HistoricalBiblio NatProceedings
Contents
PROCEEDINGS OF NATIONAL BODIES AND CONVENTIONS
This summary of documents appeared in Vol. I of New England Freemason, on Pages 172-175 (April 1874).
GRAND LODGE NATIONAL CONVENTIONS
National Conventions have been held, by Delegates from Grand Lodges, in 1842, at Washington; in 1843, at Baltimore; in 1847, at Baltimore; in 1853, at Lexington, Kentucky; in 1855, at Washington, and in 1859, at Chicago; and the Proceedings were published.
GENERAL GRAND CHAPTER
Convention met in 1797. It was organized in January, 1798, and met again in September following. Then in 1799, 1806, 1816, 1819, 1826, and from that year to 1871, inclusive, it has met triennially, except that it did not meet in 1862. In 1859, a Compendium (now quite rare) of the Proceedings from the organization to 1856 was published, but it does not contain the Proceedings of 1856. The Convention in 1797 published a Circular; with this exception, I am not aware that any Proceedings were published before 1816. The Constitution was published in 1799 in a form to be bound with the sheets of Webb's Monitor of 1797, as well as used separately. In the edition of that Monitor, published in 1802, the Circular of 1797, the Constitution adopted in 1799, the list of officers elected that year, and a concise history of the Body, are given. In some copies of the edition of 1805, an Appendix is added, containing an abstract of the Proceedings in 1806. The same abstract is incorporated in the body of the edition of 1808, as well as in the subsequent editions. The Proceedings of 1816, 1819 and 1826, and a Constitution published in 1847, are 12mo. Those since, 8vo. In 1832, an abstract of the Proceedings (8 pages) was also published. The title page of both pamphlets is "Extracts from the Proceedings," etc. Comp. Robert Morris published a pamphlet entitled "Reminiscences of the Convocations of the General Grand Encampment and General Grand Chapter," etc., in 1856, which it is quite desirable to bind with these Proceedings.
CONVENTIONS OF ROYAL AND SELECT MASTERS
Two have been held, one in June, 1872, and one in June, 1873. The Proceedings of both have been published.
GRAND ENCAMPMENT OF THE UNITED STATES
Organized in 1816. Has met in 1819, 1826, and triennially since. The Proceedings, from the organization to 1856, inclusive, have been reprinted. I have never seen copies of the original Proceedings for 1816 and 1819, but Sir Knight T. S. PARVIN h:is reprinted them in full in the style of the time. Those of 1820 are 12mo, with wide margin. Those since, are 8vo, but those for 1835 are small. The Constitution was published in 1847 in 12mo. A digest of "Hubbard's decisions," with forms, etc., was published in 1854, and I think another edition was subsequently published. The most convenient arrangement for binding these Proceedings, is to take the Proceedings (whether original or the reprint) down to 1856, inclusive, with Morris' "Reminiscences" as volume one; those from 1859 to 1868, inclusive, as volume two; and those for 1871, with Constitution, as volume three.
SUPREME COUNCILS
Supreme Council for the Southern Masonic Jurisdiction of the United States
Organized in 1801. Its early Proceedings have never been published. Many documents of a controversial character have been published, but it is not practicable to obtain them. The Proceedings of 1857 are the first published, so far as I know. These were published both in French and in English; but the French copy has over fifty pages of "Notes Explicatives" not found in the English copy. It is stated, that the notes wero added on account of some occurrences that had transpired after the publication of the English copy. The Proceedings of 1860, 1861 to 1866, 1868, 1870 and 1872, have been published. It meets biennially, so these pamphlets embrace all its Proceedings since 1860. A supplement to the Proceedings of 1868 was published.
In 1859, Charless Lafon de Ladebat published the Constitutions of 1762 and 1786 in French and English, on alternate pages, with the Latin version of those of 1786 in the margin. He also published in the same manner forms for diplomas, etc. The same year, Albert Pike published the same Constitutions; those of 1762 in French and English, on alternate pages; those of 1786 in Latin, with the English and French versions in the margin. The book also contains " Institutes, Statutes, and Regulations," translated from the Recucil des Actes du Supreme Conscil de France; the Tableau of the Southern and Northern Supreme Councils; the Regulations, &c, of the latter, and the Constitutions of the former adopted in 1859. This Supremo Council published in 1872 a volume containing the Constitutions of 1762 and 1786, "The Secret Constitutions," and the Statutes adopted by it in 1859 and since, compiled by Albert Pike, with a "Historical Inquiry," and Notes. In May, 1870, it commenced the publication of an Official Bulletin. Volume one has been completed; it embraces five numbers from May, 1870, to June, 1872, inclusive. A number of the second volume was issued in August, 1872; another in June, 1873; and a third recently. It has also fssued several volumes of a monitorial character, prepared by Grand Commander Pike.
In this connection, it is proper to say that there was a so-called Supreme Council at New Orleans, which was finally merged in the Southern Supreme Council; but an effort was made by James FOULHOUZE to continue it. It published its Constitutions in 1851 (in English) and in 1853 (in French). Various pamphlets were issued. In 1851, a Lecture by FOULHOUZE. In 1853, a letter to the Grand Master of the Grand Lodge. In 1853, a "Report on the Difficulties in the Grand Lodge," with an Appendix, separately paged on "The Origin of Freemasonry." After the merger, Foulhouze published, in 1858, a Memoir a Consulter in French; this was followed by the publication of a Masonic Trial and a Dissection of the Manifesto of Foulhouze, in one pamphlet, paged separately. In 1859, the Proceedings were published, and a "Historical Inquiry" by Foulhouze.
The Southern Supreme Council has a Grand Consistory in several of the States. Some of those Bodies have published their Proceedings.
- Louisiana. — Organized in 1813. Reorganized in 1852. General Regulations published in 1856 and 1867. Its Proceedings for 1866, 1867, 1868, 1869, (Lodge of Sorrow), 1870, 1871 and 1872, have also been published.
- Kentucky. — Organized in 1852. Proceedings prior to 1867 never published. Those of 1867, 1868 (with its Statutes, the Constitutions of the Supreme Council, and a "Historical Account"), and 1869 and 1870 (in one pamphlet), have been published.
- Iowa. — Organized in 1868. The Proceedings to 1871 published in two pamphlets. The Statutes, etc., published in 1871.
- Georgia. — Organized in 1870. Proceedings of 1870 and 1871 (in one pamphlet), and of 1872, published.
- California. — Organized in 1870. Proceedings of 1870 and 1871 (with Constitutions) published together; and I think subsequent Proceedings have been published, but I am not sure.
- Maryland. — Organized in 1871. Its Statutes published in 1871, and a Report on Correspondence in 1872.
- Virginia. — There is a Grand Consistory in this State, but I have not seen any of its Proceedings.
Supreme Council for the Northern Masonic Jurisdiction of the United States
In 1867, a union was effected that merged in this Body all those which had previously claimed to exercise the authority of the Rite in this jurisdiction. In 1807, a Supreme Council was formed in New York by Joseph Cerneau. None of its Proceedings were ever published. In 1862, it published a volume containing an Introduction, the Constitutions of 1762, those of 1786, its own adopted in 1862, and an Appendix. In 1813, a Supreme Council was formed in New York by Emmanuel De La Motta, which was afterwards moved to Boston. Its Proceedings prior to 1851 were not published. Those from 1851 to 1858, inclusive, were published annually (except 1852), and paged for a volume. In 1860, there was a schism, and two sets of Proceedings were published in 1860, 1861 and 1862, each set paged continuously after those of 1859, as volume two. Bros. Raymond and Van Rensselaer respectively presided over these Bodies, and each one is designated by the name of its presiding officer. The Van Rensselaer Council published its Proceedings annually from 1863 to 1866, inclusive. In 1862, the Raymond Council united with the New York Council, but published no Proceedings, save those of 1866.
Since the union, in 1867, the Proceedings have been published annually. The New York Council established State Grand Consistories, but none of their Proceedings were published, except those of Indiana for 1867. At the union the Grand Consistory system was abandoned, and State Councils of Deliberation established. An abstract of the Proceedings of these Councils is given in the Proceedings of the Supreme Council, and their Proceedings have been published, as follows: — Maine, 1871; New Hampshire, 1869; Vermont, none; Massachusetts, 1870, 1871 and 1873; Rhode Island, none; Connecticut, none; New York, annually, except 1868, when no session was held; Pennsylvania, 1868 to 1872, inclusive, in one pamphlet; organization in 1867 has been recently published; New Jersey, 1871; Ohio, 1867; Indiana, none; Illinois, 1869,1870, 1871,1872 and 1873; Michigan, none, and Wisconsin, none. This Supreme Council, at its late session, ordered the publication of the early Proceedings, and the re-printing of all those which were printed prior to 1863, and the publication has been commenced.
