Research Opportunity

[bupton52]

Can anyone verify that the following is true? It would have happened on or about 1885.


Rev. A. Grant, W. D. G. M., called a special session of the Grand Lodge(MWPHGLoTX) and at that session declared and adopted the act of Secession from the Na- tional Compact Grand Lodge, elected delegates to go to Houston, Texas, as special commissioners to meet the Worshipful Grand Lodge of White Masons (GLoTX) for the purpose of being healed and chartered. Now, according to the record found in Saj'les' Masonic Jurisprudence, on the History of Negro Masonry in Texas, emphatically states that these Negro delegates did appear and did present to the White Grand Lodge (GLoTX) a petition to be healed and chartered. Sayles does not give the names of the petitioners. The petition sets forth that there were 650 members at that time, to be healed. The record shows that the White Grand Lodge (GLoTX) appointed a committee to investigate the petition, and the record further shows that the commit- tee made the following report: COMMITTEE REPORT ON NEGRO MASONRY IN TEXAS. "We your committee find that these 650 so-called Negro Masons are not Masons, and have no business with us nor about us, neither of us. If Ephriam is joined to his Idols let him alone."
This was taken from a book written by C.L Mitchell The Early Introduction of Bogus Freemasonry in the State of Texas who was a member of a clandestine Grand Lodge here in Texas

http://www.archive.org/stream/earlyintroductio00mitciala/earlyintroductio00mitciala_djvu.txt

 

[tomasball]

Presumably that could verified by consulting the proceedings of the GLoT. The collection in Waco goes back that far. Someone here might know if the collection in Dallas or Houston goes back that far. They're open to public scrutiny. Frankly, that doesn't sound at all unlike the tone that was prevalent in that period. There were some Grand Master's decisions still printed in the Laws back in the 50's that made it clear we didn't believe there was such a thing as "Negro Masonry".

 

[dfreybur]

Unfortunately I've seen similar quotes from Illinois in the 1800s so I figure similar can be found in the proceedings of many GLs. Medicine everywhere has moved past the bleeding that helped kill Washington. Until we have recognition with visitation everywhere we can't say it's a part of our past and it's only history. Sigh. We can do that one brother at a time, one lodge at a time, one jurisdiction at a time but it's not over until it's all jurisdictions and been so for a while.

 

[bupton52]

Brothers, it's not so much the language that is being used but the actual event. Did the MWPHGLoTX petition the GLoTX to be chartered as a lodge/lodges?

 

[chrmc]

I know nothing about the history of MWPHGLoTX at all, but guess the best way would be to treat this source as any others, meaning
- Is it possible to find any info on the author and whether he was a trustworthy fellow? Did he in fact have the posts and titles that he claim?
- Is there anything else in the book that can be verified as the truth? If it in general turns out to be fact many of the others thing in there, you would tend to believe that statement as well.
- Does GLoTX have any information that could verify this?

Good luck with the research.

 

[tomasball]

The GLoT definitely has printed proceedings going that far back...each year bound as a single book. As best I recall, they are right on the shelves of the GL library in Waco. In Houston, I suppose it's possible that a lodge like Holland No. 1 would have those books, although I have no reason to assume they are available to the casual researcher.