St. Johnsbury Caledonian. [volume] (St. Johnsbury, Vt.) 1867-1919, 1912-05-08
MASONIC HISTORY.
Some Prominent Ones in Early Days
of DanviIIe and Vicinity.

With the beginning of the Ma
sonic Temple history of the early
struggles of Masonry in this vicinity
take on special interest. The follow
ing article was sent The Caledonian
by William H. Lynds of Lowell,
Mass, who formerly lived in Peach
am and for two years in St. Johns
bury.
Harmony Lodge, No. IA, was pc
titioned for October 9Th, 1895, at
Greensboro and signed by the fol-
lowing petitioners who were probab-
ly charter members but not so nam
ed. Thomas Tolman of Union
Lodge, No. 2, at Middlebury, VT;
Ebenezer Strong of Kink Solomon
Lodge, No. at Woodbury., Conn;
Timothy Human of King Solomon
Lodge, No. z, Woodbury., Conn; Ep-
hiram Strong, Wooster Lodge, then
No. Is, New Haven, Conn; Samuel
Huntington and Alexander Harvey
of Barnet, a member of lodge in
Scotland. Thomas Tolman was nam
ed as the First Worshipful Master;
Samuel Chandler Crafts of Crafts
bury as Senior Warden and John
Paddock of st. Johnsbury as Junior
Warden.
Thomas Tolman was the ancestor
of the Tolman families in Green's
boro. The two Strongs were mem
bers of the Strong families in Hard
wick; Timothy Hinman was the
great grandfather of Mrs. (Gov.)
Josiah Grout and lived in Derby;
Samuel Huntington was a signer of
the Declaration of Independence for
Connecticut; Alexander Harvey was
the grandfather of Cloud Harvey of
Barnet, and lived on that farm;
Samuel Chandler Crafts lived in
Craftsbury and was a lawyer and
was governor of Vermont, 1929, 80
and 81. He was defeated in 1882
by Gov. William A. Palmer as YER
mont's Anti-Masonic governor, who
lived in Danville and was the father
of Frank R. Palmer, now living in
Danville. John Paddock of St.
Johnsbury was a brother of the
mother of Gov. Erastus and Thad-
deus Fairbanks, the founders of the
Fairbanks Scale Company.
Harmony Lodge, A. F. and A. M,
No. IA, was moved to Danville in
1897 and had a good many Dan
vile and Peachami met in as we'll
as other towns near by. William
Mattocks, brother of Gov. Mattocks
of Peacham, Elijah Cleveland of
Coventry, Rev. Solomon Sias of
Danville, William Sanborn of
.Peacham, Col. Jacob Blanchard of
Peacham and many others. One
member became prominent, Ebe-
nezer Eaton, editor of the North
Star, the earliest democratic paper
of northeastern Vermont, who was
the most active Anti-Mason in the
Anti-Masonic war that ragged there
in the early '3O's. AS a leader in
the election of Palmer, Eaton was
expelled from Masonry, August 20,
1928. Another early Mason who
lived in Danville was Eliphlet Mar
tin. 1906, father of the late John
Martin of Minneapolis, Mimi, the
wealthy flour manufacturer.
Harmony Lodge was moved to
St. Johnsbury in 1912. Joseph
Fairbanks, the first Fairbanks to
settle in St. Johnsbury and Gov.
Erastus Fairbanks, his son, were
members there and many others
that the writer knew when a boy.
The lodge surrendered it's charter in
1880 and never revived. Passump-
sic Lodge is its successor. Forty
four lodges surrendered their char
tiers in one year in the Anti-Ma-
sonic war in Vermont. Now YER
mont has more Masons than any
other state in the union according
to population.
Old Ancient Landmark Lodge of
Peacham, No. So, went down in
1880. Isaiah Silver, a Danville
man was it's last Worshipful Master.
The lodge was organized in 1924.
Gov. Erasutus Fairbanks, John
Halves, Judge Theron Howard and
Timothy ChamberIin, Peacham's
strenuous sheriff, and many others