Templars and Freemasons
The Fraternal Orders of Chatham, Ontario
Ethan Teague
The Importance of Brotherhood
It is widely understood that the Church has played a large role in any early black community, acting as an institution in which spiritual, moral and cultural beliefs were shared and amplified amongst the members. In America as well as Canada, the Church represented a space in which black communities could participate with dignity, pride and freedom[1]. While the Church undoubtedly played an integral role in these communities, in Chatham, Ontario, one other organization was responsible for expanding the influence of the Church and establishing unity among the black community. St. John’s Lodge #9 in Chatham was one of a number of different lodges in Southwestern Ontario that presented an opportunity for upward social mobility. Through these organizations, men in their respective communities discovered their identity within the larger context of their communities, and also helped to define their communities in the process[2]. An examination of St. John’s Lodge #9 has revealed a complex picture of the interconnectedness of religiosity and values emphasized by these communities in Chatham. Upon my initial decision to focus on the Masonic Order in Chatham, I never would have expected to discover just how crucial the Masons were to their community.
A number of exceptional men were members of St, John’s Lodge #9 in Chatham, and their stories are part of a larger movement which represents an attempt to create a new way of life within their new communities. These men were concerned with class-status, ethnic unity and economic advancement for their neighbors. Carmen Poole argues that these fraternal institutions helped to redefine black masculinity and proved invaluable to the emergence of a black middle class in Chatham[3]. Unfortunately, however, these organizations and their members were met with exclusion both during the time of their conception as well as after their establishment.
In 1775, Prince Hall along with fifteen other free black men were initiated and accepted into the order of the British Army Lodge in Boston[4]. By 1776, the very first African Lodge No. 1 was up and running under the leadership of these very men. The legitimacy of this order was immediately contested, and predominantly white lodges from around America refused to acknowledge them[5]. After seeking a charter from the British Masons which was eventually granted, Prince hall founded the African Grand Lodge and began establishing lodges across North America. Despite constant competition from white lodges that did not want to see their traditions overrun by newcomers, Prince Hall and the ‘Original Fifteen’ went on to establish black schools[6], and worked constantly to elevate their communities both economically and socially.
In Chatham nearly one hundred years after the organizations origins, the leaders of the Prince Hall Masons continued to show the same level of dedication to their founders cause. Isaac Holden was one such man, and under his leadership the St. John’s Lodge in Chatham saw higher membership than any other lodge in Southwestern Ontario. He served as Grand Master from 1874 to 1881, and during these years census records list him as a carpenter as well as a merchant, owning his own store located within a portion of the Grandison-Boyd Block. He also served as fire chief of Hall #3 and was a member of the city council for three years[7]. Holden was dedicated to both his image within the community, and the well-being of the community itself. By involving himself in public affairs via city council meetings, as well as contributing to the local economy through his retail store, he represented the possibilities available to everyone around him.
Another prominent Mason and business man was named Henry Weaver. Henry served as Grand Master from 1887 to 1892, and according to census records he was the owner of a retail store and his wife was a dressmaker. Before his role as Grand Master was established, Weaver served as a Constable in his local community[8]. The Weaver family had a household income which was much higher than the national average, testimony to the dedication that these men had for their cause as well as the effectiveness that community building organizations had on their respective locales.
Both Isaac Holden and Henry Weaver came to represent the emergence of a black middle class community in Southwestern Ontario, and it is important to remember that these were not the only examples of this. The goal of the organization that these men lead was to aid others in the process of obtaining higher economic and social status. Charitable organizations by nature, the St. John’s Lodge in Chatham was dedicated to helping individuals obtain recognition and legitimacy in their social setting and seeing them progress into new social boundaries. One of the reasons that this organization was so successful was because of how seriously membership was taken. A lot was expected of a man who wished to become a Mason, they needed to be exemplary citizens that exhibit the traditional chivalric values associated with the Masonic Order since its ancient origin. Belief in God was one of many requirements for prospective members to the St. John’s Lodge in Chatham[9], because it was believed that through faith in God one could become a truly virtuous member of society.
Masonry and religion have existed side by side since the creation of the Order, and they have been mutually beneficial for just as long. Masonry reinforces the values deemed righteous in religion, and this association with righteousness helps to boost the popularity of Masonry among communities. Religiosity, as stated before, was undoubtedly an indispensable aspect of black communities in North America. Attendance in Church came to take on an incredible level of symbolism when considering the prevalence of negative stereotypes associating black men with laziness or poverty[10]. Being present in the pew on Sunday provided a public setting to demonstrate their dedication to diminishing those stereotypes. It makes perfect sense then that another organization that places emphasis on the moral virtues that the Church is based upon would also become an integral part of any community, providing men with another avenue towards dismantling the toxic stereotypes.
Historical context is incredibly important to properly understanding the role of Masonry in black communities. These notable men emerged from a historical context in which it was incredibly important for free and newly freed blacks to carry themselves as differently as possible from those still enslaved[11]. These men were present in a world where racial Darwinism had been employed to explain the failure of black to thrive in post-emancipation America, while increasingly restrictive Jim Crow laws were on the rise[12]. This is why charity and socio-economic elevation was so important to these men. In order to aid those members in need, a number of benefit plans were established by the Lodges. Charity Taxes were put in place in order to help wives and mothers that had been left widowed after the passing of a member of the Lodge. These funds would help to cover burial expenses as well as to provide some financial aid for the families of deceased members[13].
The establishment and ongoing activity of Prince Hall Masonry in Chatham is an incredible story of prosperity, community building and unity among black communities in Southwestern Ontario. It demonstrates the dedication that these members had to creating a new image for black men in Canada, and a number of cases demonstrate just how effective fraternal orders were in aiding this process. Unfortunately, however, not all cases ended in the same way. Nathaniel Murray was born in 1839, and immigrated to Canada in 1865. He worked as a plasterer in Chatham, later on establishing a crockery, a shoe store as well as a furniture store. He purchased what came to be known as the Murray Block in 1874, and occupied most of the block with his businesses, even introducing one more to the community: one of the most popular china and crystal shops in the county[14]. Despite his prominent local businesses, Murray’s fortune would eventually turn due to racial prejudice and exclusion. An interview with a descendant of Nathaniel Murray, Ida Murray Burks, reveals how exactly this happened:
“I interviewed Mrs. Burks in her home in Toledo Ohio. The fine furniture, china, crystal, and collectibles in the home, many of which came from the Murray Mansion located on King St. E. in Chatham, showed the affluency [sic] of the family in the area. Nathaniel was heartbroken at the death of his second wife. He eventually lost his business as a result of being ostracized by white jobbers who advised suppliers not to sell to Murray, thus diminishing his ability to trade.”[15]
Unfortunately the benefits of membership were not enough to stop racist prejudices from outsiders.
Throughout my studies I found myself creating a broader theme than I had originally planned. Using the Templar Sword to represent brotherhood and devotion to God, my initial goal was to focus on a few men and their contributions to their communities in order to create a character portrait of the St. John’s Lodge. Instead, I found myself captivated by stories of success, as well as stories of unfortunate failure. Amongst these stories, a pattern of devotion, religiosity and moral virtue presented itself. The history of the sword itself took a back seat to the incredibly deep and interesting story of the men who would have held it. I discovered that historiographical debate surrounding Christianity and African American communities exists, with some believing that Christianity was forced onto slaves during slavery and others believing that the adoption and transformation of Christianity among black communities represents resilience and the power of faith. It is my belief that religiosity, emphasized by membership to a group dedicated to moral virtue and advancement, aided in the creation of a black middle-class that brought with it a new identity which was to be embraced by the community at large.
[1] Shreve, Dorothy Shadd. The Africanadian Church: A Stabilizer. Jordan Station, Ont: Paideia Press, 1983
[2] Poole, Carmen. “Conspicuous Peripheries: Black Identity, Memory, and Community in Chatham, ON, 1860–1980.”ProQuest Dissertations Publishing, 2015.
[3] Ibid
[4] Ibid
[5] Thornbrough, Emma Lou. WILLIAM A. MURASKIN. “Middle-Class Blacks in a White Society: Prince Hall Freemasonry in America” (Book Review). Vol. 81. Washington, etc: American Historical Association, etc, 1976.
[6] Robbins, Prince Hall Masonry in Ontario, 7.
[7] “Isaac Holden,” Maple Leaf & St. Anthony’s African-Canadian Cemetery Tour, Chatham-Kent Black Historical Society, A Final Stop on the Underground Railroad, nd, np.
[8] Robbins, Prince Hall Masonry in Ontario, 70.
[9] Proceedings of the M.W. Grand Lodge A.F. & A.M. of the Province of Ontario (Chatham: The Planet Book and Job Print, 1909), 36.
[10] Poole, Carmen. “Conspicuous Peripheries: Black Identity, Memory, and Community in Chatham, ON, 1860–1980.”ProQuest Dissertations Publishing, 2015.
[11] Loretta J. Williams, Black Freemasonry and Middle-Class Realities (Columbia: University of Missouri Press, 1980), 25
[12] Nikki L. M. Brown and Barry M. Stentiford, eds., The Jim Crow Encyclopedia (Westport: Greenwood Publishing Group, 2008), 274-275; Lee D. Baker, From Savage to Negro: Anthropology and the Construction of Race, 1896- 1954 (Berkeley: University of California Press, 1998).
[13] Proceedings, 1875-1876, 36.
[14] “Nathaniel Murray,” Maple Leaf & St. Anthony’s African-Canadian Cemetery Tour: Chatham-Kent Black Historical Society A Final Stop on the Underground Railroad, nd. np.
[15] Robinson, Seek the Truth, 61
Bibliography
Giggie, John Michael. After redemption: Jim Crow and the transformation of African American religion in the Delta, 1875-1915. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2008.
Loretta J. Williams, Black Freemasonry and Middle-Class Realities (Columbia: University of Missouri Press, 1980.
Nikki L. M. Brown and Barry M. Stentiford, eds., The Jim Crow Encyclopedia (Westport: Greenwood Publishing Group, 2008), 274-275; Lee D. Baker, From Savage to Negro: Anthropology and the Construction of Race, 1896- 1954. Berkeley: University of California Press, 1998.
Poole, Carmen. “Conspicuous Peripheries: Black Identity, Memory, and Community in Chatham, ON, 1860–1980.”ProQuest Dissertations Publishing, 2015.
Proceedings of the M.W. Grand Lodge A.F. & A.M. of the Province of Ontario (Chatham: The Planet Book and Job Print, 1909.
Robbins, Prince Hall Masonry in Ontario, 1974.
Shreve, Dorothy Shadd. The Africanadian Church: A Stabilizer. Jordan Station, Ont: Paideia Press, 1983.
Simmons, Gwendolyn Zoharah and John W. Robinson. Seek the Truth. Chatham, Ontario?: The Authors?, 1989.
Skocpol, Theda, and Jennifer Lynn Oser. “Organization Despite Adversity.” Social Science History, vol. 28, no. 03, 2004, pp. 367–437., doi:10.1017/s0145553200012803.
Thornbrough, Emma Lou. William A. Muraskin. “Middle-Class Blacks in a White Society: Prince Hall Freemasonry in America” (Book Review). Vol. 81. Washington, etc: American Historical Association, etc, 1976.
The Jackson headlight. Jackson, Tenn.: C.A. Leftwich, Joshua W. Lane, Rev. W.H. Daniel, 1900.Found in the Library of Congress Archives.