Not being acquainted with any form of making up such report, I have thought best to transmit the minutes of the convention of Masons, or temporary Grand Lodge, assembled by me on that occasion, as kept by the Secretary under my direction; and also the original of one of the summons which I issued to the adjoining county of Oakland. I do this thinking it safer to .err by sending you too much than too little, that you may know fully the proceedings that were had, and be able to point out to me the errors that may have taken place, for the benefit of our Brethren in this quarter on some future occasion.

As soon as the Brethren of Detroit Lodge had filled up the Blank in the Dispensation with my name & signified their wish that I should act as G. M. P. T. on that occasion, I issued four summons to the Most Reputable Brethren of the 4 adjoining Counties to attend on the 29th day of December, past, to assist me &c. One of these summons I sent for your approbation.

It was requested by the Brethren of Detroit Lodge that the Consecration, Constitution and Installation should be in public at the Church, and a platform was erected for that purpose. And the Lodge was solemnly Consecrated, Constituted & the Officers Installed. One Revd. Brother Welton officiated as Chaplain and also delivered an Excellent Masonic Address.

I do not know that it is usual, or allowable for a public consecration to be held, unless some Officer of the Grand Lodge presides in person.

It was thought advisable, on consultation with our most judicious brethren, that the services should be public and as solemn and imposing as possible, on account of some pecular circumstances here. A number of our Elder Brethren of Zion Lodge are Catholics-and the bull of the Pope, excluding members of the Fraternity from the Communion of that Church, has lately been promulgated here, by their Catholic Priests. Most of them, in consequence, have withdrawn their attendance from the Lodge for the sake of peace—and the Lodge have not thought best to enforce its discipline or by-laws against them. I did not therefore insert any of their names in the summons without first consulting them on the subject. Several of the most respectable of them however, to whom I had submitted the Dispensation, and informed fully of the whole process of Consecration, Constitution and Installation, agreed to have their names inserted and attended and assisted in officiating stations; and they, as well as some other Catholics who ventured to attend at the Church as spectators, were much gratified. And I have not yet heard that it has embroiled them with their priests, tho' contrary to their injunctions. Others of the Catholic Brethren declined attending and were consequently omitted in the

summons.

The Members of Detroit Lodge would be glad to hear your opinion on the propriety of the proceedings, had under the dispensation, -as herewith reported to you, when your convenience.

I enclose to you, also, with this, at the request of Sundry Brethren in Oakland County, their petition to the Grand Lodge for a Charter, accompanied by the Recommendation of Zion Lodge No. 3. Also thirty-two dollars in Bill which were

sent me by them for that purpose. And am requested by them to ask you to lay the same before the Grand Lodge at the next quarterly communication, and should a charter be granted to them, that you would be good enough to have it made out at the earliest day convenient, and transmit it immediately thereafter by Mail directed to me, at Detroit, for them.

There are about 25 of the Brethren Residing in Oakland County-mostly recent emigrants from N. York and made under the jurisdiction of your Grand Lodge.

I forgot to state in its proper place that I have still in my hand the Dispensation for constituting Detroit Lodge, and do not know whether I should Deposit it with that Lodge, transmit back to you, or keep it in my own possession. Have the goodness to inform me.

Elias Hicks,

Grand Secretary

Fraternally, yours &c.

A. G. Whitney,

Past Master

of Zion Lodge No. 3.

Grand Lodge N. Y."

That Brother Whitney's work met the approval of the Grand Lodge of New York is shown by the letter of the Grand Secretary, after receiving his report. He said:

"N. Y. Apr. 8, 1822.

Your letter of the 7 Feb. contg the Rep. of your proceedings as Inst: off: of D. L. No.-, came duly to hand and would have been acknowd: before, but that I wished when so doing to accomp: it with the war't prayed for by the brethren of Oakland cy. This I am now enabled to do and transmit it herewith, together with a Wr: of C. & a power to instal, which latter I should have filled with your name could I have known that it would have met your wishes and convenience to have officiated on this occasion.

The course pursued by you in the constitution of D. L. was perfectly correct & the report of your proceedings so highly satisfactory as to make it desirable that the repetition of the ceremony should not fall into less skillful hands, nor its solemnities be conducted with a less imposing effect. If therefr. it shd not so intr: with yr bus as to render it altogeth impract: it would be gratifying to the G. M. that the duty be performed by you; but if otherwise, it is requested that you substitute for the purpose some Br. of sufficient rank in whose skill and capacity you may have perfect confidence. The Pet: did not specify the Town in which the Lodge is to be held. When this is settled, if it is not already done, you will please to insert it in the wart, and inform me of the name. I wrote to Br. Davis immediately on the w. being granted, but omitting to address my letter to your care, it may possibly still be lying in the P. O. at Detroit.

Be pleased to acknowledge the receipt of this, as soon as it comes to hand & believe me

Very respy & frat

Yours

E. H."

The first officers of Detroit Lodge, that were installed at this time, were

John Mullett, Worshipful Master,

John Farrar, Senior Warden,

Jeremiah Moors, Junior Warden,
Charles Jackson, Treasurer,

Marshall Chapin, Secretary,

Jacob Eilert, Senior Deacon,

Elihu Sikes, Junior Deacon,

Levi Cook and Daniel B. Cole, Stewards,
James W. King, Tiler.

Thus the second Michigan Lodge took its place to work in the quarries of this Territory. Regular meetings were held from this time but the first petition for the degrees was not received until the following April, it being that of John Farmer, who was accepted and duly initiated April 30, 1822, the first work of this Lodge. From this time forward petitions were frequent and a goodly amount of work was done. July 2nd, 1822, the records state that the "jewels of the lodge were loaned to Brother Davis for use of the Lodge in Oakland County." This was for Oakland Lodge, which received a warrant from the New York Grand Lodge at about that time.

The first death in Detroit Lodge was that of Brother Elihu Sikes, Junior Deacon, who was buried with masonic ceremonies on August 11, 1822.

Detroit Lodge soon occupied a hall jointly with Zion Lodge and Monroe Chapter, and although frequent motions were made for securing a new room, there is no record that this was done, and the same room was doubtless used by all these bodies until the cessation of work a few years later.

March 24, 1823, Detroit Lodge recommended sundry brethren asking therefor, to the Grand Lodge of New York, for a Lodge to be located at St. Clair. There is no record, however, that a Lodge was established there at that time.

The second member of this Lodge who died was Spencer Coleman, who was buried with the honors of Masonry on April 13, 1823. The brethren of that day did not think that all duties to a brother

ceased when they had laid his body in the grave, but they looked after the welfare of the family after the brother had been taken away. In this case a committee was appointed with authority to draw on the treasury for sufficient funds to relieve the present wants of the family.

August 19, 1823, Brother John E. Schwarz, of Harmony Lodge, No. 125, Philadelphia, presented Detroit Lodge with a Masonic Library, which was highly appreciated. Brother Schwarz became a resident of Detroit and changed his membership thereto and became one of the most prominent Masons of that city as well as afterward in Grand Lodge.

April 13, 1824, a number of brethren residing at Green Bay asked for a recommendation for Menomanie Lodge at that place, and their request was cheerfully granted, and on November 2nd of the same year, they likewise recommended the brothers at Monroe for the same purpose.

St. John's Day of this year, (December 27th) was jointly observed by Zion and Detroit Lodges and Monroe Chapter. An oration was delivered by Brother Austin E. Wing, of Zion Lodge, and a dinner was served at Brother Holley's. This is the first record of such joint celebration by these bodies and serves to show the harmony and good feeling that existed between them. In the early part of

1825, steps were taken looking toward the erection of a building exclusively for masonic purposes. A committee was appointed that reported from time to time, but the building was not occupied previous to the suspension of all masonic labor in 1829.

At a meeting held on July 26, 1825, a movement was started in this Lodge that was destined to become a matter of great importance to all Michigan Masons. At this meeting a resolution was introduced and adopted, that it was expedient to form a Grand Lodge, and naming a committee consisting of Brothers Charles Jackson, W. M., John Farrar, and Levi Cook, S. W., to confer with the other Lodges upon the subject. Out of this movement grew the first Grand Lodge of Michigan, one year later. June 13, 1826, Brothers Charles Jackson, Levi Cook and John Garrison were appointed to represent Detroit Lodge in a convention called for the 24th of that month for the purpose of forming the Grand Lodge, and at the first

election of officers, Brother John E. Schwarz of this Lodge was chosen Grand Pursuivant, which office he continued to hold during the existence of that Grand Lodge, and in 1842 he was elected Deputy Grand Master of the second Grand Lodge.

September 17th, 1826, Detroit Lodge attended two masonic funerals, one being the W. M. of Zion Lodge, Brother Henry J. Hunt, the other Bro. Scott Jamison. This Lodge conducted the latter funeral and paid three dollars and fifty cents for the coffin. Funerals were not as expensive affairs then as at the present day.

The Lodge held an election of officers on December 12, 1826, and elected Abraham C. Canniff, Worshipful Master, Shadrach Gillett, Senior Warden, and Lewis Davenport, Junior Warden. These, with the other officers, were duly installed on the same evening. Here the records abruptly close. It is very evident that the Lodge continued to work for the next two or three years and that the book containing the records was lost. At one of the last meetings before the record closes, the Secretary was instructed to procure a new record book, and during the eleven years when masonic work was suspended, this book was lost and has never been brought to light, but there is no reason to believe that this Lodge suddenly stopped work in a time of such prosperity as it was enjoying when its records closed. That the Lodge continued to work is evident from the fact that it was represented in Grand Lodge in 1827, and also that it joined with Zion Lodge in a celebration of St. John's Day a year after its records, as preserved, close.

There seems to have been a question raised as to the regularity of the election of officers in 1826, mentioned above, as in the session of Grand Lodge a few days later the following action is recorded:

"Resolved, That a committee of five Master Masons be appointed by this Grand Lodge, with power to convene Detroit Lodge at some intermediate period between this and the next meeting of this Grand Lodge, for the purpose of taking such measures as they may deem advisable to effect a reconciliation of the existing differences in said Lodge, and to report to this Grand Lodge thereon.

Whereupon Brothers Abraham Edwards, Thomas Rowland, Henry Whiting, D. Garmo Jones and John E. Schwarz were appointed."

At the meeting of Grand Lodge on January 8, 1827, this further action was had: