Hugh, is there a Butman listed in the Masonic order about 1820 or l830? If so which ones? Connie Beck Hunting for Alexander and Benjamin Butman. ----- Original Message ----- From: Cooperstown Village Historian [mailto:coophist@stny.rr.com] Sent: 11/18/2004 11:35:26 AM To: NYOTSEGO-L@rootsweb.com Subject: Re: [NYOTSEGO] Masonic Order Jean Chapman Snow There are several accounts of the Masonic Order in Cooperstown, whose Otsego Lodge No. 138 dates from 1796, e.g., Albert T. Van Horne, "History of Freemasonry, embracing Otsego Lodge No. 138, F. & A.M. Otsego Chapter Nov. 26, R.A.M. 1896 to 1906." Cooperstown: Christ, Scott & Parshall, March 1st 1906 [includes summary of early history of Cooperstown Lodge. No reference to Piers or Chapmans in its lists for the 1896-1906 period.] There are also several articles on early Cooperstown Masonic history in Wilber E. Bresee, "Trails From the East, West and South" Oneonta: Wilmer E. Bresee, 1963, and in "Masonic Trails of Early New York", Transactions of the American Lodge of Research, Vol, XV, No. 1, 1981 ("The Wilmer E., Bresee Edition"). However your best bet may be to contact the Secretary of the Otsego Lodge itself -- its website with addresses is: http://www.osmasonry.net/lodges/otsego/otsego.htm They have complete records of the Lodge. The Otsego Herald of December 29, 1810, had the following obituary for Abner Pier: "Died, in this town on Monday the 24th inst. of a typahs [sic] fever, Mr. ABNER PIER in the 49th year of his age. Mr. P. was one of those men who in the trying times of our revolution, bravely stepped forward in defence of his country: and there were but few who suffered more in those perilous times than he did. He was taken by a party of Tories and Indians, and in the most barbarous manner tomahawked, scalped and after all SHOT! and left upon the ground for dead. He lay in such a position that the musket ball passed through a part of his head, twice through one of his arms, and once or twice through one of his legs. To the astonishment of all who were knowing to the circumstances he recovered. He has uniformly supported the character of an upright, honest & intelligible man. His obsequies were attended on the 26th by his Masonic brethren of this vicinity -- who, together with his numerous relatives and acquaintances, formed the largest procession ever witness in this county on a like occasion. -- He has left a disconsolate widow and a number of children to mourn their loss." If you are seeking other genealogical information about your Pier/Chapman ancestors, let me know and I'll try to help. Hugh MacDougall Official Historian Village of Cooperstown 8 Lake Street, Cooperstown, NY 13326-1016 coophist@stny.rr.com ==== NYOTSEGO Mailing List ==== To unsubscribe from this list in digest mode send an email with the word, unsubscribe,in the subject field & body of the message to the following address: NYOtsego-d-request@rootsweb.com ============================== Search Family and Local Histories for stories about your family and the areas they lived. Over 85 million names added in the last 12 months. Learn more: http://www.ancestry.com/s13966/rd.ashx