Prior to the Revolutionary War, Prince Hall and fourteen free Black men petitioned for admittance to St. John’s Lodge in Boston but were turned down. Hall and the others sought and were initiated into Masonry by members of Army Lodge No. 441 of the Grand Lodge of Ireland on March 6, 1775, stationed at Castle Williams (now Fort Independence) in Boston Harbor, attached to the 38th Regiment of General Gage. Prince Hall received “the warrant" on September 29, 1781, from the Grand Lodge of England. From this Lodge, additional Lodges were established in Philadelphia and Providence, R.I. In 1791 the Grand Lodge was formed with Prince Hall being elected as the First Grand Master. Upon Prince Hall's death on December 7, 1807, the African Grand Lodge assembled and changed its name to honor its founder, Prince Hall.
Prince Hall Masonry arrived in Connecticut as a result of the New Haven Convention on September 12-13, 1818 when outstanding Blacks came to New Haven to protest the Injustices of the day. As an outgrowth of that Convention, the Masonic Club of Widow's Son Lodge was established. The Rev. James W. Hood, Pastor of New Haven’s Varick Memorial AME Zion Methodist Church, a Mason, with several other Brothers petitioned the Grand Master of New York for a Warrant; this Warrant was issued on January 11, 1858 creating Widow's Son Lodge No. 10, Eureka No. 15, (1859) Hartford and Doric No. 33 (1871) Bridgeport. On November 3, 1873 these four Lodges formed the Grand Lodge of Connecticut with William H. Layne the first Grand Master.
There have been many outstanding members associated with Prince Hall Masonry in Connecticut including Brother Ralston, a Hartford barber who successfully petitioned the Connecticut State Legislature with the famous “Ralston Petition" opening public schools in Connecticut to black children. Others include George W. Crawford, WM of Widow’s Son Lodge #1, MWPGM of the MWPHGL of CT and a Past Sovereign Grand Commander of the United Supreme Council, MWGM Grand Master, an outstanding Masonic scholar, attorney and was the Corporation Counsel for the City of New Haven; others include MWPGM John E. Rogers, Leroy E. Fitch as well as author and scholar W.E.B. Du Bois, who was made a Mason at Sight by MWGM William Tribbett,#1. Bro. Du Bois received the EA Degree given by Widow Son, Kellogg, and Oriental on November 11, 1911, and received the MM Degree on December 12, 1911. and became a member of Widow Son’s Lodge #1.
After much preliminary work done by many officers and members of the Brotherhood in Action Committee composed of Masons of the Connecticut A.F.& A.M., Prince Hall Grand Lodge of, Masons, members of B’nai B’rith, and the Knights of Columbus. Masonic history was made on Saturday, October 14, 1989, when the Grand Lodge of Connecticut, A.F.&A.M. and the MW Prince Hall Grand Lodge of Connecticut, who both met in separate convened Grand Lodge Sessions, voted to become the first two Grand Lodges of the United States to approve “Recognition of each other’s Grand Lodge”. Simply stated, the Recognition of a Grand Lodge means that each acknowledges each’s regularity, each other’s authority, and each’s territorial integrity.
PRINCE HALL ANCIENT AND ACCEPTED SCOTTISH RITE IN CONNECTICUT
The first Scottish Rite organization among African Americans was the African Grand Council of 1820 in Philadelphia, which was referred to as a Council of Princes of Jerusalem. Scottish Rite Masonry came to Connecticut on August 20. l892 with James H. Wilkins of Widow Son‘s Lodge Number One as the first Deputy for the Orient. Robert L. Reed, 33o (MWGM 1897-1898) was the first Illustrious Commander-in-Chief of New Haven Consistory #7. The Scottish Rite both in theory and in practice is very differently organized and administered. The source of all authority is the Supreme Council, a body composed of Sovereign Grand Inspectors General of the 33o. Prince Hall Scottish Rite bodies in Connecticut are under the jurisdiction of the Connecticut Council of Deliberation. The Sovereign Grand Commander is the Chief Executive Officer of the United Supreme Council. The Deputy for the Orient, the Chief Executive Officer for the state, is appointed by and represents the Sovereign Grand Commander of the United Supreme Council, Ancient and Accepted Scottish Rite of Freemasonry, Prince Hall Affiliation, Northern Jurisdiction, Inc. There have been two members from Connecticut to have served as the Sovereign Grand Commander, they were Robert L. Reed who served from 1897 through 1899 and George W. Crawford who served from 1949 through 1965. The headquarters for the United Supreme Council, Northern Jurisdiction is located at the Cathedral in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.
Each state in the Northern Jurisdiction of Prince Hall Scottish Rite Masonry is called an Orient and each Orient has a deliberative body called “The Council of Deliberation” is presided over by the Illustrious Deputy for the Orient. The Deputy is appointed by the Sovereign Grand Commander, and is an Active Member of the United Supreme Council. Prince Hall Scottish Rite Orients are divided into two Jurisdictions, the Northern and Southern Jurisdictions. The two Prince Hall Jurisdictions are separated by the Mason-Dixon Line.
The constituted Members of the Council of Deliberation include Sovereign and Grand Inspectors General, officers of said Council, Past Commanders-in- Chief, Commanders-in Chiefs the first three officers of the Chapters of Rose Croix, and the first four officers of the Lodges of Perfection.
At the time of this writing, March 31, 2021, there are two Prince Hall Consistories in the Orient of Connecticut which are New Haven Consistory Number Seven and Hartford Consistory Number Eighty. Each Consistory has a Commander-in-Chief as its presiding officer. Known records indicate that the first Ill. Commander in Chief of New Haven Consistory was Winfield S. Taylor who served from 1939 & to 1940 with Otis Smith serving as the first Ill. Commander-in-Chief of Hartford #80 in 1968 & 1969. In addition to the Consistories, there are two Lodges of Perfection, the New Haven Lodge of Perfection, and Hartford Lodge of Perfection, and two Chapters of Rose Croix. David Leary Rose Croix Chapter #7 of New Haven and St. John’s Rose Croix Chapter of Hartford.
UNITED SUPREME COUNCIL LEADERS FROM CONNECTICUT
Illustrious Robert L. Reed, 33rd(MWGM 1897 - 1898) served as the first Commander-in-Chief of New Haven Consistory # 7, he later became the Grand Minister of State for the United Supreme Council, N.J. (1893-1896) and also served as the Acting Sovereign Grand Commander (1897 & 1898).
Illustrious George W. Crawford, 33rd, PGM served for 28 years as (G.M. of S.) & Lt. Grand Commander; and from 1949 until his retirement (1965) as Sovereign Grand Commander of the United Supreme Council, AASR of Freemasonry, P.H.A, Northern Jurisdiction, U.S.A., Inc.
The following men have served as Deputy for the Orient of Connecticut from 1893 to the present time:
Ill. James Henry Wilkins, 33rd 1893
Ill. William O. Payne, 33rd
Ill. William J. Hargett, 33rd 1915, MWGM 1903 -11905
Ill. George W. Crawford, 33rd 1916, MWGM 1915-1916
Ill. William A. Tribbett, 33rd 1923, MWGM 1910-1911
Ill. Cornelius A. Plato, 33rd- 1933
Ill. Ernest Williams,33rd - 1948 MWGM 1937
Ill. Leslie1. Duncan, 33rd 1979- MWGM 1946-1949
Ill. Leroy E. Fitch, 33rd - 1980 MWGM 1961 -1963
Ill. Alfred Lobo, 33rd – 1991 HPGM 2000
Ill. Edward E. Cherry, 33rd . . 2007- HPGM-2002
Ill. Ronald A. Thomas,33rd 2023 MWGM 2009-2012
REFERENCES:
The information presented in this document is based on SGIG Edward Cherry’s research and edits of documents and papers credited to SGIG Leroy E. Fitch, Ill Benjamin Sallard, The A.B.C.’s of Scottish Rite Masonry by PSGC G. W. Crawford, GIG Clarence Windley, Wikipedia, North End Agent as well as personal knowledge of the Editor of this publication, SGIG Edward E. Cherry.
Editor: SGIG Edward Cherry, March 31, 2021, March 17, 2023
AASR2021/HISTORY/UTCOPYHPHSRMIC
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