On the corner of Albany & Peace St. in New Brunswick, NJ

Masonic Ambiance of New Brunswick, New Jersey

by David Lindez, BFA, MFA, MSM

On December 27th, 1753, on St Johns Day, George Harrison had been installed as Provincial Grand Master following a Masonic service held in Trinity Church on Wall St. in New York City. Worshipful Brother Tuckey, was the Rector at Trinity Church at the time. These men would play a major role in the establishment of the Grand Lodge of New Jersey, which was set up in just five consecutive days, by nine Master Masons & three Entered Apprentices (MacGregor, 1929). Right Worshipful George Harrison Esq., Provincial Grand Master at New York, appointed William Tuckey as Master and constituted in Newark, New Jersey on May 13th, 1761, St. John's Lodge No. 1. Rev. Tuckey was a frequent visitor of churches in Newark, New Jersey. He could not understand the absence of a Masonic lodge in New Jersey, though he frequently encountered Scottish, English and Irish Masons as visitors in the various cathedrals of New Jersey.

New Jersey has the distinction of being the only Grand Lodge in the United States to be formed by individual Masons, rather than by three lodges. On December 18th, 1786, twenty-six brethren came together to sign association papers. More men met on January 13th, 1787 to do the same for a second time. Out of the 49 signatures, four came from New York and as far north as Albany (Lodges No. 1 & No. 8 in Albany, NY). At this second meeting, the Most Ancient & Honorable Society of Free and Accepted Masons for the State of New Jersey came into existence. The Hon. David Brearly, Esq., Chief Justice of New Jersey, was elected Grand Master of Masons in New Jersey. Most Worshipful Brother Brearly represented New Jersey in the Federal Convention at Philadelphia. He had been a Lieutenant Colonel in the army of the Revolution and a close friend of George Washington. He was a member of the state and federal conventions, and his signature appears on the Constitution of the United States. The other officers selected to serve were, the Hon. Robert Lettis Hooper, Vice-President of New Jersey: Deputy Grand Master; William Leedle, Esq., late High Sheriff of Morris: Senior Grand Warden; Daniel Marsh, Esq., Representative in the Assembly of New Jersey: Junior Grand Warden; John Noble Cumming, Esq., late Colonel in the Army of the United States: Grand Secretary; Maskell Ewing, Jun., Esq., Clerk of the General Assembly of New Jersey: Deputy Grand Secretary; and Joshua Corshon, Esq., High Sheriff of Hunterdon: Grand Treasurer.

References:

MacGregor, David (1929) History of the Grand Lodge of New Jersey
Reed, Ernest (1923) The Story of Freemasonry in New Jersey