Difference between revisions of "GMHeard"

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When G.M. Winslow Lewis declined reelection at the Annual Communication in December, 1856, because of ill health. Bro. Heard was chosen unanimously, the first candidate up to that time to do so in his first election. In the address following his installation he advocated a revival of the ancient Festival of St. John the Evangelist, the construction of a fitting monument to Henry Price at Townsend and the printing of the records of Grand Lodge.
 
When G.M. Winslow Lewis declined reelection at the Annual Communication in December, 1856, because of ill health. Bro. Heard was chosen unanimously, the first candidate up to that time to do so in his first election. In the address following his installation he advocated a revival of the ancient Festival of St. John the Evangelist, the construction of a fitting monument to Henry Price at Townsend and the printing of the records of Grand Lodge.
  
He also revived the wearing of the tricorn hat, first worn by Paul Revere in 1795 and discontinued during the anti-Masonic period. On June 17th, the 82nd anniversary of the Battle of Bunker Hill, G.M. Heard and Grand Lodge Officers dedicated a marble model of the original Joseph Warren Monument previously erected in 1794 on the site of the present Bunker Hill obelisk.
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He also revived the wearing of the tricorn hat, first worn by Paul Revere in 1795 and discontinued during the anti-Masonic period. On June 17th, the 82nd anniversary of the Battle of Bunker Hill, G. M. Heard and Grand Lodge Officers dedicated a marble model of the original Joseph Warren Monument previously erected in 1794 on the site of the present Bunker Hill obelisk.
  
 
At the close of his first year in office, Heard had visited all of the 88 Lodges in the jurisdiction, another first for a Grand Master. To many of the Brethren, seeing a Grand Master was a revelation and an inspiration. Tall in stature, Heard always appeared on Masonic occasions in full evening attire, wearing the tricorn hat. His manner, gained from a long, successful business career, made a lasting impression on all who met him.
 
At the close of his first year in office, Heard had visited all of the 88 Lodges in the jurisdiction, another first for a Grand Master. To many of the Brethren, seeing a Grand Master was a revelation and an inspiration. Tall in stature, Heard always appeared on Masonic occasions in full evening attire, wearing the tricorn hat. His manner, gained from a long, successful business career, made a lasting impression on all who met him.
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One may see the portrait of John T. Heard by E. T. Billings in Corinthian Hall on the third floor of the Grand Lodge building.
 
One may see the portrait of John T. Heard by E. T. Billings in Corinthian Hall on the third floor of the Grand Lodge building.
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==== TROWEL, FALL 2012 ====
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''From '''TROWEL''', Fall 2012, Page 4:''
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''by Rt. Wor. Walter H. Hunt.''
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At the Feast of St. John in December 1907, Senior Past Grand Master [http://masonicgenealogy.com/MediaWiki/index.php?title=GMNickerson Sereno Dwight Nickerson] offered a biographical sketch of Grand Master John Trull Heard. Brother Heard had departed this life about a quarter century earlier; most of those present knew him only by reputation, or as a portrait on the wall of Grand Lodge, a figure of the previous century; but to Brother Nickerson, who had joined the fraternity just as Brother Heard had ascended to the oriental chair of Grand Lodge, his memory was dear and poignant. Of him, Brother Nickerson remarked that:
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<blockquote>
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He looked the Grand Master. He was accustomed in everything that he said in the Grand Lodge to express it ''ore rotundo'' [i.e., with great eloquence], with the greatest dignity and ceremony possible. But it was not altogether show with him. . . . During the whole three years that he served he was constantly at work for the benefit of the Grand Lodge; and many of his suggestions . . . have since been carried out; and I am sure that if his spirit is with us it must be greatly delighted with what we have done in the last twenty or thirty years in following out his advice and directions.
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</blockquote>
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The extensive remarks, provided in full in our Proceedings, show the affection and respect with which Past Grand Master Heard was treated, long after his death; his was a reputation that cast a long shadow long into the twentieth century. To many of those who attended the Feast on that long-ago December night, Brother John T.
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Heard was among the greatest Grand Masters of Massachusetts.
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John Trull Heard was born in Boston on May 4, 1809, 150 years to the day before the author. He was descended from many generations of New Englanders. While he demonstrated a scholarly bent from early in his life, he became a businessman, but he also wrote a number of articles on economy and politics.
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In 1845 he joined http://masonicgenealogy.com/MediaWiki/index.php?title=Columbian Columbian] Lodge, to which his grandfather, John Perkins, had belonged. He was soon involved as an officer; he served in various positions, including two years as master in 1854 and 1855 (during which he raised 68 new Masons), and several years as the lodge secretary.
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He soon came to the attention of the Grand Lodge, in which he was a grand marshal, a deputy grand master for Most Worshipful [http://masonicgenealogy.com/MediaWiki/index.php?title=GMLewis Winslow Lewis], and as Grand Master of Masons in Massachusetts from 1857 to 1859. Brother Heard’s engagement with the fraternity in Massachusetts coincided with a period of explosive growth, as it emerged from the terrible trials of the anti-Masonic period. New lodges were being formed, and many new candidates were coming to Masonry as it grew. He came to the office of Grand Master after Winslow Lewis declined nomination for a third year; though relatively young — he was just 47 when unanimously elected to the Grand Mastership — he was already well-known not only
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for his skill and familiarity with the work, but also for scholarship; he had recently authored a history of Columbian Lodge that still stands as a definitive work on the subject.
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While much of the work of the fraternity in the 1850s would seem familiar to us today, there are aspects of Masonry that would be hard to imagine. All of the ritual
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work was given from memory without aid of cipher or regular instruction. Officers learned their duties, and their presentations, by repetition and rote, as we would say, “mouth to ear.” When Grand Master Heard took office, coming from one of the most prestigious lodges in the Commonwealth, he found much of the work unsatisfactory. As Brother Nickerson reported:
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He found many of the lodges in very poor condition. In his annual address he reported that ‘some of them were sustaining a mode of work contrary to that established
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by this Grand Lodge, while others were entirely unskilled in any work whatever which bore any but the most distant resemblance to what would be recognized by a bright Freemason.
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</blockquote>
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At that time, the only uniform presentation of the degrees took place at the Annual Communication of Grand Lodge in December; all three of the degrees were presented by the grand lecturer in toto before the masters and wardens in the morning and early afternoon, prior to the business meeting of the Grand Lodge. Grand Master Heard deemed that inadequate; he appointed two special grand lecturers to assist the one installed grand lecturer, and the three men traveled throughout the state (at considerable expense) to teach the work. Indeed, at his second installation in December 1857, he was able to say that he had visited every Lodge in the State — a claim that had never been made before, and rarely since.
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Grand Master Heard was also greatly concerned with the financial and organizational aspects both of Grand Lodge and the particular lodges in the state. At his first
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Quarterly Communication as Grand Master he presented a lengthy report on the Grand Lodge Charitable Fund; during his first year he issued guidelines for the dissemination of the work, the conduct of lodge and Grand Lodge officers in public events such as processions and dedications, and presided at the dedication of a statue of General and Brother [http://masonicgenealogy.com/MediaWiki/index.php?title=GMJsWarren Joseph Warren]. His second and third years were even more active. During his three years as Grand Master he granted sixteen charters for new lodges, including two in the district of Chile, and restored a charter to one other lodge. By the time of his retirement he was well-known throughout the jurisdiction. As Brother Nickerson observed:
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<blockquote>
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To many of the brethren the sight of a Grand Master was a new revelation; to all of them the sight of this Grand Master was an inspiration. Of tall stature, portly figure, fine face, and courtly manners, he always appeared, on Masonic occasions, in full evening dress, wearing the historic cocked hat . . . and which he wore most gracefully and becomingly. He magnified his office; but he showed that he had a profound sense of its dignity and high importance, and he inspired the same sentiment in the minds of all the brethren.
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</blockquote>
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His successor in office was the man whom he had replaced: Winslow Lewis, who served a third year in 1860, as the storm clouds of the Civil War appeared on the horizon.
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It was his intention to remain active as a distinguished Past Grand Master; but due to the eruption of the terrible conflict, he “became a strong Union man devoting his energy and money to the cause He resided much of the time from 1861 to 1865 at Washington.” (This text comes from his memorial in the ''New England Historical Society Register'' in 1882.) From this experience he retained the rank of colonel, and he was commonly referred to as “Colonel Heard” from his return to Massachusetts until his death 15 years later.
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In the 1870s Brother Heard was active at Grand Lodge; he pursued the replacement of the many portraits of past Grand Masters lost in the fire of 1864, reported on the various petitions of black Freemasons for recognition by the Grand Lodge; made recommendations on the adoption of a revised seal by the Grand Lodge; and produced an exhaustive collection of biographies of grand chaplains, which appears in its entirety in the Proceedings for the year 1873. His accomplishments after his term as
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Grand Master are almost as extensive, and are at least as well-known, as his deeds while serving in Massachusetts’ highest office.
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In the memorial given in March 1881, following his death (by a committee including six past Grand Masters), the following testament appears:
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What manner of man was he that is gone and what has he done?— and when the scribe writes what one and another is eager to tell, he finds that he has made a bright page in our record, amid the memory of the departed, is as a sweet savor in our nostrils, ‘Verily, a great light has gone out in our East! A strong pillar in our Temple has fallen!’<br>
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To JOHN TRULL HEARD the Craft owe a large debt of gratitude;" It is ‘said that the average term of active interest in the fraternity is ten years; but his interest continued warm and strong for thirty-five years, and ended only with his life.
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In 1865, Grand Master William Parkman granted a charter to brethren in Ipswich to establish a new lodge, which took the name John T. Heard Lodge, to honor this outstanding leader in the Craft. This lodge has been an active participant in the work of the fraternity for a century and a half, honoring the memory of the man whose name it adopted. The Grand Lodge of Massachusetts should be most proud and should revere the memory of John T. Heard’s work and his legacy.
  
 
=== MEMORIAL ===  
 
=== MEMORIAL ===  

Revision as of 16:09, 16 December 2016

JOHN T. HEARD 1809-1881

JohnTHeard1881.jpg

Senior Grand Warden, 1856
Grand Master, 1857-1859


TERM

1857 1858 1859

NOTES

BIOGRAPHY

FEAST OF ST. JOHN, DECEMBER 1907

From Proceedings, Page 1907-216, presented by Past Grand Master Sereno D. Nickerson at the Feast of St. John:

I sometimes think when I come to the installation of the Grand Master on this day, that the installing officer and many of the Brethren are so very kind and considerate that I ought to give them fair warning that there is great danger, if they keep up that course of conduct, that the present Grand Secletary may renew his youth and give you another twenty-five years of service. [Applause.]

During the whole period of my acquaintance with the Grand Lodge - and it is now almost fifty years since I came into the Grand Lodge as Senior Warden of my Lodge in 1860, - and I have never been out of it since, during that period we have been very much addicted to celebrating anniversaries. I think that it was largely through the influence of Grand Master Gardner that this custom was inaugurated. The Lodges have been encouraged to celebrate the anniversaries of the dates of their charters, not only the hundredth anniversary, but of late years they have taken to celebrating the fiftieth anniversary; and during the last few weeks the Grand Officers have been invited to attend three or four such anniversaries. As we have been called upon to address the Brethren on these occasions, we have naturally recurred to the Grand Master who signed those charters. That was John T. Heard, who was Grand Master in 1857, l858 and 1859. I remember him most distinctly, for I was initiated in April, 1856. On the twenty-seventh of December of that year he was installed for the first time ae Grand Master. A little before that event occurred, a little before the twenty-seventh of December, he assisted, as Deputy Grand Master, Bro. Winslow Lewis, who was the Grand Master, in constituting the Lodge which had been given the name of the latter Brother. It was one of the first important Masonic ceremonies which I had ever attended, and it made a very great impression on my mind.

Brother Heard was at that time a man in middle life, not quite fifty years old, just in the prime of life. He officiated with great skill, and manifested (what he always did, so far as I saw him, on Masonic occasions) the greatest admiration of his own position as Deputy Grand Master or Grand Master. He was a fine looking man, well proportioned, with jet black hair and side whiskers. He introduced or rather reintroduced as Grand Master, the old cocked hat which was worn in Revolutionary times and it became him admirably. I have thought sometimes lately, as I remembered him, of that imposing air of his, always wearing full evening dress, even during the ceremonies in the daytime by the Grand Lodge; I have often thought since of a remark that was made by one of our Brethren in the country when Brother Endicott presided as Grand Master. After the ceremony was over this Brother said, "He looked the Grand Master." That was the way with John T. Heard. He looked the Grand Master. He was accustomed in everything that he said in the Grand Lodge to express it ore rotundo, with the greatest dignity and ceremony possible. But it was not altogether show with him. He was a regular working Grand Master. During the whole three years that he served he was constantly at work for tbe benefit of the Grand Lodge; and many of his suggestions, which were then rather ridiculed, have since been carried out; and I am sure that if his spirit is with us it must be greatly delighted with what we have done in the last twenty or thirty years in following out his advice and directions.

At the first meeting at which he presided over the Grand Lodge, in March, 1857, he presented a very full report in regard to the Charity Fund of the Grand Lodge, about which very few Brethren, scarcely tbe Trustees themselves, knew anything. That report has been a standard work, and it was so full and so voluminous that the Grand Lodge hardly felt that they could afford to pay for printing it. It was not issued in the Proceedings but in a separate pamphlet, and I think it highly probable that Brother Heard paid the expense himself.

It is peculiarly proper that we should remember him on this occasion. He proposed during that first year, 1857, to revive the celebration of the Feast, which our Provincial Grand Masters had been charged, by the Grand Masters who issued their deputations, to observe regularly and annually, the Feast either of St. John the Baptist or St. John the Evangelist. In those days it was the custom to choose the officers of the Grand Lodge every six months, and those Feasts were often, both of them, observed by the Grand Lodge in the same year. Brother Heard proposed to revive the Feast in 1857, but he finally consented to waive it on account of the depression in business which was prevailing at that time. The next year, however, he did reintroduce the Feast, and it has been kept up ever since with the exception of the single year 1861, when the entertainment was varied by an oration from Brother Alger on Fraternal Friendships.

At the close of that first year Brother Heard told the Grand Lodge that during the year he had visited every Lodge iu the jurisdiction. There were then eighty-eight Lodges. It is true that he accomplished this wonderful feat by a bit of finesse. He would give notice to the Lodges in a certain locality that he was going to visit them, and in that way he would gather several Lodges and thus visit them all and so he would take them all to his own credit on the list. But he did a wonderfully good work. Many of them had hardly revived from the anti-Masonic craze, and he put them in the right way; he supplied them with competent Grand Lecturers, and he himself lectured them a good deal on the law and practice of our Institution.

The next good work that he accomplished was the sale of the old Temple, on the corner of Temple Place. That property had become altogether too small for the accommodation of the Lodges; and finally, largely through Brother Heard's exertions, a sale was made to the United States, they intending to use it as the United States Court House. They paid $100,000 for the property. The Grand Lodge then, by the advice of Edward A. Raymond, who had been an earlier Grand Master, and who was a rich man and a speculator in real estate in Boston, obtained possession of the lot on the corner of Tremont and Boylston Streets, with three swell-front houses upon it. Those houses were remodeled into what was called the Winthrop House. Upon the top of that the Grand Lodge put apartments for our Lodges. The lot at that time was bought at a cost of about $10 a foot; it is now assessed for, I think, $80 or $90 per foot. At the opening of the apartments on that corner Brother Heard delivered an elaborate address, giving a full statement of the locations in which the Grand Lodge had found itself in the City of Boston during the previous years. As you know, that building was entirely destroyed by fire on the night of the fifth of April, 1864. The Grand Lodge realized from the insurance just about the amount that they had paid for the land. They then proceeded to erect a new Temple, which was dedicated on the twenty-fourth of June, 1867. In the meantime Brother Heard bad had fitted up for the Grand Lodge apartments in Nassau Hall, which afforded very good accommodations until our own Temple was in proper condition for occupancy.

He was not satisfied with what he did during his Grand Mastership, but he kept up his labors for the benefit of the Fraternity from the time when he went out of office until he went to his grave. He was born in 1809. That was the last year of Isaiah Thomas as Grand Master, and the year in which Thomas brought the Lodge of St. Andrew under the jurisdiction of the Grand Lodge of Massachusetts, thus completing the entire roll of Lodges in the Commonwealth.

I think it quite likely, when I told the Brethren that I was made a Mason in 1856, that some of them would say to themselves, "Why, that was before I was born!" and some of them, perhaps, would have a little doubt whether this world was quite worth living in before they came into it. [Laughter.] Now, Brethren, I will tell those of you who are inclined to that thought, don't you flatter yourselves. We got along very well without you. [Laughter.]

We have had here in Massachusetts, during the first hundred years of our experience as a Grand Lodge (I think I have often told the Brethren), the most famous series of Grand Masters that any State in the country can boast. During that period (you know Masonry had just come to the country in 1733, and if we carry it down to 1833), the Grand Masters who had served us had largely been Revolutionary soldiers. They had greatly contributed to the success of that momentous struggle of the weakest people, almost in the world, at any rate in the civilized portion of it, against the strongest nation of all. I am sorry to say that Samuel Adams, who was the backbone of the Revolution here in Massachusetts, was not a Mason. Brother Moore states in one of his articles positively that he was, but I think that is a mistake. I have never been able to find any evidence of it. But Adams has surrounded by Masons, who had his thorough confidence and who responded to every wish of his and of Joseph Warren's. They were hand and glove. I think we have cause, Brethren, to congratulate ourselves upon our history, and I think that each Grand Master who follows in that series have good reason to take great pride in his position. With that idea in view, Brethren, I will give you the health of our present Grand Master; may he long continue to be with us. [Applause.]

NEW ENGLAND CRAFTSMAN, JANUARY 1917

From New England Craftsman, Vol. XII, No. 4, January 1917, Page 119:

Born in Boston, May 4, 1809. Died December 1, 1880—71 years. Became a member of Columbian Lodge in May, 1845. Worshipful Master of Columbian Lodge in 1854 and 1855. Grand Master of Masons in Massachusetts in 1857, 1858 and 1859. He was Lieutenant Colonel in the militia. Wrote Heard's History of Columbian Lodge. While Grand Master visited every Lodge in the State.

On October 2, 1858 laid the corner-stone of Minot's Ledge Lighthouse. During his administration the Masonic Temple was sold to the United States Government, and the purchase of the Winthrop House Estate was authorized. The cornerstone of the Plymouth Monument was also laid during his administration. At a regular meeting of Columbian Lodge, held January 6, 1881, a memorial report was submitted by a committee of which M. W. William D. Coolidge was Chairman. In this memorial it is said of M. W. Bro. Heard that he had occupied every post of honor and of prominence to which his Brethren could elevate him. Of his administration as Worshipful Master it was said:

"His administration as Worshipful Master of this Lodge will be remembered by us all as one of the most impressive and dignified that we have ever had. His manly physique and fine personal appearance will be recalled as that of one of the noblest that has ever appeared among us . . .

"But his social and genial qualities were never surpassed; he believed fully in the social element, and to him more than to any one else are we indebted for the revival of the annual celebration of the Feast of St. John."

M. W. Bro. Heard was a successful business man and was once offered the portfolio of the Secretary of the Treasury by President Buchanan. His business interests prevented his acceptance.

TROWEL, FALL 1998

From TROWEL, Fall 1998, Page 26:

John Trull Heard was a popular Grand Master who introduced many innovations and yet revived old customs and erected monuments to Masons of former times. Born in Boston on May 4, 1809, he was initiated into Columbian Lodge on February 20, 1845, and in 1846, served as Junior Deacon. With the exception of 1848 and 1849, he was continually in office either in Columbian or Grand Lodge until the end of his Grand Mastership in 1859.

In 1851 and 1852 he served as Grand Marshal and simultaneously as Junior and Senior Warden of Columbian Lodge. In 1854 and 1855 he presided as Master and raised 68 candidates. During 1856 he was Senior Grand Warden and procured from a grandson of Henry Price a very dilapidated portrait of our first Grand Master which was skillfully restored and placed in Grand Lodge. He was also instrumental in obtaining the Henry Price chair now displayed in our Grand Lodge Museum. When G.M. Winslow Lewis declined reelection at the Annual Communication in December, 1856, because of ill health. Bro. Heard was chosen unanimously, the first candidate up to that time to do so in his first election. In the address following his installation he advocated a revival of the ancient Festival of St. John the Evangelist, the construction of a fitting monument to Henry Price at Townsend and the printing of the records of Grand Lodge.

He also revived the wearing of the tricorn hat, first worn by Paul Revere in 1795 and discontinued during the anti-Masonic period. On June 17th, the 82nd anniversary of the Battle of Bunker Hill, G. M. Heard and Grand Lodge Officers dedicated a marble model of the original Joseph Warren Monument previously erected in 1794 on the site of the present Bunker Hill obelisk.

At the close of his first year in office, Heard had visited all of the 88 Lodges in the jurisdiction, another first for a Grand Master. To many of the Brethren, seeing a Grand Master was a revelation and an inspiration. Tall in stature, Heard always appeared on Masonic occasions in full evening attire, wearing the tricorn hat. His manner, gained from a long, successful business career, made a lasting impression on all who met him.

Heard found many of the Lodges lacking in proper ritual instruction. Therefore, he appointed two additional Grand Lecturers and started an intensive training program that in time resulted in great improvement in the work. At his second installation, between 300 and 400 representatives of Lodges and visiting Brethren witnessed an exemplification of the work by the Grand Lecturers. That evening Heard announced that during the past year four new Masonic halls had been dedicated, five charters and six new Lodges regularly constituted.

Masonry was making a comeback throughout the Commonwealth as the result of positive public relations. Attendance increased to such an extent that the Grand Lodge building was becoming too small. Eventually, it was sold to the U. S. Government for use as a courthouse during Heard's third term. It sold for more than two and a half times its construction price 27 years earlier. In October, 1858, he laid the cornerstone of Minot's Lodge lighthouse and in 1859 that of the Plymouth Monument to the Pilgrim Fathers.

At the Quarterly Communication of March 8, 1859. G.M. Heard announced that Grand Lodge had obtained from the legislature a new Act of Incorporation, replacing the one it had voluntarily surrendered during the anti-Masonic period. This act authorized the holding of $200,000 worth of real estate and $50,000 worth of personal estate. At the same meeting the purchase of the Winthrop House estate for the second owned Grand Lodge building was announced. This estate was at the present location of Grand Lodge.

In December of that year three new Lodge rooms, Corinthian, Ionic and Doric, were dedicated in the refurbished building, the installation of recently elected Grand Lodge officers was held, and a larger number of Brethren participated in the Feast than had ever gathered in Boston on any similar occasion. In his final address that evening M.W. John T. Heard noted that 3231 were initiated in the three years preceding September 1, 1859.

Heard served Grand Lodge in many other capacities, on the Charity and Constitution Committees and the Board of Directors, and with addresses at various functions. He was also known for his generosity, extending a $10,000 line of credit for business expansion to one of his Grand Lecturers shortly after he had left his Grand Mastership.

He died at his home in Louisburg Square, Boston, on December 1, 1880, at the age of 71. A Special Communication of the Grand Lodge was opened three days later for a Masonic service in the Grand Lodge building, after which everyone proceeded to Heard's residence for the funeral and later to Mount Auburn Cemetery, where the Masonic Burial Service was read by Grand Master Charles Alfred Welch.

One may see the portrait of John T. Heard by E. T. Billings in Corinthian Hall on the third floor of the Grand Lodge building.

TROWEL, FALL 2012

From TROWEL, Fall 2012, Page 4:

by Rt. Wor. Walter H. Hunt.

At the Feast of St. John in December 1907, Senior Past Grand Master Sereno Dwight Nickerson offered a biographical sketch of Grand Master John Trull Heard. Brother Heard had departed this life about a quarter century earlier; most of those present knew him only by reputation, or as a portrait on the wall of Grand Lodge, a figure of the previous century; but to Brother Nickerson, who had joined the fraternity just as Brother Heard had ascended to the oriental chair of Grand Lodge, his memory was dear and poignant. Of him, Brother Nickerson remarked that:

He looked the Grand Master. He was accustomed in everything that he said in the Grand Lodge to express it ore rotundo [i.e., with great eloquence], with the greatest dignity and ceremony possible. But it was not altogether show with him. . . . During the whole three years that he served he was constantly at work for the benefit of the Grand Lodge; and many of his suggestions . . . have since been carried out; and I am sure that if his spirit is with us it must be greatly delighted with what we have done in the last twenty or thirty years in following out his advice and directions.

The extensive remarks, provided in full in our Proceedings, show the affection and respect with which Past Grand Master Heard was treated, long after his death; his was a reputation that cast a long shadow long into the twentieth century. To many of those who attended the Feast on that long-ago December night, Brother John T. Heard was among the greatest Grand Masters of Massachusetts.

John Trull Heard was born in Boston on May 4, 1809, 150 years to the day before the author. He was descended from many generations of New Englanders. While he demonstrated a scholarly bent from early in his life, he became a businessman, but he also wrote a number of articles on economy and politics.

In 1845 he joined http://masonicgenealogy.com/MediaWiki/index.php?title=Columbian Columbian] Lodge, to which his grandfather, John Perkins, had belonged. He was soon involved as an officer; he served in various positions, including two years as master in 1854 and 1855 (during which he raised 68 new Masons), and several years as the lodge secretary.

He soon came to the attention of the Grand Lodge, in which he was a grand marshal, a deputy grand master for Most Worshipful Winslow Lewis, and as Grand Master of Masons in Massachusetts from 1857 to 1859. Brother Heard’s engagement with the fraternity in Massachusetts coincided with a period of explosive growth, as it emerged from the terrible trials of the anti-Masonic period. New lodges were being formed, and many new candidates were coming to Masonry as it grew. He came to the office of Grand Master after Winslow Lewis declined nomination for a third year; though relatively young — he was just 47 when unanimously elected to the Grand Mastership — he was already well-known not only for his skill and familiarity with the work, but also for scholarship; he had recently authored a history of Columbian Lodge that still stands as a definitive work on the subject.

While much of the work of the fraternity in the 1850s would seem familiar to us today, there are aspects of Masonry that would be hard to imagine. All of the ritual work was given from memory without aid of cipher or regular instruction. Officers learned their duties, and their presentations, by repetition and rote, as we would say, “mouth to ear.” When Grand Master Heard took office, coming from one of the most prestigious lodges in the Commonwealth, he found much of the work unsatisfactory. As Brother Nickerson reported:

He found many of the lodges in very poor condition. In his annual address he reported that ‘some of them were sustaining a mode of work contrary to that established by this Grand Lodge, while others were entirely unskilled in any work whatever which bore any but the most distant resemblance to what would be recognized by a bright Freemason.

At that time, the only uniform presentation of the degrees took place at the Annual Communication of Grand Lodge in December; all three of the degrees were presented by the grand lecturer in toto before the masters and wardens in the morning and early afternoon, prior to the business meeting of the Grand Lodge. Grand Master Heard deemed that inadequate; he appointed two special grand lecturers to assist the one installed grand lecturer, and the three men traveled throughout the state (at considerable expense) to teach the work. Indeed, at his second installation in December 1857, he was able to say that he had visited every Lodge in the State — a claim that had never been made before, and rarely since.

Grand Master Heard was also greatly concerned with the financial and organizational aspects both of Grand Lodge and the particular lodges in the state. At his first Quarterly Communication as Grand Master he presented a lengthy report on the Grand Lodge Charitable Fund; during his first year he issued guidelines for the dissemination of the work, the conduct of lodge and Grand Lodge officers in public events such as processions and dedications, and presided at the dedication of a statue of General and Brother Joseph Warren. His second and third years were even more active. During his three years as Grand Master he granted sixteen charters for new lodges, including two in the district of Chile, and restored a charter to one other lodge. By the time of his retirement he was well-known throughout the jurisdiction. As Brother Nickerson observed:

To many of the brethren the sight of a Grand Master was a new revelation; to all of them the sight of this Grand Master was an inspiration. Of tall stature, portly figure, fine face, and courtly manners, he always appeared, on Masonic occasions, in full evening dress, wearing the historic cocked hat . . . and which he wore most gracefully and becomingly. He magnified his office; but he showed that he had a profound sense of its dignity and high importance, and he inspired the same sentiment in the minds of all the brethren.

His successor in office was the man whom he had replaced: Winslow Lewis, who served a third year in 1860, as the storm clouds of the Civil War appeared on the horizon.

It was his intention to remain active as a distinguished Past Grand Master; but due to the eruption of the terrible conflict, he “became a strong Union man devoting his energy and money to the cause He resided much of the time from 1861 to 1865 at Washington.” (This text comes from his memorial in the New England Historical Society Register in 1882.) From this experience he retained the rank of colonel, and he was commonly referred to as “Colonel Heard” from his return to Massachusetts until his death 15 years later.

In the 1870s Brother Heard was active at Grand Lodge; he pursued the replacement of the many portraits of past Grand Masters lost in the fire of 1864, reported on the various petitions of black Freemasons for recognition by the Grand Lodge; made recommendations on the adoption of a revised seal by the Grand Lodge; and produced an exhaustive collection of biographies of grand chaplains, which appears in its entirety in the Proceedings for the year 1873. His accomplishments after his term as Grand Master are almost as extensive, and are at least as well-known, as his deeds while serving in Massachusetts’ highest office.

In the memorial given in March 1881, following his death (by a committee including six past Grand Masters), the following testament appears:

What manner of man was he that is gone and what has he done?— and when the scribe writes what one and another is eager to tell, he finds that he has made a bright page in our record, amid the memory of the departed, is as a sweet savor in our nostrils, ‘Verily, a great light has gone out in our East! A strong pillar in our Temple has fallen!’

To JOHN TRULL HEARD the Craft owe a large debt of gratitude;" It is ‘said that the average term of active interest in the fraternity is ten years; but his interest continued warm and strong for thirty-five years, and ended only with his life.

In 1865, Grand Master William Parkman granted a charter to brethren in Ipswich to establish a new lodge, which took the name John T. Heard Lodge, to honor this outstanding leader in the Craft. This lodge has been an active participant in the work of the fraternity for a century and a half, honoring the memory of the man whose name it adopted. The Grand Lodge of Massachusetts should be most proud and should revere the memory of John T. Heard’s work and his legacy.

MEMORIAL

FROM PROCEEDINGS, 1881

Presented in Grand Lodge, March 9, 1881, Page 1881-14ff:

"When a bright and shining light in our Temple goes out, to burn, as we humbly hope, with new and greater brightness in the House Eternal; when a master workman lays down his well-worn working tools in the Lodge here below - to take them up again, as we fondly trust, in the Celestial Lodge above, with new light and wisdom and strength; our first cry is, Oh, the darkness! our next thought, How are we shorn of strength! When with sorrowful hearts and tearful eyes and trembling hands we have tenderly laid away in the bosom of mother earth all that was mortal of our departed Brother; when we have whispered the word of sympathy and comfort in the ears of those who were near and dear to him; then we gird up our loins for the work in which there is one the less to share,and we say to each other, What manner of man was he that is gone and what has he done? — and when the scribe writes what one and another is eager to tell, he finds that he has made a bright page in our record, amid the memory of the departed, is as a sweet savor in our nostrils, 'Verily, a great light has gone out in our East! A strong pillar in our Temple has fallen!' To JOHN TRULL HEARD the Craft owe a large debt of gratitude;" It is 'said that the average term of active interest in the Fraternity is ten years; but his interest continued warm and strong for thirty-five years, and ended only with his life. We may say of him as he said of Grand Master Lewis : he was 'one who for more than thirty years has with rare continuity of purpose devoted himself to our Institution.'

"Brother Heard was born in Boston, May 4, 1809. His maternal grandfather was John Perkins, one of the charter members of Columbian Lodge of Boston, who was made a Mason in St. John's Lodge in 1766, and died in Waldoborough, Me., about 1826. The grandson was initiated in Columbian Lodge, February 20, 1845, in the last year of the Mastership of that zealous and model Mason, George G. Smith, whose precepts, and example proved the inspiring and guiding influence of the whole Masonic life of the candidate. In 1846 he served as Junior Deacon, and from that year, with the exception of 1848 and 1849, was continually in office, either in the Lodge or the Grand Lodge, until he retired from the Grand Mastership in December, 1859. In 1851 and 1852 he served as Grand Marshal, and in the same years respectively as Junior and Senior Warden of Columbian Lodge. In 1854 and 1855 he presided as Master, and raised sixty-eight candidates.

"Soon after his first installation as Master an incident occurred which showed the character of the man. The Secretary of the Lodge (our late Grand Treasurer), who was an older Mason than Brother Heard, and had been for eight years in office, had procured a dispensation which was likely to be required, thinking thereby to.facilitate the business of the Lodge and aid the new Master. When the name of the new candidate concerned came up, the Secretary informed the Master that there need :be no delay in that case, as he had procured a dispensation from the Grand Master, which he presented. To this the Master replied that, while he had no doubt that the Secretary had acted from the best of motives and with the best intentions, it should be distinctly understood that it was the province of the Master to decide when the interposition of the Grand Master was required, and to ask for it when needed; and he requested the Secretary to remember that in future the Worshipful Master would discharge both of those duties. This was presenting the subject in a new light, and the Secretary was not only astonished, but indignant. With his usual impulsiveness and frankness, he replied that as, in his effort, to forward the work of the Lodge, he had only succeeded in giving offence to the Worshipful Master, he believed he did not understand his business, and he begged leave to resign his office. To this Brother Heard answered: 'Not so, my Brother. There is no offence, and you must not resign your office. You will continue to discharge its duties, as you have so acceptably for so many years, and in my station, I will strive to emulate your fidelity. When I lay down my office I shall deem myself very fortunate and happy if I shall have proved as faithful and as useful in my station as you in yours.' There the subject dropped.

Master and Secretary worked together in perfect harmony for two years, and at the end of that time both went out of office, the Secretary after a service of ten years. Very early in his Grand Mastership he thought it necessary to give the Recording Grand Secretary a gentle hint in the same direction. That officer was probably more familiar with Masonic law than almost any Brother then living. This knowledge, and the hard experience gained during the anti-Masonic crusade, in resisting which he had been forced into such a prominent place, gave his opinions great weight, and made him for years almost Grand Master, that officer often being merely the mouth-piece of Brother Moore's opinions. 'But when Brother Heard was installed he at once took the helm himself, and kept it during his whole term; but without interrupting the friendly feeling and respect which had long subsisted between them.

"In 1856 Brother Heard filled the office of Senior Grand Warden. It was during that year that he obtained from a grandson of Henry Price a portrait of the Father of Masonry in North America, painted when the subject was about forty years of age. Brother Heard found it in a very dilapidated condition, had it skillfully restored, and hung in Freemason's Hall, where it was destroyed in the disastrous fire of April 5, 1864.

"In the year 1856 he published A Historical Account of Columbian Lodge, from the granting of the dispensation, June 8, 1795,— Paul Revere, Grand Master. Only five hundred copies of this valuable work were printed, twenty-five of which were destroyed in the fire above named.

"At the Annual Communication of the Grand Lodge, in December, 1856, Grand Master Lewis declined a reelection, on account of ill-health, and Brother Heard was unanimously chosen. He served during the years 1857, 1858, and 1859; They were crowded with work of very great value to the Craft. He infused new life and vigor into every branch of the Fraternity throughout the State. At his second installation he was able to say that he had visited all of the chartered Lodges in the jurisdiction, — a boast which no predecessor or successor could make. To many of the Brethren the sight of a Grand Master was a new revelation; to all of them the sight of this Grand Master was an inspiration. Of tall stature, portly figure, fine face, and courtly manners, he always appeared, on Masonic occasions, in full evening dress, wearing the historic cocked hat, which he brought forth from the hiding-place to which anti-Masonic malignity had consigned it, and which he wore most gracefully and becomingly. He magnified his office; but he showed that he had a profound sense of its dignity and high importance, and he inspired the same sentiment in the minds of all the Brethren.

"He found many of the Lodges in very poor condition. In his Annual Address he reported 'that some of them were sustaining a mode of work contrary to that established by this Grand Lodge, while others were entirely unskilled in any work whatever which bore any but the most distant resemblance to what would be recognized by a bright Freemason.' Deeming it very important that these irregularities should be speedily corrected, he appointed as Special Grand Lecturers, Brothers Caleb Rand and Isaac P. Seavey, who, with the Junior Grand Lecturer, Brother Benjamin F. Nourse, travelled all over the State, affording that instruction which 'Was greatly needed by many Lodges,' and finding 'that a much longer delay in communicating it to them would have been attended with the most evil consequences.' This service was attended with considerable expense; but he did not hesitate to use the funds of the Grand Lodge for the purpose when necessary. In reporting his action he expressed the opinion 'that no appropriation of money from the general fund for any other purpose would be productive of so many benefits to the Fraternity in general as that which may be necessary to establish uniformity in our usages and customs.' Few of the Craft are aware of the low state in which he found the Lodges, and the greatly improved condition in which he left them.

"At the first Quarterly Communication at which Bro. Heard presided, March, 1857, he presented an elaborate Report on the Condition of the Charity Fund of the Grand Lodge of Massachusetts. It was not published with the Annual Proceedings of that year, but in a separate pamphlet of sixty-four pages octavo. Probably very few copies are now in existence. At the same Communication he addressed, the Grand Lodge at some length; but unfortunately only some of the topics of this discourse were recorded: Public Dedications and Consecrations were condemned; it was advised that the Grand Lecturers only, or such Brethren as were approved by the Grand Master, should be employed by the Lodges in teaching the Work and Lectures; that the By-Laws of Lodges should be put into the hands of a Committee of the Grand Lodge for examination and correction; that better security should be provided for the archives of the Grand Lodge; and that more ample accommodations than the Temple afforded should be furnished. These, and other recommendations of the new Grand Master foreshadowed the eminently practical, efficient, and business-like character of his administration. Its progress and results abundantly justified and even bettered the prediction.

At the same Communication (March, 1857) a committee on a new banner was appointed, and upon their recommendation, at the next Communication (June, 1857), the seal, which had been in use by this Grand Lodge for more than a century, was discarded, and a new one adopted. At that time Brother Heard had little knowledge as to the points raised by the committee; but his studies as to the Montague question gave, him very clear' ideas as to the origin of the old seal and the true significance of its motto. This new light led him to regret the change exceedingly, and, as he was in the chair at the time it was voted, he considered himself specially responsible for it. He therefore, in March l878, brought the subject to the attention of the Grand Master. His letter sets forth very clearly the error of the committee in regard to the origin and meaning of the motto Follow Reason, and concludes as follows: 'I am not unfriendly to changes in the laws, customs, and habits of general society, and am disposed to yield to them without much scrutiny if they promise good; but in Masonic matters I am more scrupulous, and would allow no change in them whatever, that was not called for by the most urgent necessity. The sweeping act, by which our old seal was made to give way to the new, took from us an emblem which had been dear to several generations of our Brethren in Massachusetts.' The subject was referred to a committee, who, after the most thorough and careful consideration, recommended a return to the old seal, with the addition of the arms of the Commonwealth. Their recommendation was adopted, and it takes effect this day. It is gratifying to know that the conclusion reached by the committee met the cordial approval of Brother Heard.

"In June, 1857, the Grand Master inaugurated with Masonic rites a marble statue of General Warren, on the eighty-second anniversary of the battle of Bunker Hill, in the presence and at the request of the Monument Association.

"On the 24th of the same month, in company with the Grand Officers and the De Molay Encampment of Boston, he united with the Grand Lodge of Rhode Island in the celebration of St. John's day. An oration was delivered by Past Grand Master Randall, and a poem by Brother Van Zandt (afterwards governor of Rhode Island). A full report of the celebration was published, containing both productions, and forms a most interesting pamphlet.

"On the 2d of October, 1858, Grand Master Heard laid the corner-stone of Minot's Ledge light-house, and delivered an address*, in which he set forth the more prominent instances in which the foundations of public structures had been laid with Masonic ceremonies in Great Britain and the United States. On the anniversary of St. John the Evangelist in that year he revived the Feast, and at the table delivered a carefully prepared address, giving a detailed history of the Feast as celebrated in England and Massachusetts.

"The record of that most interesting occasion concludes as follows: The company broke up at about eleven o'clock, after having enjoyed a very agreeable evening, in which hilarity was mingled with brotherly feelings, and recreation with instruction. It is hoped that the festivity of St. John the Evangelist, so long kept up in the olden time and so happily revived in the present, may now be continued without interruption. The hope here expressed has thus far been realized, with the exception that, in 1861, for the table ceremonies was substituted an eloquent and beautiful address on the subject of Masonic friendships, by Rev. Bro. William R. Alger. During this year the sale of the Masonic Temple to the United States Government was consummated, — a transaction to which the Grand Master had largely contributed. In connection with the Proceedings of this year was issued the list of grand officers from the union in 1792 to and including the year 1859. This list had first been prepared by Bro. Heard for his History of Columbian Lodge, but was now greatly enlarged and improved.

"At the Quarterly Communication in March, 1859, Grand Master Heard presented the Act of Incorporation which he had obtained from the Legislature of the Commonwealth, which was accepted and the Corporation formally organized. At the same meeting the purchase of the Winthrop House estate, on which the present Temple stands, was authorized During this year the corner-stone of the Plymouth Monument to the Pilgrim Fathers was laid with Masonic ceremonies, a duplicate copy of the ancient records of St. John's and Massachusetts Grand Lodges was made, and on the 27th of December the new apartments in the Winthrop House building, called Freemasons' Hall, were dedicated. On the latter occasion Grand Master Heard delivered an elaborate address, which was not published with the Proceedings; but in a separate pamphlet, comprising, with the appendix, one hundred and twenty-seven pages octavo. In these pages are given probably all, or nearly all, the information that can be gathered in regard to the various halls which have been occupied by the Masonic Fraternity in Boston. This occasion formed a most brilliant conclusion to one of the most useful administrations in this'Masonic jurisdiction known to any of the Brethren now living.

"But Brother Heard's interest in Masonry did not cease when he ceased to occupy one of its most conspicuous seats. His active mind was still busy in studying the history and antiquities of the Craft, and bringing forth treasures new and old to contribute to its honor and dignity. Most of us remember him principally for the elaborate reports he has contributed to our Records and Proceedings. In 1869 he furnished the report on the petition of Lewis Hayden and other colored men for recognition as Masons, and a second report on the Grand Charity Fund. In 1870 he devoted considerable time to procuring the portraits of Grand Masters to replace those lost by the fire in 1864; but his principal work in that year was the preparation of the elaborate and exhaustive report on the Montague question; in 1873 he presented the voluminous report on the Lives of the Grand Chaplains of this Grand Lodge. This report demonstrates the non-sectarian character, of our Institution, and has excited great attention and interest. In 1875 he contributed the Memorial to Grand Master Lewis, filling two hundred and fifty pages of our printed Proceedings, and comprising many of Bro. Lewis' addresses and letters never before published. In 1874 and 1875 he furnished for the New England Freemason the series of papers entitled respectively: Old London Taverns Identified with Masonry, Books of Constitutions of the Grand Lodge of England, Presents to the Grand Lodge of England, and Old Halls in London Associated with Masonry. Each of these reports and papers exhibited the wonderful patience and exhaustless industry which characterized every work of their author. Nothing escaped him. He seemed determined to gather every scrap of information, no matter, how trivial, which had any connection with the subject he was investigating. Several will remain, so long as the history of this Grand Lodge shall endure, as monuments of the zeal and industry of their author; and future historians of Masonry in England and Massachusetts will be profoundly grateful for the work he has done.

"Although Brother Heard took a deep interest in public affairs, and often expressed his opinions in regard to them through the newspapers, he had little inclination for public office. In the year 1858, however, he allowed his name to be used as a candidate for Congress. His District included the 'North End' of Boston, — once a very aristocratic quarter, but now of somewhat unsavory reputation. Some of the shrewd managers of Brother Heard's party proposed that he should make the acquaintance of his constituents in that locality in their native haunts and in propria persona. He accordingly made one visit; but the work was beneath his dignity, and not at all to his taste. The managers complained that 'he didn't do it well.' His opponent, also a Mason, less scrupulous and less fastidious, was elected by two hundred votes.

"The following incident shows the kindly and generous nature of our late Grand Master. Soon after he went out of office he met one of the Grand Lecturers, who had been very diligent and efficient in carrying out the work already referred to. Brother Heard inquired particularly as to his plans and his prospects, and especially whether he had all the money he required to carry on his business. The Brother replied that he had all he needed for the time being. 'Well,' said Brother Heard, 'if you find yourself in want of more at any time, come and see me.' Sometime after, the Brother, proposing an enlargement of his business, called on Brother Heard, and reminded him of their conversation. He was referred to the president of the bank where Brother Heard kept his account, and there the astonished Brother found a credit opened for him to the amount of ten thousand dollars. Of this he availed himself, to his great advantage, and in due time acquitted himself of the pecuniary obligations. It is believed that no one but the parties concerned, knew of this transaction until after Brother Heard's death.

"The Recording Grand Secretary, at its last Communication, presented to his own Lodge, of which Brother Heard was an Honorary Member, an appropriate memorial, which furnishes many details not above included, and which your committee would therefore beg leave to submit as a part of their report, as also the proceedings of Columbian Lodge In Memoriam. In these days of ante-mortem eulogies, when our Masonic periodicals are filled with the portraits of youth who have gone with lightning rapidity from the lowest to the highest round of the Masonic ladder, and who have ministered simply to their own pride and vanity by the journey, it is refreshing to contemplate a long life, now closed, of hard work and useful service upon the ground floor of the Temple. Some of your committee have wrought side by side with him during his whole Masonic life, and can bear testimony to his untiring zeal and devotion to the interest of our Fraternity. The Craft in Massachusetts have reason to cherish his memory with profound and lasting gratitude.

Respectfully submitted,
SERENO D. NICKERSON,
WILLIAM D. COOLIDGE,
WILLIAM PARKMAN,
CHARLES C. DAME,
WILLIAM S. GARDNER,
PERCIVAL L. EVERETT,
TRACY P. CHEEVER,
GEORGE A. GILLETTE,
NATHANIEL SHATSWELL,
Committee.

  • Note: This address is reproduced in full in Moore's Freemason's Monthly Magazine, Vol. XVIII, No. 1, Nov. 1858, starting on Page 3. Past Grand Master Winslow Lewis gave an address beginning on Page 5; his father was mentioned by the Grand Master.

FROM LIBERAL FREEMASON, 1881

From Liberal Freemason, Vol. IV, No. 10, January 1881, Page 305:

While he was yet a young man, John Perkins, a native of Saxony, came to the United States, and in March, 1766, was made a Mason in St. John's Lodge of Boston.

Thirty years later he was a petitioner for the Charter of Columbian Lodge, was its first elected Junior Warden, third on the honorary list, and as late as January 1st, 1807, the Lodge gave him a vote of thanks for special services on that evening.

It was but natural that his attachment to Freemasonry should be transmitted to his heirs, and that such as were eligible should apply for the degrees to the Lodge which he had helped to establish.

Brother Perkins was the maternal grandfather of John T. Heard, who was born in Boston, May 4th, 1809, was initiated in Columbian Lodge, February 20th, 1845, and became a member May 1st, following.

The records of the Lodge will show how diligent he was in its service, and how faithfully he labored among the workmen. His first official position was that of Junior Deacon, which office he held in 1846 and 1847. He afterward served as Junior Warden, Senior Warden, and Worshipful Master, two years each, concluding in 1855, ami on January 19th of that year he availed himself of the privilege granted by a section in the By-Laws, and purchased a Life membership.

Freemasonry had peculiar attractions for such a mind as his, and for it his attachment increased with his years. His own opinions were broad, intelligent and liberal ; to quote his own language, "Freemasonry is all liberality," therefore, it was all the more acceptable to him, and a knowledge of it the more desirable. It cultivated high morals, good fellowship and manliness of life and character, therefore he cultivated it, and if there was any unrevealed thing in i:, whereby he could be aided to find its true genius he would still further explore its mysteries to find the knowledge whereby to comprehend it. To him it was a study at once interesting and profound, hence it was not an idle or vain curiosity that led him to seek admission to St. Andrews Royal Arch Chapter, of Boston, where he was exalted March ist, 1848, and on April 19th, following, he was created a Knight Templar in Boston Encampment (Commandery), also of Boston. The opportunity for usefulness which Columbian Lodge presented was zealously embraced by Brother Heard, who devoted ^he greater part of his masonic labors to what is generally known as the blue Lodge and its principal, the Grand Lodge.

In the Grand Lodge, he was Grand Marshal two years, was elected Senior Grand Warden in 1855, Grand Master in 1856, and served with more than ordinary ability in that office for the constitutional term of three years.

To him more than to any other is clue the establishment of that wise oversight of the Subordinate Lodges, which now gives the Grand Lodge annual information through the personal inspection and reports of the District Deputies, of the particular and general condition of the craft in the Commonwealth. His first address, made at the celebration of St. John's Day, December 30th, 1856, was a foreshadowing of the wisdom which characterized his administration, and of the thoroughness with which he did his work. Never before, certainly not within the memory of any one of the brethren, had a Grand Master visited every lodge in the jurisdiction, but in December, a year after he obtained that position, we hear him modestly saying, "Since I assumed the duties of this office, twelve months ago, 1 have visited all of the eighty-eight chartered Lodges situate within the bounds of this state, and also one of the four now existing therein by my authority." The memoranda of these visits were deposited with the Grand Secretary, and printed with the proceedings of 1857.

Frequently two lodges would be visited on the same day, and we have a vivid recollection of the amused manner in which he related to us the incidents attending one visit. The Lodge was called to meet at three o'clock in the afternoon, the Grand Master arrived at the hotel, where he was waited upon by the Master, who knew him only by name. The Grand Master declining an escort gave directions to the Master, and at the proper time presented himself in the ante-room, where he was met by the Tyler, armed with sword at "carry," who gravely informed him that the Grand Mister was to visit the Lodge, hence the dignity and importance of the occasion. Without disclosing his rank he requested the Tyler to inform the Master that a Brother desired to visit, and would like an examination. The Lodge was small in numbers, and as, apparently, the Grand Master had not yet arrived, the Master and Wardens undertook the task of testing the visitor. Their surprise was evident, but as each only knew the other to be a Mason by report, Brother Heard declined the ready invitation to go in; the examination was had, and resulted in the Grand Master conducting it, for they could not, but they were then practically and fully instructed in the way and manner of examining visiting brethren.

It was by such and similar modes, that the brethren in Massachusetts grew to understand, under his management, that the outer as well as the inner door should be alike skilfully guarded, and that the dignity of official station added less to the honor of Masonry, than the knowledge of how to direct its interests.

On the 28th clay of January, 1859, John T. Heard and seven others petitioned the "General Court" in terms as follows: "The undersigned petition your honorable body for an Act of Incorporation in behalf of the Master, Wardens and members of the Grand Lodge of Free and Accepted Masons, empowering them to hold real estate, not exceeding in amount two hundred thousand dollars, and personal estate not exceeding fifty thousand dollars." Such an act was passed March 1st, 1859. John T. Heard was authorized to call the first meeting of said Corporation, which he did March 9th, following, when the "Act" was accepted by Grand Lodge, eighty-nine votes in the affirmative and five in the negative.

His retirement from office was signalized by the dedication of the Masonic apartments in the Winthrop House, at the corner of Tremont and Boylston Streets, Boston, now the site of the Masonic Temple, on St. John's Day, December 27th, 1859, at half past five o'clock, P. M., after which he installed his successor, Winslow Lewis, into the office of Grand Master, whom he also succeeded.

The various addresses of Grand Master Heard were characterized for their clear statements, business-like arrangement, and great thoroughness. These qualities are conspicuous in his Historical Account of Columbian Lodge, an elaborate work of 592 pages, valuable for its large amount of historical data, and as useful in local Masonic history as any similar work can be. The report on the title of "Viscount," whether Montacute or Montague, shows his patient and laborious application. This the reader, if at all curious, will find in the printed proceedings of the Grand Lodge of Massachusetts for 1870, covering 92 pages.

A more extended, and perhaps more useful work, is his Biographical Sketches of the Chaplains of the Grand Lodge of Massachusetts, commencing with the Rev. Thaddeus M. Harris, D. D., in 1797, and closing with the present incumbents, Rev. A. H. Quint, D. D., and Rev. Joshua Young. This is an elaborate work of 232 pages, printed with Grand Lodge Proceedings in 1873, and ought, as it deserves to be, a lasting monument to the sound head and good heart of John T. Heard, the once Grand Master.

The death of this Brother was noticed with regret by the newspapers printed in Boston, coupled with eulogistic remarks on his life as a most exemplary and useful citizen. From one of these we quote our closing remarks:

"The death of Col. John T. Heard, in this city, on Wednesday. December 1st, was not unanticipated by his friends. His failing health for some time past indicated that his tenure of life was not to be of long duration. He was a native of this city, and was born May 4th, 1809. His early years-were passed here, and his mercantile life was a most prosperous one. He was associated with the Trulls in their large distillery, and was engaged in several business enterprises. Col. Heard retired from business many years since, but he has not led an idle life, but has been active in good works. He was a pleasant speaker on many occasions of interest to the public and to the fraternity of Masons, while his natural dignity of manner, his genial and pleasant address, created friends for him in every circle which he frequented.

" In politics Col. Heard was for many years identified with the Democratic party, and was their candidate in this city for a seat in the Thirty-second Congress in opposition to Hon. William Appleton, the successful Whig candidate. In 1S51, Col. Heard was senior Aide to Gov. Boutwell. His only son, Dr. J. Theodore Heard was in active service during the War. Col. Heard resided a large portion of his time in Washington, extending to our soldiers many acts of kindness and liberality which made him a welcome visitor to the camps of Massachusetts soldiers. After the close of the war, Col. Heard became identified with the Republican party, and was a delegate to the Worcester Convention on one or two occasions. He was the recipient of commissions from Governor Clifford and Governor Washburn, which he declined. Col. Heard found his greatest pleasures in the retirement of his home and in the gratification of his literary tastes."

SPEECHES

CONSTITUTION OF REVERE LODGE, MARCH 1857

From Moore's Freemason's Monthly, Vol. XVI, No. 7, May 1857, Page 207:

Worshipful Master and Brethren of Revere Lodge:

I would express to you my high appreciation of your readiness to comply with my wishes, that the solemn ceremonies of this evening should be conducted before Masons only; and this compliance is the more entitled to my grateful consideration, since that you had, before learning my views, proceeded far in making arrangement?, not easily changed, by which this occasion was to have been public. Your generous act,on merits the approbation of the whole fraternity; and the loyalty it manifests, gives assurances that the principles of our Order will ever find, at your hands, unyielding support.

It is not necessary that I should at this time assign reasons for my objections to constitute a Lodge before persons who are not members of the fraternity ; further than to say, that the full efficacy of the solemnities cannot be realized by those upon whom they are interned lo act, except in a closely tyled Lodge. It may be observed, also, that it is becoming too general among the Lodges to display to the world the construction and decorations of our Lodge-rooms, and to an imprudent degree, our rites, which appears to me to be inconsistent with the plan and ground-work of Masonry. I do not see any good to be obtained by publicly exhibiting any of the ceremonies practised in our halls.

Our Constitutions declare that "every new Lodge shall be solemnly constituted by the Grand Master and his officers, or by some competent Brother especially commissioned by him for the purpose." In compliance with this regulation, and with ancient usage, I have constituted you into a regular Lodge, and from this time forth you will, it is hoped and believed, constitute a brilliant link in that great chain of Masonic societies which encircles the globe. In this relation you have great duties to perform, — directly, they relate to the limits of your borders; indirectly, they embrace the universal brotherhood. And, in order to exercise the highest, noblest and broadest Masonic duties, it is well never to loose sight of the fact that in all your actions you are doing that which may affect, for good or evil, the entire brotherhood. When you are assembled within the four walls of this room, let not your mental vision, nor your fraternal feelings be circumscribed by their limits; and always remember that there are those in every part of the earth who are your Brethren, whose rights and honor you are most solemnly bound to regard and protect. It is your first duty to manage well your own Lodge; but let me assure you that its best management will best promote the welfare of this jurisdiction, and in the highest degree protect the interests of the fraternity wheresoever dispersed.

You have chosen a name for your Lodge, cherished by Masons and honored by our countrymen. In the revolutionary struggle which resulted in placing the American colonies among the nations of the earth, Revere was conspicuous, maintaining a character for patriotism, intelligence and integrity which won for him the esteem and confidence of his compatriots. He was initiated as a Mason in St. Andrew's Lodge, in Boston, Sept. 4, 1760, and was raised January 27, 1761. He was Senior Warden of that Lodge in 1764 and Master in 1770. He was afterwards Junior and Senior Grand Warden and Deputy Grand Master of 11 the Massachusetts Grand Lodge." He was one of the fourteen electors who were appointed in 1792, to choose the officers of the new organization resulting from the union of the two Grand Lodges that had previously, for many years, held equal jurisdiction in Massachusetts. After the. Union, in 1795, he became Grand Master, which station he filled with ability for three years. In all the walks of life, this distinguished Brother maintained an honorable character. In selecting his name, therefore, for that of your Lodge, you have shown a due appreciation of merit, most creditable to your judgment. In him you have chosen an exemplar worthy of the strictest imitation—one, if faithfully followed, that will surely conduct you to Masonic excellence.

I am apprehensive that Lodges generally do not realize their true relation to the Grand Lodge; that they regard that body as a power in some degree isolated from the fraternity; and that its authority is exercised by persons too far removed from the interests of the subordinate Lodges, to feel deeply for their prosperity. Nothing can be farther from the fact. The Grand Lodge is composed of their officers, permanent members, and Masters and Wardens of every subordinate Lodge in the jurisdiction. A Lodge may be represented by proxy, who is the substitute for the first three officers. The present number of permanent members, — Past Grand Masters, Past Deputy Grand Masters, and Past Grand Wardens, — is thirty-four, one of whom is now an officer. The number of officers entitled to vote, exclusive of him who is also a permanent member, is eighteen. Excepting Bethesda Lodge, Valparaiso, there now are in the jurisdiction of Massachusetts, ninety Lodges, each of which is entitled to three seats in Grand Lodge, giving them two hundred and seventy votes in that body. It therefore appears that there are three hundred and twenty-two members composing the Grand Lodge, of which two hundred and seventy are officers and representatives of the subordinate Lodges. How apparent, then, is it that the Grand Lodge is not a small body set apart, as some seem to think, to control the affairs of Masonry, without responsibility to the rest of the fraternity. Composed so largely of representatives from subordinate Lodges, it has rather the character of a General Assembly of Masons, which before the establishment of the Grand Lodge of England used to govern the institution in that kingdom ! You now are a legally constituted part of this Masonic Jurisdiction, entitled to three votes in the Grand Lodge, and I hope your first three officers, — the only properly qualified representatives of your society,—will always manifest an interest and pride to share in all the proceedings in that body.

Worshipful Master: The organization of Masonry renders you the governor and responsible head of Revere Lodge, to whom alone the Grand Master and Grand Lodge, look for the faithful performance of the various duties devolving upon your Lodge. For the time being, your authority over your Lodge is supreme and no one can be permitted to call in question, by appeal to the Lodge, any of your decisions. If your Brethren should feel aggrieved at any act of yours, their only remedy is by appeal to the chief executive officer or to the Grand Lodge. But, my Brother, your interest in promoting the welfare of your Lodge, and your knowledge of Masonic law and usage, assure us that you will so rule and govern, that peace and harmony will prevail throughout the borders where you hold authority. I express for the Grand Lodge and for myself the hope that this, the youngest Lodge within our jurisdiction, may become one of the foremost in propagating a correct knowledge of our art and in dispersing the blessings that flow from the faithful and heartfelt practice of the benevolent principles of our institution.

AT INSTALLATION OF ABERDOUR LODGE, NOVEMBER 1863

CHARTERS GRANTED

CHARTERS RESTORED

RULINGS



Grand Masters