The Future Of The Midnight Freemasons Blog

by Midnight Freemasons Founder and Editor

Todd E. Creason, 33°

Remember me?  Probably not . . . it's been awhile.

Back in 2007, I created a blog called “The Midnight Freemason” and I used that blog to post research leftovers from the books and the articles I was writing about Freemasonry at the time.  Despite much conjecture over the years, the title of the blog doesn’t have any deep Masonic meaning at all.  It merely described my writing habits—working a full-time job, I often wrote late into the night.  A friend had once commented that when his phone alerted him to an email after midnight, he always knew who it was.  That was me—the Midnight Freemason.  Hence, the title of the blog.

I posted three times a week on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays.  For the first year, nobody seemed to notice.  And then a strange thing happened.  I’d go to a meeting somewhere and people would say, “I know who you are.  You’re the Midnight Freemason!”  And for the first five years it grew.  And it grew.  And it grew.  And I ran out of research leftovers, and began writing content just for the blog.  And that got harder and harder to maintain. 

By 2012 it was getting to be too much, and I called a few friends in to provide content.  Among the original contributors were Greg Knott (wrote the first contributor piece), Steve Harrison, Robert Johnson, Scott Niccum, Judy Gordon, Michael Shirley, and Brian Pettice.  I hope I didn’t leave anybody out. 

We retitled the blog “The Midnight Freemasons” (plural) and it has been a contributor blog ever since.  It was tremendous fun.  Many of us were friends, and every time we got a group of us in a room together we’d take a “Midnight Freemasons” picture.  And the blog grew, and more and more lodges found it, and were using pieces for their lodge education, and were asking permission to reprint pieces in newsletters and websites.  Over the years we’ve had more than 30 regular contributors and countless contributions we’ve published as “one time” articles. 

Robert Johnson took over as the first editor, and I began taking a step back.  He took the blog to a whole new level.  Later Darin Lahners stepped in, and has done amazing work collecting, and editing, and posting all this material.  Bill Hosler also played a huge role in managing the Midnight Freemasons.  Over the years we’ve gone from posting three days a week, to once a week, and then most recently to whenever we had a good piece to share.  And I think that was a wise decision to make—quality over quantity.  But now we’re in a new place.

Darin Lahners has decided it is time for him to explore some new projects and do some research into areas he’s interested in learning more about, and has stepped down as the editor.  And now it’s back to me.  And I’m trying to decide what to do with the blog. 

One thing I’m certain of—it’s not going away.  Too many people enjoy it.  We’re still getting 50,000 and sometimes as many as 100,000 hits a month.  That’s amazing!

If nothing else it will stay up as an archive of thousands of pieces that have been written and published over the last 19 years or so.  I’m leaning towards continuing it as a contributor blog, and being a more active contributor again myself.  But there might be some changes coming.  I’ll keep you posted.

I’d like to thank our editors over the years.  And all those contributors and the countless hours they’ve spent writing such amazing content!  That’s what’s made this work.  And, of course, our enthusiastic readers! 

Stay tuned!  There’s more to come!

~TEC33

Todd E. Creason, 33° is the Founder and (once again) the Editor of the Midnight Freemasons blog. He is an award-winning author of several books and novels, including the Famous American Freemasons series. Todd started the Midnight Freemason blog in 2006, and in 2012 he opened it up as a contributor blog The Midnight Freemasons (plural). Todd has written more than 1,000 pieces for the blog since it began. He is a Past Master of Ogden Lodge No. 754 (IL) where he currently serves as Secretary. He is a Past Sovereign Master of the Eastern Illinois Council No. 356 Allied Masonic Degrees. He is a Fellow at the Missouri Lodge of Research (FMLR). He is a charter member of Admiration Chapter No. 282 and is a Past EHP. You can contact him at webmaster@toddcreason.org

From the Archives: Being A True And Upright Mason

by Midnight Freemasons Founder

(originally published 6/13/13)

Todd E. Creason

"To every action, there is an equal and opposite reaction."

~Newton's Third Law of Motion

I can't help but think that Newton's Third Law of Motion doesn't just apply to motion. In fact, it applies to a lot of things. It can apply to life as well, and to a way of living. Just think how many sayings are similar to Newton's Law that apply to a lot of different things. How many times have we heard the saying "what goes around comes around." Generally, when somebody uses that expression, it means that when you do something rotten to somebody, eventually, it comes back on you. But the same can be said of good deeds as well. Another version says it better--you reap what you sow. You do good things, you get good things, and when you do bad things, you better get ready for bad things to come back to you. But all these sayings are suggesting the same thing. That when you live your life with the intent of doing good things, you're rewarded with good things.

That idea has been around for a long, long time. It's ancient wisdom, and it's been around for so long, because there is great truth in the idea that great things come to those that live to do great things. There's a version of that idea in every culture and every major religion. It could be called a lot of things. It could be called goodwill towards man. It could be called "creating good Karma." It could be called gratitude. It could be called living "The Golden Rule." Masons call it living like a true and upright Mason.

After I was raised a Master Mason, minutes after the lodge was closed, a young man probably fifteen years my junior came over and sat down next to me. I knew who he was--he had been my safe conductor through all three of my degrees. He never spoke to me after my first two degrees, so I was a little surprised when he came over and sat down next to me as I sat on the sidelines in the lodge room trying to absorb all that had just happened. I knew something had just happened. Something had just clicked in me. But I certainly didn't know then that my life had just changed in a very significant way. He sat down and gave me a piece of advice that I've never forgotten. It was a version of the same idea I'm talking about here. He told me that the thing about Freemasonry is, you get out of it what you put into it.

It took a little time for me to figure out that "putting into it" was more than sitting in a chair, and memorizing a few lines of ritual. The more time I spent with Masons, the more I seemed to change for the better. It can be a powerful influence being surrounded by men of good character. It makes you want to work on your own character. It makes you want to be a better man.

Of all the things I've done and accomplished since I've been a Mason, the one thing I think I've benefited from the most from these true and upright Masons, is the improvements to my own character--and that is the intent. To make good men better. I always credit the Fraternity for renewing my faith in mankind, and helping me erase that cynical view of the world I'd developed. I've done a lot of work chipping pieces off that ashlar. It's a little smoother now than when I joined, and I'm still working on it. And any Mason will tell you, that one of the most difficult undertakings you'll ever experience is being able to looking at yourself in the mirror honestly, and accepting the fact that you need a lot of work. Change is very hard.

It doesn't take long for a Master Mason to begin to realize the best way to improve yourself is through the things you do for others. Being honest in your dealings with mankind. Being dependable and hardworking. Being charitable. Being willing to give a helping hand where you can. Giving back to others with no expectation of reward. And the more you work on doing these things, the greater that desire becomes to do more. It's a fact, you just can't receive without giving.

Freemasons don't hold a patent on these ideas. As I said, it's ancient wisdom. But over centuries, the Freemasons have certainly learned an excellent way to teach it. By example.

~TEC

Todd E. Creason, 33° is the founder of the Midnight Freemasons blog, and author of several books and novels, including the Famous American Freemasons series. He is the Master of Homer Lodge No. 199, and a Past Master of Ogden Lodge No. 754 (IL). 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, and Charter President of the Illini High Twelve in Champaign-Urbana (IL).

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A Friday Thought . . .

by Midnight Freemasons Founder

Todd E. Creason, 33°

I ran across this stunning image a couple weeks ago somewhere on social media.  I couldn't have said it any better myself . . . in fact, I HAVE said this a few times on here, but not as well.  Like it or not, when we represent ourselves as Freemasons, we represent the entire Fraternity. 

I used to say that Freemasonry's best advertising was its members.  In the social media age, I think that's working against us at times.  Let's remember who we are and what we represent when we interact with the world . . . and try to remember that when we represent ourselves as Freemasons to the world with a ring, a hat, a bumper sticker, or most especially on social media-- each of us represents ALL of us.

Social media has made the world a much smaller place.  Always remember for better or worse, you're somebody's impression of Freemasonry.  Just like the sign says.

~TEC

Todd E. Creason, 33° is an award winning author of several books and novels, including the Famous American Freemasons series.  He is the author of the the From Labor To Refreshment blog.  He is a Past Master of Homer Lodge No. 199 and Ogden Lodge No. 754 (IL) where he currently serves as Secretary.  He is a a Past Sovereign Master of the Eastern Illinois Council No. 356 Allied Masonic Degrees.  He is a Fellow at the Missouri Lodge of Research (FMLR).  He is a charter member of the a new Illinois Royal Arch Chapter, Admiration Chapter No. 282 and currently serves as EHP.  He is also a member of Tuscola Odd Fellows Lodge No. 316.  You can contact him at: webmaster@toddcreason.org

Why Do I Dress For Lodge?

by Midnight Freemasons Founder

Todd E. Creason, 33°

Three sharply dressed Midnight Freemasons at a Masonic education symposium.  Left to right: Greg Knott, Robert Johnson, and Todd Creason.

The topic of dressing for Lodge keeps coming up.  I made a comment on a discussion our editor Robert Johnson started the other night on social media.  I thought I’d expand on that remark a bit.

When I joined the Fraternity I didn’t own a jacket.  I’d been wearing a shirt and tie to work for years, but I’d never worn a jacket.   I was in my late thirties, and I didn’t even know my size.  I went and bought one days after I was raised.  It was the first of many new experiences I had when I became a Master Mason.  Part of becoming a Master Mason is learning to see ourselves differently.  I’ve become something different over time as a Mason.  Something better than I was. I didn’t join the Lodge to stay the same, I joined to change.  I didn’t join the Lodge to be accepted as I was—I joined the Lodge out of a desire to learn to be something more.

It was the culture of Masons in my Lodge to dress for degree work and special events, and so that’s what I do.  That's what I've done since the beginning.  We dress alike to show we’re Brothers.  We dress because we’re supposed to be leaders and examples in our community.  We dress to show respect for the due solemnity and importance of the work that we are doing.  We dress to impress upon our new members that what they are becoming a part of is very different from what they’ve known.  We dress so that when others in the community see us coming and going from the Lodge they know we must be doing something important.  

I’ve seen a number of young men dress in that jacket and tie for the first time since then.  I’ve taught a few of them how to tie a tie.  In fact that first jacket I bought somehow shrank over time (probably all the dinners), and I gave it to a new member to wear.  I’ve seen other Masons do the same thing.  When I joined the York Rite Chapter, I didn’t have a red jacket which is customarily worn in my area—and I didn’t really have the cash to lay out at that time to buy one.  My good friend Sean McBride was traveling with the Grand Chapter and found a jacket in his travels for me to wear.  That meant a lot to me at the time that he’d thought about me.  I was able to go to meetings properly dressed like my Brothers in Chapter.

Now a few people in that first discussion said they can’t dress for Lodge because they go right from work to Lodge.  So do I.  So do many more of us in my Lodge.  You know how many times I’ve changed at work before going to Lodge, or changed at the Lodge when I get there?  I wish I had a dollar for every time I’d changed into a suit in the bathroom of a funeral home prior to Masonic Funeral Rites.  I often leave my jacket and my apron at the Lodge so I don't have to run home for them when I'm pressed for time.  And I’m not the only one—you know what you see in cars parked outside my Lodge on a Royal Arch Chapter night?  Masons walking in carrying their suit bags.  There’s a difference between “can’t dress” and “don’t want to dress” for Lodge. 

Now whether or not you dress for Lodge should be up to the culture of your Lodge.  We don’t dress for regularly stated meetings.  Some Lodges do—in fact, I just visited one that wears a full tuxedo and gloves for their stated meetings!  I had Midnight Freemasons Greg Knott and Darin Lahners with me that night, and we all felt a little under-dressed in our suits.  But they accepted us as we were, and we enjoyed one of the best evenings and festive boards any of us had every experienced before.  Some Lodges wear blue suits.  Some wear black suits.  My Lodge just wants our members to wear a jacket and tie.  I usually wear the best combination of jacket, vest, and pants I can pull together from my closet that are free of stains--those pieces usually wind up belonging to about three different suits.  

I think a lot of the conflict over dress is about Lodges having a tradition to dress in a certain way, and a few new members disregarding it.  The established members get upset, and those that have disregarded the traditional standard of dress set by the Lodge get in a huff and say they shouldn't be judged by how they dress, and they don't have time to dress, and it's too expensive, and it's about the internal not the external qualifications of a man, etc.  At least that’s what I see during these debates almost without exception.  I've never really understood that.  I knew the members of my Lodge dressed up.  I'd seen it before I'd joined.  I looked forward to doing the same, and knew I'd have to buy some clothes after I was raised. If I had a problem with dressing up, I certainly wouldn't have joined a Masonic Lodge, because I knew full well that Masons dress up. 

Masonry is a tradition.  Each Lodge has its own unique identity and culture.  By all means, if your Lodge has a custom and a tradition to dress in a certain way either for all their events or certain events . . . respect it!  Freemasonry, and your Lodge in particular, shouldn’t have to change to accommodate you—the idea is that you’re going to change as a result of Freemasonry!  Isn't that why we joined? 

~TEC

Todd E. Creason, 33° is the Founder of the Midnight Freemasons blog, and an award winning author of several books and novels, including the Famous American Freemasons series. Todd started the Midnight Freemason blog in 2006, and in 2012 he opened it up as a contributor blog The Midnight Freemasons (plural). Todd has written more than 1,000 pieces for the blog since it began. He is a Past Master of Homer Lodge No. 199 and Ogden Lodge No. 754 (IL) where he currently serves as Secretary. He is a Past Sovereign Master of the Eastern Illinois Council No. 356 Allied Masonic Degrees. He is a Fellow at the Missouri Lodge of Research (FMLR). He is a charter member of the a new Illinois Royal Arch Chapter, Admiration Chapter No. 282 and currently serves as EHP. You can contact him at: webmaster@toddcreason.org

Freemasonry IS NOT For Everyone

by Midnight Freemasons Contributor

Todd E. Creason, 33°

Taken at the Washington Monument, Washington, D.C. (photo by Greg Knott)

Believe it or not, I don't carry petitions in my pocket. I don't walk around handing out petitions the same way banks walk around college campuses handing out credit card applications to students. I'm a quality over quantity guy. I'm looking for specific characteristics. I'm looking for men of good character. I'm looking for men with a desire and a capacity to learn. I'm looking for men who are trustworthy and personable. When I find that guy, that's when I might be inclined to bring up the subject of Freemasonry. I was told recently that makes me an elitist. I disagree. It makes me selective. 

Freemasonry has always been selective. Sometimes we forget that. We get all wrapped up in bringing in numbers, we forget there is a larger purpose. We're supposed to make good men better. Good men. The Fraternity has always looked for men of good report and well recommended. We're not looking for warm bodies, we're looking for men who want to grow--men who possess certain desirable traits.  We want a man that will not only benefit from Freemasonry, but will be a benefit to Freemasonry. 

I have an old friend who is angry with me. I've known him for decades--since we were kids. He was angry that a couple of our mutual friends have joined the Fraternity at my suggestion, but that I've never invited him to join. I decided to spare him my full reasoning and focus on the one thing that makes that impossible--he's an atheist. He just laughed and said that was no problem at all--he said he had no problem saying he believed in the existence of God. 

And that's exactly why I could never recommend him. 

So don't look for warm bodies to fill your rosters--that benefits nobody. What you should be looking for are men who would make good Masons.  When you start looking for those men, you might just be surprised at how many you'll find.

~TEC

Todd E. Creason, 33° is the Founder of the Midnight Freemasons blog and continues to be a regular contributor. He is also the author of the From Labor to Refreshment blog, where he posts on a regular schedule on topics relating to Freemasonry.  He is the author of several books and novels, including the Famous American Freemasons series. He is a Past Master of Ogden Lodge No. 754 (IL), and currently serves as Secretary, and is also a member of Homer Lodge No. 199.  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 was recently awarded the 2014 Illinois Secretary of the Year Award by the Illinois Masonic Secretaries Association.  You can contact him at: webmaster@toddcreason.org

From The Midnight Freemasons Archives: The Masonic Conspiracy Behind Rolling Rock Beer

by Midnight Freemasons Founder

Todd E. Creason, 33°

 

"Beer is proof that God loves us, and wants us to be happy."

~Benjamin Franklin

There has always been speculation that there is some connection between Latrobe's Rolling Rock Beer and the Freemasons--I mean, it's obvious, there's a '33' right on the bottle!  And the 33rd degree is the highest degree that can be attained by Freemasons.  Is it possible the Latrobe's were Freemasons?

It's one of those great beer controversies--where did the '33' come from?  Everyone seems to have a theory, and nobody has the definitive answer. 

And there are many theories:

-One common theory is that it was to celebrate the repeal of prohibition in 1933.  That was an important year for brewers and beer drinkers alike!

-Another legend is that the Rolling Rock brewery was started with money won at the horse track. The winning bet was placed on #33, "Old Latrobe," and that is why there is a horse and the '33' on the bottle.

-Another has it that brewers in those early days belonged to the local union #33.

-Another claims the reservoir the brewery got its water from was fed by 33 streams.

And the theories go on and on and on . . .

Sadly, the most likely version is the least exciting.  It may have simply been a printers mistake in the beginning.  This version of the story comes from a very reliable source--the former CEO of the company.  He was also very interested in where that '33' had come from--his name was James Tito.  What he discovered is actually very simple.

The slogan on the back of the bottle read originally:

"Rolling Rock – From the glass lined tanks of Old Latrobe, we tender this premium beer for your enjoyment as a tribute to your good taste. It comes from the mountain springs to you."

That's 33 words.  There were a number of different versions of the slogan in the beginning, but the Latrobe family finally settled on the shortest one--the one that ran only 33 words.  Somebody noted that in the margin, and when it went to the printers, the printers didn't realize that the 33 wasn't part of the text and included it. The mistake wasn't discovered until a large batch of bottles had been produced, and back in those days, the labels were painted right onto the bottles, and those bottles were reused, which explains why the mistake wasn't immediately corrected

And just maybe it wasn't corrected later because of the stir it had created when those bottles reached the public.  Everyone talking about and debating what that '33' meant and speculating about where it had come from.  Perhaps Latrobe saw that controversy as a good thing.  Here it is more than seventy years later, and people are still talking about it.  I guess you'd call that 'beer buzz'.

So that's the big Masonic conspiracy behind Rolling Rock Beer.  It doesn't have anything to do with the Freemasons at all.

Not to propagate a myth, but I can tell you, I do have it on good authority that at least one 33rd Degree Freemason enthusiastically approves of the product--he finds it crisp and refreshing with a easy-to-drink flavor. 

In fact, I think I'll go have one now . . . 

~TEC

I couldn't even guess when I wrote the original version of this piece.  Probably in 2007.  I rewrote it and expanded it after 2011 and again after 2015.  I added the Ben Franklin quote to this version.  Let's just say it's made the rounds over the years.  I like it because it's one of those weird conspiracy theories attributed to the Masons that people like to talk about--like the imagery on the the back of the Grand Seal of the United States that everyone claims is Masonic.  I thought I'd post it again--I saw a discussion on the topic in one of the Masonic social media groups.  They were both wrong as it turns out . . .  Enjoy!

Todd E. Creason, 33° is the Founder of the Midnight Freemasons blog, and an award winning author of several books and novels, including the Famous American Freemasons series. Todd started the Midnight Freemason blog in 2006, and in 2012 he opened it up as a contributor blog The Midnight Freemasons (plural). Todd has written more than 1,000 pieces for the blog since it began. He is a Past Master of Homer Lodge No. 199 and Ogden Lodge No. 754 (IL) where he currently serves as Secretary. He is a Past Sovereign Master of the Eastern Illinois Council No. 356 Allied Masonic Degrees. He is a Fellow at the Missouri Lodge of Research (FMLR). He is a charter member of the a new Illinois Royal Arch Chapter, Admiration Chapter No. 282 and currently serves as EHP. You can contact him at: webmaster@toddcreason.org

Are You The Next Midnight Freemason?

by Midnight Freemason Founder 

Todd E. Creason, 33°

 

Midnight Freemasons Founder Todd E. Creason writing after midnight from his bunker (cell) in an undisclosed location.

One of the things that makes the Midnight Freemasons so unique are our contributors, and those particular perspectives they share with our readers. Each of us here at the Midnight Freemasons have our own particular (or peculiar in my case) style and point of view. But almost without exception we write about Freemasonry not just from an academic perspective, but from a personal one. We write about the things we enjoy about the Fraternity. We write about those aspects of the Fraternity that fascinate us.  We talk about the ways we participate in our Lodges. We talk about the impact that Freemasonry has had on our lives—because as I’ve said before, Freemasonry isn't a monthly meeting, it’s a way of life.

But this dynamic we enjoy here certainly wasn’t something we planned back in 2012 when we launched as a contributor blog—it’s something that evolved over time. The strength and the success of our blog has always been dependent on our contributors and the words they’ve shared with us over the years. So I’ll get to the point. 

Do you have something you’ve written that you’d like to share with us? Do you write after midnight from a bunker in an undisclosed location?  That's all you need to be a guest contributor! Send us your piece and we'll look at it! If we like it, we’ll share it with our readers along with your photo and your by-line. 

Who knows, you may very well be invited to become the next Mason to join our family here at the Midnight Freemasons as a Regular Contributor. We’re always looking for new voices. We look forward to hearing from you! 

You can contact our editors at wcypodcast@gmail.com or darin.lahners@gmail.com

~TEC 

Todd E. Creason, 33° is the Founder of the Midnight Freemasons blog and is a regular contributor. He is the award-winning author of several books and novels, including the Famous American Freemasons series. He is a Past Master of Ogden Lodge No. 754 (IL) where he serves as Secretary. He is a Past Sovereign Master of the Eastern Illinois Council No. 356 Allied Masonic Degrees. He is a Fellow at the Missouri Lodge of Research. (FMLR). He is a charter member of Admiration Chapter No. 282 and is a Past EHP.  

George Washington's Oath: So Help Me God

by Midnight Freemasons Founder

Todd E. Creason

"So help me God, and keep me steadfast in the due performance of the same."

~Duncan's Ritual

We've all heard that phrase in our Lodges before.  It is with those words we take a solemn oath--and then we kiss the Holy Bible.  It's been a Masonic tradition for a long time.  It has long been held that George Washington took that Masonic tradition with him when he was sworn in as President of the United States.  He added the words "so help me God" to the end of his oath of office, and then kissed the Holy Bible--a Masonic altar Bible that was provided by St. John's Lodge No. 1 in New York no less.  And according to tradition, every United States President has added those four words "so help me God" to the end of their oath of office ever since.  It's a great story.  But there's a couple problems with that story. 

Most of us know that the words "so help me God" are not part of the oath as it's presented in the Constitution.  Those words were added later, and are considered the President-elect's option to use or exclude.  The fact that the tradition started with George Washington is also been questioned.  Those four words were in use as part of the oath in federal courtrooms at that time, so it was common practice when Washington was sworn in.  But, there is no evidence that Washington added those four words to his Presidential oath of office.  Comte de Moustier, the French foreign minister, attended the event, and in a long letter recorded the oath verbatim--he did not include the words "so help me God" in his account.  And for Washington, a man who presided over the Constitutional Convention in 1787, it would have been out of character for him to have changed those words recorded in the Constitution. 

 

The Washington Bible

So did George Washington kiss the Bible?  We don't know that for sure either, but it is less hotly debated than whether or not he said "so help me God" at the end of the oath.  The source of much of this legend of the Washington inaugural came into existence 60 years after the event, and can be attributed to Washington Irving.  Irving, as we all know, knew how to tell a story as we may remember from his famous stories "Rip Van Winkle" and "The Legend of Sleepy Hollow." 

So did Washington say "so help me God" and kiss the Bible?  We don't really know.  He may have done one, or the other, or neither.  Maybe he did both.  Or perhaps it was a great story shared by a great storyteller, Washington Irving. 

However, I like to think he did.  He was a Freemason, and as we all know those traditions become ingrained in us.  It becomes habit.  How many of us have accidentally said "so mote it be" after a prayer in our church on Sunday morning?  I have.  History very often misses the small details in very important events--especially small details that are familiar or commonplace by those attending.  Until we figure out time travel and go back and watch the event, we'll never know for sure.  Either way, it's either a great story about the great man George Washington, or it's a great story written by a great man Washington Irving.  Take your pick. 

What we do know, is the first real evidence that the phrase "so help me God" was used in the Presidential oath was in September 1881 when Chester Arthur was inaugurated.  There's no question about it--he said it.  Whether anyone did prior to Chester Arthur is anybody's guess.  However, we also know without question, that those optional words "so help me God" have been used by every President* since Chester Arthur, including our most recent President, Donald J. Trump.

And that's the truth as I know it . . . So help me God

~TEC

*There is one possible exception.  Teddy Roosevelt according to one source was reported to have said "and thus I swear" rather than "so help me God."  

Todd E. Creason, 33°, FMLR is the Founder of the Midnight Freemasons blog and is a regular contributor.  He is the award winning 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 the Worshipful Master of Homer Lodge No. 199 and a Past Master of Ogden Lodge No. 754, where is currently serves as Secretary.  He is the Sovereign Master of the Eastern Illinois Council No. 356 Allied Masonic Degrees.  He is a Fellow at the Missouri Lodge of Research. (FMLR) and a charter member of a new Illinois Royal Arch Chapter, Admiration Chapter U.D.  You can contact him at: webmaster@toddcreason.org