archives, etc., had been destroyed. The members who had fled to New Orleans in 1791, and had returned to San Domingo in 1802, had been again compelled to flee to New Orleans the second time. In 1806 Masons from the Northern part of the United States applied for and obtained a Charter from the Grand Lodge of New York, on September 2, 1807, now Louisiana Lodge, No. 2. In the "Manuel Maçonnique" it is No. 101, which is an error of the author. This was the first lodge in New Orleans that worked in the English language, and its first W. M. was the celebrated jurist Edward Livingstone.

Polar Star Lodge, No. 4263, applied to the Grand Orient of France and obtained a Charter to hold a Chapter of Rose Croix, which was constituted and officers installed, May 24, 1807, as "La Vertu Récompensée, No. 5001."

On September 15, 1808, a York Rite Charter was issued to some of the members of Lodge La Réunion Desirée, No. 3829, by the same name but numbered 112, by the Grand Lodge of Pennsylvania. This lodge dissolved March 23, 1812.

This much of the early history in Louisiana must suffice, as to continue a specific notice of all the lodges chartered and the various contests which grew out of the various rites in use, and the "Cumulation" thereof, would utilize our entire remaining pages of this chapter, hence must proceed to the organization of the Grand Lodge.

It appears from the records that twelve lodges had received charters in New Orleans prior to the organization of a Grand Lodge, as will appear in the following table:

Of these lodges, Candor, No. 90, York Rite, was perhaps never organized; Réunion Desirée, No. 3829, French Rite, ceased to work, November 27, 1808; Polar Star, No. 4293, French Rite, adjourned sine die, October 13, 1811; Réunion Desirée, No. 112, York Rite, dissolved, March 23, 1812; and Bienfaisance, No. 1, Scottish Rite, affiliated with Concord, No. 117, May 27, 1812, leaving seven lodges in full activity and all working the York Rite, viz.: Numbers 1, 4, 6, 8, 9, 10, 11, and 12, in the above table.

Louisiana was admitted as a State by Act of Congress, April 8, 1812, to take effect after April 30th. This change politically had a corresponding result masonically.

Perfect Union Lodge, No. 29, had the honor of taking initiatory steps toward the organization of a Grand Lodge, which resulted in a meeting, April 18, 1812, of the delegates of Perfect Union Lodge, No. 29; Charity Lodge, No. 93; Louisiana Lodge, No. 1; Concord Lodge, No. 117; Perseverance Lodge, No. 118; Harmony Lodge, No. 122; and Polar Star Lodge, No. 129. These delegates organized themselves into a "General Committee of the State of Louisiana to provide for the establishment of a Grand Lodge in the City of New Orleans." P. F. Dubourg was the first President.

On May 16th following a second meeting was held, Charity Lodge, No. 93, not being represented; and a communication was received from Louisiana Lodge, No. 1, saying that in their opinion "it would be inexpedient at present" to join in the proposed formation of a Grand Lodge; whereupon a resolution was passed requesting the W. Master of the Senior of the regular lodges in the State, Perfect Union, No. 29, to issue his summons1 to the Masters, Past Masters, and Officers of the several Ancient and regularly constituted lodges in the State to meet in convention to take into consideration the interests of the true Craft, and to deliberate on the necessity of establishing a Grand Lodge in the State, which was accordingly done, and the convention met June 13, 1812, and the following representatives were present, viz.: Perfect Union, No. 29; Charity, No. 93; Concord, No. 117; Perseverance, No. 118; Polar Star, No. 129. As soon as the convention was organized the President, Brother Dubourg, stated that he had received a communication from Harmony Lodge, No. 122, which had withdrawn from the convention. The convention adjourned to meet June 20th next. June 20, 1812, the Grand Convention then met and elected the Grand Officers; P. F. Dubourg being elected Grand Master, who was duly installed after the election of the Grand Officers, and by a resolution adopted, the Grand Master installed all the other Grand Officers on July 11th following.

At a communication held August 15, 1812, the committee appointed for that purpose reported a draft of a Constitution which was adopted.

1 Ancient term for Notification.

At a quarterly communication held March 27, 1813, the Grand Master announced that a Grand Royal Arch Chapter had been organized and attached to the Grand Lodge of Louisiana. The Grand Chapter had been organized, March 8, 1813, by Concord and Perseverance R... A.. Chapter, working under charters from the Grand Chapter of Pennsylvania and attached to the lodges of the same name. On March 13th the Grand Officers were elected and installed.

To follow the history of the Grand Lodge of Louisiana would require more space than can be permitted; here we must close with the date of March, 1813.

Tennessee.

Warrants to organize lodges had been issued from the Grand Lodge of North Carolina as early as 1796 and one from Kentucky. These lodges held a convention at Knoxville in December, 1811, and adopted the following:

"Resolved, That in the opinion of this Convention the number of Ancient York Masons in this State as well as the state of society, require the formation of a Grand Lodge within the same for the better regulation and extension of the Craft.

"Resolved, That a Committee be appointed for the purpose of drawing up an address to the Grand Lodge of North Carolina, soliciting their assent to the establishment of a Grand Lodge in the State of Tennessee."

The Grand Lodge of North Carolina granted this request; and the convention again met October 14, 1813, and the Grand Lodge was constitutionally established and the Grand Officers were elected and installed.

Mississippi.

The first lodge in Mississippi which received a Warrant from the Grand Lodge of Kentucky was Harmony, No. 33; originally No. 7, by a Charter October 16, 1801. Two other lodges, viz. : Andrew Jackson, No. 15, and Washington, No. 17, received their warrants from the Grand Lodge of Tennessee July 27, 1818. A convention was held in the city of Natchez, when it was resolved that it was necessary and expedient to form a Grand Lodge for the State of Mississippi. On August 25th following, the convention

again met, and the Grand Lodge was regularly constituted. Henry Toohey was elected Grand Master.

Illinois.

The Grand Master of Pennsylvania, Israel Israel, issued a dispensation for six months to Western Star Lodge, No. 107, to be located at Kaskaskia, situated near the mouth of the Okaw (now Kaskaskia) River, where it empties into the Mississippi River, September 24, 1805. At that period Illinois was in the Indian Territory. This lodge received its Charter, which was granted June 2, 1806, and on September 13th following, the lodge was regularly constituted. This lodge was doubtless the first one established in that Territory-now comprising the States of Wisconsin and Illinois and a part of Minnesota.

The Grand Lodge of Kentucky issued a Charter, August 28, 1815, to Lawrence Lodge, to be located at Shawneetown; the Grand Lodge of Tennessee issued a Charter, October 6, 1819, to Libanus Lodge, at Edwardsville; June 20, 1820, the Grand Master of Tennessee issued a dispensation to Temple Lodge, at Belleville, St. Clair County, which was surrendered in 1821.

From the Grand Lodge of Missouri at various dates in 1822 the following warrants were granted: October 3, 1822, Olive Branch, No. 5, at Alton, Ill.; October 8, 1822, Vandalia, No. 8, at Vandalia; October 9, 1822, Sangamon, No. 9, at Springfield; October 24, 1822, Union, No. 10, at Jonesborough; October 8, 1822, Eden, No. 11, at Covington.

The Grand Master of Indiana issued a dispensation, March 12, 1822, to Albion Lodge, at Albion.

All the above lodges except Sangamon sent delegates to a convention at Vandalia which met December 9, 1822. They adopted a constitution, which was sent to the lodges for their consideration. Eight of these lodges were represented at a convention held December 1, 1823, and a Grand Lodge was duly organized. The Grand Master was installed by Dr. Hardage Lane, of St. Louis, Mo., the Deputy Grand Master of the Grand Lodge of Missouri.

In 1827 the Grand Lodge of Illinois went out of existence, and after June 24, 1827, "every Lodge in the State was so effectually blotted out that no trace of any of them has been found."

It is supposed that as the anti-Masonic excitement had, about

that time, begun to work its way to the West, the Masons were more or less lukewarm in the cause, and politics being somewhat mixed up in the affair, the Brethren let the matter drop for a while.

The Grand Lodge of Kentucky issued a dispensation to Bodley Lodge, No. 97, at Quincy, Ill., there being at that time no working lodge in the State. That lodge was warranted August 30, 1838. That Grand Lodge likewise warranted Equality Lodge, No. 102, at Equality, in Gallatin County, August 29, 1837; and Ottawa, No. 114, at Ottawa County, of Lasalle, September 1, 1740. The Grand Master of Kentucky issued a dispensation to Friendship Lodge at Dixon in 1840.

A dispensation to Columbus Lodge, No. 20, at Columbus, in 1839.

Delegates from several of the subordinate lodges on January 30, 1840, held a convention in Jacksonville, when it was resolved to form a Grand Lodge. A committee was appointed to correspond with the lodges in the State and ask their assistance, and to send delegates to a convention to be held at Jacksonville, April 6, 1840, which convention was held on that date and six of the eight chartered lodges and one under dispensation were represented, and the Grand Lodge was then organized.

At the meeting held April 28th, the Grand Master, Abraham Jonas, was installed by proxy.1 Warrants were issued to the lodges represented and numbered according to their dates of constitution—

1 The "Reprint of the Proceedings for 1840 to 1860," published 1874, shows: April 6, 1840, at Jacksonville, “M. W. Abraham Jonas was elected G. M." April 28th, “called from refreshment to labor." The name of Abraham Jonas does not appear as being present. James Adams, D. G. M., presided. The minutes say: "On motion all but Past Masters having retired a convocation of Past Masters was declared open, and the M. W. Grand Master was installed by proxy, and the grand honors paid him agreeable to ancient form and usage."