OAKLAND LODGE, NO. 3.

The third Lodge established within the territorial limits of Michigan was at first located in the village of Pontiac, Oakland County, and afterwards removed to Auburn, three miles distant. A number of zealous Masons having settled in that vicinity, they determined upon an effort to secure the establishment of a Lodge; accordingly they presented a petition to the Grand Lodge of New York, as follows:

"To the most worshipful the Grand Lodge of the State of New York.

The petition of the subscribers, inhabitants of the County of Oakland, in the Territory of Michigan, respectfully represents that they are free and accepted Master Masons; that they have been members of regular Lodges; that having the prosperity of the fraternity at heart, they are willing to exert their best endeavors to promote and diffuse the genuine principles of Masonry; that they reside at an inconvenient distance from any regular Lodge; that for these and many other good reasons they are desirous of forming a new Lodge in the county of Oakland, aforesaid, to be named Oakland Lodge; that in consequence of this desire they pray for a warrant of constitution to empower them to assemble as a legal Lodge to discharge the duties of Masonry in a regular and constitutional manner, according to the original forms of the order and the regulations of the Grand Lodge. That they have nominated and do recommend John S. Davis as their first master, Amasa Bagley as their first Senior Warden and Oliver Williams as their first Junior Warden of the said Lodge; that if the prayer of the petition is granted they promise a strict compliance to all the constitutional laws and regulations of the Grand Lodge. Dec. 15, 5821.

Judahy Church John Davis William Moore Amasa Bagley Tiba Swan

Enoch Hotchkiss

Joshua Dans you
Aaron Moster
Lumb Becunun
Donathan Perin

ཨ

David Stanard

Daniel Le Roy David Prein

March 7, 1822, a warrant was granted to these brothers under the name and style of Oakland Lodge, No. 343, and Brother A. G. Whitney was given a dispensation to constitute the Lodge and install its officers, which duty he performed on July 16, 1822, and reported such action to the Grand Lodge of New York in the following letter:

"To the Worshipful Brother E. Hicks, Grand Secretary of the Grand Lodge of the State of New York.

I, the undersigned, as directed by the within, do hereby make known, certify and report, as follows: to wit; That, in pursuance of the Authority to me, by the within dispensation given, having previously summoned for that purpose a convenient number of the Brethren of Zion Lodge, No. 3, and of Detroit Lodge, No. 337, have, with their assistance, this Sixteenth day of July, Anno Lucis 5822, at Pontiac, in the County of Oakland, duly installed the officers of Oakland Lodge No. 343, as named in the Warrant granted the Lodge, into their respective offices; and also duly constituted the said Lodge according to the ancient usages of the craft, in such cases established.

In testimony of which I have hereunto set
my hand, at Pontiac, Oakland County, Mich.
Terr'y, this 16th day of July A. L. 5822.
A. G. Whitney,

Past Master of

Zion Lodge, No, 3.

In this new and sparcely settled part of the Territory of Michigan, such was the financial condition of its members that Oakland Lodge found it extremely difficult to collect sufficient money to keep up its Grand Lodge dues, and in the year 1825 several letters were sent to the Grand Lodge of New York asking a remission of such dues. One of these letters read as follows:

"Pontiac, Mich. Terr'y July 1, 1825.

To the Secretary of the Grand Lodge of the State of New York.
Worshipful Brother

We the subscribers being appointed a committee by Oakland Lodge, No. 343, for the purpose of acquainting the Grand Lodge with our Circumstances, beg leeve to State; that on the decease of our first Worshipful Master, this Lodge ceased in its progress for Some time, and having to make reimbursements for money borrowed to purchase Jewels and other necessary implements has Consequently been laboring under great embarrassment and not in Circumstances to make punctual remittances of the Grand Lodge dues. But wishing to Save the Lodge from forfeiting its Charter, we the Committee, in behalf of the Lodge pray for a further postponement in remitting Grand Lodge dues.

Their request

Aggreeably to the instructions of this Lodge a Committee wrote the Grand Lodge on this Subject last March but have not yet recd. an answer. was to know whether further indulgence could be given in paying the dues. We wish an answer as soon as practicable.

We are Sir,

Fraternally your obedient Servants

Elias Hicks, Sec.

Elias Comstock
Leonard Weed

P. S. Please direct your Communication to the Post Office at Pontiac, Oakland Co'y, Michigan T'y.

E. Comstock."

Another letter written Nov. 2 of the same year, contained a remittance of twenty dollars and asked that the remainder of the dues standing against that Lodge be remitted, and the request being read in Grand Lodge December 7, 1825, the balance of the dues of this Lodge were remitted to December 22, 1825.

November 2, 1825, Brother Leonard Weed, then Worshipful Master of this Lodge, notified the Grand Lodge of its removal from Pontiac to Auburn, in this letter:

"The Lodge is moved from Pontiack to the Village of Auburn, more in the sentre of its members, and if it meets the aprobation of the Grand Lodge we wish it mite be inserted in the Charter to that efect as the Town or Village at present is left a blank in the Charter. The returns are maid out from the Instalation up to 27 of Dec. 5825, as inserted in the letter

Leonard Weed"

This was the pioneer of the country Lodges of Michigan, the only two others existing at that time being located in the city of Detroit. The members were warm-hearted and enthusiastic, and exerted a marked influence upon Michigan Masonry at that early day. The earliest records of this Lodge have not been preserved, but from the evidence attainable, it was an active Lodge and enjoyed, in a marked degree, the good will of all Lodges existing in Michigan in its day.

Although apparently in thorough harmony with the movement to organize the Grand Lodge of Michigan in 1826, this Lodge was not represented in the convention held in June of that year for the purpose of such organization, but at the July meeting, when the Grand Lodge was organized, it was represented by Brother Leonard Weed, its Worshipful Master, who was accredited as being "proxy

for the Oakland Lodge and entitled to three votes," and at the first election of Grand Lodge Officers, held at this meeting, he was elected Junior Grand Warden, thus most fully identifying Oakland Lodge with the newly formed Grand Lodge of Michigan and releasing her from the jurisdiction of the Grand Lodge of New York, which was confirmed by a letter from Oakland Lodge, acknowledging the jurisdiction of the Grand Lodge of Michigan.

Brother Smith Weeks, another active member of Oakland Lodge, was also present at this organization meeting of the Grand Lodge on July 31st, 1826. Such was his zeal for Masonry, he walked the entire distance from his home to Detroit, twenty-five miles, to be present on that occasion, returning after the meeting in the same manner. He was at that time elected Grand Chaplain, being the first to fill this position in Michigan. He was a local preacher of the Methodist Church, and probably the first preacher of that denomination in Oakland county. He died in 1829, aged sixty-two

years.

In 1825, about three years after its organization, Oakland Lodge had been removed from Pontiac, where it was originally established, to the little village of Auburn, three miles distant, and held its meet

It is related of Brother Weed's third wife, (for he was married four times,) that on one occasion when the Lodge was holding a

meeting in his house, a young man living near there came to be initiated. He was seated in the kitchen with Mrs. Weed and daughter while preparations were made for his reception in the little Lodge room above. Mrs. Weed, being fond of a joke, said to her daughter, "I understand they are going to make some Masons up stairs to-night. You had better get the gridiron on the stove so as to have it ready." The daughter brought the old family gridiron and placed it on the top of the stove and the young man at once became nervous and fidgetty. He soon took up his hat and walked out of doors and when he was sent for to go to the Lodge room, he was nowhere to be found. The gridiron was too much for him.

Brother Ebenezer Smith was another enthusiastic member of this Lodge, and in 1826, he gave a deed of a lot in that village to Lewis Cass, as Governor, and to his successors in office, for the use of a public school and a Masonic Lodge. This deed is recorded in the Register's office in that county as follows:

"THIS INDENTURE, made this first day of May in the year of our Lord one thousand eight hundred and twenty-six, between Ebenezer Smith of the village of Auburn in the county of Oakland, and Lydia, his wife, of the first part, and Lewis Cass, Governor of Michigan and his successors in office of the second part, WITNESSETH that the said party of the first part, for and in consideration of one hundred dollars to them in hand paid, by the said party of the second part, the receipt of which is hereby acknowledged, do by these presents grant, bargain, sell, remise, alien, release, convey and confirm, unto the said Lewis Cass, Governor, as aforesaid, and to his successors in office forever, all that certain lot or piece of land situate in Auburn aforesaid, and known and distinguished as part of section thirty-six in range ten East of Township three north, commencing at the quarter section stake on the north line of said section thirty-six, running thence south seven rods, thence west six rods, thence north seven rods, thence east along said section line six rods to the place of beginning, containing forty-two square rods of land, be the same more or less, together with all and singular the improvements and appurtenances to the same belonging or appertaining, and all the estate, right, title and interest whatsoever of the said party of the first part either in law or equity, of, in and to the same, to have and to hold the said premises to the said party of the second part and to his successors as aforesaid for the use of a common school to be kept on said premises, and for the use of a Free Mason Lodge to be there held, and for no other use or purpose whatever. And the said party of the first part, for themselves, their heirs, executors and administrators do covenant, grant, promise and agree to and with the said party of the second part and his successors