Franklin County, Ohio - Chapter 12: Masons and Odd Fellows, 1858

Chapter 12: Masons and Odd Fellows

For this Chapter the author is wholly indebted to gentlemen of these two Secret Orders, who have, at his request, politely furnished him with the following history of those Societies in this county :

Masonic Institutions

New England Lodge, No. 4, at Worthington, was organized under a warrant or dispensation from the Grand Lodge of the State of Connecticut, on the 28th day of June, A. D. 1808, A. L. 5808, with the following officers, viz :

Columbus Lodge, No. 30, was instituted at Franklinton (as Ohio Lodge, No. 30,) on the 11th of June, 1815. The first officers of the Lodge were : Abner Lord, W. M.; John Kerr, S. W; Alex. Morrison, J. W.; Lincoln Goodale, Treas'r ; Joel Buttles, Sec'y.

Magnolia Lodge, No. 20. A dispensation was issued by Wm. B. Thrall, Grand Master, June 10th, 1847, to Bela Latham, B. F. Martin, Henry A. Field, John W. Milligan, D. T. Woodbury, James T. Donahoo, Nathan'l

Royal Arch Chapters

Horeb Chapter, No. 3, at Worthington. This Chapter was organized the 18th day of December, 1815, under a dispensation from the Deputy Grand High Priest of the Grand Royal Arch Chapter of the State of Maryland and District of Columbia.

Its first officers were, James Kilbourne, E. H. P. ; Chester Griswold, King ; Abner Lord, Scribe ; Solomon Smith, Sec'y ; Moses Byxbee, P. S. ; H. Hyre, C. of H. ; N. Potter, R. A. C. ; A. Buttles, V. Shaw, S. Smith, Masters of the Vails.

Pinney, King ; Moses Maynard, Scribe ; Ira Metcalf, C. of II. ; F. F. Tuller, H. A. C. ; George Taylor, P. S. ; J. P. Wright, Treas'r; J. M. Fuson, Sec'y ; II. W. Wright, Apollos Maynard, George Osborn, Mas. of the

Columbus Council, No. 8, Royal and Select Masters. Dispensation granted by W. B. Thrall, T.-. L-. G.-. P.-., Dec. 27, 1841, appointing the following officers : Bela

Mt. Vernon Encampment No. 1, of Knights Templars and Appendant Orders, was instituted at Worthington, on the 15th day of March, 1818, by virtue of authority and letter of dispensation, granted for that purpose by Thomas Smith Webb, Esquire, Deputy General Grand Master of the General Grand Encampment of the United States. On that occasion there were present Sir Thos. Smith Webb, hailing from the General Grand EncamjDment of the United States ; Sir John Snow, hailing from St. Johns' Encampment, Rhode Island ; and Sir

Ireland. These Sir Knights, having severally interchanged credentials, and established their respective titles, proceeded according to accustomed usage, and under said dispensation, to form and open a Council of Knights of the Hed Cross, and an Encampment of Knights Temphirs and Appendant Orders.

It was chartered hy the General Grand Encampment of the United States, Sept. 16, 1819, M. E. De Witt Clinton then presiding in that body. The first officers of the Encampment, under its charter, were M. E. John Snow, G. Com.; E. Chester Griswold, Gen.; E. James Kilbourne, Capt. Gen.; E. Joseph S. Hughs, Prelate.

This was the first dispensation granted by the General Grand Encampment of the United States, and the first Encampment of the Order organized west of the Allegheny Mountains. On the 24th of February, 1844, by virtue of authority derived from the Grand Encampment of Ohio, the meetings of the Encampment were thenceforward held in the City of Columbus.

Independent Order Of Odd Fellows

The first Lodge of the Independent Order of Odd Fellows, in Franklin County, was instituted in the city of Columbus, on the fourth day of July, 1839. There w^ere five petitioners for the Charter, namely : Nathan B. Kelly, James B. Thomas, William Flintham, David Bryden, and Charles A. Howie. It met for some time in the third story of Mr. Walcutt's brick building, on High street, near Town, where it was first organized. The membership increased rapidly, and prominent among them were Alfred P. Stone, John Brough, Clark Runyan, John Greenleaf, Lucian Buttles, John S. Hall, and others of the first class of citizens. A hall was fitted up in the Buckeye Block, which was occupied for a few years, and afterwards, when the City Bank Building was erected, the third story was fitted up expressly for an Odd Fellows' Hall, which was occupied for a number of years.

Columbus Lodge, No. 9, numbers at this time, about one hundred and forty members. It has a large surplus fund, and is able at all times to meet any and all demands upon it, which arise from sickness or accident to its members.

Central Lodge, No. 23, was instituted in Columbus, on the second day of December, 1843. The original members were Thomas Stitt, Thomas Bown, David Overdier, Alex. E. Glenn, James Aston, William K. Carr, Moses Altman and Francis La Chapelle, most of whom withdrew from Columbus Lodge to organize this new branch. It met in the same Hall, and increased rapidly in membership, and at present numbers about two hundred and sixty members.

Evening Star Lodge, No. 104, was instituted at Dublin, on the second day of March, 1848. Among its original members were Zenas Hutchinson, Alexander Thompson, E. M. Pinney, Holmes Sells, Jas. K. Thomas and Miles Pinney. The Lodge has been exceedingly prosperous, and at least three Lodges have grown out of it.

Excelsior Lodge, No. 145, was the next in the county, and was organized in the city of Columbus, on the twenty-second day of February, 1850. F. K. Hulburd, George G. Comstock, James B. Stockton, Ira M. Gorton, and Nathan B. Marj^le, were among the first members, and it has been very prosperous, numbering at present about one hundred and fifty members. The three Lodges in Columbus occupy the same Hall, being joint tenants.

Gordian Lodge, No. 205, was instituted at Groveport, on the eleventh of February, 1853. The petitioners for this Lodge were George McCormick, Edmund Gares, J. K. Low, George P. Champ, and G. S. Smith. It soon added to its numbers some of the best citizens of the village and neighborhood, and has increased to a respectable membership - has a neat Hall, and about forty members.

Ark Lodge, No. 270, was instituted in the village of Worthington, on the sixteenth of April, 1855. The petitioners for the Charter were James M. Fuson, Isaac Thompson, Isaac N. Case, Anson Mattoon, Wm. H. Skeels, and A. S. Wood ; and it has since added many of the best citizens of Sharon township, and is in all respects what may be termed a good Lodge. It has at present about fifty members.

Hainbow Lodge, No. 270, was instituted in the village of Westerville, on the 7th of August, 1857. The petitioners were C. A. Yananda, J. W. Jameson, A. G. Stephenson, David Zeik, and Theophilus Jones. This is a new Lodge, but has increased in numbers until it now has about twenty-five members.

The Lodges and Encampments have a regular system of relief for sick and distressed members - not only of their own, but of other Lodges, and expend annually a large sum in relief of their members, and of widows and orphans. Of the latter class, there is now quite a number in the county that are well provided for by the Lodges.