The Oskaloosa herald., 1902-04-03
SOME OLD MASONS.
Mention of Men Who Have Long
Served the Order.

Des Moines, March 25.-The Oldest
Iowa Mason may not readily be found.
When l saw the claim made for one
whose initiation dated about 1858
smiled, and supposed the discussion
would end with that claim. But as
there appeared to be some interest III
the matter, and other ancient brethren
were named, thought it worth while
to look over some of the records and
embody with these some of my person
al recollections.
Although / was made a Mason In
Wingate Lodge No. 161, in Kentucky,
in January, 1913, had no thought to
claim to be the oldest Mason In Iowa.
| was elected master of lodge NO. 30.
at Owingsville, KY, in the latter part
of the year 1849, and it may be that II
the matter of years | am ranking past
master in Iowa. | became master OIL
lodge No. SO, at Nevada, Iowa, in jan
uary, 1857. | still hold membership
there, and, with Hon. James Haw-
thorne, who was a member OF that
lodge at the time it was instituted, on
the date named, we, may possibly be
entitled to the claim of longest con-
tinuous membership in one lodge.
| date as knight Templar from
1855, and was eminent commander OF
the encampment (then so called) III
this city from it's organization under
dispensation from Hon. B. B. French,
of Washington, d. c., then commander
of the General Grand Encampment,
until | entered the army in 1861. !
probably rank in years any one IN
Iowa who served in that capacity. |
am also, | believe, the ranking past
grand master of Iowa, Hon. A. Il
Cotton, formerly of Lyons was grand
master some years earlier, but re
moved to San Francisco, CAL, thereby
losing his life membership In the
Iowa Grand Lodge,
My date in the Scottish Rite OF
thirty-two degrees is from July 4, 1863
There are but two living who are o.
an earlier date, in the southern Jurls
diction. one of these being Fred WEB
her, the secretary general of the Rite
in the House Of the Temple al WASH
| 'ngten, D. c. 49,,
The following list may help thos'
interested in this question TO satlst!
thafhsaives, in measure, as TO IN
dates of initiation of some OF our OLD
er brethren: So,
James Hawthorne, Nevada, lows
| made in Harmony Lodge No. IL, a
Brookvilie, Ind, IN 1910.
Dinsmore. Fremont, Iowa, mad
in Newark, o., in 1S4G.
Harry Fulton, Keokuk, was All ON
GER in No. IL in 1S47 and 1S4S, was !
member of the Grand Lodge in 1S49
and was elected grand Junior wardel
Fin 1852, making MIN the eldest elect
i've grand officer and life nlee4ber O.
the, grand lodge.
y Jacob Springer, Blairstown, was
made in Fayette Lodge No. 12S, Union
towa, Pa, Feb. 20, 1916.
d. A. Hoffman, of Oskaloosa, was
made a Mason in Newark. O., in 1916
A. P. Berry of New Virginia, dates
from 1876 or 1S47.
Alonzo Shaw, of Upton, was tyler
of his lodge in 1897.
w. T. Smith, of Des Moines, was a
member of lodge No. Is at Oskaloosa
in 1S49.
Among those who were members of
Pioneer Lodge No. %, in Des Moines,
about 1852, were c. D. Reinkfng, J. M.
Griffith, A. T. Hull and Cole Noel.
H. w. Sample, of Keokuk, is shown
by the records to have been secretary
of lodge No 90 in 1858.
John H. Wallace was senior deacon
in 1852 and master in 1854 of lodge
No. 2, at Muscatine.
The records show P. Cad Bryan, s.
P. Yeomans, Cyrus Bussey, Asa Call
Samuel A. Moore, R. P. Speer, L. L.
Ainsworth, Robert Sloan, r. P. Hen
derson, w. c. Evans, w. w. Mcknight,
F. M. Mills, George M. Hippo, w. R.
MCDOWELL c. W. Nash, B. F. Keables,
George w. Struble, Leander Clark and
w. c. Smith all running close to the
half century mark, and with them are
perahps more than one hundred
others who have been Masons for
nearly fifty years.
George Beeson, of Pennington, al
though not a member of the ancient
fraternity as long as some others,
ranks all those who are still active
members and workers in the order in
the years he has lived. He has been
a Free Mason more than half cen
fury, having been brought to the Ma
sonic light in Pickaway Lodge No. 20,
at Circleville, o., in 1850. He became
a member of lodge No. 81, at Farming
ton, in 1854, and was member of the
Grand Lodge of Iowa in 1855, that
meeting being at Keosauqua. He was
high priest of Kadosh Chapter No. SO
two years ago, and was supposed then
to be the oldest acting high priest in
the world. He is now, l believe, more
than 80 yearsold, and hale and well
and writes with as steady
hand as most men at 20.
JOHN SCOTT.