Bristol County, Massachusetts - Chapter 29, 1883

Chapter 29

Mount Hope Lodge, F. and A. M.1 - " Dec. 8, 5824. The petition of Andrew Harris and others, praying for a charter for a new lodge in the village of Fall River and town of Troy, to be called ' Mount Hope,' was read and referred to W. Joseph G. Sprague, Rev. Joseph Richardson, and Abra Haskell.

" The committee appointed to consider the application of Andrew Harris and others for a charter for a lodge in the town of Troy have heard the representations on the subject, and would report that the prayer of the petitioners ought to be granted.

" Agreeably to a commission from the M. W. John Abbot, Grand Master, dated Aug. 3, 5825, directed and given to R. W. Thomas Talman, D. D. G. Master for the Fourth Masonic District, authorizing and empowering him to constitute Mount Hope Lodge, holden at Troy, village of Fall River, and to install its officers, the 1st of September, 5825, was agreed on and appointed the day for installation.

D. Richmond, G. S. B. ; R. W. Thomas Cole, R. W. Ephriam Kemp ton, G. P.; R. W. Thomas Shepherd, G. Tyler ; R. W. Caleb Earle, Bearer of the Book of Constitutions ; R. W. John Carlisle, Bearer of the Holy Writings.

"A committee, consisting of R. W. Brothers Huntoon and Gay, were appointed to examine the officers of Mount Hope Lodge as to their knowledge of the lectures and work, and to inspect their records and by-laws. The committee having attended to the duty of their appointment, reported that they found the officers well skilled in the lectures and mysteries of Masonry ; that they found their records and by-lawrs in conformity to the regulations of the Grand Lodge, fairly kept and duly entered, and that they cheerfully recommended said lodge for constitution and installation.

"This report having been unanimously accepted by the Deputy Grand Lodge, they were escorted to the hall of Mount Hope Lodge, where a very large procession was formed, consisting of brethren and companions of the several Masonic degrees.

"Several officers of the Grand Lodge of Rhode Island and other distinguished members of the fraternity were present, and united in the procession on the occasion.

"The whole procession, accompanied by an excellent band of music, then moved to the Baptist Church, where a very appropriate and truly Masonic address was delivered by R. W. Rev. Paul Dean, of Boston.

" Mount Hope Lodge was then solemnly consecrated and dedicated according to ancient custom. The acting Grand Master then proceeded to constitute the brethren into a regular lodge of Free and Accepted Masons, after which the officers elect were publicly installed into their respective offices. Their names are as follows :

"After the services at the church, the Deputy Grand Lodge having completed the business for which it was assembled, was escorted back to the room which had been provided for that accommodation, and closed in due and ancient form. A sumptuous repast having been provided by Mount Hope Lodge, the brethren proceeded to the place of refreshment, and united in the social festivities of the occasion.

Fall River

The charter members of the lodge were Joshua Remington, Thomas D. Chaloner, Daniel Leonard, John P. Winchester, Thomas Driver, Samuel B. Gardner, Thomas Killer, James D. Burt, William B. Canady, Francis Eddy, Gideon Hatch, Sabin Blake, William A. Waite, Jesse Eddy, Edward Thompson, Jonathan T. Lincoln, John Eddy, and B. W. Miller.

King Philip Lodge, F. and A. M., was chartered Dec. 12, 1866, the " precedence" to begin Jan. 16, 1866. The charter members were Joshua Remington, James F. Davenport, Daniel Stillwell, George A. Ballard, E. P. Buffinton, Francis W. Eddy, Joseph Brady, Mason Fisher, William M. Almy. Charles A. Bassett, George A. Borden, George A. Tower, Silas Williams, Alexander Forbes, D. S. Brigham, T. Andrew Francis, Robert A. Brown, George E. Hoar, J. C. Blaisdell, James Henry, James B. Bray ton, Parker Borden, George W. Billings, William G. Bennett, L. F. Pease, William Davenport, Thomas L. Brayton, Arthur R. Borden, M. Tootle, Jr., Alden Gilbert, George W. Gibbs, A. D. Easton, Edwin Shaw, E. P. Haskins, John P. Slade, Perry Gifford, and James Buffinton.

1 In consequence of the depressed condition of Mount Hope Lodge, and of Freemasonry generally, at a regular meeting held Nov. 18:15, it was Voted, " To raise a committee to sell all the furniture of the lodge as they may deem proper for thn interest of the lodge." The meetings were then discontinued until 1845, when the brethren desiring to revive the interest in Freemasonry and resume their meetings as a lodge, finding that the original charter, with other furniture, had been destroyed by the great fire of July 2, 1843, obtained a new charter, which declares the precedence of the lodge to date from Dec. 8, 1824, that being the date of the original charter.

The Fall River Royal Arch Chapter was chartered Jan. 9, 1865, " to take rank, date, and precedence from the 7th day of June, 1864." The following were the charter members : Thomas D. Chaloner, Joshua Remington, Robert C. Brown, Abner L. Westgate, Charles A. Holmes, Daniel Stillwell, James C. Stafford, James Davenport, Robert Henry, Silas Williams, James B. Brayton, Jonathan E. Morrill, Alden Gilbert, Williams A. Burt, Lemuel Hall, George A. Tower, William Preston, Eber Slade, Jonathan T. Lincoln, John Whitaker, John Shepley, John B. Whitaker, Joseph Brady, John G. Tinkham, Charles F. Langford, James Davis, Samuel Root, William G. Bennett, George E. Hoar, Mason Fisher, John P. Slade, Joel Wood, William Davenport, Jireh B. Pettey, Humphrey A. Francis, and Silas P. Richmond.

Robert C. Brown was first High Priest, Robert Henry first King, and Joshua Remington first Scribe. The Grand Chapter officers at this time were Solon Thornton, Grand High Priest; Caleb Rand, Deputy Grand High Priest; Albert E. Foth, Grand King; Wanton T. Drew, Grand Scribe; Thomas Waterman, Grand Secretary.

The Past High Priests are as follows: Robert C. Brown, Robert Henry, George A. Ballard, Henry Paddock, Hiram C. Harrington, Gideon F. Tompkins, Alfred H. Hartley.

The Eminent Commanders have been as follows: Robert Henry, R. C. Brown, S. W. Butler, John B. Whitaker, George A. Ballard, Charles E. Gifford, A. H. Hartley, Albert F. Dow, and Henry Waring.

Military Record, 1861-65. - Fall River responded promptly to the call of her imperiled country during the war of the Rebellion, and only six days after the firing upon Fort Sumter, April 19, 1861, a " war meeting" was held at the City Hall. The meeting was called to order by Hon. N. B. Borden, who read the call, was chosen chairman, and made the opening address. Speeches were also made by David Anthony, James Ford, Hon. James Buffinton, Dr. Foster Hooper, John Collins, John Westall, J. C. Blaisdell, R. T. Davis, and Walter C. Durfee. Dr. Hooper offered the following resolutions, which were adopted by acclamation :

"That the city government be requested to appropriate ten thousand dollars in aid of those who may volunteer, and for the support of their families.

" Whereas, etc., in the southern section of our country public law is disregarded, the authority of the United States set at defiance, and armed forces have been and are organizing, with the avowed purpose of overthrowing the government as formed by our Revolutionary fathers, and of establishing a new government, in which freedom of the press, ..f speech, and of the individual man shall be more restricted, - in a word, a government for the perpetuation of slavery ; and

" Wliereas, etc., for the repelling of such forces, the standing army being inadequate, the President of the United States has made requisition on the several States for militia; therefore, to the end that said requisition may he more readily answered,

'- Ordered, That to each of our citizens who may join a militia company of our city, organized according to law, pledged to render military service whenever and wherever required, whether by authority of the State or the United States government, there be paid from the city treasury the sum of fifteen dollars for outfit, when such company shall be mustered into service; and thereafter, for a term not exceeding three months, fifteen dollars a month, the latter to be applied for the support of the family or dependents, as the soldier may direct; and if, at the expiration of the service, a balance or the whole shall remain unpaid, then payment to l,e made to the soldier in person or his legal representatives; these payments to be made in addition to compensation that may be realized from the United States government."

The order was adopted by the City Council, and ten thousand dollars were appropriated in accordance therewith. Meanwhile enlistments were rapidly going on. A company was already partly formed under Lieut. Gushing, who had seen service in the

Mexican war, and a rifle company, composed of some of the best young men in the town, was being organized under Capt. (afterwards Lieut.-Col.) C. W. Greene. Fall River was the third in the list of applicants in the commonwealth to Governor Andrew for permission to raise military companies. April 29th the mayor was requested to apply to the State authorities to furnish two hundred muskets for the two companies organized in the city. These were mustered into the United States service June 11, 1861, and formed companies A and B of the Seventh Massachusetts Regiment of Volunteers, commanded by Col. (afterwards Gen.) D. N. Couch, of Taunton, and by Lieut.-Col. Chester W. Greene, of this city. Besides the above-mentioned companies, a third was formed, composed mainly of "adopted citizens." It was not deemed expedient, however, for them to be mustered into service at the time, and June 5, 1861, the city government voted that twelve dollars be paid to each member, and they were disbanded. In September, 1861, a bounty of fifteen dollars was authorized to be paid to each volunteer who should join a company then forming, which was afterwards mustered into active service.

The first Fall River soldier who fell in the struggle for the nation's life was Nathaniel S. Gerry, a private in Company A, Seventh Regiment Massachusetts Volunteers, and the first commissioned officer was Lieut. Jesse D. Bullock, of the same regiment, who died June 25, 1862, from wounds received at the battle of Fair Oaks.

During the war the city furnished eighteen hundred and forty-five men, thirty-seven of whom were commissioned officers. The roll of one hundred and sixty-three names of fallen heroes on the soldiers' monument in Oak Grove Cemetery shows in part only the sacrifice in human life made by Fall River in the struggle for national existence.

The following is a summary of the different regiments in which Fall River men served : In the three years' regiments of Massachusetts volunteers, the city furnished Companies A and B of the Seventh Regiment; Company G, Twenty-sixth Regiment; a large portion of Companies F and G, Fifty-eighth Regiment; and a number of men for the Ninth, Eleventh, Twelfth, Sixteenth, Seventeenth, Eighteenth, Nineteenth, Twentieth, Twenty-second, Twenty-fourth, Twenty-fifth, Twenty-eighth, Twenty-ninth, Thirtysecond, Thirty-third, Thirty-seventh, Thirty-ninth, Fortieth, Fifty-fourth, and Fifty-seventh Regiments of infantry; also for the Fifth and Sixth Batteries of light artillery, Second and Third Regiments and First Battalion of heavy artillery ; and for the First, Second, Fourth, and Fifth Regiments of cavalry. Besides the above, Fall River men also served in the regular army, general service, signal service, and in regiments from Rhode Island, Connecticut, New York, and Illinois. Four hundred and ninety-seven men from Fall River also served in the United States navy.

In the short-term service the city furnished Companies C and D, Third Regiment (nine months) ; also a number for the Eighth, Forty-third, Forty-sixth, Forty-seventh, and Forty-eighth Regiments (nine months); for the Sixty-first Regiment (one year); ( lompany D, Sixteenth Regiment (one hundred days) ; Fiftli Unattached Company (ninety days) ; Twentyfirst Company (one hundred days) ; and also men for the Fifth, Fifteenth, Eighteenth, and Twenty-fourth Unattached Companies (one hundred days).

The city was fortunate in having for municipal officers, as well as in other places of power and trust, men of high integrity and undoubted patriotism. The mayor through the entire crisis was Hon. E. P. Buffintou. He was thoroughly acquainted with and commanded the confidence of the people, and his labors were incessant and untiring. The aldermen during the years of the war, all of whom were substantial and trustworthy citizens, and steadfastly cooperated with the mayor in his labors, were in 1861 George H. Eddy, Nathaniel B. Borden, Asa Pettey, Jr., John Mason, Jr., James Ford, Job B. Ashley ; in 1862, Joseph Borden, Nathaniel B. Borden, Asa Pettey, Jr., John Mason, Jr., James Ford, Job B. Ashley; in 1863, Samuel Hathaway, Joseph Borden, Nathaniel B. Borden, Benjamin Covel, Charles O. Shove, Walter Paine (3d) ; in 1864, Weaver Osborn, Joshua Remington, Nathaniel B. Borden, Daniel Stillwell, Walter Paine (3d), Philip D. Borden ; in 1865, James Henry, Joshua Remington, Nathaniel B. Borden, Daniel Stillwell, Walter Paine (3d), Philip D. Borden.

The member of Congress from this district during the war, and to whom the city is as largely indebted perhaps as to any one man, was Hon. James Buffinton. Mr. Buffinton enlisted as a private in Company A, Seventh Massachusetts Regiment, at an early hour of its organization, and positively declined to be elected to any office therein. He took part in its preparatory drills and movements, marching in the ranks, and went with it when it was mustered into service. At Camp Brightwood, Washington, he was appointed adjutant of the regiment under Col. Couch. He performed the duties of his position until the fall session of Congress in 1861, when his constituents demanded his discharge and the resumption of his seat in Congress.

The women of Fall River during the struggle were worthy of the city and of the cause. As early as April 27, 1861, a ladies' sewing society was organized. For six weeks the members met daily, working from morning until evening, and afterwards they usually came together one afternoon in each week. .Many other meetings were held for work and consultation, and several ladies did their work for the society at their own dwellings. Mrs. Richard Borden was the president; Mrs. Avis Ames, vice-president; and Miss A. C. G. Canedy, secretary. The committee of arrangements comprised twenty-two of the prominent ladies of the town, and the society retained its organization from April 27, 1861, to July 28, 1865, with some change in its officers, although Mrs. Borden remained its president during the entire period. Mrs. Caroline Borden, the treasurer, Mrs. Ames, Mrs. William Munday, Mrs. S. Angier Chace, Mrs. Mary A. Brayton, Mrs. Mary Young, Mrs. Foster Hooper, Mrs. Mary Durfee, ami many other ladies rendered valuable services. The society received during the time of its existence $3347.76 in cash, which was properly expended for materials to be made up for the soldiers. Among the articles furnished were 200 soldiers' uniforms, 231 bed-sacks, 131 bed-quilts, 365 bed-comforters, 87 blankets, 355 sheets, 262 pillows, 307 pillow-cases, 167 cushions for wounds, 90 dressing-gowns, 380 cotton shirts, 292 flannel shirts, 284 shirts, 209 drawers, 1164 pairs woolen hose, 1365 handkerchiefs, 2246 towels, 5589 yards, 323 rolls, 1 box, and 4 bundles of bandages, 127 boxes of lint, and a great number and variety of other articles, including pin-cushions, wines, jellies, pictures, newspapers, books, etc. A children's lint society was also kept up during the war, alternating its meetings at the different homes of the children.