American Union Lodge

American Union Lodge. I. This is one of the most famous of American lodges, having gone through the Revolution as an army lodge and afterwards taken part in the formation of the Grand Lodge of Ohio. It was created by a warrant issued Feb. 15, 1776 in the name of John Rowe, Provincial Grand Master for the Moderns at Boston, by Richard Gridley, Deputy, and William Burbeck, Senior Grand Warden, to Joel Clark, as Master, and five other Master Masons, four Fellow Crafts, and one Entered Apprentice, all but one (or possibly three) of whom were officers in the Connecticut Line of the American Army, then encamped at Roxbury, Massachusetts. The warrant was to apply wherever the Lodge should go ”where no Grand Master is appointed.” The last quoted clause came into operation almost immediately, for the Lodge moved with its regiment to New York, where a petition was handed to Dr. Peter Middleton, Provincial Grand Master of New York, for a confirmation of the Massachusetts warrant, but the only authority that could be granted was by a new warrant, which was issued in April, 1776 to Military Union Lodge No. 1, though the former warrant was not surrendered. The Lodge, however, regarded the new warrant as a mere technical necessity while in New York, and continued to use the name, American Union, in all its minutes and transactions.

The minutes of the Lodge are missing for the first three years, for all of 1781 and portions of 1780 and 1782. Indeed, the minutes now extant begin Feb. 15, 1779 with what appears to have been some sort of revival in the affairs of the Lodge, as will later appear. The minutes show 31 meetings during 1779; 7 during 1780; 15 during 1782; and 3 in 1783 when the Lodge presumably dispersed. The minutes contain the names of members and entrants during 1779 but some of these did not sign the by-laws, and the by-laws which are set forth in full are signed by 51 members, many of whose names do not appear in the list of entrants. In fact, one only of the chartering group signed the by-laws and that one was Jonathan Heart. These are among the inaccuracies that one expects to find in records of that kind, but, in most other respects, the minutes are full, precise, and most informative. The original charter members are listed as six Master Masons: Col. Joel Clark, Col. John Parke, Thomas Chance Esq., Ens. Jonathan Heart, Capt. Joseph Hoit, and Capt. William Coit; four Fellow Crafts: Col. Samuel Holden Parsons, Capt. Ezekiel Scott, ______ Whittlesey, ______ Cottori; and one Entered Apprentice: Col. Samuel Wyllys.

The by-laws are worthy of note. The membership of the Lodge was limited to 45, unless enlarged by a majority vote. The lodge was to be held from time to time at such places as might be ordered by adjournment, that is, the announcement of the next meeting place was made by the Master at the close of each meeting. The name of a candidate was evidently proposed orally, with the tender of four dollars by one of the brethren present and one or more had to vouch for the character of the candidate. Under ordinary circumstances, the candidate was not to be made on the night he was proposed, and apparently, he was not even to be balloted on until the following meeting. One negative vote required a second ballot, at which one negative vote required a third ballot, but a negative vote on the third ballot rejected the candidate, and his fee was returned. The fee for admittance was ten dollars, of which the four dollars paid by the proposer was part. Each member paid to the secretary one shilling or one-sixth of a dollar for each attendance at lodge. Nine shillings was the fee for affiliation from another lodge. Provision was made for healing clandestine Masons, and one made a Mason in a traveling lodge in a city where there was a ”regular” (civilian) lodge was treated as clandestine. The by-laws were to be read aloud by the secretary every lodge night. Officers were to be elected on the festivals of the two Sts. John, that is, every six months. The fee for passing a Fellow Craft was twelve shillings and raising to Master Mason, fifteen shillings, but twenty-four and thirty-six shillings, respectively, for one not a member of the lodge.

The by-laws are signed by 51 members, 26 of whom do not appear in the above mentioned list of initiates, thus indicating a loss of minutes prior to Feb. 15, 1779. The by-laws are not dated and there is some doubt as to when they were originally adopted, those epitomized above being the revision approved at the ”revival” Feb. 15, 1779 or Mch. 10, 1779. The last paragraph following final Article 28 and of different subject matter from it was adopted at the meeting of Feb. 15, 1779 for the purpose of adjusting the fees to the monetary inflation which was overtaking the Colonies as it usually does every country in time of war. The fee for a newly made brother was raised from $10 to $30; for a passing, from $2 to $6; and for a raising, from $2.50 to $7.50. The fee of the Outside Tiler, which had been one shilling for each making, passing, or raising, was increased six-fold.

The ”revival” referred to on Feb. 15, 1779 seems to indicate that the Lodge had been through some active service during which it had either lost its minutes for the first three years or had never kept any, and that possibly it had become somewhat disorganized either as the result of military activity or poor administration of the lodge itself. By the early part of 1779, conditions had quieted down in the North. The British had abandoned Philadelphia and transferred their activities to the South, where they were invading the Carolinas with some success. The revival is indicated by the opening document in the preserved minutes. It is dated Feb. 7th and 10th, 1779 at Reading, Conn. and is a statement signed by Jonathan Heart, secretary, to the effect that ”On the application of a number of gentlemen, brethren of the ancient and Honorable Society of Free and Accepted Masons * * * requesting that said American Union Lodge may be convened, for the purpose of re-establishing the Ancient Craft in the same,” a meeting would be held Feb. 15, 1779 at 5 P.M. at the Widow Sanford’s, near Reading Old Meeting House. At that meeting, strange to say, Jonathan Heart, secretary, was in the chair, only one other officer, Joseph Hoit, Senior Warden, and one member and the Tyler, and five visitors being present. Four candidates were elected. It is recited that the office of Master was vacant by reason of the death of ”Worshipful Joel Clark, Esq.” and that ”Hon. Samuel Holden Parsons,” was elected Master. William Judd was elected secretary and Jonathan Heart, Senior Warden. The names of Clark and Parsons have been quoted verbatim to show that this Military lodge had so much respect for Masonic principles that it did not use military titles in the Lodge. Clark and Parsons were both Colonels at the time they became charter members and the latter was a General by the time he returned to British Army Lodge, Unity No. 18, the latter’s warrant which had come into possession of the Americans at the capture of Stony Point in 1779.

The new Master was absent until April 7, 1779 and was off again by April 16, Heart, Senior Warden, presiding at practically all the meetings. The minutes record meetings as follows: Feb. 15, 17, 24; Mch. 10, 17, 22, 25, 31; April 7, 15, 16, 21, 28; May 3, 5, 7, 1779. Then, the Lodge moved to Nelson’s Point, New York, and met at several places in that State on June 24, 26; Aug. 2, 7, 20, 26, 28; Sept. 7, 9, 16, 25; Oct. 11, 1779. It next went into winter quarters at Morristown, N. J., where it met Dec. 15, 27, 1779; Jan. 31, Mch. 27, 1780. Next, the Lodge returned to New York and met at Robinson’s House July 20, 25, 29, 1780. There is then a break of almost two years in the minutes, after which, the minutes show the Lodge meeting at Connecticut Huts Mch. 25; Apr. 1, 4, 18, 25; May 2, 9, 16, 23, 30; June 5, 20, 24, 27; Oct. 2, 17, 1782. Finally, the Lodge went to West Point and met April 3, 8, and 23, 1783. April 23, 1783 marks not only the last minute entry but undoubtedly the last meeting as an army lodge, for after passing Bro. Rose, the Lodge closed ”to stand closed until the W. Master should call them together.

It is evident that when the Lodge was in a situation where it could work, it was unusually busy and well regulated. In 1779, the only calendar year for which we have full minutes, the Lodge held 31 meetings; in about 7 months of 1780, 7 meetings; in about 8 months of 1782, 15 meetings; and in April, 1783, 3 meetings; a total of 56 meetings in some 28 months. The minutes give the names of candidates and degrees conferred. These count up to 54 makings, 32 passings, and 35 raisings or 121 degrees in 28 months, which compares favorably with most modern lodges. Many candidates can be traced from their proposal (no written petitions are mentioned) through the three degrees, but many cannot be, because of missing minutes, which fact also prevents checking of total membership. We have seen that there was a list of members which included 44 names, that the by-laws were signed by 51, and here we have 54 as receiving the E.A. Degree, there being some names in one or two of these lists that do not appear in the other or others, so that we must assume, from first to last, that something more than 51 different individuals belonged to the Lodge.

The minutes purport to record the presence of officers only as follows: Master, Wardens, Treasurer, Secretary, and Tiler. No Deacons are mentioned and the Stewards, only once. The minutes quite faithfully record the names of members and visitors present, the latter often predominating. A typical meeting for work might have five or six officers and seven or eight members and visitors. Even at the celebration and parade of March 25, 1775, the minutes show only six officers, five members, and one visitor and, at a similar meeting April 7, 1779, there were 7 officers, 11 members, and 4 visitors. But, at the Festival of St. John the Baptist in 1779, at which General Washington was the guest of honor, there were 11 officers (increased by including 2 Stewards and 3 extra Tilers) 18 members, and 77 visitors. At the Festival of St. John the Evangelist in the same year, at which General Washington was also present, there were 9 officers, 27 members, and 69 visitors.

Following is an account of some interesting or significant minute entries: On Feb. 17, 1779, the candidate, Bro. Belding, who had been made in a clandestine lodge, had half of his fee remitted for that reason. March 17, 1779, Capt. Edward Archibald of the Artillery and others were made Entered Apprentices, after which, the E. A. lodge closed and M. M. lodge opened. Evidently Capt. Archibald had already begun to celebrate the occasion, for ”Capt. Archibald having appeared at Lodge in a situation unbecoming the character of a Mason, the Lodge unanimously resolved and desired that Bro. Brown (his proponent) inform him that he is not to attend this Lodge, and that he is to be considered and treated in the same manner as though never made a Mason.” Summary justice; an easy way to avoid a Masonic trial! March 25, 1779, a Masonic celebration of some sort was held, beginning with a ”Lodge of Emergency” at 2 P.M. when three candidates were voted in and made Entered Apprentices. The Lodge closed for a space and then moved in procession at 4 P.M., with music (the Entered Apprentice March) to Esq. Hawley’s, where Bro. Little delivered a few sentiments on Friendship, the Rev. Dr. Evans and a number of gentlemen and ladies being present. After dinner there were songs: Hail America, Montgomery, French Ladies Lament, Mason’s Daughter, On, On, My dear Brethren, Huntsman, and My Dog and Gun. Toasts were proposed to General Washington, Warren, Montgomery, Wooster, Relief of the Widows and Orphans, Ladies of America, Union, Harmony and Peace, Social Enjoyment, and Contentment. Then more music: Grand March, Dead March, Country Jig, and Mason’s Daughter. The festivities concluded with a speech by Bro. Waldo, and, at 7:30, the procession returned in reverse order, with music, Mason’s Daughter.

April 7, 1779, 10 A.M., there was another making of an Entered Apprentice, followed by a parade at 1:30 P.M., preliminary to a dinner at 3 P.M., place not stated. A number of ”respectable inhabitants,” gentlemen and ladies were present. Rev. Dr. Evans delivered a discourse, followed by songs and toasts. The procession returned to the lodge room at 6 P.M. when two more candidates were made Entered Apprentices. At the following meeting on the 15th, the brethren attending the celebration on the 7th were assessed $5 each and the expenses of the two celebrations on March 25 and April 7 were given at just over 152 pounds. April 16, Rev. Dr. Evans, who had been present at both celebrations, was made E. A. and, on the 21st, passed and raised. June 24, 1779 Jonathan Heart received a much deserved honor by being elected Master, and Samuel H. Parsons stepped down to Senior Warden. This was at Nelson’s Point, N. Y., and the day being the Festival of St. John the Baptist, the Lodge proceeded by parade to the Red House, where some 77 visitors were present, including his Excellency General Washington and family. Rev. Dr. Hitchcock delivered an address, followed by one from Bro. Hull. After dinner, toasts were drunk to Congress, Friendly Powers of Europe, Warren, Montgomery and Wooster, Females of America, Arts and Sciences, and other toasts, with songs. General Washington seems to have made no remarks but returned to the barge attended by the Wardens and Secretary of the Lodge. The expenses of the day were about 400 pounds. September 9, 1779, it was resolved that the moneys remaining in the Treasury be invested in Tickets of the Third Class of the United States Lottery, the avails to remain in the Treasury for relief of the poor! December 15, 1779, Heart was re-elected Master.

The meeting of an Entered Apprentice’s lodge for the celebration of the feast of St. John the Evangelist, December 27, 1779, at Morristown, N. J., was epochal. General Washington was present, with many other visitors. The brethren proceeded in procession to the Meeting House, where a ”very polite discourse” was delivered by Rev. Dr. Baldwin of the Connecticut Line. Upon return to the lodge room, a petition was read, directed to the Provincial Grand Masters in all of the States, reciting the separation by w*r from the Grand Lodges of Europe and at the same time lamenting the effects of political disputes and national quarrels. It declared that some exertion should be made to check then present irregularities, restore peace and harmony, open the way for benevolence, charity, and brotherly love and for the re-establishment of the order on the ancient foundation, which could never be done more effectively than by the appointment of a Grand Master of the United States of America. The Provincial Grand Masters were requested to take measures for the appointment of a Grand Master for the Thirteen United States of America either by nominating a fit person for the position and transmitting such nomination to the Mother Lodge in Britain or by some other eligible manner. Meanwhile, the Provincial Grand Masters were urged to take vigorous measures to check growing irregularities, cementing the different branches, and erasing the distinction between Ancient and Modern in the States. It was voted to convene all the Army lodges at Morristown on the first Monday in the following February. An entry recites that a collection was taken up to be used for the relief: first, of the widows and orphans of Masons; next, soldiers’ wives and children; and the remainder for poor persons of the town.

The Army lodges responded well to the above mentioned call. The Convention Lodge duly met February 7, 1780, and the proceedings thereof are reported in the minutes of American Union Lodge in the form of a committee report to another Convention Lodge at Morristown, March 6, 1780. That report shows that, at the meeting February 7, there were present the following: Masons in the Military Line of the State of Massachusetts Bay and Washington Lodge No. 10; Masons in the Military Line of the State of Connecticut and American Union Lodge; Masons in the Military Line of the State of New York; Masons in the Military Line of the State of New Jersey; Masons in the Military Line of the State of Pennsylvania; Masons in the Military Line of the State of Delaware; Masons in the Military Line of the State of Maryland; St. John’s Regimental Lodge; Brothers in the Staff of the American Army; and Masons in the Artillery Corps. A committee, headed by Mordecai Gist, reported and recommended an address to the Grand Masters of the States to the effect following: It regretted the distinctions of interest, the political views and national disputes between Great Britain and the United States, not only disturbing the tranquility of the country but in a peculiar manner affecting the Society by separating them from the Grand Mother Lodge in Europe, disturbing our connection with each other, impeding the progress and preventing the perfection of Masonry in America. It mentioned the miseries and distress of the people, the purpose to restore charity, the many irregularities committed by weak and wicked brethren which showed the dissipated and almost abandoned conditions of our Lodge in general as well as the relaxation of virtue among individuals. The petitioners desired safety from impending dangers of schisms and apostasy, by establishing one Grand Lodge in America, and asked the Provincial Grand Masters to nominate a brother adequate to the situation and to transmit it to the Grand Mother Lodge in Europe for approbation and confirmation. The Convention Lodge, at the meeting March 6, approved the report.

Nothing came of the movement for a national Grand Master (see GENERAL GRAND LODGE FOR THE UNITED STATES). In view of the small respect that many have had for military lodges, the above proceedings are illuminating in that they show an army lodge with serious concern about the welfare of the Society and on its own part urging adherence to Masonic principles. It gives the picture of a rather disorganized Fraternity plagued by many irregularities during the Revolutionary W*r. But most of its members were by this time veteran military officers in the service of their country and were probably more methodical in their thinking and more strictly disciplined in their conduct than the average membership of the civilian lodges, for which they seemed to have little admiration. Another striking thing is the lack of rancor in speaking of the British whom they were frequently shooting or who were shooting at them, and they still considered themselves subordinate to the Mother Grand Lodges in Britain after Massachusetts Grand Lodge and the Grand Lodge of Virginia had become independent. Nothing further respecting a national Grand Master appears in the minutes after the above report of the Convention Lodge.

The last meeting at Morristown was held March 27, 1780, after which the Lodge moved to New York State. At an Entered Apprentice’s Lodge July 20, 1780, Jonathan Heart was re-elected Master. There is a lapse of minutes until March 25, 1782, when the Lodge was back at the Connecticut Huts, and Heart was again elected Master. At an Entered Apprentice’s Lodge June 20, 1782, Heart was re-elected Master. The two elections of Heart only three months apart are explained by the fact that the election due December 27, 1781 was not held on account of movements of the Army. June 24, 1782 was celebrated in conjunction with Washington Lodge No. 10 at West Point. The final minute entry is for a meeting at West Point April 23, 1783, when an Entered Apprentice was passed to Fellow Craft. The Treaty of Peace was signed at Paris in September, 1783, although the fighting had ended two years earlier and the forces had begun to disperse. The Lodge closed until the call of the Master.

Considering the poorly organized condition of Freemasonry in Colonial times, complicated by the divergencies of doctrine between the Ancients and the Moderns which were disturbing to, but not understood by, American Masons, American Union Lodge was unique and outstanding among lodges. In the midst of strife, it preached brotherly love; in the turmoil of dissension, it preached union; and toward the end of a W*r with Britain it recognized obedience to British Grand Lodges! It cannot be doubted that much of this was due to Jonathan Heart, who served so long as its Master and, indeed, as Senior Warden was practically its Master while General Parsons held the office. The St. John’s Day’s were faithfully observed and the strong religious tone of these meetings is apparent. One peculiar institution at these ceremonies was the Youngest Entered Apprentice with the Bag, marching behind the Wardens, and this is almost matched by the Treasurer on the right (of the Master) supporting the Sword of Justice. It has been suggested that the Bag was a large purse or money bag and the dictionary does sanction that usage but, if so, why should it be entrusted to the Youngest Entered Apprentice? Of course, Entered Apprentices ranked somewhat higher then than they do now, for it will be noticed that the business of the lodge, election of officers, etc. usually occurred in an Entered Apprentice’s lodge but, even so, why should any ordinary member, not an officer, have custody of the lodge purse? But that is not all: why should the Treasurer, who is supposedly in charge of lodge funds carry, instead of the purse, a sword, which would be more appropriate to the Tiler. True, it was called the Sword of Justice, but since when has the Treasurer been a judicial officer of the lodge?

The membership of American Union Lodge was virtually limited to military officers, that is, private soldiers and non-commissioned officers were not included. But there were several admittances of Dr.’s and Mr.’s which is plausibly explained on the assumption that the Doctors were physicians serving the armed forces though not enlisted or commissioned or having any military title. It seems also that, in those times, the Commissary or Quartermaster’s department was often in charge of civilians or at least that civilians were mainly responsible for military supplies, hence, these Misters. It may be observed that, at the present time (1958), thousands of civilians are employed in all the armed forces of the United States right beside military personnel on bases, fields and other installations and reservations. It will be observed also that the Rev. Dr. Evans was made, passed, and raised in the lodge. It may further be noticed at this time that, at two meetings in Morristown, December 27, 1779 and March 6, 1780 (Convention Lodge), there is run in with the names of other visitors and with no attempt to recognize any distinction, the unqualified name Hamilton, which has been seized upon by some as adequate evidence that Alexander Hamilton was a Freemason, which appears not to have been true.

II. The remarkable career of American Union Lodge and its Master Jonathan Heart did not end with the close of the W*r. What may be called the second revival of the Lodge occurred in the far off Northwest Territory, a part of which later became the State of Ohio. This Territory, which had been the scene of bloody Indian fighting, received its first permanent white settlement at Marietta at the junction of the Muskingum River with the Ohio. There Gen. Rufus Putnam, who had formed The Ohio Company of Associates, March 1, 1786, landed with a little band of immigrants after floating down the Ohio River, April 7, 1788. Gen. Putnam (then Colonel) was made a Mason in American Union Lodge, July 26, 1779, at Nelson’s Point, N. Y., and was passed August 26 of the same year, though the date of his raising does not appear in the preserved minutes. Jonathan Heart accompanied Putnam to the Northwest Territory and carried the old Lodge charter with him.

By 1790, there was a group of Freemasons at Marietta, who desiring to form a lodge, petitioned Heart to lend them the ”protection” of his charter. Heart at first demurred on the ground that two members of his old Lodge were hardly enough to offer much protection or justify opening the Lodge and exercising rights under the old charter. But, at length, he observed, among the petitioners, two who had been visitors to the Army Lodge in w*r times, one of them, Benjamin Tupper, being Past Master of another lodge, and, by supposed custom, a member of all lodges! Accordingly, on June 28, 1790, American Union Lodge was opened at Marietta, Heart being elected Master and Putnam and Tupper, Wardens. A circular was then sent to the Grand Lodges of Pennsylvania, New York, and Massachusetts, asking recognition, which was given with the understanding that the Lodge was under the jurisdiction of Massachusetts. Actually the Modern Provincial Grand Lodge at Boston was then inactive, though John Rowe was still nominally in charge.

Jonathan Heart and some other members of the Lodge were killed at St. Clair’s Defeat, Nov. 4, 1791. Under those conditions, American Union Lodge continued to work for several years, but when its charter was destroyed by fire, it applied to the Grand Lodge of Pennsylvania for the reissue of the charter, which was naturally refused, except that Pennsylvania was willing to charter the Lodge as its own. The explanation of that step is not clear, but it may be accounted for on the theory that Ancient laws and doctrine, represented by the Grand Lodge of Pennsylvania, had been gaining in prestige in that region. On application to the Grand Lodge of Massachusetts, that body issued a copy of the original charter, and the Lodge was still the old military lodge.

Ohio became a State in 1802 and, in 1808, representatives of six existing lodges met at Chillicothe to form a Grand Lodge. General Putnam was elected Grand Master. The lodges were instructed to pay their dues in full to their respective chartering bodies and meet again July 2, 1809 to surrender their charters and receive Ohio charters. On the day set, only four lodges appeared, one of the absent being American Union, although it had participated in the first meeting, and the other absent lodge having been declared ineligible. Ancient doctrine which, as we have seen, had pervaded Ohio, held that five lodges were necessary to form a Grand Lodge. That was an arbitrary rule not substantiated by any old precedents, the premier Grand Lodge of England having been organized by four lodges. But one of the four lodges present at the meeting July 2, 1809 was a Pennsylvania lodge and would not proceed with only three others. A committee appointed to investigate reported that no particular number of lodges was required to form a Grand Lodge and, accordingly, on January 5, 1809, they adopted a constitution.

American Union Lodge, notwithstanding that it had participated in the preliminary proceedings and that its representatives had approved the minutes of those proceedings, remained aloof and took no notice of communications from the new Grand Lodge. It finally disclosed its position to be that, since its charter antedated the formation of the Grand Lodge, it had the right to continue working independent of the Grand Lodge. In 1815, the Grand Lodge of Ohio declared the Massachusetts charter of the Lodge forfeited and American Union Lodge clandestine. The next year, some of the former members who were not involved in the revolt, formed a group of their own and petitioned for a charter from the Grand Lodge of Ohio, which was granted, with the provision that it was to be deemed a continuation of the old one, and the priority of the Lodge was also preserved in the name, American Union Lodge No. 1. Some of the recalcitrant members of the old body continued to work without charter and it was not until 1821 that that group ceased to be heard of. The way in which the Grand Lodge of Ohio handled the matter was most commendable, for thereby one of the oldest and most honorable lodges in the United States was saved from an ignominious death. The Lodge is still No. 1 on the roll of the Grand Lodge of Ohio.