The daily morning journal and courier., 1905-12-04
HARTFORD LETTER.
REPORT OF MASONIC LODGES OF
 THE STATE.
Conditions Most Prosperous Yet Att tained and Membership Increased-- Review of Prominent Hartford Bank CTS Who Have or still Hold the Helm Centennial of w. l.. Garrison to be CeIebrated-A Word for Frank L.. Burr, the Writer.

1 Hartford, Dec. 3.-The returns from Masonic lodges throughout the state i show that the present year has been ! the most prosperous one in the history 1 of the order in Connecticut. The in-
 crease in membership will be much in excess of last year, when one thousand in round numbers were raised. There are five lodges in the state which have more than five hundred and fifty mem-
 bers apiece. Hiram lodge of New Ha-
 ven has upwards of seven hundred and
 fifty members and is the most powerful of the Blue lodges in the state. Woos- ter of New Haven, St. Johns and Hart ford lodges of Hartford and St. Johns
 of Bridgeport have each passed the five hundred and fifty membership record. At
 the annual communication of the Grand lodge, which will be held in Hartford January r, 1906, the total membership
 in the state will exceed twenty thou
 sand. Last January, when the Grand
 lodge met in New Haven, the exact
 membership was 19,346. There have
 been two eminent deaths in the order
 during the year, General Nelson c.
 Hinckley of Hartford and Luke A.
 Lockwood of Riverside having passed
 away. General Hinckley had long
 been trustee of the Grand lodge. Mir.
 Lockwood was chairman of the Grand
 lodge committee on Jurisprudence and
 president of the charity foundation of
 Connecticut, which has charge of the. Masonic Home in Wallingford. The
 first grand master of the Grand lodge
 was Pierpont Edwards of New Haven,
 who held the office from 1789 until 1791.
 The present grand master is Asa P.
 Fitch of Hartford. There are seven
 teen grand masters now living, the list including grand secretary John H. Bar low of Hartford, Mayor Samuel Bas-
 sett Of New Britain, Frederick H. Wal dron of New Haven, Frank w. Ha-
 ven, Frank w.. Havens of Hartford and Frederick s. Stevens of Bridgeport
 The office of grand treasurer has been held in Hartford since 1869. The pres ent incumbent of the position, Miles
 W. Graves, treasurer of the State Saw ings bank, was elected in 1896, succeed ing Mayor John G. Root, who became grand treasurer in 1882. He was pre- ceded by George Lee, a man of inter- esting personality in the order. Grand Secretary Barlow came here from New Haven county after his appointment in September, 1894, succeeding Joseph K. Wheeler of Hartford, who had held the office twenty-seven years. The centen- nial of the Grand lodge was held in 1889, making a memorable event in the history of Free Masonry in this state. The growth of the nativity since that time has been prodigious each year, showing larger accessions than the one. The membership at the present time would constitute an army corps in which would be found the most striking patriotism and loyalty. l in every field in public life Free Mason ry is represented with distinction and honor. Most of the public men in this | state are enrolled as members of the Blue lodges. The Charity foundation [ # Connecticut is an illustration of the