasant it is for Brethren to dwell together in Unity." We then proceeded to a convenient place, where we dined together as Brethren; from whence we walked back to the Lodge Room in Masonick Procession ; the whole conducted with the greatest order, decency & propriety.

Wo have opened a Subscription for the Grand Fund of Charity, but by reason of the precariousness of the Times have thought proper to desist from collecting any money on .that head for the present. The Grand Lodge may be assured of the exertion of the utmost of our Abilities to further all such noble and generous Designs I am also directed to inform you the number of our members is Sixty five; which increase very fast, God grant that neither Ambition, Lust of Power, Faction, Discontent or any other offspring of the fatal Enemy of Masons may prevail to disunite the Hearts of Brethren, or prevent the increase of Unity, Love and Concord amongst us, or in any other manner abate the Ardour, with which I am your Affectionate Brother & humb. Servant.

by order of the Right Worshipful Master and Brethren

Christopher Hussey, Junr., Sec.

P. S. The R. W. and Brethren doth request the favor of your inserting our Procession &c. in the News Papers. Per C. H. Sec.

We intended to give some extracts from the records of Union Lodge, but are compelled to defer them until a future number.

From New England Freemason, Vol. II, No. 2, February 1875, Page 88:

A Singular Incident.—About fifty years ago, a boy, named Philip Wager, living near Chittenango, Madison County, New York, on his way to school, discovered a wayfarer, apparently in distress, by the roadside. The boy returned home and informed his father, who went and conveyed the aged way¬ farer to his house, where he died during the same night. There was nothing found upon him by which to identify him, except his Masonic diploma. It was dated Nov. 26, 1776, and signed by Samuel Barrett, W. M.; Geo. Calder, S. W.; John Gardener, J. W.; Wm. Brock, P. M., and Christopher Hussey, Treas. It was written in both English and Latin, on thick parchment. This document has lain concealed, among other papers of Mr. Wager, all these long years, scarcely ever having been opened, and never seen by any member of the Fraternity, until about four years since, when it became the property of Charles P. Wager, a grandson of Philip Wager, Sen., father of the boy above mentioned. On the margin of the diploma is the autograph of David Squire, written twice.

In the records of Union Lodge, of Nantucket, Mass., (which are in good preservation from May 9, 1771, to the present time,) the following entries are found: David Squire initiated July 1st, 1776, passed July 4th, 1776 (the very day of the Declaration of Independence, and raised August 5th, 1776. Through Oneida Lodge, No. 270, of Oneida Depot, Madison County, New York, these facts became known to Union Lodge, and a request was made that the diploma be returned; but only a copy could be obtained.



PAST MASTERS

  • William Brock, 1771
  • Andrew Worth, 1772
  • Timothy Folger, 1773, 1775
  • Samuel Barrett, 1774, 1776, 1780-1783, 1796-1798
  • George Calder, 1777, 1778
  • Jethro Hussey, 1779, 1787-1790, 1795
  • Josiah Coffin, 1784-1786, 1791, 1794
  • Abner Coffin, 1792, 1793
  • Nathaniel Barrett, 1799-1801; SN
  • James Coffin, 1802
  • William Coffin, 1803, 1804; SN
  • Benjamin Bunker, 1805
  • Peter Hussey, 1806, 1807; SN
  • James Gurney, 1808, 1809
  • Martin T. Morton, 1810, 1811
  • Henry Riddell, 1812-1815, 1822
  • Hezekiah P. Gardner, 1816, 1817; SN
  • Elisha Starbuck, 1818, 1819, 1821, 1838-1842; SN
  • Gorham Coffin, 1820
  • Benjamin Brown, 1823, 1824, 1836, 1837, 1843
  • William Coffin, Jr., 1825, 1835
  • Robert F. Parker, 1826-1829; SN
  • George F. Bunker, 1830-1832
  • George Swain, Jr., 1833-34
  • George Parker, 1844, 1845
  • Frederick W. Folger, 1846, 1847, 1853-1855
  • Charles Brown, 1848-1852
  • George W. Macy, 1856
  • John Sherman, 1857
  • Gustavus Gifford, 1858, 1860
  • Andrew J. Morton, 1859
  • Alexander B. Robinson, 1861
  • John H. Sherman, 1862
  • Charles F. Brown, 1863
  • Charles H. Jagger, 1864-1867
  • Joseph McCleave, 1868
  • Perry Winslow, 1869, 1870
  • Joseph S. Barney, 1871-1874; SN
  • Benjamin F. Brown, 1875-1878
  • Rueben C. Kenney, 1879
  • Henry Paddack, 1880-1882; Mem
  • George W. Defriez, 1883-1886
  • James A. Homes, 1887, 1888
  • Frederick W. Folger, 1889, 1890
  • Joseph C. Brock, 1891, 1892
  • Albert G. Brock, 1893-1895; Mem
  • Rollin M. Allen, 1896, 1897
  • Ellenwood B. Coleman, 1898, 1899
  • Henry P. Brown, 1900-1902; Mem
  • Reuben C. Small, 1903, 1904
  • Daniel C. Brayton, Jr., 1905, 1906
  • Charles H. Fishback, 1907
  • William F. Worth, 1908
  • Maurice W. Boyer, 1909
  • William T. Swain, 1910
  • Arthur A. Norcross, 1911, 1912
  • Alfred E. Smith, 1913, 1914; Mem
  • Louis Coffin, 1915
  • Reuben G. Coffin, 1916
  • Cyril S. Carriveau, 1917
  • Robert H. Chisholm, 1918
  • John McLeod, 1919
  • James A. Holmes, Jr., 1920
  • George M. Lake, 1921
  • William C. Brock, 1922
  • Randolph M. Swain, 1923
  • Edward P. Tice, 1924
  • Elmer F. Pease, 1925
  • Richard F. Dixon, 1926
  • Harding Smith, 1927
  • Elmer J. Blanchard, 1928
  • Francis E. Folger, 1929; Memorial
  • Roger F. Dunham, 1930
  • Joseph King, 1931
  • Harry Gordon, 1932
  • Alcon Chadwick, 1933
  • Winslow G. Pearl, 1934
  • Leroy H. True, 1935; N
  • Oscar B. Eger, 1936
  • James A. Norcross, 1937
  • William Hall, Jr., 1938
  • Nelson O. Dunham, 1939
  • George W. Jones, 1940
  • Ernest C. Thomas, 1941
  • Irving A. Severino, Sr., 1942
  • Edward Roy, 1943
  • Elias J. Lyon, 1944
  • Lincoln Porte, 1945, 1946
  • Ormonde F. Ingall, 1947
  • Melvin L. Ray, 1948
  • Herbert N. Gibbs, 1949
  • William R. Waine, 1950; SN
  • Albert G. Brock, II, 1951
  • Francis W. Pease, 1952; PDDGM
  • Walter C. Knott, 1953
  • Harold B. Ryder, 1954
  • Roger A. Young, 1955
  • James Nelson, 1956
  • Edward S. Roy, 1957
  • Arthur F. Vincent, 1958
  • William E. Grieder, 1959
  • Irving A. Soverino, Jr., 1960
  • Malcolm F. Soverino, 1961
  • Andrew E. Lowell, 1962
  • José F. Reyes, 1963; N
  • Clyde H. Blackwood, 1964
  • Lawrence K Miller, 1965
  • Manuel Machado, 1966
  • David D. Worth, 1967
  • Paul A. Bennett, 1968
  • Samuel Levine, 1969
  • Frederick S. Richrod, 1970
  • Linwood E. Proctor, 1971; N
  • James E. King, 1972
  • C. John Gilbert, 1973
  • Frederick W. Cook, 1974
  • David M. MacKenzie, 1975
  • Sherman E. McCaslin, 1976
  • Gerald D. Mainhart, 1977
  • Gerald L. O' Hara, 1978
  • Edgar T. Lindstrom, 1979
  • Homer F. Ray, III, 1980, 1981
  • William M. Joyce, 1982
  • Frank J. Pattison, 1983
  • Thomas M. Montgomery, 1984, 1987
  • Hendrick F. Cartee, 1985, 1992
  • Robert P. Grimes, 1986
  • L. Randolph Lee, 1988
  • William Yarmy, 1989
  • Frederick A. Richmond, 1990
  • Steven L. Cobb, 1991
  • Robert W. Sandsbury, Jr., 1993, 1994
  • Glynn E. Franklin, 1995
  • Michael R. Petrosino, 1996-1998 PDDGM
  • Nathan B. McMullen, 1999
  • John A. McKinnon, 2000
  • Scott R. Saunders, 2001
  • Robert G. Bates, Jr., 2002
  • Todd R. Stout, 2003, 2004
  • Richard E. Norton, 2005
  • Jeffrey S. McKinnon, 2006
  • James E. Grieder, 2007
  • Daniel D. Bartlett, 2008, 2009
  • Aaron B. Norton 2009
  • Peter H. Culbertson, 2010, 2012
  • Michael T. Allen, 2011


REFERENCES IN GRAND LODGE PROCEEDINGS

  • Petition for Charter: 1771

ANNIVERSARIES

  • 1871 (Centenary)
  • 1921 (150th Anniversary)
  • 1971 (200th Anniversary)
  • 1996 (225th Anniversary)

VISITS BY GRAND MASTER

BY-LAW CHANGES

1890 1901 1922 1931 1941 1947 1970 1974 1982

HISTORY

  • 1871 (Centenary Historical Sketch, 1871-85; see extract below from MFM)
  • 1921 (150th Anniversary History, 1921-227; see below)
  • 1971 (200th Anniversary History,(Historical Sketch of Union Lodge, 1971-319)

CENTENNIAL CELEBRATION, MAY 1871

From Moore's Freemason's Monthly, Vol. XXX, No. 10, August 1871, Page 289:

An old and in his time a popular writer on the geography of New England, and the local habits and peculiarities of its people, speaks of Nantucket as follows:

"Some of the most peculiar manners and customs of New England are found in the Island of Nantucket and the neighboring part of the continent. Nantucket is a happy settlement; not that it has precious metals in its bosom, or fertility in its soil, but because the people are simple, innocent, and contented. The sea is their patrimony, and they gather its bounties in the most distant parts. The whale fishery in New England was commenced by six persons in Nantucket; one watched on an eminence for the spouting of the whale, and when he discovered it, all would pursue in a small boat, and they seldom failed to tow the leviathan ashore. Gains extended the adventure, ships were fitted out, and the whale was chased from the temperate regions to the arctic seas, and followed to the remotest shores to the Pacific Ocean.

"Among the people there are none idle, and few destitute. The vices of commercial places are hardly known, and it is admitted all over New England to be a great presumption in favor of a man's honesty, that he comes from Nantucket. The Friends or Quakers, give to the language a simplicity of diction truly Doric; and, though they take some liberties with 'he Commonwealth's English, yet to speak in a more classic manner, would be held to savor of affectation and pretension, in a person brought up with them. The various relationships, and the kindly feelings, have introduced the custom of calling elderly people uncle or aunt, and the younger, cousin. Even a stranger soon falls into this habit. The people generally marry young, and few live in celibacy. They are social to a great degree, and are eminently distinguished for their frequent visitings to sup at each other's houses. They live more as though they made a large family, than a small community."

Such, according to our author, was the primitive and interesting character of the Island of Nantucket and its people, half a century ago. How much of the early customs and peculiarities of their ancestors are still retained by the present generation — how much of their simplicity and innocence; how successfully the "vices of commercial places" have been kept out from among them; how faithfully they have preserved the good old family "custom of calling elderly people uncle or aunt, and the younger cousin"; or how frequently they "sup at each others houses," giving to the entire community the delightful familiarity and domestic enjoyments of "a large family," we are not qualified to say; but if pressed for an opinion predicated on our slight acquaintance with them, it would be much in accordance with that given by our author in the above extract.

But be this as it may, our recent visit to the Island, in the fulfillment of our Masonic duties, has tended only to confirm the truth of their world-wide reputation as an enterprising, genial and hospitable people. So far as our own observation goes, they are still, in an unusual degree, one "large family" of friends and neighbors, influenced by a common sympathy; growing, perhaps, out of their comparatively isolated locality; cut off as they measurably are for a large part of the year, from mingling with any other than their own society — left, the young to their wits, the old to pleasant reminiscences of the past, when, at their wharves

"On either hand,
Like a long wint'ry forest, groves of masts
Shot up their spires."

But all this is foreign to our present purpose.

Freemasonry was first introduced into the Island in the year 1771, on the petition of William Brock, Joshua Deniston, Henry Smith, William North, Christopher Hussey and Timothy Folger — the first four being Master Masons, and the last two Fellow Crafts. A petition of this kind would hardly be admissible at the present day, but was not inconsistent with the usages of the Craft at the time it was granted, the theory then being that three M. M. could make a Lodge, five, including two F. C.'s form one, and seven including two E. A.'s, make it perfect. The petitioners say, "Being sensible that it lies in our power to propagate the Ancient and Honorable Society of Free and Accepted Masons here in this place, we think it our indispensable duty to use our best endeavors to propagate so noble an Art with all the strictness and regularity as becomes members of a just and perfect Lodge," and being "sensible that no one ought to come to any light or knowledge (of the Art) by any clandestine or unregular method, that may tend to cast any disgrace upon the Fraternity, which we shall always be sorry to hear of," they request, if consistent with the will and pleasure of the Grand Master, that he will send them a Warrant, "that we may have a just and perfect Lodge consecrated here, so that when any candidates offer themselves we may be able to deal with them in due form."

In answer to this request the following Warrant or Charter was sent to the petitioners; which, being somewhat quaint in its terms and different in its conditions from those now in general use in this country, we lay before our readers, the original of which was destroyed in the great fire at Nantucket in 1846, and was subsequently replaced by a modern Charter; it not being known, at that time, that a copy was in existence; and we may remark here, as a curious incident in this connection, that the loss of the original Charter, with the terms of which even the more aged members seem not to have been familiar, gave rise, a few years afterwards, to a singular belief that the authority for the Lodge was originally derived from the Grand Lodge of Scotland — an error which was firmly persisted in until irrefutably controverted by Grand Master Gardner, who, in his excellent speech at the dinner table on the occasion of the late celebration, presented the Master of the Lodge with an attested copy of the original document from the records of the Grand Lodge of Massachusetts! to the surprise, and we doubt not to the gratification of all who had adopted the erroneous supposition. We presume that a parchment copy will now be made of it, properly attested, and carefully preserved against any similar misfortune in the future:

Copt of the Charter.

[Seal.]

John Rowe, G. M.

To all and every our Right Worshipful and Loving Brethren, Free and Accepted Masons now Residing or that may hereafter Reside in Sherburne in the County of Nantucket in the Province of the Massachusetts Bay in New England. We John Rowe, Esquire, Provincial Grand Master of the Antient and Honourable Society of Free and Accepted Masons for all North America, where no other Grand Master is Appointed,

SEND GREETING.

Whereas, Application hath been made unto us by several Brethren Free and Accepted Masons now residing at Sherburne aforesaid: setting forth that they think it their indispensible Duty to propagate the Royal Art with all the Strictness and Regularity that becomes Masons of a just and perfect Lodge; that they shall always use their best Endeavors to promote so laudable a Society when it is Established in due form: Therefore Pray that we would Constitute them into a Regular Lodge, and appoint our Brother, Captain William Brock to be their first Master.

Now therefore know ye, That We of the Great Trust, Power and Authority reposed in us by his Grace the Most Worshipful, Henry Somerset, Duke of Beaufort &c, Grand Master of Masons, have Constituted and Appointed our Right Worshipful and well beloved Brother Captain William Brock to be the first Master of the Lodge at Sherburne aforesaid, and do hereby impower him to Congregate the Brethren together, and form them into a Regular Lodge, he taking special Care that all and every Member thereof and all transient Persons admitted therein have been, or shall be regular made Masons: And that he appoint two Wardens and other Officers to a Lodge Appertaining, for the due Regulation of said Lodge for One Year; at the end of which he shall Nominate a new Master to be approved by the Lodge, at least two thirds of the Members in his favour, and said new Master shall Nominate and Appoint two Wardens and a Secretary for the ensuing Year, also a Treasurer, who must have the Votes of two thirds of the Members in his favour: and so the Same Course Annually.

And we do hereby give to said Lodge all the Privileges and Authority of other Regular Lodges; Requiring them to observe all and every of the Regulations contained in the Printed Book of Constitutions (except such as have been, or may be Repealed at any Quarterly Communication or other General Meeting of the Grand Lodge in London,) to be kept and observed, as also all such other Rules and Instructions as may from Time to Time be transmitted to them by Us, or our Deputy, or Successors to either for the Time being: And that they do Annually send an Account in Writing to Us, or our Deputy, or Successors to either of Us for the Time being, of the Names of the Members of said Lodge, and their Place of Abode, with the Days and Place of Meeting, with any other things they may think proper to Communicate for the benefit of Masonry; And that they do Annually keep the Feast of St. John the Baptist, or St. John the Evangelist, or both, and Dine together on said Day or Days, or as near either of them as shall be most convenient; And lastly, that they do Regularly Communicate with the Grand Lodge in Boston, by sending to the Quarterly Communication such Charity as their Lodge shall think fit, for the Relief of Poor Brethren, with the Names of those that Contributed the same, that in case any such may conic to want Relief, they may have the preference to others.

Given under Our Hand and Seal of Masonry, at Boston, the 27th day of May, A.D. 1771, and of Masonry, 5771.

By the Grand Masters Command, Tho. Brown, Gr. Sec.

Richd. Gridley, D.G.M.
Jno. Cutler, S.G.W.
Abr. Savage, J.G.W.

It will be seen from the above that the Charter was granted on the 27th of May, 1771, and though we have no means of fixing the precise day when the Lodge was organized and went into active operation, the probability is that this took place immediately before, or on the following 24th of June; and that the Lodge continued to work under the Mastership of Bro. William Brock and his appointees, until the 26th of the ensuing December, when the R. W. Timothy Folger, Esq. was elected Master; John Calder, Senior Warden; John Bearde, Junior Warden; Christopher Hussey, Senr., Treasurer; Nathaniel Barrett, S. D.; John Gardner, J. D.; and Sylvanus Pinkham and Jonathan Jenkins, Stewards. The next day (27th) the Lodge celebrated the Feast of St. John; proceeding, says the Record, "in procession to the Rev. Mr. Shaw's Meeting House, where the Beauties of Masonry, the infinite Profit and Advantage of Brotherly Love and Unity were learnedly, elegantly and politely displayed in a sermon, to a numerous and respectable audience by our Brother ZebuIon Butler, the subject whereof he made Psalm 133, Verse 1st;" at the conclusion of which the Lodge "proceeded to a convenient place and dined together as Brethren." This was the first public Masonic celebration that ever took place on the Island, and the last, — the Lodge having in the intermediate time rounded off full one hundred years of its existence,— took place on the 24th of June 1871, being the anniversary of the nativity of St. John the Baptist, and of its own Centenary.

The occasion with its festivities — the two or three thousand strangers which it drew together — the presence of at least five hundred Masons, including two of the finest companies of Knights Templars in the country, in their rich and showy regalia, with flaunting banners and 'aspiring music—the wild excitement that pervaded the entire community— the public display of flags in the streets — and above all he munificent hospitality and kindly welcome everywhere manifested, marked the day as an epoch, not only in the Masonic but in the local and domestic history of the Island. It was an event which the old. will long remember and love to talk about, in coming years, and which the young will transmit to their successors as a day of joy, fruitful of pleasant reminiscences.

We have not space in our pages for details, nor is their omission a matter of importance, for they may all be found in the secular papers of the day. The festivities, ceremonies, or services,— the incongruity of the parts leaves us at a loss how to-classify the whole, — were opened on the preceding evening, in a large public tent, and in the presence of some six or eight hundred persons of both sexes, with what is called a "Sorrow Lodge" — a species of Lodge of which our Masonic Fathers were profoundly ignorant, and in which happy condition their successors of the present day might have remained, but for the aspirations of some of our ambitious Brethren to improve the old superstructure of the Order, by incorporating upon it the vagaries of the French and other Orients of Continental Europe. We might nevertheless be able to reconcile ourselves to this, as to other innovations, were the ceremonies confined to the Lodge room and kept within proper limits; but they are-ill adapted for public display, and the present exhibition of them was particularly objectionable, both in time and place, however impressively and eloquently the services may have been performed. The occasion which had called the Brethren together was a Festival, a day of congratulation and of joy, and it should not have been opened in! such a manner that the satirist might with some apparent truth say

"The funeral baked meats
Did coldly furnish forth the marriage tables."

We were not present at these ceremonies, for the sufficient reason, and perhaps for others, that the Grand Lodge, with which Body we were connected, were not officially apprised of them. We understand however that they were conducted by one of the Chaplains of the Grand Lodge of New York, and according to a ritual neither known to nor recognized by, the Masonry of Massachusetts.

At the conclusion of these funereal services the audience dispersed, the citizens retiring to their homes, and the Brethren to the hotels and private lodgings provided for them. A reporter of one of the city papers the following day says, "very little sleep was enjoyed on Monday night, for the Sir Knights, hosts and guests were determined to extend courtesies one to the other, and accordingly serenading was the order of the night — like an Alexandrine line, with its "linked sweetness long drawn out!" Putting it in its mildest form, this was doubtless all very well, but, as a sequence, the connection, though natural, was not exactly in unison with its antecedent. The Latin poet understood the true relation of things bettor when he said —

"Singula qurcqiie locum tcueant sortita decenter—"

Let every individual matter becomingly retain the place naturally belonging to it.

At ten o'clk. on the following morning, Tuesday the 27th, a procession was formed, consisting of the M. W. Grand Lodge of the Commonwealth, with Grand Master Gardner at its head, under the escort of the De Molay Commandery of Boston, Sir E. T. Wilson in command, and the Sutton Commandery of New Bedford, Sir John A. Lee, commanding — the former numbering about one hundred and twenty-five members, accompanied by Gilmore's celebrated Band, with Gilmore himself at its head; and the latter with about eighty members and the New Bedford Brass Band. Both bodies were in elegant regalia, were ably handled, and never on any public occasion appeared to better advantage, or elicited more general or more worthily earned commendation. So far as we know, a company of Knights Templars never before appeared upon the Island. The presence of these two splendid bodies, therefore, on the present occasion, naturally excited the liveliest curiosity and interest among the many hundreds of men, women, and children who had never before witnessed a display, to them, so unique and brilliant.

Next following these bodies, was Paul Revere Lodge of North Bridgewater, in full ranks, with an excellent Band. Then came large delegations from the Lodges on the Cape, the names of which we are not able to give. Union Lodge with its W. Master Bro. Joseph S. Barney, and some aged Brethren in carriages, closed the procession, numbering some five hundred or more Brethren, the whole under the marshalship of Past Master Macy, of the celebrating Lodge. The bodies so formed took up the line of March at about 11 o'clock and proceeded through the length and breadth of the town; we are not sure that any particular street was omitted, or that any blade of grass that had strength enough to show itself above the horribly projecting and ankle-breaking paving-stones was left untrodden upon. It was however some compensation for this annoyance, that all along the route, flags were freely displayed; wreaths and buntings and hearty welcomes, enthusiastic cheers and bright faces were everywhere present. All outside the ranks appeared to be happy, and of course the sufferers could not be otherwise.

But "all's well that ends well;" and soon after one o'clock the procession entered the mammoth tent for dinner, where tables were spread for about a thousand hungry guests. These wore profusely and beautifully ornamented with flowers, and presented a picturesque and inviting appearance. The dinner was, about the usual average of such dinners, and was soon disposed of, when the intellectual part of the services began. This was of a high order, and far above the usual experience. Bro. A. P. Chapman of Boston, at the request of the Master of the Lodge, presided at the tables and discharged his duties in an unexceptionable and creditable manner. The first speaker was of course the M. W. Grand Master of the Grand Lodge, and on this, as on all occasions when called upon in the discharge of any of his official acts, he acquitted himself to the acceptance of his audience and the satisfaction of his Brethren. He referred briefly to the first introduction of Masonry into the Island, sketching the history of the organization of : the celebrating Lodge, reading the petition to the Grand Lodge in 1771 for its warrant, and closing this branch of his remarks by presenting the Master with an official copy of the original document, as noticed elsewhere. He then spoke of the organization of a second Lodge on the Island in 1826, under the name of Urbanity Lodge, and of its final dissolution in 1841; and closed with an appropriate and fraternal address to the members of the surviving Lodge, expressing a hope that their successors, when another century shall have rolled by, will find themselves in as happy and prosperous a condition as the j present members find themselves to-day.

Other speakers followed; all of whom we should be pleased to notice individually did our room allow of it. Among them were R. W. Past Grand Masters Dr. Winslow Lewis and William Parkman, and Deputy Grand Master Charles Levi Woodbury, who made a very fine and humorous address. Speeches were also made by Sir Knights E. T. Wilson of the De Molay and J. A. Lee of the Sutton Commanderies, and others. But it must suffice here to say that all the speeches were of surpassing excellence. Some of them were exceedingly eloquent and effective, and were received by the vast audience present with the highest satisfaction.

At four o'clock the banquet closed; and, out of the usual course, and altogether at the wrong time, the audience were invited to. proceed in procession to the Methodist Church, there to listen to an address by Bro. Joseph S. G. Cobb of Providence, K. I. The services here mainly consisted in the singing by the audience of a centennial ode, written for the occasion by Bro. A. E. Jenks, M. D. of Nantucket, and the oration, by Bro. Cobb. The number present was not so large by some hundreds as it would have been had the usual order of proceeding on such occasions been observed. The Brethren were all tired out, as were the bands, and needed rest, and most of them took it. The address was a very fine, well written, scholarly production, of its kind; but it was not well adapted to the occasion. The brethren naturally expected, as they had a right to expect, that the orator would lay before them the history of the Lodge — tracing its origin and progress, and sketching the general characteristics of its leading members, who had successfully carried it through, unbroken and without reproach, for an entire century. The speaker gave them nothing of this, though he gave them a very beautifully written and well spoken essay on the general subject of Masonry; and on an ordinary celebration of St. John's Day, no exception could be taken to its appropriateness.

The services here were followed in the evening by a "Centennial Ball," in the "Mammoth Tent." Of this our contemporary of the Nantucket Inquirer says — "It was a scene of rare beauty and enchanting loveliness, never to be forgotten by any one who was fortunate enough to be introduced into that Mimic World of delicate fragrance, light, life and music !" We suppose this will be enough for our readers on this point. Dancing continued until a late hour and was undoubtedly highly enjoyed by all who participated in it.

Thus closed this memorable celebration. There are many interesting incidents and reminiscences connected with it, which we should be gratified to notice, had not this article already spread itself out to an unusual and inconvenient length. The whole was eminently successful, and our Brethren of Union Lodge have abundant reasons to be satisfied with it, as their visitors have to be satisfied with them, and their generous hospitalities.

We may state here, what might perhaps have been better done in another place, that the Lodge was originally established under the name of Nantucket Lodge, and continued to be so known until January 1773, when on the petition of its Members, it was ordered that the name be changed and registered in the Grand Lodge Books as Union Lodge No. 5. The Lodge at its beginning was popular with the people. It started in June 1771 with six members only; and in the following December it reported the number to be sixty-five!

150TH ANNIVERSARY HISTORY, JUNE 1921

From Proceedings, Page 1921-227:

HISTORICAL SKETCH OF UNION LODGE.
BY BROTHER HENRY B. WORTH.

The situation of Union Lodge in 1871 furnished a rare amount of material for a Masonic historian. The records for a century were complete, having been rescued from the Great Fire of 1846. Among the living members were several who had attained an advanced age and whose memory and interest in the ancient institution were keen and unimpaired. Some of them probably had seen charier members of the Lodge. Such a fascinating story might, have been written as could be found in few places in New England. Yet all this was neglected and allowed to be lost.

Those in charge of the celebration considered that a Lodge of Sorrow was a more suitable feature. It was a memorial service such as frequently is rendered in modern times in all societies for members who have passed away.

On the field by the harbor-side, north of the Athletic Club and next to the bathing pavilion, was erected a large tent. The public was admitted and the service presented with all possible solemnity. dignity, and impressiveness. But the exercises were not accompanied by any historical function. It might be suggested that on the present occasion some of this loss could be repaired, so much at least as depended on written records.

To a great extent this was accomplished by Alex. Starbuck, of Waltham, several years since in a pamphlet prepared for the Nantucket Historical Society, called "A Century of Freemasonry," which was an annotated commentary on the records of Union Lodge. But this could not supply the recollection of the old men who had personal knowledge of much of the Masonic history during that century before 1871. It has not however been deemed advisable to reprint what the Starbuck history contained, but to have compiled a sketch referring to a few historic items not contained in that work.

According to traditions that seem trustworthy, the early meetings were held in a dwelling house at the end of Brock's Court, which extends west from North Liberty Street at its junction with Lily Street. The house, now taken down, may have been one owned by Andrew Brock, a relative of Capt. Wm. Brock, the first Master. An early candidate was Jethro Hussey, the owner of a house which stood cast of the Atheneum, where the bake shop is now located. Soon after Union Lodge was organized it began to meet in the chambers of this house, and here it convened over twenty years, Here a flag flying from a pole gave notice of meetings. When the Revolutionary War was over and affairs had begun to prosper membership had reached a satisfactory growth and Union Lodge decided to procure a better hall.

On the east side of Washington Street, thirty yards south from Main, opposite to the Town Offices, Alexander Gardner had built a new building with a store down stairs and the second floor suitable for meetings. This was purchased by the Lodge, March, 1793, and the title held by Trustees. In a few years this proved unsatisfactory, possibly being too near the wharves, and the Lodge made another change.

Next west of the Pacific Bank, then the residence of Esquire Hammett, was a lot which was purchased from Wm. Roteh in March, 1802. Here they built a commodious building, now standing on the same lot, the corner-stone of which with "inscription as called for," was laid with appropriate Masonic ceremonies June 24, 1802.

Three years and a half later the Lodge voted that the "corner-stone be removed out into full view." Then followed prosperous days for the Masonic fraternity. Here Union Lodge grew and waxed strong; here met Urbanity Lodge, in sport called the "silk stocking Lodge," from 1822 to 1830; here convened Rising Sun Royal Arch Chapter, between 1818 and 1828; here Unity Council of Royal and Select Masters held its convocations for two years subsequent to 1823, and here in those dark days when it was unpopular to be known as a Mason, when Union Lodge stood single and alone, a few stalwart members met in dreary solitude, and here finally in December, 1835, they voted to amend the By-Laws to provide for one meeting a year only, and to transfer their Lodge property to the Trustees of the Coffin School. It may be wondered where that corner-stone now rests. No information has been obtained that it. was ever removed. Perhaps it still supports the old Lodge building where it was placed one hundred and twenty years ago.

Th next hall occupied by the Lodge was a room in the old Atheneum Building which was burned in the Great Fire of July, 1846. When it appeared that this wild conflagration might reach the Atheneum some of the members of Union Lodge gained admission and rescued the property that could be moved, including the case that contained the Charter, but when this was opened, it was empty and the ancient document has never reappeared. Years afterwards some of them told the story to younger men and said "Some day, you boys may see the Charter, for an enemy of Union Lodge took it out of the case and there were several that could have entered that room. Perhaps it was not destroyed." So bitter was the feeling among the opponents of Freemasonry at Nantucket!

In the meantime the Lodge building on Main Street was occupied by the Odd Fellows and Union Lodge became tenants from the date of the Great Fire to November of that year when it moved to the hall in the building of the Commercial Insurance Company. which is the brick building at. the foot of Main Street owned by the Pacific Club.

In 1863 the Lodge again became tenant of the Odd Fellows in the block on Center Street were they remained until 1S!)0 when Henry Paddack donated to them the property at the corner of Main Street and Union.

If anyone examines the records of Union Lodge he will be impressed with the great interest taken by the members during the first thirty years in the subject of wine and liquors. Not: only do the records indicate that they were the most important item of the Lodge activity, but the Secretary always seems to spread upon the records nil details, tin- quantity on hand, the amount: consumed, and the cost. The Stewards' apartments were like a tap room of an Inn with Teneriffe wine by the barrel and South Carolina rum by the gallon. Visitors were required to pay one shilling after the first visit and at one time the candidate paid the expenses of the evening. The Secretary was ordered to "swap" wine for rum on the best terms he could. They had numerous toasts that they drank with great frequency. During the Revolution the Lodge was informed that in Boston wine cost a very great sum. Occasionally after dinner when many sentimental toasts had been drunk, the Secretary would record the fact that the members dispersed in good order and decency. But all this conviviality finally came within the limits of restriction. Repressive regulations were adopted. Intoxication was recorded as the reason why some were excluded. Soon after 1800, following the .sentiment that was growing in society everywhere, regulations more and more drastic were adopted until the records omitted all mention of the subject.

In the Starbuck history is given all that could be found about Rising Sun Royal Arch Chapter, but the records of this body were reported lost and possibly might have been destroyed in one of the conflagrations of the Masonic Temple in Boston.

One of the Masonic degrees mentions treasures buried in the secret vault. A few years ago Mrs. Caroline Lovell died in an old house on Lily Street, which she inherited from her father, James Franklin Chase. The late Edward G. Thomas, a relative in the family, was examining some old boxes in the garret and in one was a book which he recognized as containing familiar sounding records. It was at once deposited in the safe of the Pacific Bank and is today carefully preserved. If was the record of Rising Sun Chapter, kept by James Franklin Chase as Recorder and deposited by him in the attic of his home in 1828, where it remained forgotten and unknown over eighty years.

While this Chapter was a body separate from Union Lodge, yet the relations were so close that it becomes a part of the Lodge history and may appropriately be included herein.

The petition for Dispensation, dated May 9, 1818, was signed by:

  • Rev. Seth F. Swift
  • Rev. James Gurnet
  • John Brock
  • Josiah Banker
  • David Myrick
  • Thomas Cary
  • Thaddeus Coffin
  • Jonathan Colesworthy
  • Wilson Rawson

The Dispensation was granted June 9, 1818. This group was distinguished as Swift was minister of the Unitarian Society and Gurney of the North.

Capt. Wilson Rawson was a mariner and a devotee of Freemasonry, He belonged to all the local bodies and was the promoter of Chapter and Council.

The Chapter was consecrated Nov. 25, 1818, the public services being held in the Second Congregational Meeting House (Unitarian), the discourse being delivered by Rev. John W. Hardy, minister of the Methodist. Church. The officers installed were:

  • Rev. SEth F. Swift, H.P.
  • Thaddeus Coffin, K.
  • Zaccheus Hussey, S.
  • Peter Chase, T.
  • James F. Chase, Sec'y.
  • Aaron Mitchell, R. A. C.
  • Gorham Coffin, C. H.
  • Martin T. Morton, P. S.
  • Elisha Starbuck, 3 V.
  • Hezekiah B. Gardner, 2 V.
  • Rosweli, LeBrett, 1 V.
  • John Brock, Sent.
  • Wilson Rawson, T.

The office of High Priest was held by:

  • Martin T. Morton, 1819, 1820
  • Elisha Starbuck, 1821, 22, 23, 24, 25
  • Peleg S. Folger, 1826
  • Henry M. Pinkham, 1827

At the last election of officers, Nov. 10, 1828, the following were chosen, but not installed:

  • Robert F. Parker, H. P.
  • W. M. Morse, K.
  • Benjamin Pike, S.
  • Caleb Cushman, Sec 'y.

Sept. 1, 1824, the Chapter voted to return regalia and funds to the Grand Chapter, but the Secretary refused to enter the vote. Nothing appears on the records to explain this action, but no meetings were held until August, 1825, a committee in the meantime from the Grand Chapter having visited Nantucket, and meetings were resumed. The last record is dated Feb. 12, 1827, but there were meetings in 1828, not recorded.

One of the hostile influences that opposed Freemasonry on Nantucket was a most vigorous, determined, and intelligent meeting of the Society of Friends, unusually large in comparison with the size of the town, and at one time comprising two thriving societies.

Their discipline contained (inn and explicit command ment forbidding members joining Hie Masons. A considerable number disregarded lliis admonition, and were not excommunicated; possibly because it was not discovered. But the case of Capt. Levi Joy became known after he moved to Hudson, N. Y., in 1802. The Quaker meeting at that place was requested to investigate. After some evasive replies from Capt. Joy and as firm rejoinders from the Nantucket Friends that they had learned all circumstances about his initiation, lie was compelled to admit that "he was once among the Freemasons and never but once and has no desire to meet with them again and does not consider himself one of that Society." This explanation seems to have been satisfactory.

In 1773 Jethro Hussey was questioned "for allowing a Freemason's Lodge in his house, and he gave them no satisfaction except that he will endeavor to have it removed as soon as he can." Not long after they excommunicated him for attending a place where fiddling and dancing were carried on.

On December 11, 1797, the Grand Lodge of Massachusetts passed the following vote:

"That a new charter be granted to the Lodge held at Holmes' Hole, Martha's Vineyard, by the name of King Solomon Lodge of Perfection." (2 Mass. 112.)

Holmes' Hole, as tho.se familiar with the geography of Martha's Vineyard will recognize, is the name of a piece of water, but the settlement referred to would be what is now known as Vineyard Haven.

The new Charter carried with ii a new name, King Solomon's Lodge in Perfection. The old name never again appears in the records. There are occasional references to King Solomon's Lodge in Perfection in the Proceedings of the Grand Lodge until 1822 when it is recorded that its Charter was surrendered. Unfortunately the charter and accompanying papers have shared the fate of many other valuable Masonic documents which have been destroyed in the fires which have from time to time laid waste our Temples. We have therefore no information about this Lodge excepting that contained in the meager references lo which I have alluded. Our curiosity is excited by the fact that there are several references in the earlier years to correspondence with the Lodge and the appointment of committees thereon, hut unfortunately the correspondence has not been preserved and the reports of the committees, if they were ever made, do not appear in the records. Undoubtedly if the records at that time had been kept as fully as they are at present we should haw much valuable historical information.

But what was "the Lodge held at Holmes' Hole by the name of King Solomon Lodge of Perfection?" Clearly it was a body recognized as Masonic and regular, h is equally clear that it was not working under a Charter from either St. John's Grand Lodge or the Grand Lodge of Massachusetts. In a list of the Lodges under the jurisdiction of the Grand Lodge of Massachusetts contained in the Proceedings for September 10, 1804, King Solomon's Lodge in Perfection appears and the date of its Charter is given as 1791, but without month or day. In the case of every other Lodge in the list the precise date of the Charter is given. The inference is that the original Charter was not in existence or at least not accessible to the Grand Secretary, and that the date 1791 rests on tradition. The tradition was probably accurate as there would undoubtedly be original members of the Lodge still living.

The important point is that its existence as a Masonic body antedates the Union of 1792. It is reasonably clear, however, that it was not one of the constituent Lodges of either St. John's Grand Lodge or the Massachusetts Grand Lodge. There is no reference to it in the Proceedings of Si. John's Grand Lodge, and so far as we know the last Lodge chartered by St. John's Grand Lodge was Union Lodge, of Danbury. Conn., in March, 1780. A list of the constituent Lodges of the Massachusetts Grand Lodge appears in 1 Mass. 32 and this body is not among them.

The problem is what could have been the nature of a Lodge recognized as being sufficiently regular to receive a new Charter in 1797, such Lodge having existed since 1791 and not having been chartered by either St. John's Grand Lodge or I lie Massachusetts Grand Lodge.

The answer seems to be that it was exactly what its original name indicates — a Lodge of Perfection — and as such by far the earliest Scottish Rite body in existence in Massachusetts. It undoubtedly received its Charter from Moses Michael Hays, who was Grand Master of the Massachusetts Grand Lodge from 1788 to the union of 1792. Hays was not only Grand Master of the Grand Lodge, but be was the highest official of the Scottish Kite in this part of the United States. In 1761 the Council of Emperors of the East and West, 25°, then the presiding body for the Scottish Rite of the world, issued a commission as Inspector General to Stephen Morin. authorizing him to introduce the Rite into the West Indies and the United States. Morin in turn under the authority of bis commission deputized Henry Andrew Francken to exercise the same authority and he, under date of December 6, 1768, issued a commission with like powers to Moses Michael Hays as Deputy Inspector General. Under this commission Hays had full and unquestionable authority to organize and institute bodies of the Scottish Rite in any place not within two leagues of already existing bodies of the same grade. This original commission is in the possession of this Grand Lodge.

There are no records in existence of any exercise by Hays of the powers conferred by this commission. From the evidence here presented it seems, however, to be conclusively shown that Hays did in 1791 organize a Lodge of Perfection under the very appropriate name of King Solomon Lodge of Perfection at Holmes' Hole. A nucleus for such a body would be found among the seafaring men Who had taken Scottish Rite degrees in the West Indies. Hays' action would not only be strictly regular under the terms of his commission, hut would he entirely consistent with the position which he then held as Grand Master of the Massachusetts Grand Lodge for the reason that, the body so organized would be a Scottish Kite body and as such not an invasion of Grand Lodge jurisdiction.especially as in this time the Scottish Rite conferred the symbolic degrees. Its regularity as a Scottish Rite body and the Consequent fact that its members must all be Master Masons would be ample justification for the issue of a Charter to it as a Lodge if it desired to give up his work in the higher degrees and become a symbolic Lodge. Apparently six years of experimentation sufficed to convince these Brethren that Martha's Vineyard was not a proper place for Scottish Rite activities. There was not at that time any Lodge on the island and therefore these Brethren wisely decided to abandon the Scottish Kite experiment and become a symbolic Lodge.

Thus our ancient records enable us to recover an interesting but long forgotten chapter of our Masonic history and to show with apparent conclusiveness that the first Scottish Rite body in Massachusetts was King Solomon Lodge of Perfection, existing, perhaps it. would be too much to say flourishing, in Holmes' Hole, on Martha's Vineyard, from 1791 to 1797.

The Scottish Rite Charter would be surrendered to Hays, not turned in to the Grand Lodge, and this would account for the incompleteness of the date in the 1804 list.

OTHER

  • 1801 (Charter endorsed, II-190)
  • 1823 (Petition to Grand Master for ruling, II-423)
  • 1841 (Petition for remission of dues, IV-518; Committee report on Nantucket, IV-529)
  • 1846 (Replacement of original charter destroyed by fire, V-93)
  • 1985 (Grand Lodge presentation, 1985-30)

EVENTS

GRAND MASTER'S VISIT, SEPTEMBER 1861

From Moore's Freemason's Monthly, Vol. XXI, No. 1, October 1861, Page 5:

This is one of the oldest, as it is one of the most respectable Lodges in Massachusetts. It received its Charter in May, 1771, and has consequently been in existence ninety years: and it is a remarkable circumstance that it to-day holds the same relative rank among the Lodges in the State that it held on the day of its inauguration in 1771, viz.: number Five. This is to be accounted for by the fact that several of the earlier Lodges had previously ceased to exist, while others, located out of the State, though within the jurisdiction, were subsequently transferred to the roll of other Grand Lodges. We have not the means at hand of sketching even a brief history of the "island Lodge," but our impression is that it has never at any period of its existence ceased to hold its regular monthly meetings: and we are quite certain that there are few, if any, Lodges in the jurisdiction, located within fifty miles of Boston, that have been so often represented in the Grand Lodge, or more punctual in the payment of their quarterly dues. This is the more creditable to the Lodge, when it is remembered that Nantucket is something more than a hundred miles from Boston and about thirty from the main land, and that until within a very few years past several days were required to perform the journey between the two places.

The communication is now by railroad and steamboat; and at the proper season of the year the trip is a very agreeable one. At least we found it so in a recent excursion there, in company with the M. W. Grand Master. The passage across the " sound" is performed by a staunch and well-appointed steamer in about two hours and a quarter, and in a smooth sea is a delightfully pleasant sail, though we can readily imagine that it may occasionally be otherwise to persons of a bilious temperament.

The island is about fifteen miles in length and from three to five in width. The town is pleasantly situated at the head of a fine harbor, on the north shore, and contains, we think, about six thousand inhabitants, the whole population of the island being between eight and nine thousand. It bears evidence of having once been a flourishing and prosperous place; but the falling off of the whale fisheries has seriously affected it in all its business relations. The great fire of 1846, which swept away the largest part of the business section of the town, destroying about a million of dollars in property, was a calamity from which the island has never recovered ; and if we add to these the heavy losses sustained by the more wealthy and business men of the place, by the French cruisers, for which our own Government has never yet been honest enough to award any indemnity, we need not look further for the reasons for the present un-promising condition of the business character of the place. But notwithstanding all these misfortunes and drawbacks, the people seem to be comfortable livers and contented. We understand they are turning their attention to manufacturing and agricultural pursuits. The soil, to the eye of the stranger, does not hold out any very strong indications of success in the latter business, though we are told very good crops are obtained from it.

In the evening of the day of our arrival on the island we met the Brethren at the Lodge-room. The attendance was large, and our reception cordial. Having been introduced into the Lodge, the W. Master, Brother Robinson, addressed the M. W. Grand Master as follows :—

Most Worshipful Grand Master — Partaking largely in that feeling of respect and regard which ii so justly due, and is so universally entertained for the distinguished head of our ancient and honorable Order in our beloved Commonwealth, who, with such untiring fidelity and zeal, with each credit to himself and benefit to the Craft in general, so successfully performs the important and responsible duties of his honorable and exalted office, we would beg leave to express to you our high appreciation of the honor conferred upon us by this agreeable visit, and the satisfaction it gives us as an evidence of your favorable consideration and regard; and we would hereby most cordially extend to you a sincere and hearty welcome.

In justice to ourselves, permit me to say, Most Worshipful, that during the past year we have passed through a season peculiarly depressing in its influences upon the prosperity of Masonry in all sections of our State, to a greater or less degree, but especially so among us here. The great and terrible National crisis which is upon us, is of itself sufficient to retard the progress of the Order, and when we add to this the local influences bearing upon us in the constant and rapid decline of our business resources as a town, it may afford some excuse should we be compelled to confess to some falling off or suspension of interest in the Lodge, and consequently some degree of inefficiency in its working condition.

We trust, therefore, Most Worshipful, that under all the circumstances, without going farther into detail, you will be pleased to look leniently upon whatever may seem to detract from or lessen our claim to that degree of working efficiency, to which we have heretofore felt entitled, by your cheering words of encouragement upon a former occasion, as well as by the credit awarded us by our lamented Bro. Baxter, late D.D.G.M. for this Masonic district. But although our working-tools may have grown somewhat rosty and dull from lack of work, we trust the valuable lessons they symbolize and inculcate will ever continue to be our rule and guide, and that when we meet you again it will be under happier auspices, and under brighter skies.

And to you, Right Worshipful Brother Moore, as Grand Secretary of the Grand Lodge of Massachusetts, "known and read of all Masons", if not of "all men," we would also offer our warmest greeting and welcome upon this your first visit to our Lodge, and to our sea-girt island home.

Permit me to add also, that although but few of us have before had the privilege of meeting with you in person, yet knowing of your long and valuable services ac an officer of the Grand Lodge; of your deep research and extensive information upon all matters of Masonic history and jurisprudence ; of the invaluable additions to the literature of the Order which have emanated from your pen; in a word, of your long continued and faithful devotion to the cause of Masonry, we find it hard to convince ourselves that this is indeed the first time we have met.

We therefore greet you with the welcome, not only of Brethren of the Order, but of old acquaintance and friendship, — and we would express the earnest hope that the day may still be far distant in the future which shall deprive the Grand Lodge of the services of so able and efficient an officer, and the Fraternity at large of the counsels and assistance of so worthy and faithful a member.

Responses to the above were made by the visitors, and brief and appropriate addresses were made by Judges Marston and Day, (who were in attendance on the Superior Court,) and by members of the Lodge: among the latter were several who had been Masons from thirty to forty years; one, we think, fifty-six years. The meeting was an exceedingly interesting one, and we cannot doubt that it was also a profitable one, to both the Lodge and visitors. The hall is neat, comfortable and convenient, and we could discover no reason why the Brethren should not enjoy their meetings, and feel a just pride in the continued prosperity and excellent condition of their ancient and respectable Lodge.

INSTALLATION, DECEMBER 1870

From Moore's Freemason's Monthly, Vol. XXX, No. 4, February 1871, Page 126:

At the annual meeting of Union Lodge, F. A. M., holden in Sherburne Hall, the 5th inst., the following named officers were elected for| the ensuing year : —

  • Joseph S. Barney, W. M.
  • Charles H. Jaggar, S. W.
  • Benjamin F. Brown, J. W.
  • George Swain, Treasurer
  • Charles P. Swain, Secretary
  • Alexander B. Robinson, S. D.
  • Wm. B. Starbuck, J. D.
  • George S. Wilber, S. S.
  • Seth M. Coffin, J. S.
  • George W. Macy, M.
  • Wm. H. Weston, Organist
  • Francis B. Smith, Tyler
  • Edmund B. Fox, Chaplain.

Regular meetings each month.

OFFICER LIST, DECEMBER 1871

From Moore's Freemason's Monthly, Vol. XXXI, No. 4, February 1872, Page 127:

Nantucket — At the annual meeting of Union Lodge, in Sherburne Hall, the 4th of Dec. the following named officers were elected for the ensuing year: —

  • Joseph S. Barney, W, M.
  • Benjamin F. Brown. S. W.
  • William B. Starbuck, J. W.
  • George Swain, Treasurer
  • Charles P. Swain, Secretary
  • Alexander B. Robinson, S. D.
  • Robert F. Kent, J. D.
  • George S. Wilber, S. S.
  • Seth M. Coffin, J. S.
  • George W. Macy, M.
  • John W. Hallett, Organist.
  • Francis B. Smith, Tyler.
  • Rev. George A. Morse, Chaplain.

Regular meetings, first Monday of each month.

GRAND LODGE OFFICERS


DISTRICTS

1803: District 12 (Islands)

1821: District 12

1835: District 8

1849: District 8

1867: District 15 (Barnstable)

1874: District 14 (New Bedford)

1883: District 27 (Nantucket)

1911: District 31 (Nantucket)

1927: District 31 (Nantucket)

2003: District 20


LINKS

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Massachusetts Lodges