Is there any information on the lodge in Edmeston? My GGGgrandfather, Elisha Butler, was a member of the Edmeston Lodge, at least he has the symbol on his tombstone. Frank A. Butler > [Original Message] > From: Cooperstown Village Historian <coophist@stny.rr.com> > To: <NYOTSEGO-L@rootsweb.com> > Date: 11/18/2004 12:35:12 PM > 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 >