The farmer and mechanic. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1877-1885, 1882-03-15
RALEIGH, n. c., WEDNESDAY, MARCH 15 1882

stated, by authority of Vlscount Mon
tacute, Grand Master of Masons il
England, and further states that OF
October 2nd 1907, dispensation wa:
| granted by the Grand Lodge in Bos-
ton, to the Right Worshipful Thomas
| Cooper, Master Of Pitt County Lod q
in North Carolina, constituting him
Deputy Grand Mastsr of that Province.
He was commissioned with power to
congregate all the Breaiheren then
| residing, or taat should afterwards re-
side in said Province, into one or mere
Lodges as he should see fit" Banks
| follows this with a statement that,
''The first Lodge, according to the
author Of the Monitor, was eStab-
lished at Crown Point, in Pitt county.
In subsequent edition of the Monitor,
published In 1918, the author has omit
ted this statement relative to the insti-
tuition OF Lodges in this State and
writes as follows:
1.-The Grand Lodge of North Carolina
was first constituted by virtue of a char
ter from the Grand Lodge Of Scotland,
A. D., Ill. 1t convened occasionally
at Newbern. and Edenton, at which
latter place the records were deposited
previous to the revolutionary war. Du-
ring the contest, the records were des-
troyed by the British army, and the
meeting of the Grand Lodge suspended. .
On which our author comments
''These are substantially all the state
ments that can be gathered from the
Books relative to the history of Ma
sonry In North Carolina.
venture to extract further from the
unpublished manuscript of Banks as
follows:
SIN the communication of the Most
Worshipful Robert Williams, Grand
Master of the Grand Lodge of North
Carolina and Tennessee in 1912, he says
Il fortunately received into my pos
session the Great Charter under the
sign manual, sealed with the seal, and
impressed with the Coat Of Arms Of the
Duke Of Beaufort, Grand Master of the
Grand Lodge of Ancient York Masons,
In England, dated at London, the l4th
day of January, A. d., III, eonstitu-
ting and appointing Joseph Montfort,
Es1., of Halifax, N. c., Provincial
Grand Master of America, authorizing
and empowering the said Joseph Mont
fort as Provincial Grand Master, to make,
constitute, and regulate Lodges In his
then Majesty's province Of America.
This document is important In the
history of Masonry in this State, as it
shows in what manner several of the
oldest lodges under our jurisdiction OBJ
tanned their authority.
The Royal White Hart Lodge No. 2,
in the town Of Halifax, is one deriving
it's original constitution from this
source. The Great Charter was pre-
served among the Archives Of this
Lodge in Halifax, and is claimed by
them from whom the temporary pos
session was obtained by me, accompa
MED with promise to return it.
[ have since addressed the Lodge re
spectfully, in my official capacity, solc-
iting this instrument as proper to be
deposited among our Grand Archives;
it being the original authority of the
craft in our State, and the foundation
of that jurisdiction which We now exer-
else.
The Lodges constituted under this
charter in the regal government of this
country, were mostly those, which after
the Revolutionary war assembled IN
convention at the town of Tarborough
in A. J. 57s7, and established the au-
thority Of which We are now possess
ed"
Grand Master Williams farther refers
to the preparation OF copy OF the SAID
paper. 1t may be interesting to note
that there is in our Archives at Raleigh
a copy of charter to the Royal White
Hart Lodge, itself hoary with age, bear
ing date August 2lst, l767, and pa
per filed with the same, gives the re-
cord of meeting of said Lodge on Fri
day, May Goth, 1867, at which the
charter was unanimously and crate
fully received, and it was ordered that
the Secretary write a letter to the
Grand Lodge of England returning
thanks for the honor which the Grand
Master has been pleased to confer on
them and that the said charter be
copied in our book of Records" The
names of Joseph Montfcrt, Master, and
the several officers and members are
duly recorded. !.
1t is worthy of note, also, that mill
tary or travelling Lodges were consti-
tuted during the revolutionary war, and
various North Carolinians admitted to
the privileges of the order. Hayden,
the masonic biog grapher of Washington,
afirms that lodge was organized IN a
North Carolina regiment, in 1888.
NICE PLACE TO LIvE.-Kansas City,
| March 4.-Three big "boys,' whose