Union County, Ohio - Chapter 15, 1915

Fraternal And Benevolent Societies

Fraternal organizations have long since demonstrated their usefulness, though in the early days it was a question which caused considerable trouble in certain communities and in certain religious sects. It is now looked upon as a mark of much intelligence and perfectly praiseworthy for any community to have connected with it fraternal and benevolent societies, both for men and women. If properly lived up to, these secret societies are for the betterment of the common masses. Brotherly lo\-e, charity and true bene\'olence are the fundamental principles upon which all such orders are founded. While their work is secret, this fact does not militate against their usefulness, as can be testified to by millions of the best citizens throughout the United States.

Palestine Lodge No. 158, Free and Accepted Masons, was instituted April 19, 1848. The charter members were Stephen F. Kinney. John Cassil, J. O. Baker, Silas Igou. Jeremiah Curl, L. B. Kinney, David Burnham and James R. Smith. The first worshipful master was Jeremiah Curl. Se\-en men were admitted at the meeting of April 20, 1858. One of the original fifteen meml^ers was still living in 1883. Unfortunately a fire on July 26, 1859, destroyed all the lodge's records. A new charter was granted October 2T of that year. The membership now is two hundred and one. The elective officers are as follows: Worshipful master, P. A. Baker; senior warden, A. Mclvor; junior warden, F. F. Beck; senior deacon, C. \'. Hutson ; junior deacon, C. E. Br()oks ; secretary, Ed. A. Mullen ; treasurer, J. W. Anderson : tyler, C. A. Belt ; trustees, L. Henderson, N. E. Liggett and L. F. Blue. The hall is located at 113 South Main street. The lodge owns the third fioor of the ])rick building and also leases the second floor for the Masonic club.

Marvsville Chapter No. 99, Royal Arch Masons, was granted a dispensation October 13, 1866. After working under a dispensation for one year a charter was granted the chapter. The chapter now enjoys a large membership.

Newton Lodge No. 249, Free and Accepted Masons, was instituted October 19, 1854, with charter members as follows: W. H. Robb, P. Manchester. C. Winkler, Milton Colver, Nathaniel Stewart, James R. Smith, James W. Crooks, Smith Brown. T. L. Wiswell and C. W. Baxley.

The lodge now has a membership of one hundred and thirty-five. .\ hall is leased by the order. W. H. Long is the present secretary and furnished most of the above information.

This lodge was instituted in the second story of Doctor Ross' residence on Franklin street. The old house is still standing after several moves. The lodge built the third story on the George Courts building, where they still have their home and meet eveiy first and third Tuesdays of each month.

The officers in 1914 Avere : J. H. Clark, worshipful master: C. S. Stevens, senior warden: C. J. Johnson, junior warden; Bent Cahill, treasurer: W. H. Long, secretary: H. O. Spring, seriior deacon: Lee Redmond, junior deacon; L. M. Jones, tyler: S. J. Brown, F. T. Jones and V. F. Collier, trustees.

Independent Order Of Odd Fellows

The first secret order founded in I'nion county was the Independent Order of Odd Fellows, which instituted a lodge, known as Marysville Lodge

No. 87, Independent Order of Odd Fellows, on June 7, 1847. Its charter members were as follows : John Cassil, S. A. Cherry, James Kinkade, W. T. Brophy and John H. Smith. The officers were John Cassil, noble grand ; S. A. Cherry, vice grand; James Kinkade, Jr., recording secretary; William T. Brophy, treasurer; John H. Smith, financial secretary. The first men initiated were Philip Snider, James M. Wilkin.son, J. C. Doughty, Charles Rathburn and William E. Lee. On December 12, 1882, the records show the membership to have been one hundred and fifty. The library then had volumes amounting to three hundred and twenty-three books. At the date last named the onl\- sur\iving charter member was S. A. Cherry. The present membership is ( 1914) two hundred and sixty. The elective officers are as follows: Noble grand, B. P. McLaughlin; vice grand, Frank Belt, Sr. ; recording secretary, Will M. Longbrake; financial secretary, James Giljson; treasurer. William ^1. Haines. The present hall was erected in 1889, at a cost of $2,293.

Marys\'ille Encampment No. 1 14, Lidependent Order of Odd Fellows, was chartered May 6, 186S, and instituted August 10, following. The charter members were John Cassill, A. F. Wilkins. A. Morey, John P. Bauer, Thomas Turner, John Weaver, Jr., and Joseph H. Felkner. At the present time the membership is ninety-two.

Richwodd Lodi^e Xo. 443, Independent Order of Odd Fellows, was granted a dispensation Alay 10. 1870. and instituted June 11, 1870. Its charter members \\ere Andrew Spratt, Byron Andrews, R. C. Bigelow, Solomon A\'alker, W. H. Robertson, Richard Biddle, Robert Ferrier, Henry Biddle, G. W. Canan, X. P. ^^'esthei^ler, William Drumm, Morgan Young and two others whose names are forgotten. The first noble grand was ]\Iorgan ^'oung, with vice-grand in the person of Andrew Spratt. This lodge was organized in the Westheimer block, which was burned in 1875. However, several years before the fire, the order had built the third stor\- of the John A- ^Voods building on West Franklin street, at a cost of $2,250. In 1884 the total membership was one hundred and ten. Today it has a membership of one hundred and twenty. The elective officers are now (1914) as follows: William Smith, noble grand; John Borlen, vice-grand ; O. E. Stout, secretary : J. J. Maddox, treasurer. They own a good hall. There is also an encampment at this place.

Richwood Encampment No. 185 was granted a warrant May 5, 1875, and was duly instituted June 8 of the same year. It now enjoys a good membership.

organized August 4, 1881, with thirteen members. They first met over a store building, but in about 1888, with the township, erected a two-story frame building in Broadway, the second story of which they still own and use. It cost tliem about two thousand seven hundred dollars and September 15, 1907, was burned in part. They collected one thousand dollars insurance and rebuilt. The membership is now ninety-eight. The elective officers are as follows: Howard Hisey, noble grand; Fred Clark, vice grand; Daniel Sanderson, secretary; J. W. Yarrington, treasurer; C. H. Gardner, financial secretary. The Rebekah lodge, in conjunction with this lodge, is in a flourishing condition.

Darby Lodge No. 636, Independent Order of Odd Fellows, was organized at Milford Center, June 28, 1876, with the following charter members : French Garwood, James McCloud, A. S. Chears, George Monroe, J. A. Moore, S. D. Elliott, James N. Devore, William Woodworth, S. B. White, J. T. Sager, Benjamin Lock, Philip Coe, Robert Goff, Allen Reed and G. D. Mitchell.

The present membership is seventy-four. The elective officers are : G. V. Poling, noble grand; Joseph Poling, vice grand; Tell Reed, chaplain; 'SI. W. Martin, recording secretary ; A. J. Rigdon, treasurer. The hall, which is owned by the order, cost two thousand four hundred dollars, and is located on State and Mill streets.

Rush Creek Lodge No. 269 was instituted at Essex, June 20, 1876, with sixteen members, as follows : E. L. Randall, S. H. Grant, G. S. Robertson, M. M. Mather, D, D. Mather, J. D. Mather, Levi Price, Levi Roseberry, Asberry Cheney, E. D. Horton, Richard Davis, Philip Bender, Simpson Price, C. W. Burgoon, John Price and John Vestal. M. M. Mather was the first nolile grand. A hall was erected in the autumn of 1875, "it a cost of five hundred dollars and was a joint-stock company. Later it became the sole property of the Odd Fellows at Essex. The lodge is still doing a good work in its community. Its secretary is now H. Jolley.

Pharisburg Lodge No. 664, Independent Order of Odd Fellows, was instituted June 13, 1S77. The first officers were: E. A. Bell, noble grand; J. R. Taylor, vice grand; A. B. Strieker, recording secretary; J. H. Hoskins, permanent secretarA'. The present secretary is Sells Hill and Hennan Hickok is the treasurer.

The first account we have of this order being instituted, or established in Cnion county, was when Rising Sun Lodge No. 71, Knights of Pythias, was granted a charter May 7, 1875, 'i"'J instituted June 8 of that year. The charter members were S. J. iMuch, H. \\'. Vlnch. J. H. Randall, J. Critchfield, T. C. Owen, J. H. \'aughan, P. E. Barnes, Will H. Reeves, G. R. Gum and J. J. W'oodrufT. Its membership is now one hundred and fifty and all are interested in the work.

For the first two years this lodge met in the Odd b'ellows hall, but after that they leased a hall on the second fioor of the W. S. Bowers building, which they occupied until i88_'. In that year they erected the third story of the Cooper building, at the corner of Franklin and Blagro\'e streets.

The lodge owns a lot, but have no building at this date. Their property is at the southwest corner of Main and Fourth streets. The lodge has within its membership many of tlie best business men in the city.

The lodge now has a membership of an even hundred. The officers in November, 1914, were: J. W. Phipps, chancellor commander; Harold Evans, vice commander; B. Bushong, prelate; W. K. Baughn, master of work; E. T. Bault, keeper of records and seal; A. Titus, master of finance; C. W. Fox, master of exchequer; Iver Wooley, master of arms; O. D. Dillon, inside guard: W. C. Brown, outside guard. A hall was provided in 1895, at a cost of eight hundred dollars. Three degrees of the order are here represented.

Alilford Center Lodge No. 274, Ivnights of Pythias, in Union township. Union county, Ohio, was organized May 28, 1888, and now has a membership of one hundred and fifty-three. The degrees of Page Rank, Escjuire Rank and ICnights Rank are all represented. The Pythian Sisters have a lodge of ninety-two members.

With the passing of the years it may be of interest to recall the names of the charter membership of this lodge, hence they are here inserted : W. D. Johnson, W. A. Sedebottom, E. P. Houghton, A. B. Linsley, U.' S. Alden, T. W. Buffington, L. F. Erb, M. L. White, George Erb, J. Fleming, M. S. Buffington, Mose George, F. J. Johnson, Tell Reed, Jacob Schunk, W. N. Wliite, J. A. Morse, F. G. Reynolds, S. D. Elliott, M. H. Johnson, D. A. Watson, C. Rice, A. Paver, W. B. Kimball, A. B. Gabriel, A. Peffer, W. S. Adams, Fred Neer, W. L. Tway, A. Daly, W. A. Fry, J. P. Connor, F. E. Baker, G. W. Walker, C. H. Noth. S. B. Childs and Nort Reed.

The present officers are : \\^alter Overacker, chancellor commander ; Fred Geer, vice commander ; Louis Michels, prelate : M. W. Martin, keeper of records and seal ; C. S. Haynes, master of finance ; J. E. Macken, master of excheciuer; trustees, H. Ingram, Walter Harris, G. L. Coe.

Magnetic Springs Lodge, at Magnetic Springs, LTnion county, was organized September 23, 1889, and had as its charter members the following: W. H. Curl. A. C. DeGood, J. W. King, J. E. Newhouse, M. F. Langstaff. H. D. Waldron, B. F. Carter, M. E. Bollard, P. H. Lind. S. S. Draho, H. H. McFadden, J. R. Frye, M. A. White, O. B. McLean, S. C. McLean, A. B. Morris, J. L. Newhouse, H. G. Warren, Tohn Fletcher, Lee Atherton, A.

The officers in the fall of 1914 were: Elmore Griffith, chancellor commander; Harry Frye, vice commander: Jesse Stulty, prelate; Orley Green, keeper of records and seal; V. E. Henson, master of exchequer; Kenneth DeGood, inside guard; Jesse West, outside guard; Frank Bentell, master of work; William J. Parrott, master of finance; Mr. McLain, master at amis.

North Star Lodge No. 452, Knights of Pythias, at Essex, was organized September 8, 1890. and now enjoys a membership of one hundred and twelve. Its charter members were T. M. Parish, W. L. Decker, Elmer Hall, Milton Marsh, Levi Roseberry. John Orr, E. D. Judd, M. M. Mather, Harry Patterson, William Harraman, ^^'illiaI^ Williams, J. R. Griffith, Jacob Fist, Henry Blue, Jacob Temple, D. A. Temple, E. L. Randall, R. R. Randall, J. E. Inskeep, James Coffey, G. W. Phillips, F. M. Sanders and G. E. Parish.

The elective officers at this date are ; Chancellor commander, Orville Love : vice commander, E. W. Carr : prelate, Oliver Cowgill ; keeper of records and seal, Ira Cowgill; master of arms, W. W. Bailey; inside guard, Charles Moore; outside guard, Harry Mulvain; master of exchequer, H. F. Bonhani; master of finance, Sherman Love.

Honor Lodge No. 597, at York, was organized May 24, 1893, with a charter membership of twenty-se\'en. The order owns their own hall. It is the second storv of the township building and it was erected in 1900, at a cost of one thousand dollars. The officers in 1914 were as follows: H. L. Bosart, chancellor commander; J. B. Moore, vice commander; L. H. \\'orthington, prelate; J. L. Worthington, master of work; T. B. Middleton, keeper of records and seals: E. J. Brooks, master of finance: S. W. Bulen. master of exchequer: J. L. Harris, master at arms; C. D. Bailey, inside guard: E. V. Bosart, outside guard. The total number of members in the month of December, 1914, was fifty-six.

Other Secret Societies

Juniata Tribe No. 94, Improved Order of Red Men, was chartered at Marysville, at the grounds of the Marysville Reservation, Ohio, on the sleep of the eighteenth Sun, Worm Moon, G. S. D. 388, common years March 18, 1879, with twenty-two charter members. Its first officers were: Prophet, J. O. Riche\- : sachem, A. Morey; senior sagamore, J. H. Smith; junior sagamore, J. D Burkbile : chief of records, B. Newlove ; keeper of wampum, B. C. Newlove.

Then there have been organized throughout the county lodges of the Elks, Red Men, Woodmen, Maccabees and other fraternal insurance and benevolent societies.