“And it came to pass in the four hundred and eightieth year after the children of Israel were come out of the land of Egypt, in the fourth year of Solomon’s reign over Israel, in the month of Zif, which is the second month, that he began to build the house of the Lord.”
The following is the last and only remaining page of the letter from the Grand Lodge of Indiana granting warrant to Zif Lodge #8 in New Albany. “The Worshipful Master and Wardens are not to cease from their working duties of their Lodge until the same be organized unto them by the Grand Lodge through their Most Worshipful Grand Master. For the time being, all by the acceptance hereof they are bound to observe and obey the brethren aforesaid by the acceptance hereof acknowledge the Grand Master and the Grand Lodge of Indiana as their superior and shall pay due regard to such institutions and recommendations as they shall hereafter receive from them and they are also hereby required to correspond with said Grand Lodge and attend its meetings by their proxy or deputies properly authorized under the signature of their secretary and seal of their Lodge………” Given under my hand and private seal (there being no seal of the Grand Lodge) this 11th day of August AL 5819 AD 1819
Attest. Isaac Houk Gen. Secretary Alexander A. Meek (His Seal) Grand Lodge of Indiana
Agreeable to the foregoing Warrant from the Most Worshipful Grand Master of the Grand Lodge of the State of Indiana, to the Worshipful Master William Tomkins of Clark Lodge, Louisville, KY directed, did on the 16th day of August AL 5819 AD 1819 Assemble the brethren of Zif Lodge in New Albany. The petitioners for said lodge in that town open the Grand Lodge in due form.
Brethren Present ~ William Tomkins R.W. Deputy Grand Master of the State of Indiana Charles B. King Senior Warden Elias Ayres Junior Warden George L. Butler Senior Deacon Latrope Elderkin Treasurer Stephen Beers Secretary Richard Comely Junior Deacon Daniel Monross Tyler William Roberts Asahel Clapp Charles Paxson Charles Reading David M. Hale Daniel McNaughton
The Dispensation obtained from the Most Worshipful Grand Master of the State of Indiana was then read by the Secretary, Pro Tem…And solemn and appropriate prayer offered by the Senior Warden after which Brother Asahel Clapp was introduced and installed Worshipful Master of Zif Lodge in the town of New Albany in a state agreeable to ancient custom. In like manner, Brother Charles Paxson was introduced and installed Senior Warden and Latrope Elderkin Junior Warden of said Lodge. The honors being conferred by hailing from the East, West and South. A hymn of Praise was sung and thanks returned to the throne of grace. The Lodge was closed in due form.
Stephen Beers..Secretary
It was not coincidental that a Masonic Lodge would be founded in New Albany shortly after Floyd County was created in January 1819. Masons who would be members of the Zif Lodge were members of other lodges and active in the success of the new county. Shortly after Floyd County was created a crisis emerged that threatened to remove New Albany as the county seat. After three years the first courthouse planned on State Street near Spring Street was not completed due to the contractor taking on a project he could not financially complete. In early 1823, commissioners from the state came to New Albany to discuss relocating the county seat to Greenville. The citizens of New Albany campaigned and raised the $3,257 necessary to complete the project. The commissioners were satisfied with the increase in funding and New Albany remained the county seat. Of the sixteen men who guaranteed the new bond, nine were known members of the Zif Lodge as were twenty-three of the ninety-two contributors.
Since New Albany was a new town, founded in 1813 by the Scribner brothers there were few buildings suitable to hold lodge meetings. Therefore, meetings were held in various homes for several years. The first meetings were held in a room rented from Houssana Ruff. On August 22, 1821 meetings were moved to an upstairs room in the home of Elizabeth Scribner, the widow of Nathaniel Scribner who had died in 1815. On April 22, 1822 meetings were moved to the home of Brother Ansel Abbey until June 18, 1822 when meetings were moved back to the home of Mrs. Ruff. She was paid $40 per year for rent.
In late 1826 meetings were moved to the establishment of Brother David M. Hale who operated the High Street House Hotel and Hale’s Tavern. High Street today is Main Street. Mr. Hale who was also a physician used the building built by Joel Scribner in 1817 on the south side of Main Street, one block west of the Nathaniel Scribner House. Hale’s Tavern also hosted a governor’s ball for Jonathan Jennings who was also a mason. Mr. Hale was compensated $30 per year for the use of his tavern. The tavern was demolished in 1919.
The Zif Lodge register records several visits by Masons from other lodges to meetings over the years but because of the equality of all regardless of wealth or importance, little is noted of them. These included Major John Tipton of Harrison County who fought at Tippecanoe with William Henry Harrison in 1811 and later commanded the Fifth Regiment, Indiana Mounted Militia, War of 1812. He was twice United States Senator from Indiana and in 1820 became Grand Master of the Indiana Lodge. On October 26, 1819 the minutes record the visit of Indiana Governor Jonathan Jennings to lodge. He served as Indiana’s governor from 1816 to 1822 with his home lodge being in Charlestown.
On May 11, 1825 members of the Zif Lodge traveled to the Clark Lodge #51 in Louisville to meet General Marquis de LaFayette and his son George Washington de LaFayette who were taking a grand tour of their adopted country. Later in the same year the Louisville Clark Lodge hosted Governor DeWitt Clinton of New York who was in the vicinity to help with the decision as to which side of the Ohio River would be more desirable to build a canal around the falls. Governor Clinton decided in favor of the Kentucky side where the Portland Canal was later built.
The minutes of the lodge show many turbulent meetings and after a very stormy year at the lodge in 1825, Secretary Hale wrote in the minutes after the meeting on November 15, 1825, note ~ “lodge closed in harmony” ~. But not all was in harmony.
In 1826, a New York State anti-Masonic movement began after the “Morgan Affair.” William Morgan had left his lodge and had threatened to publish all the Masonic secrets in a book. He was kidnapped and never seen again. A coalition of ministers and others united to suppress the order. Although short lived, the movement did cause the temporary disbanding of several lodges in the East and Midwest. The Zif Lodge was apparently one of these. The lodge held very few meetings in 1827 and 1828. There are several meeting minutes reflecting that many members having not paid their dues for more than 12 months were being suspended from the lodge including Abner Scribner, on March 26, 1826.
In the minutes of the June 19, 1827 meeting, Brother Ansel Abbey read a communication from the Grand Lodge of Kentucky “relating to some complaints made against the Zif Lodge by the Clark Lodge of Louisville initiating candidates who resided in the State of Kentucky.” No motion was made or taken on the subject.
The lodge register has had all pages removed after the December 18, 1827 meeting. In 1829 the Indiana Grand Lodge arrested the charter of Zif Lodge for failing to be represented in 1827-28 even though the lodge had continued to hold a few meetings. Despite having its charter taken back the Zif Lodge was not removed from the Grand Lodge roll.
On March 25, 1833, Brother Woodbridge Parker, Grand Master of the Indiana Lodge congregated the craft at the courthouse in New Albany. Many of the members of the Zif Lodge were present. The Zif Lodge turned over all its property and charter to Brother Parker who signed the back of the charter and used it as the charter for the new reorganized New Albany Lodge. The new lodge was chartered as the New Albany Lodge #39 F&AM on December 11, 1834. In a resolution passed by the Indiana Grand Lodge in 1833, the continuity of Zif Lodge #8 and New Albany Lodge #39 is clear. “RESOLVED, That the action of Brother Woodbridge Parker in regard to Zif Lodge be concurred in and the property be turned over to New Albany Lodge under dispensation.”
The register of Zif Lodge was entrusted to me by the members of New Albany Lodge #39 F&AM and I have studied the register and compiled the above minutes and membership list from minutes and treasurers reports from the register. In the footnotes I have included membership information, birth dates and death dates where available for brothers of the Lodge. I hope this project will conserve this information for historical and genealogical research of the New Albany Lodge and its brethren long after I have departed this earth.
Robert Edward Bartley, MM
Historian and Archivist, Lodge #39 F&AM
New Albany, Indiana
January 12, 2006
