ThomasTalbot
Contents
THOMAS TALBOT LODGE
Location: Billerica
Chartered By: Henry Endicott
Charter Date: 12/11/1889 1889-147
Precedence Date: 02/27/1889
Current Status: Active
PAST MASTERS
© = portrait below.
- Charles H. Kohlrauch, 1888, 1889 ©
- Albert C. Lane, 1890, 1891 ©
- Hiram C. Brown, 1892, 1893 ©
- Matthew H. Kohlrausch 1894, 1895 ©
- Arthur W. Holden, 1896, 1897 ©
- David J. MacDonald, 1898, 1899
- William H. Sexton, 1900, 1901 ©
- William Stevenson, 1902 ©
- Herbert A. King, 1903, 1904 ©
- Abraham L. Dunham, 1905, 1906 ©
- Arthur L. Blodgett, 1907, 1908 ©
- Alfred J. Walter, 1909, 1910 ©
- Eugene C. Vining, 1911, 1912 ©
- Dana H. Spiller, 1913, 1914 ©
- Albert H. Richardson, 1915, 1916 ©
- Immanuel Pfeiffer, 1917 ©
- Louis Pfeiffer, 1918, 1919 ©
- Herbert F. Jacobs, 1920, 1921 ©
- Everett S. Bull, 1922, 1923 ©
- Ralph L. Dodge, 1924 ©
- J. Frank Roome, 1925 ©
- George H. Sweetnam, 1926 ©
- J Harold Dale, 1927, 1928; © N
- Herbert A. Martin, 1929, 1930 ©
- Charles W. Knox, 1931, 1932 ©
- Earle W. True, 1933, 1934 ©
- Harold E. Tivey, 1935, 1936; © N
- Edmund L. French, 1937, 1938 ©
- George R. Gillette, 1939, 1940 ©
- Newell A. Ritchie, 1941, 1942 ©
- John R. Cannon, 1943 ©
- Charles H. Eames, 1944 ©
- Walter F. Stephenson, 1945, 1946 ©
- Fred P. Nickles, 1947, 1948 ©
- Frederick H. Gould, 1949, 1950 ©
- Frederick G. Brown, 1951, 1952 ©
- Edward T. Morrison, 1953 ©
- Earl M. Sawyer, 1954, 1955 ©
- William A. Knox, 1956, 1957 ©
- William H. Wallace, 1958, 1959 ©
- Herbert Nickless, 1960, 1961 ©
- Martin H. Johansen, 1962; © N
- John Chapman, 1963 ©
- Albert J. Egan, 1964 ©
- 'W. Terence Stephens, 1965 ©
- Lewis E. Staples, 1966 ©
- Charles W. MacRannolds, 1967 ©
- Donald W. Fudge, 1968; © PDDGM
- William A. Nordstrom, Jr., 1969 ©
- Roger A. Evans, 1970 ©
- James E. Holdman, 1971 ©
- Albert F. Gabalis, 1972 ©
- E. Stephen Meeker, 1973 ©
- Leslie A. Greenleaf Sr., 1974 ©
- John A. Burns, 1975
- Kenneth A. Johnson, 1976
- Jack E. Munnis, 1977 ©
- Richard C. McLay, 1978 ©
- George F. Mackie, III, 1979 ©
- Leslie A. Greenleaf, Jr., 1980 ©
- Virgil M. Fenton, 1981 ©
- George E. Staples, 1982 ©
- John D. Heckman, 1983 ©
- James P. Burke, Jr., 1984 ©
- Richard J. Simpson, 1985 ©
- William H. Young, 1986; © N
- Roy J. Leone, 1987
- Robert H. Price, Jr., 1988 ©
- William C. Rawnsley, Sr., 1989 ©
- Jeffrey A. Newell, 1990 ©
- Norman M. Nicolson, 1991 ©
- Richard T. Herald, 1992 ©
- Lee W. Sutherland, 1993 ©
- Richard H Young, II, 1994 ©
- David R. Rosewell, 1995 ©
- Frederick W. Marland, Jr., 1996 ©
- Joseph P. Bowker, 1997 ©
- William J. McPhee, 1998 ©
- Robert G. Parsons, 1999 ©
- Richard P. Knapp, 2000 ©
- Richard S. Nicoll, 2001, 2002; ©PDDGM
- Emerson C. Reed, 2003
- Robert I. Bailey, 2004
- Richard Burke, 2005 ©
- Steven A. Burton, 2006; © DDGM
- Robert W. Lawrence, 2007 ©
- John E. VanKuilenburg, 2008 ©
- John D. Anderson, 2009 ©
- Joseph V. Curran, 2010, 2012 ©
- Ken Murnane, 2011 ©
PICTURES OF PAST MASTERS
C. Kohlrausch, Lane, Brown, M. Kohlrausch
Holden, Sexton, Stevenson
King, Dunham, Blodgett, Walter
Vining, Spiller, Richardson, I. Pfeiffer
L. Pfeiffer, Jacobs, Bull, Dodge
Roome, Sweetnam, Dale, Martin
Knox, True, Tivey, French
Gillette, Ritchie, Cannon, Eames
Stephenson, Nickles, Gould, Brown
Morrison, Sawyer, Knox
Nickless, Johansen, Chapman, Egan
Stephens, Staples, MacRannolds, Fudge
Nordstrom, Evans, Holdman, Gabalis
Meeker, Greenleaf Sr.
Munnis, McLay, Mackie, Greenleaf Jr.
Fenton, Staples, Heckman, Burke
Simpson, Young, Leone, Price
Rawnsley, Newell, Nicolson, Herald
Sutherland, Young, Rosewell, Marland
Bowker, McPhee, Parsons, Knapp
Nicoll, Burke
Burton, Lawrence, VanKuilenburg, Anderson
Curran, Murnane
YEARS
1889 1908 1912 1919 1920 1921 1928 1932 1933 1934 1940 1941 1942 1953 1956 1963 1966 1973 1974 1975 1976 1977 1979 1980 1981 1982 1986 1988 1989 1992 1994 1995 1999 2003 2004 2008 2009 2011
HISTORY
50TH ANNIVERSARY HISTORY, JANUARY 1940
From Proceedings, Page 1940-1, History by Wor. Albert H. Richardson:
Although this is a history of Thomas Talbot Lodge A. F. & A. M. of Billerica, Mass., it seems to your committee that a reference might be made to earlier Masons in Billerica. There are good reasons to believe that there were masons in Billerica as far back as 1630. There are no records of any lodge in Billerica until a Charter was issued to Dr. Zadock Howe and others on June 14, 1826. This lodge was named Clinton Lodge in honor of Governor DeWitt Clinton of New York.
In the latter part of 1826 a strong anti-masonic feeling swept the country and many lodges dosed their doors. The building in which Clinton Lodge held its meetings, situated on Bosto Road opposite the present location of the Central Fire Station, together with its jewels, furniture, etc. was completely destroyed by fire in 1828. The Grand Lodge of Massachusetts received no records of Clinton Lodge after 1828. Dr. Howe and members of Clinton Lodge were threatened with bodily injury by anti-masons if they did not cease masonic activities.
Sixty years later, in the fall of 1888, there were twenty-five Masons in Billerica. The following Brothers – Wor. Bro. Charles H. Kohlrausch, Jr., our beloved First Wor. Master, Henry M. Hutchins, Warren A. Evans, John E. Rowell, Hiram C. Brown, Robert Ritchie, Matthew H. Kohlrausch, Dr. Albert C. Lane, Herbert W. Sheldon, and Saville D. Metcalf petitioned the Grand Master for a Dispensation to establish a Lodge and it was granted in March, 1889.
The first business meeting was held at the office of the Faulkner Mfg. Co. by courtesy of Supt. Warren A. Evans. Eight of the above members were present. They voted to organize themselves into a Masonic body under the name of Thomas Talbot Lodge as amark of respect and memorial to their beloved Brother and distinguished townsman, Ex-Gov. Thomas Talbot, deceased.
They studied the work through the winters of 1888 and 1889 at the home of Brother John E. Rowell. On March 12, 1889, the Lodge held its first regular communication under the Dispensation. On April 9, 1889, the Lodge met at the Baptist Church in No. Billerica and Bro. Jonas Whatmough, their first candidate, was initiated in due and ancient form. Under this Dispensation the Lodge initiated thirteen candidates.
The Dispensation with records, by-laws, etc. were returned to the Grand Lodge with a request signed by the ten brothers starting the Lodge that a Charter might be granted them. The Charter was granted December 11, 1889, and bears the name of Henry Endicott as Grand Master. On December 23, 1889, the Lodge was constituted in due and ancient form by the Most Worshipful Grand Lodge of Massachusetts. None of the Charter members of Thomas Talbot Lodge were aware of the fact that there had ever been a Masonic Lodge in Billerica until several years after Thomas Talbot Lodge was constituted. None of the Charter members are now living. Of the thirteen members initiated under the Dispensation only two are now living, Bro. James W. Ritchie, initiated April 23, 1889, and Bro. David W. Fitch, initiated May 21, 1889.
The Most Worshipful Grand Lodge presented these two Brothers with fifty-year medals on Nov. 14, 1939. Bro. James W. Ritchie has missed only one communication since he was initiated over fifty years ago and would not have missed then but was obliged to work. He has been Marshal continuously since 1898.
In 1901 Friendship Lodge, of Wilmington, was constituted. ln 1921 Wamesit Lodge, of Tewksbury, was constituted. When these Lodges were constituted some members living in the vicinity transferred their memberships from Thomas Talbot Lodge.
On February 22, 1915, Thomas Talbot Lodge celebrated its twenty-fifth anniversary in the Town Hall, Billerica. Rev. R. Perry Bush, D.D., Grand Chaplain of the Most Worshipful Grand Lodge of Masons in Massachusetts, was the speaker.
Thomas Talbot Lodge has been holding its communications in regular form and is in a good financial condition. Today celebrating our Fiftieth Anniversary we have two hundred and sixty-eight members.
GRAND LODGE OFFICERS
- Steven A. Burton, DDGM, District 12, 2013
- J. Harold Dale, DDGM, District 12 (Lowell), 1933, 1934; N
- Donald W. Fudge, DDGM, District 12 (Lowell), 1983, 1984
- Martin H. Johansen, DDGM, District 12 (Lowell), 1965, 1966; N
- Roy J. Leone, DDGM, District 12 (Lowell), 2001, 2002; Deputy Grand Master 2004
- Richard S. Nicoll, DDGM, District 12, 2007, 2008
- W. Terence Stephens, DDGM, District 12 (Lowell), 1977, 1978; Deputy Grand Master 1979
- Harold E. Tivey, DDGM, District 12 (Lowell), 1947, 1948; N
- William Henry Young, DDGM, District 7, 2004, 2005; N