The New York herald., 1920-01-18
By FRANK c. HIGGINS,
81 A.A.S.R., Past Master, Ivanhoe,
No. 61O, New York.

IF the famous letter of good old John
oiIver. one-time Collector Of the Port
of Philadelphia, written in the year
1715 and mentioning Evenings spent
IN festivity with my Masonic brethren. "
has any historical value it proves that
the ancient craft already flourished upon
SOL destined to become these United
states prior even to the establishment OF
the first Grand Lodge Of England. Ques-
Tons of relative priority are as nebulous
or the Western Hemisphere as on the
other side of the Atlantic. until we are
able to avail ourselves Of the precise rec
ords of grand lodges in general. so that
many OF our original colonies possessed
legends of sporadic Freemasonry ante
dating the establishment of any concrete
lodge and of regular lodges operating
OF the assemblage Of provincial or State
grand lodges.
1t is therefore patent that no mere
sketch of any phase of American Free
masonry can touch upon more than what
might be termed the high lights" of the
now over two completed centuries that
We have possessed the Royal Art" as a
representative American institution.
The story of Virginia Freemasonry is
closely akin to the history of civic vir-
ginia. because the same great and ex-
pansive souis have lent lustre to both
and to the nation as whole.
AS Freemasonry is a mould Of charac-
ter and a school Of service, so it is but
natural that the great and wise men who
have left such an indelible stamp of for
ttude. patriotism and zeal for human
welfare upon the early history of the Re-
public to, the credit of their Virginian
birth should today bo also enshrined in
Arc heart of American Masonry as among
the most splendid ornaments of our living
temple.
of such character and such moment. In
fact, have been the brethren whose lives
have lent the greatest lustre to virginian
1'reemasonry, above all the immortal
Father of our Nation himself, that, not
withstanding the great claims of many
other States to high Masonic distinction,
Virginia may be truly termed. and is
likely long to remain, 1.-The Mecca of
American Masonry To briefly recapit-
Mate the main facts of virginian Masonic
history. IL is to Norfolk that falls the
honor of having organized the first regu-
lar gathering of Virginia Masons.
In the Early Days.
The early Masonry of the State. or
rather the then colony, seems to have
been in the same chaotic condition as that
which chara cterized the original state of
all American Masonry. The accepted his
tory of. the present Grand Lodge is to
the effect that the Masons of Virginia
repudiated the authority of all provincial
Grand Masters who were inflicted on the
early Masonry of the American colonies
by the indscriminate appointments of
the Grand Lodges of England. Ireland
and Scotland, which appointments over
Tapped and conflicted. giving rise TO end
loss disputes concerning allegiances. until
in disgust their claims to authority were
cisregarded and lodges applied directly to
the grand jurisdictions of the mother
country" for their charters or dispensa-
fions TO proceed. SO Il was that the Right
worshipfuI Cornelius Harnet, who was a
resident of Norfolk, having been ap-
pointed and commissioned Provincial
Grand Master for the Colony of Virginia
bv the Most worshipful Grand Lodge OF
England, never seems to have been paid
the slightest attention to. for neither rec
ord or tradition exists that he or any
other holding similar powers ever at
tempted TO hold a Provincial Grand
.odge such as was convened In some OF
the other colonies. On the contrary. Vir-
gina Masonry applied for and received
warrants over the heads OF all such func-
tionaries directly from the grand lodges
of Great Britain.
The earliest authentic data concerning
zed Virginia Masonry is derived
from r little book called the "Freemason's
rocket Companion" published by firm
Of l:dingburgh booksellers named Aud &
smelie in 1865. who. having apparently
..z,.,,ftad tha raCOrd of the Grand Lodge
Of Scotland under the heading "An ex-
&C. list of regular English lodges ac-
cordng to their seniority and constitu-
tion No. III The Royal Exchange, in the
Borough of Norfolk. Virginia, first Thurs
day. December, 1733' (date of warranty.
No. 20i In Yorktown, Virginia. first and
third Wednesday, August /, 1755.
Another handbook called the Pocket
COMPANION and History of Masonry"