Masonic Connections in an Early Illinois Masonic Lodge

by Midnight Freemason Emeritus Contributor

Brian L. Pettice, 33˚

As part of last year’s celebration of the 175th Anniversary of the Charter of Olive Branch Lodge 38 in Danville, Illinois, the lodge shared this piece illustrating how connections between the lodge, a few of its members, Abraham Lincoln, and one of those member’s daughters affected each of their lives, as well as the course and history of the nation.

Ward Hill Lamon was the fifth Master of Olive Branch Lodge No. 38. Of Brother Lamon, Brother Gilbert Haven Stephens for the Special Section of the September 29, 1946,  Danville Commercial-News, wrote, “We now come to the next master of Olive Branch lodge and find him a man not only well known in the city and county but really a national character—Ward H. Lamon. He came from Virginia to Illinois in 1847 and practiced law, later becoming a law partner with Lincoln. It is said that the partnership was successful because Lincoln did the work but would never charge for his services, while Lamon always collected liberal fees. It was a notable partnership too, physically as well as mentally, for Lincoln was six-feet four and Lamon was six-feet two. Lincoln was quaint, direct, and practical while Lamon was inclined to be flowery and fervid. Above all other characteristics, Lamon was fearless and for that reason Lincoln chose him as his companion and bodyguard on his trip to Washington in March of 1861 when he knew of the threats and plots to assassinate or lynch him.

There were plots revealed almost daily and Lamon had the responsibility of breaking them up. This was hard because the President often broke away from the protection of those who guarded him and would be found walking alone to the stores or on a visit to his friends. Lamon was not present when the President was assassinated.”

While Brother Stephens gave a wonderful synopsis of Lamon’s relationship with Lincoln given the brevity required by breadth of his overall subject, the 100 year history of the lodge, and the space limits placed on him by the medium he was writing for, a special section of the local paper, there were some things he didn’t mention that are important to the subject we are looking at today.

According to author Michael Burlingame’s book Abraham Lincoln: A Life, Ward Hill Lamon, and fellow Olive Branch Past Master Oliver Davis were among those Eighth Circuit attorneys who descended upon the 1860 Republican convention in Chicago and, directed by Eighth Circuit Judge and future Associate Justice of the Supreme Court David Davis, persuaded the delegates to turn from presumptive nominee William H. Seward and nominate Abraham Lincoln as the Republican candidate for President of the United States. So, Lamon’s connection and, through him and Oliver Davis, Olive Branch Lodge’s connection to Lincoln, in some small part, helped to propel Lincoln to the Presidency and lead to the events that would carry the country into civil war and change the course of its history.

Brother Stephens also didn’t mention that among Lamon’s children would be a daughter who would grow up to be a woman, in many respects, ahead of her time. She would deal with personal tragedy and, with the help of another brother from Olive Branch Lodge, find success, see the world, and live life on her own terms.

Former Danville resident and Commercial-News reporter, Kevin Cullen wrote in an article published in the Commercial-News on June 16, 2019, “When Dorothy Lamon Teillard died in 1953, at age 95, the Commercial-News noted that the last local living link to Abraham Lincoln was broken. Teillard was the last surviving child of Ward Hill Lamon— Lincoln’s law partner in Danville, his bodyguard in Washington and his true friend.”

Born on November 13, 1858 to Ward Hill and Angeline Lamon, Dolly, as she was known lived an incredible life.

According to Linda McCarty in her article, ‘Miss Dolly’ Offers Look at Colorful Life New Book Explores Woman with ‘Grace, Strength, Intelligence’, published in the August 20, 2003 edition of The Winchester Star Winchester, VA, Dolly’s mother died five months after she was born and she was raised in Danville by an aunt and uncle. As a young girl, she visited her father in Washington, DC, and related her memories of a carriage ride with her father and the President. In 1880 she was married to William Carnahan of Danville. The couple would have two children. One child died in infancy and a daughter, Ruth, would die of diphtheria when she was nearly four in 1886. In 1885, Dolly’s husband left her and Ruth. Dolly became a single, working mother at a time when that was very rare. 1885 also marked the year that a brother from Olive Branch Lodge offered her a job that would change her life. That brother, General John Charles Black, was at the time the U.S. Commissioner of Pensions. He offered her a job in Washington, D.C. She was eminently qualified and successful in her government career and it enabled her to maintain her independence and offered her opportunities to travel. She took many trips to Europe and eventually married Xavier Teillard, who had tutored her in French prior to one of her Paris trips. The couple would move to France in 1921. Xavier would pass in 1934, but Dolly would stay there until 1941 when World War II would force her to return to the United States.

Undoubtedly though, her connection to a brother of Olive Branch Lodge and his offer to help the child of his Masonic brother changed the course of her life. Brother Black and Brother Lamon also shared another connection as Brother Black’s actions would also contribute to the Union victory in the Civil War and he too would go on to be a National Figure.

Lottie E. Jones in her book, History of Vermilion County Illinois, A Tale of Its Evolution, Settlement and progress for Nearly a Century Volume 1, would say of that brother, “1847 was the year that John Charles Black came to Vermilion County with his mother. He was but a boy of eight years of age and he made Danville his home during his youth and young manhood. It was from Danville he went to college, and in Danville he lived after the war, in which he distinguished himself, was over.”

According to the Biographical Directory of the United States Congress, Brother Black was born in Lexington, Mississippi January 27, 1839. He attended school in Danville and college at Wabash College in Crawfordsville, Indiana, graduating after the close of the Civil War. He served in the Union Army from April 14, 1861, to August 15, 1865. Entering the war as a private he would be promoted to sergeant major, major, lieutenant colonel, and colonel before being brevetted brigadier general. He would receive the Congressional Medal of Honor (he and his brother William would be the first pair of brothers to receive the Congressional Medal of Honor). He studied law and was admitted to the bar in 1867. He served as Commissioner of Pensions from March 17, 1885, to March 27, 1889. He was elected as a Democrat to the Fifty-third Congress serving from March 4, 1893, to January 12, 1895. He was appointed United States Attorney for the northern district of Illinois from 1895-1899. He was commander in chief of the Grand Army of the Republic in 1903 and 1904. He was a member of the United States Civil Service Commission from 1904-1913.

Brother Black also served the Grand Lodge of Illinois as Grand Orator in 1894 and 1895. Brother Black died on August 17, 1915. He is interred in Spring Hill Cemetery, Danville, Illinois.

All of these people lived in the same times and lived formative parts of their lives in the same place, but they also had other connections in common. They had in common Olive Branch 38 and its lessons of integrity and loyalty—the obligation it instilled to care for each other and their fellow men. They lived these lessons as best they could and provided an example for all of us to follow.

~BLP

Brian L. Pettice, 33° is a Past Master of Anchor Lodge No. 980 and plural member of Olive Branch Lodge No. 38 in Danville, IL and an Honorary Member of a couple of others. He is also an active member of both the York and Scottish Rites. He cherishes the Brothers that have become Friends over the years and is thankful for the opportunities Freemasonry gives and has given him to examine and improve himself, to meet people he might not otherwise have had chance to meet, and to do things he might not otherwise have had a chance to do. He is employed as an electrician at the University of Illinois and lives near Alvin, IL with his wife Janet and their son Aidan. He looks forward to sharing the joy the fraternity brings him with others. His email address is aasrmason@gmail.com.

Abraham Lincoln's Lesson To Freemasons

by Midnight Freemasons Contributor

Todd E. Creason, 33°, FMLR 

"Whatever you are, be a good one."

~Abraham Lincoln

16th President of the United States

I've told this story before, and most Masons know that Abraham Lincoln wasn't a Freemason.  But it was Lincoln's intention to join later.  That story of Abraham Lincoln's decision not to join Freemasonry may provide Freemasons with something to think about today.

Lincoln applied for membership in Tyrian Lodge, in Springfield, Illinois, shortly after his nomination for the presidency in 1860.  However, after further consideration he withdrew his petition because he didn't want his motives for joining to be misconstrued as an attempt to garner favor amongst Freemasons in order to obtain votes in the upcoming election. It was his intention to resubmit his application when he returned from the presidency.  It was a decision that without question gained him a great deal of respect from the members of Tyrian Lodge.

Think about that for a moment.  Abraham Lincoln withdrew his petition, because he knew some might misconstrue his motives for joining.  In fact, he may have gained a few more votes if he had become a Mason in 1860.  But Lincoln didn't want anyone to believe he had used the good name of the Freemasons for personal gain.  Like many famous Masons who had come before him, and many who have lived in the years since, he wished for his good name and conduct to reflect positively on our Fraternity, rather than to be viewed as using the Fraternity to promote and advance himself.

It's a good lesson for Masons to reflect on today.  As I've said many times, as the author of a couple books about Famous American Freemasons--Freemasonry's best advertisement has always been Freemasons.  A true Freemason always strives to improve himself-- to possess the qualities associated with men of good character.  But there are those out there that get that backwards--instead of creating themselves as an exemplar of Freemasonry, they use Freemasonry to advertise themselves.  And even though Abraham Lincoln wasn't a Freemason, he understood Freemasonry well enough to know that it would be better to join later rather than sooner so that his motives wouldn't seem self-serving.  It provides a good insight into Abraham Lincoln's character. 

Think about that this week.  What were your motives to join the Fraternity?  To improve yourself and serve as an example of a true and upright Mason?  Or did you join, as Lincoln feared his petition would be viewed, in order to promote and advance yourself through the good name of the Fraternity? 

~TEC

Todd E. Creason, 33°, FMLR is the Founder of the Midnight Freemasons blog and is a regular contributor.  He is the author of several books and novels, including the Famous American Freemasons series. He is the author of the From Labor to Refreshment blog.  He is a Past Master of Ogden Lodge No. 754 (IL), and currently serves as the Secretary, and is also a member of Homer Lodge No. 199 where he serves as Senior Warden.  He is a member the Scottish Rite Valley of Danville, the York Rite Bodies of Champaign/Urbana (IL), the Ansar Shrine (IL), Eastern Illinois Council No. 356 Allied Masonic Degrees, Charter President of the Illini High Twelve in Champaign-Urbana (IL), and a Fellow of the Missouri Lodge of Research.  He is a charter member of a new Illinois Royal Arch Chapter, Admiration Chapter U.D.  He was named the 2014 Illinois Secretary of the Year Award by the Illinois Masonic Secretaries Association.  You can contact him at: webmaster@toddcreason.org

An Uncanny Coincidence

by Midnight Freemason

Steven L. Harrison, PM, FMLR

     Late one night on a crowded train platform in Jersey City, a crowd pressed forward to purchase

sleeping car tickets from a conductor.  Among those in the crowd was one of the most famous actors of the time, Edwin Booth, a member of New York Lodge 330.  As the crowd pushed forward, a young man was shoved into the space between the platform and the train.  At the same time the train began to move.  The young man, a soldier, was helpless to do anything and headed for certain death, until Brother Booth grabbed him and pulled him back to the platform.  The young solder later described the episode this way:

Brother Edwin Booth

     "The incident occurred while a group of passengers were late at night purchasing their sleeping car places from the conductor who stood on the station platform at the entrance of the car. The platform was about the height of the car floor, and there was of course a narrow space between the platform and the car body. There was some crowding, and I happened to be pressed by it against the car body while waiting my turn. In this situation the train began to move, and by the motion I was twisted off my feet, and had dropped somewhat, with feet downward, into the open space, and was personally helpless, when my coat collar was vigorously seized and I was quickly pulled up and out to a secure footing on the platform. Upon turning to thank my rescuer I saw it was Edwin Booth, whose face was of course well known to me, and I expressed my gratitude to him, and in doing so, called him by name."

     Brother Booth modestly went about his business and for awhile thought nothing more of the incident.  Just a few months later the Civil War ended and amidst the celebration of that event the country was shocked and saddened when its leader Abraham Lincoln lost his life to an assassin.  Edwin Booth was further saddened in that Lincoln's killer was his own Brother, John Wilkes Booth.

Robert Lincoln

     Meanwhile, the soldier related the story of his near-death experience to another officer, Colonel Adam Badeau, who was a friend of Edwin Booth.  Colonel Badeau subsequently wrote a letter to Booth, congratulating him on saving the soldier's life.  It was not until he received the letter, that Brother Edwin knew the man whose life he had saved was Robert Lincoln.

     In an uncanny coincidence, the brother of the man who killed Abraham Lincoln saved the life of Lincoln's son.

     Shocked over the tragedy of the President's death and sickened by the fact that his Brother was the killer, the fact he had saved the life of Lincoln's son offered some small degree of comfort to Brother Edwin Booth.

~SLH

Steve Harrison, 32° KCCH, is a Past Master of Liberty Lodge #31, Liberty, Missouri.  He is the editor of the Missouri Freemason magazine, author of the book Freemasonry Crosses the Mississippi, a Fellow of the Missouri Lodge of Research and also its Senior Warden.  He is a dual member of Kearney Lodge #311, St. Joseph Missouri Valley of the Scottish Rite, Liberty York Rite, Moila Shrine and is a member of the DeMolay Legion of Honor.

Was A Freemason Responsible For The American Civil War?

by Midnight Freemasons contributor

Todd E. Creason



Abraham Lincoln- the last casualty of the Civil War.

We all learned the same story.  On April 12, 1861, shortly after Abraham Lincoln was inaugurated, the Civil War began when the first shots were fired by the rebel army on Fort Sumpter when Lincoln ordered the Fort, which was desperately low on provisions, to be supplied.  There’s no question that’s when the war between the states began—right?

Actually, no—that’s incorrect.

In early 1861, the President of the United States, and Freemason, James Buchanan would have been very pleased to let the already simmering Civil War fall on the shoulders of the man that would follow him in a very short time—Abraham Lincoln.  To say that President Buchanan was ill-prepared to handle something as volatile as the Civil War is putting it mildly.  There is a reason I never profiled James Buchanan in my Famous American Freemasons series.  Buchanan wasn’t a very good example, and history remembers him as the President that could have, and should have done more to prevent the war between the states.  If he had, he could have saved 600,000 lives on both sides of the bloody conflict. 

15th President and Freemason James Buchanan

However, in January of 1861, the recently occupied garrison in Charleston Harbor, called Fort Sumpter, was running desperately low on supplies.  The pressure on Buchanan was  tremendous, and he was backed into a corner, and ordered the merchant vessel the Star of the West to resupply the garrison.  But a Confederate sympathizer in Buchanan’s own cabinet, Secretary of State John Floyd, tipped off the rebel army that the supply ship was coming, and the rebel army was ready.  The first shots of the Civil War were fired on the Star of the West on January 9, 1861, when the Confederate Army unleashed its first heavy artillery bombardment of the Civil War against the supply ship.  Three of those shots hit the Star of the West, and the ship quickly turned tail and ran back to open water.

The first shots of the Civil War had already been fired, months before Abraham Lincoln became President of the United States. 

Of course one of the first things Lincoln did as President was to re-order the provisioning of Fort Sumpter.  If they were low on supplies in January, they were desperate and starving in April.  This second attempt to re-supply Fort Sumpter is the one history remembers and we learned about in school—those shots that were fired on April 12, 1861.

So yes, the President of the United States at the time the first shots were fired during the American Civil War was a Freemason. 

The Masonic Record: 

James Buchanan was a member of Lancaster Lodge No. 43, Pennsylvania.  Abraham Lincoln petitioned Tyrian Lodge in Springfield, Illinois in 1860, and later withdrew his petition when he decided to run for President of the United States.  He was afraid his petition would be seen as an attempt to pander for the votes of Freemasons—something he was unwilling to do.  It was his intention to re-submit his petition and receive the degrees of Freemasonry after his Presidency was over—a promise he never had a chance to fulfill. 

 

~TEC

Additional Note:  It has long been believed that L. Frank Baum, the author of The Wizard of Oz based his character of the Wizard on James Buchanan.  The wizard being a man ill-prepared for the high office of leadership he held, and ill-prepared to deal with a conflict like the Wicked Witch of the West.  The Wizard held the highest office in the land, but behind that title, there was no real leadership.  It was nothing besides smoke and mirrors.  This same theory applies to the Scarecrow, who is believed to be based on the character of Abraham Lincoln.  A man from the fields and farms of the Midwest, who many believed didn’t have the brains to run the country, and surprised everyone with what he was able to do with his homespun ability to get his ideas across, and his common sense leadership style.  Most of us don’t know the rest of the story of Wizard of Oz, but eventually, the Scarecrow becomes a great leader in the land of Oz. 

Hiking Through History: Carle Park (Urbana, IL)

So I took another long history walk over my lunch hour to Carle Park in Urbana.  It's located in a quiet residential area of Urbana, across from Urbana High School.  I'd never been there before, and I found quite an unexpected surprise in this beautiful eight-acre park that was established in 1909--a famous bronze of Abraham Lincoln sculpted by famed artist Lorado Taft.

Lincoln the Lawyer
by Lorado Taft

Lincoln the Lawyer is a remarkable statue--Lincoln seems relaxed wearing a bow tie and long coat.  He's leaning against the ends of a large slab, and one knee is bent as he gazes over to his right.  It's a stunning statue, and recently underwent restoration.

The artist, Lorado Taft became interested in art at the University of Illinois.  His father was a professor of Geology, and as a fourteen year old boy, he help unpack, repair, and arrange the first sculpture collection at the University.  He earned his bachelor's degree and his master's degree at the University of Illinois before going to study in Paris.  He later became an instructor at the Art Institute of Chicago.  He became very famous in his lifetime, and when the World's Fair came to Chicago in 1893, he became the superintendent of all the the sculpture for the exposition.

Sculptor Lorado Taft

Taft's Lincoln the Lawyer bronze has an interesting history as well.  It was originally displayed near the Urbana Lincoln Hotel, which was the original location of Kerr's Tavern (very near the courthouse where Lincoln practiced)--the tavern was place Lincoln was known to frequent while he was riding the circuit.  The statue was dedicated in 1927, but later, there were some squabbles over the ownership of the land the statue was on, and it was moved to Carle Park.  At the statue's original dedication, Lincoln scholar William E. Barton described it best.  He said, "Abraham Lincoln comes to Urbana again, where for years he was not a stranger, where lawyers and tavern keepers knew him.  Back he comes to permanently abide in the community.  Here where his fame increased and his reputation grew with each visit, he comes again and comes to remain."

Now I'd tell you more about Lorado Taft, the sculptor, but Lincoln the Lawyer isn't the only mark that Lorado Taft made here . . . in fact, there were several more.  Great places for a fat guy to walk and describe to you in future installments of the series.

~TEC
 

Freemason Trivia: Constitutional Union Party of 1860

Campaign Poster (1860)
Constitutional Union Party

 

Bro. John Bell
King Solomon Lodge No. 6, TN

During the hotly contested election of 1860, a third party was formed to go up against Abraham Lincoln--The United States Constitution Union Party.  The party was formed by former Whigs and Know-Nothings by former United States Senator (TN) and Speaker of the House, John Bell. 


Bro. Samuel Houston
Holland Lodge No. 36, LA

John Bell sought the nomination, and in the end finally received it after a second ballot.  He had a little more competition for the nomination from within the new party than he had anticipated--namely from the larger-than-life governor (and former President) of Texas, Samuel Houston.

Of course, in the end, the fractured Democatic Party and the Constitutional Union Party had little chance of succeeding against Abraham Lincoln and the mostly united Republican party that dominated the North. 

But the interesting thing to note, is that both John Bell, and Samuel Houston were Freemasons.

~TEC 

Great Read: Killing Lincoln

This is a great read whether you enjoy history or not.  In Killing Lincoln, Bill O'Reilly has reconstructed the last two weeks of Lincoln's life.  It reads much like fiction, and in fact, much like good fiction it's difficult to put down.  We see the world of 1865 from several perspectives--Abraham Lincoln's, John Wilkes Booth's, Ulysses S. Grant's, Robert E. Lee's.  It was an interesting way to put it together, and it was very well done.  But I will tell you, it was difficult to read at times, because we all know how it ends--with the tragic death of one of America's greatest Presidents.

Now there isn't much new here for the history aficionado, but for the armchair history buff, there is no question you'll learn a thing or two as you're enjoying this story.  I wish more books were written like this one--history needs a vehicle in which to get out of the college classroom and into the mainstream again.  It's shocking how little the average American knows today about their history. 

But if you read this, at least you'll know a little something about Abraham Lincoln, and the final days of the American Civil War.

ABOUT BILL O'REILLY

Bill O'Reilly is arguably the best known, most written about, and most discussed news personality on television. "The O'Reilly Factor" on the Fox News Channel is certainly the most watched by a wide margin, and is seen in more than thirty countries.  He's also the best-selling author of several books.

~TEC

Abraham Lincoln: Freemason Or Not?

It is often said (incorrectly) that Abraham Lincoln was a Freemason.  The records are very clear--Lincoln was not a Freemason.

Now don't get the idea that it wasn't Abraham Lincoln's intention to be a Freemason--because it was.  He applied for membership in Tyrian Lodge, in Springfield, Illinois, shortly after his nomination for the presidency in 1860.  However, he withdrew his petition because he didn't want his motives for joining to be misconstrued as an attempt to garner favor in order to obtain votes. He advised the lodge that he would resubmit his application again when he returned from the presidency.  It was a decision that gained him a great deal of respect from the members of Tyrian Lodge. 

As we know, he never had a chance to fulfill that promise to join Tyrian Lodge in Springfield--he was assassinated at Ford's Theatre in Washington by John Wilkes Booth on April 14, 1865.

On the death of the president, Tyrian Lodge adopted a resolution that said "that the decision of President Lincoln to postpone his application for the honours of Freemasonry, lest his motives be misconstrued, is the highest degree honourable to his memory."

Tyrian Lodge still exists today, and those original documents are still around.  Most Freemasons agree that Abraham Lincoln would have made a good Freemason, as he demonstrated throughout his life those principles and ideals that the fraternity holds in such high regards.

So now you know.

~TEC

Todd E. Creason is the author of Famous American Freemasons: Volumes I & II where you'll find many other great stories about famous Freemasons.