The Grand Lodge of New Jersey Free & Accepted Masons is the official governing body of New Jersey Masonic Lodges as recognized by other Grand Jurisdictions throughout the world. As early as 1730, New Jersey was one of the first states with active Freemasonry.
[Oliver, George. Macoy, Robert. ''General History, Cyclopedia and Dictionary of Freemasonry''. Masonic Publishing Company, 1870.] The Grand Lodge of NJ was formally established in 1787. The Most Worshipful Prince Hall Grand Lodge of State of New Jersey and The Most Worshipful Grand Lodge of New Jersey recognize each other as Masonic Grand Lodges.
History of the Lodge
Background
The first known Freemason to live in the "New World" is believed to be
John Skene, who was a member of Aberdeen Lodge #1 in Scotland. His name appears as the 27th listed in one of the oldest written records of Freemasons, the
Mark Book of Aberdeen Lodge#1 (1670), as "Merchand and Meason".
[Bulloch, John. Henderson, John Alexander. ''Scottish Notes and Queries, Volumes 5-6''. D. Wyllie & son, 1892.] Records being vague of the membership to protect trade secrets, John Skene's name is the first that can be traced to the new world.
[Hodapp, Christopher. ''Solomon's Builders: Freemasons, Founding Fathers and the Secrets of Washington,, Part 3''. Ulysses Press, Dec 21, 2006.] John Forbes, another Freemason from Aberdeen Lodge #1, moved to Plainfield, New Jersey in 1684 only to go back to Scotland the following year. Several other Masons from Aberdeen Lodge #1 moved to West Jersey during the same period but most shortly moved back to Scotland.
[Hirschman, Elizabeth Caldwell; Yates, Donald Neal ''Jews and Muslims in British Colonial America: A Genealogical History''. McFarland, 2012.]
The passage for many of these Masons was secured by Harrie Elphingson (Master of Aberdeen Lodge #1 at the time of the Mark Book of 1670) as booking agent and under the patronage of the
Earl of Perth, himself a Freemason.
Skene moved to the Province of
West Jersey
West Jersey and East Jersey were two distinct parts of the Province of New Jersey. The political division existed for 28 years, between 1674 and 1702. Determination of an exact location for a border between West Jersey and East Jersey was often ...
in 1682.
[Jeffers, Harry Paul. ''Freemasons: A History and Exploration of the World's Oldest Secret Society''. Citadel Press, 2005.] According to
The National Society of The Colonial Dames of America
The National Society of The Colonial Dames of America is an American organization composed of women who are descended from an ancestor "who came to reside in an American Colony before 1776, and whose services were rendered during the Colonial Pe ...
(NSCDA), Skene purchased a 300 arce property in 1674 (though there is no evidence that he came to Jersey before 1682) that he named Peachfield. It was in the Second Tenth of the Province, an area that would become
Northampton Township, Burlington County, New Jersey (Nov. 6th, 1688) and then
Westampton Township, New Jersey
Westampton is a township in Burlington County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey. As of the 2020 United States census, the township's population was 9,121, an increase of 308 (+3.5%) from the 2010 census count of 8,813, which in turn reflected ...
(March 6, 1850) near
Burlington, New Jersey
Burlington is a city in Burlington County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey. It is a suburb of Philadelphia. As of the 2020 United States census, the city's population was 9,743.
Burlington was first incorporated on October 24, 1693, and was r ...
. Skene served as
Deputy Governor of West Jersey from 1684 until 1692.
Freemasonry in the Early American Colonies
On June 5 of 1730, the
Grand Master of England,
Thomas Howard, 8th Duke of Norfolk, appointed
Daniel Coxe, Jr., of
West Jersey
West Jersey and East Jersey were two distinct parts of the Province of New Jersey. The political division existed for 28 years, between 1674 and 1702. Determination of an exact location for a border between West Jersey and East Jersey was often ...
as Provincial Grand Master of Freemasons for the provinces of New York, New Jersey and Pennsylvania.
[Brownell, John. H.. Smith, Arthur Maurice. Morcombe, Joseph E.. Pride, Richard. Campbell, George T.. ''The American Tyler-keystone: Devoted to Freemasonry and Its Concerdant Others, Volume 16, Issue 14''. J. H. Brownell, 1902.] It has been said that he died before he had chartered a single lodge and that there is no evidence that Coxe ever did any Masonic work whatsoever while serving as Grand Master,
[ but certain records indicate differently. His authority would have been brought to practical operation for the forming of a Lodge in Philadelphia, which the press of the day indicates existed in 1732 with ]William Allen William Allen may refer to:
Politicians
United States
*William Allen (congressman) (1827–1881), United States Representative from Ohio
*William Allen (governor) (1803–1879), U.S. Representative, Senator, and 31st Governor of Ohio
*William ...
as the Master. Also made a Mason during this period was Benjamin Franklin
Benjamin Franklin ( April 17, 1790) was an American polymath who was active as a writer, scientist, inventor, statesman, diplomat, printer, publisher, and political philosopher. Encyclopædia Britannica, Wood, 2021 Among the leading inte ...
on February 1, 1731 at St. John's Lodge, which was itself founded in 1730 (perhaps St. John's Day, June 24).[Whitehead, William Silas "Origin of Masonry in the State of New Jersey: And the Entire Proceedings of the Grand Lodge, from Its Organization." J. H. Hough, 1870][Lemay, J. A. Leo "The Life of Benjamin Franklin, Volume 2: Printer and Publisher, 1730-1747" University of Pennsylvania Press, 2006] It is also indicated that it was not customary for Provincial Grand Masters abroad (away from England) to send any reports of their doings.[ Franklin later went on to form another Lodge in Philadelphia, seeking authority from Henry Price, the Grand Master of Masons for New England.][
]
References
External links
Grand Lodge of New Jersey
{{DEFAULTSORT:Grand Lodge of New Jersey
New Jersey
New Jersey is a state in the Mid-Atlantic and Northeastern regions of the United States. It is bordered on the north and east by the state of New York; on the east, southeast, and south by the Atlantic Ocean; on the west by the Delaware ...
Freemasonry in the United States
1787 establishments in New Jersey
Trenton, New Jersey