MOGMHLane
HARDAGE LANE 1789-1849
Grand Master, 1828-1831
BIOGRAPHY
From Biographies of Past Grand Masters, 1821-1901, by the Grand Lodge of Missouri:
Most Worshipful Brother Hardage Lane succeeded Brother Edward Bates as presiding officer, he being elected as such at the October session of the Grand Body in October, 1828. Brother Lane having served two years as Deputy Grand Master, his election to the Grand Master's chair was deserved. His administration was exceptionally popular, as he was given a second and third election, serving altogether as Grand Master three years.
In December, 1831, bis predecessor, Brother Edward Bates, became his successor as Grand Master. But little relative to Brother Lane in connection with his entry into Masonry can now be obtained. An old record of Missouri Lodge No. 1, under date of July 8, 1826, gives the only Lodge information to be obtained; he affiliated with that Lodge, but fails to state from what Lodge he dimitted, nor is there in existence any later records. The records of Missouri Royal Arch Chapter, under date August 13, 1827, show Companion Lane as a visitor from Vincennes (Indiana) R. A. Chapter No. 1.
The imperfect records of the Grand Lodge, or at least the published proceedings of early days, give but little information; however, we have discovered that Brother Lane, at the session of 1826, acted as Senior Deacon pro tem; he then held proxy of the Master and Senior Warden of Franklin Union Lodge No. 7; also that he was appointed Deputy Grand Master for the ensuing year. At the session of 1827 he appeared holding proxy of Boonville Lodge No. 14, and one year later, in 1828, he represented by proxy Franklin Union Lodge No. 7, also Tucker Lodge No. 13, and was in addition to Deputy Grand Master, Senior Grand Warden pro tem. We regret inability to give a more definite record, but the lapse of time and destruction of early records in many of the old lodges account for brevity in this sketch.
Brother Lane was a member of the Legislature in 1815 and 1816.
From Missouri Lodge of Research:
Dr. Lane arrived in Missouri about the year 1819, and evidently went directly to Old Franklin, then a thriving village on the northern bank of the Missouri beside the present site of Boonville.
Charter member of Franklin Union Lodge No 7, and served as Master in 1821 and 1823. He was one of three Grand Masters hailing from Franklin Union Lodge; Hardage Lane, Hamilton Gamble and John Ryland.
Probably the first of the pioneer physicians to settle in that section of the country known as Old Franklin, was Dr. Hardage Lane, cousin of Dr. William Carr Lane of St Louis, and was regarded by the people of his age as one of the most accomplished of his profession in the State.
He was a member of the Second Territorial Legislature in 1815, which met at the house of Madam Dubreuil on Second Street. One of the additions to St Louis was the "Dr. Hardage Lane Addition" of 1839.
Having served two years as Deputy Grand Master to Grand Master Edward Bates, Dr Lane was elected Grand Master in 1828 and served until 1831.
Dr Lane was a physician and treated numerous patients suffering from Cholera in St Louis and eventually died from the disease.
Died July 11, 1849 and was buried in Calvary Cemetery in an underground vault, lot 40 section 3 in the City of St Louis.
