156

Manuscript of Connecticut Masonic rituals.

[Connecticut], circa 1797-1819
[56], [54] manuscript pages. 2 manuscript volumes, each 4to, 7½ x 6¼ inches, stitched, laid into a worn calf wrapper; a few leaves detached and worn, otherwise minor wear to contents.

  • Notes: These two volumes have very similar contents, including a description of Masonic rituals, a copy of the Masonic oath, a diagram of "Order of the Lodge in the Admittence of Men," and a lengthy catechism of questions and answers regarding masonry. While London is mentioned at least once, another passage is explicitly American: "To the heart that conceals and the tongue that never reveals to the Presidand of the United States" (pages [19] and [20]). 

    This volume has Connecticut provenance. A few names of lodge members appear. Ariel Mitchelson (1774-1852) of Simsbury CT signed one volume, and his brother Howard Mitchelson (1779-1817) is listed as a 1797 member along with Julius Farnham, Thomas Holcomb, and Seth Holcomb in nearby Granby, CT. Two later signatures of Memucan Peck (1801-1890) appear, one of them dated 1819. He was born in Hartford County, CT and later moved to Pennsylvania and Iowa. 
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