MAGLSHutchinson

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SAMUEL KNOX HUTCHINSON 1804-1877

SamuelKHutchinson1855.jpg

Junior Grand Warden, 1855

MEMORIAL

FROM PROCEEDINGS, 1877

From Proceedings, Page 1877-210:

"The committee appointed to prepare some suitable notice of the death of R.W. Samuel Knox Hutchinson, Past Grand Warden of this Grand Lodge, and present the same at this Communication, have attended to that duty, and hereby submit the following report: —

"Once more has the invincible enemy invaded our ranks and smitten one whose long life of integrity, enriched by domestic endearments, and adorned by virtues incident to a continuous, faithful Masonic service, affords an instructive example of the priceless value of character formed by a strict adherence to the principles of truth, honor, and brotherly love. Another brave and untiring spirit, zealous to the last in the interests of our noble Order, has yielded to the celestial summons, leaving an additional vacancy in the list of heroes who not only earnestly loved and carefully guarded the principles of this Institution in the earlier days of its prosperity, but also in the days of its adversity, guided by conscience and unyielding loyalty, continued true to their profession, faithful among the faithless found.

"Samuel Knox Hutchinson was born in Pembroke, N. H., Oct. 23, 1804, and died in Lowell, Mass., Aug. 1, 1877, aged seventy two years, nine months, and eight days. The period of time thus represented covers the life of a citizen and a Mason who was greatly loved and highly respected by all with whom, in the varied discharge of duty, he became associated. He was by profession a contractor and builder. In 1822, at the age of eighteen he came to Lowell, and was employed in the erection of several of the oldest public buildings in that city, among which may be mentioned the mills of the Merrimack Manufacturing Company, and St. Anne's Church. He afterwards went to Andover, where he was employed in erecting a portion of the seminary buildings.

"On the 22d of December, 1825, he was proposed for initiation into the rites of Free and Accepted Masonry in Pentucket Lodge, and was raised to the degree of Master Mason in that Lodge on the 26th of January, 1826. Leaving Andover in 1835, he resided in Maine until 1844, when he returned to Lowell with the intention of making that city his home. During this time his zeal for Masonry had increased with his years and strength, so that on his return he was elected a member of Pentucket Lodge, Feb. 5, 1846, and on the following October was appointed to the office of Marshal. At this period he was employed by the Massachusetts Cotton Mills Company in enlarging their works, and in building the mills of the Prescott Company.

"In 1848 he went to Holyoke for the purpose of constructing important works for the Hadley Falls Company. While there he connected himself with Mount Tom Lodge, and on the 9th of Jan., 1851, was installed its Worshipful Master. He soon after returned to Lowell. In 1852, while Ancient York Lodge was acting under Dispensation, he held the office of Junior Warden. He became a Charter Member of this Lodge on the 9th of June, 1853, was elected Junior Warden on the 22d of the same month, and on the 7th of March 1854, was elected Worshipful Master. In the long list of names of those who have presided in the East, of this old and prosperous Lodge, there is none more worthy than his of remaining in grateful remembrance for efficiency of work and unabated zeal. On the 13th of Dec, 1854, he was elected Junior Grand Warden of the Most Worshipful Grand Lodge of Massachusetts, and was installed as such on the 27th of the same month, R.W. Winslow Lewis, noraen magnum et venerabile, being then the occupant of the Oriental chair.

"In 1855 he was appointed by Governor Clifford one of the commissioners for rebuilding the State House, and subsequently he was employed by the manufacturing companies of Lowell in enlarging, rebuilding, and generally improving their mill property, his services in this capacity being considered of special value. In 1860 and '61 he had charge of constructing several manufacturing establishments in Lewiston, Me.; and in 1864 he was appointed, by the Grand Lodge of Massachusetts, supervising agent of the constructing of the Masonic Temple in Boston. After the completion of the Temple he was less actively engaged in business. His health became somewhat impaired; consequently he was compelled, in a great degree, to slacken his industry, although he continued more or less busy in designing and erecting public and private buildings in Lowell, some of which are prominent among the public ornaments of that city.

"He was connected with Mount Horeb Royal Arch Chapter, having received the Royal Arch Degree in this Chapter, Dec. 20, 1847. Between Oct. 10, 1853, and Oct. 22, 1855, he was three times elected High Priest, and in 1855 he was elected Deputy Grand High Priest of the Grand Chapter of Massachusetts. He was a member of Ahasuerus Council of Royal and Select Masters, having received the Royal and Super Excellent Master's degrees Jan. 26, 1857. He was elected Most Illustrious Master Sept. 23, 1861, and was annually elected to this office until Sept. 16, 1867. About the year 1854 he received the orders of Knighthood in Boston Commandery of Knights Templars, Boston, Mass. In 1855, Oct. 10, he became a Charter Member of Pilgrim Commandery, Lowell, having served as Generalissimo while this Commandery was acting urtder Dispensation, and on the 31st of the same month was elected Eminent Commander of this Body. He was retained in this position by election during the three following years, commanding universal respect by his ability and knightly bearing.

"He received the degrees of the A. and A. Scottish Rite in Lowell Lodge of Perfection Nov. 27th, 1861. On the same date the degrees from the 14th to the 3 2d inclusive were given him by communication. He received the 33d degree May 22, 1863, in Boston. He held the office of Commander in Chief of the Massachusetts Consistory from Dec. 18, 1867, until the time of the union, Feb. 15, 1871, when the Massachusetts Consistory wras removed from Lowell to Boston. He was elected an honorary member of Pentucket Lodge Nov. 11, 1875, of Ancient York Lodge Dec. 10, 1867, of Kilwinning Lodge May 17th, 1867, of Mt. Horeb R.A. Chapter Nov. 11, 1867, of Ahasuerus Council Oct. 10, 1870, and of Pilgrim Commandery May 18, 1870. Such are some of the outlines of a well-spent, earnest life. At the age of more than threescore years and ten he has laid aside the working-tools and passed to the rewards which are promised to the faithful. He was buried at Lowell, Aug. 4, 1877, with Masonic honors, under the supervision of Ancient York Lodge, Bro. Arthur G. Pollard, Worshipful Master, officiating. Delegates in their official capacity were present from the Grand Lodge and from the Massachusetts Consistory. In life beloved and highly respected, in death honored and lamented, our Brother has left behind the record of an ardent, loyal Mason, and an estimable Christian gentleman. As a tribute to his memory, inadequate though it may seem, your committee desire to present the following preamble and resolutions: —

"Whereas, By the death of R.W. Samuel K. Hutchinson we are called to mourn the loss of one of the oldest and most respected Masons in the Commonwealth; and

"Whereas, It is eminently proper that this Grand Lodge should place upon record some expression of its sense of the great loss thereby sustained by the Fraternity; therefore

"Resolved, That we will with gratitude revere the memory of our honored Brother for the courage manifested in remaining true to the principles of our Institution during the dark and troublesome times when men assailed and reviled it, and ignominy, violence, and persecution were the portion of those, who guided by conscience, were faithful to the interests committed to their charge.

"Resolved, That by his long and industrious life, unsullied and without reproach, his generosity and courtesy, his life long devotion to the cause of Freemasonry, his keen and profound appreciation of the dignity of character which should belong to the just and upright Mason, our Brother has reflected honor upon the Order, become entitled to the grateful remembrance of the Brethren, and presented an example worthy of imitation by all the members of the Craft.

"Resolved, That the Grand Lodge does most respectfully and tenderly sympathize with the family of our deceased Brother in their great bereavement, and that the Recording Grand Secretary be requested to transmit to them a copy of these resolutions."

SOLON W. STEVENS,
WILLIAM F. SALMON,
ARTHUR G. POLLARD,
Committee.

FROM LIBERAL FREEMASON, NOVEMBER 1877

From Liberal Freemason, Vol. I, No. 8, November 1877, Page 217:

Capt. Samuel K. Hutchinson, a respected citizen of Lowell, died Wednesday, Aug. 1, 1877. He was born in Pembroke, N. H., October, 1804, and was nearly seventy-three years of age. At an early age he became a brick mason's apprentice at Exeter, and in 1822, when eighteen years old, came to Lowell for the first time and worked on the building of the Merrimack Mills. He was also employed upon St. Anne's Church. After leaving Lowell he went to Andover, where he was employed in erecting the Seminarv buildings.

In 1835 he left Andover and went to Maine, where he lived until 1844, when he returned to Lowell. For the next four years he was employed by the Massachusetts Company in building the mills of that corporation, and also the mills on the Prescott. In 1848 he went to Holyoke and constructed important works for the Hadley Falls Company. - He lived at Holyoke until 1851, when he returned to Lowell.

In 1855 he was appointed by Gov. Clifford one of the Commissioners for rebuilding the Stale House, and the duties of this position occupied his attention for three years. Subsequently he was employed by all the corporations of Lowell in enlarging, rebuilding and generally improving their mill property. He was appointed by the Grand Lodge of Massachusetts Supervising Agent of the construction of the Masonic Temple in Boston, which occupied two or three years of his time. In 1860 and 1861 he went to Lewiston, Maine, to take charge of the building of some of the mills there. After the completion of the Masonic Temple he was less actively engaged in his business. St. John's Hospital and Stott's Block and mills were among the buildings designed by him, and he designed many of the best private residences in the city.

Capt. Hutchinson was one of the oldest Freemasons in the city, and probably in the country. He joined Pentucket Lodge of Lowell in 1826, and in 1853 became one of the charter members of Ancient York Lodge, with which he was connected at the time of his death. He was Master of the latter Lodge in 1854. and has received all the degrees conferred in Masonry, including the 33d. He was Ill. Commander-in-Chief of Massachusetts Consistory, and retired from that office in 1870, with the highest regard of his Brethren.

In 1853 and 1854 he was an Alderman. October 11, 1871, he was chosen a Water Commissioner, and remained a member of the Board until its work was completed, a period of fifteen months, He never held any other city-offices. He leaves a widow and one son, Mr. Charles C. Hutchinson, Treasurer of the Mechanics' Savings Bank. He had three other children, all of whom are dead. His daughter, the wife of City Marshal Clemence, died about two years ago. The funeral was from his late home, on the Saturday following his death, at two o'clock in the afternoon.

FROM COUNCIL OF DELIBERATION, 1878

From Proceedings of the Massachusetts Council of Deliberation AASR NMJ, 1878, Page 58:

III. Bro. Hutchinson, 33°, the only son of Solomon and Lydia (Farnham) Hutchinson, was born in Pembroke, N. H., Oct. 23, A. D. 1804.

In early life he learned to labor, and, through a period of over fifty years, was active in business.

He served an apprenticeship as a brick-mason at Exeter, N.H.; and in 1822 went to Lowell, and worked in the erection of some of the pioneer mills.

To his practical knowledge as a brick-mason he added, by close application and study, a knowledge of architecture and mechanical engineering, and soon had charge of important building-operations.

His work was always typical of the character of the man, — thoroughly reliable and substantial: no glitter or sham for him, but ever such work as would withstand the ravages of time to the greatest possible extent.

In the construction of water-works, dams, public buildings, &c., his services have been in active demand at Lowell, Andover, Holyoke, Lewiston, and Boston; and everywhere rises the satisfactory verdict of “good work.”

This brief but eulogistic record of a long life of business will be maintained and verified by a glance at the Masonic life of our Ill. Brother, and the high rank he held in the minds of those with whom he was most intimately connected.

Samuel K. Hutchinson was proposed for initiation in Pentucket Lodge, Lowell, Dec. 22, 1825, being then twenty-one years old. He received the first degree Jan. 19, 1826; and was crafted and raised Jan. 26, 1826. Commencing his Masonic life at a period when the institution was entering upon its darkest days in this country, he stanchly maintained his standing as a Mason, and seemed to gain strength with increasing opposition. Having faith in Freemasonry before joining, his was not nature to shrink or falter in the least before unjust public condemnation�On his return to Lowell he re-affiliated with Pentucket Lodge Feb. 3, 1846.

While at Holyoke, in 1848 to 1851, he assisted Mount Tom Lodge, and was its W. Master one term.

Again returning to Lowell, he was J. Warden of Ancient York Lodge under dispensation; became a charter member June 9, 1853, Junior Warden by election June 22, 1853, and Worshipful Master March 7, 1854. He was elected Junior Gr. Warden of the M. W. Grand Lodge of Massachusetts Dec. 13, 1854, and was installed on the 27th.

The degrees in Mount Horeb R. A. Chapter were conferred upon 8ro. Hutchinson in 1847, the Royal Arch on the 20th of December. He was High Priest of the Chapter by election in 1853-55; and was elected Deputy Gr. H. Priest of the Grand Chapter of Massachusetts Sept. 11, 1855.

In 1857 he petitioned for and received the degrees in Ahasuerus Council of Royal and Select Masters; was elected M. L. M. Sept. 23, 1861, and annually thereafter until Sept. 16, 1867.

He received the orders of Knighthood in Boston Commandery, Boston ; acted as Generalissimo of Pilgrim Commandery, Lowell, while it worked under Dispensation, and became a charter member of it Oct. 10, 1855. He was its first Em. Commander under a charter, and continued in that office until October, 1859.

Such is the record of Ill. Bro. Hutchinson in the York or American Rite; and the appreciation of his Brethren and co-laborers in that Rite may be better understood by the following local summary:

  • Elected an Honorary Member of Kilwinning Lodge May 17, 1867
  • Elected an Honorary Member of Mount Horeb Chapter Nov. 11, 1867.
  • Elected an Honorary Member of Ancient York Lodge Dec. 10, 1867.
  • Elected an Honorary Member of Pilgrim Commandery May 18, 1870.
  • Elected an Honorary Member of Ahasuerus Council Oct. 10, 1871.
  • Elected an Honorary Member of Pentucket Lodge Nov. 11, 1875.

He was a member of the Lowell Masonic Association from its formation March 30, 1853, and many years its president. (This association hoIds in trust, and controls, the Masonic Hall and property in Lowell.) On the 5th of October, 1875, the members of Pilgrim Commandery procured an excellent portrait of Sir Knight Hutchinson (in oil), and placed the same in Masonic Hall, Lowell.

On the fourth day of February, 1861, the petitions of Bro. Hutchinson and the writer of this memorial were presented to Lowell Lodge of Perfection: and, on the 27th of November the same year, we together received the degrees conferred by that Lodge, to and including the fourteenth. On the same date III. Bro. William Sewall Gardner, 33°, conferred upon us by communication the remaining degrees of the Ancient Accepted Scottish Rite, to and including the thirty-second degree, a dispensation having been obtained therefor.

Bro. Hutchinson at once took a deep interest in the beautiful ritual of our Rite, and was prominent in the working-offices of the several degrees of the Lodge, Council, and Consistory. He held the office of Sen. G. Warden of Lowell Lodge of Perfection in 1862 and 1863, and was its Thrice Potent G. M. from 1864 to 1867. He was elected Commander-in-Chief of Massachusetts Consistory in December, 1867, and continued in office until the union of the Consistories at Boston, Feb. 13, 1871, when he surrendered the charter of Massachusetts Consistory, formerly of Lowell, to the Ill. Deputy of the Supreme Council, who, in turn, presented it to III. Benjamin Pope, 33°, Commander-in-Chief of the United Consistories, under the charter of Massachusetts Consistory at Boston. On the 22nd of May, 1863, at a session of the Supreme Council held in Boston, Bro.-. Hutchinson was created a Sovereign Grand Inspector�General of the Thirty-third Degree, and Honorary Member of the Supreme Council.

Bro. Hutchinson was one of the most conservative of Masons, and was most uncompromising in opposition to what he thought wrong; yet he had such a genial, bland manner of expressing himself, that he always won the esteem of his Brethren, and never gave offence, even when dealing the most sturdy blows in defence of what he believed to be the right.

After a year of extreme bodily suffering, which was borne with true Christian resignation and fortitude, the spirit of our dear Brother departed from the mortal frame Aug. 1, 1877; and on Saturday, the 4th, the body was buried with Masonic ceremonies, under the direction of Ancient York Lodge, in a quiet and unostentatious way, in keeping with the life and desires of the deceased.Official delegations were present from the M. W. Grand Lodge of Massachusetts and the Massachusetts Consistory.

Bro.v Hutchinson left a widow and one son (our frater Charles C. Hutchinson, 33°), who have the warm sympathy and kind wishes of the whole Masonic fraternity.

“So one by one the dear old faces fade;
Hands wave their farewell while beckoning us
Across the river all must pass alone.”

“They are not lost in distant worlds above;
They are our nearest link in God’s own love;
The human hand-clasps of the Infinite,
That life to life, spirit to spirit, knit.”

Fraternally submitted, William F. Salmon, 33°
Joel Spalding, 33°
Charles Kimball, 33°


Mount Tom Lodge biography

Distinguished Brothers