Craft Masonry in Suffolk County, New York - Onondaga and Oswego ...

My Brothers:
It is important that all New York Masons have knowledge of what the Grand Lodge is doing regarding a tragic accident that occurred
last week in which Brother William James died.
As Grand Master, I personally have spoken to the widow of our departed Brother, and communicated our deepest condolences and
sympathies to her and to her family. In Masonic tradition, a fund to assist the widow and her family has been established, and
contributions have begun to come in. Additional contributions may be sent to the Masonic Brotherhood Foundation for the Brother
William James Fund. The death of Brother William James on March 8, 2004 has been widely reported in the public media. We are
deeply anguished and outraged because a fellow Mason has died in an incident that never should have happened. Based on
currently available information, it appears that the death occurred during a Southside Fellowcraft Club social meeting held in the
basement of a building in Patchogue, New York where South Side Lodge No. 493 meets. Media reports reflecting a lack of
information and understanding of Freemasonry in New York may have created certain public misconceptions. The incident did not
involve a Masonic Lodge meeting, the use of a Masonic Lodge room, or any New York Masonic Ritual. The social club involved was
not itself a Grand Lodge sanctioned Masonic organization.
I have appointed a panel of respected and experienced Masons, all of whom are attorneys and some of whom also have
backgrounds in the judiciary, to review the activities and operation of social clubs that make use of Masonic premises in the State of
New York. Pending completion of that investigation, I have suspended the Charter and members of South Side Lodge No. 493. The
panel is charged to report back to counsel for the Grand Lodge within thirty to sixty days. The panel will make recommendations
intended to assure that such a tragedy never happens again.
Grand Lodge law, previously established, clearly spells out the one and only Ritual approved in the State of New York. No Mason
can engage in or participate in any ritual that varies from the Ritual approved under Grand Lodge law. I wish to remind all Masons
that firearms do not, and never have, played any role in any Masonic Ritual in the State of New York.
I have full confidence that you will continue your good works in your communities, and stand tall and proud of your membership in
Freemasonry.
Sincerely and fraternally,
Carl J. Fitje
Grand Master
Jephtha Lodge No. 494, Huntington, New York
Warrant: Jun 1860
http://jephtha.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=10&Itemid=13
Masonic light first came to Huntington in 1793 as Huntington Lodge No. 26 A.Y.M. The warrant was dated on March 22, 1793 thus
making it the second lodge to be formed on Long Island. On April 7, 1796 Huntington Lodge #26 A.Y.M Master David Richard Floyd
Jones read a petition from Port Jefferson requesting their assistance in forming a Lodge there, with W:. Brother Moses Blachly, a
Past Master of Huntington Lodge #26, to be the first Master. The request and assistance was enthusiastically given, and the new
Lodge was named Suffolk Lodge. Brothers from Huntington Lodge #26, living in the Hempstead vicinity, petitioned Grand Lodge to
form Morton Lodge in Hempstead because of the tedious journey to attend Lodge in Huntington. By 1806, meetings in Huntington
Lodge No. 26 had ended, and the original warrant was forfeited on March 4, 1818.
Huntington was Masonically dark until late 1859, when a meeting took place at the house of Francis Olmstead in Northport, New
York between William H. King, Jesse Carll, David Carll, John H. Jarvis, Phineas E. Sills and C.A. Floyd for the purpose of taking into
consideration the feasibility of establishing a Lodge in the Village of Huntington. After some discussion, it was agreed that an
application be made in due form to the Grand Lodge of Free and Accepted Masons of the State of New York for a dispensation to
form a Lodge, to be known as Jephtha Lodge. Jephtha Lodge is named after a character in the Old Testament who served as one of
the Judges in Israel for a period of six years (Judges 12:7) between the conquest of Canaan and the first king. Jephtha lived in
Gilead and was a member of the Tribe of Manasseh.
The first officers and charter members of Jephtha Lodge as noted in the signed petition were:
William H. King of Jappa Lodge No. 201 as Master
Jesse Carll of Charter Oak No. 249 as Senior Warden
John H. Jarvis of Lexington No. 310 as Junior Warden
David Carll of Charter Oak No. 249 as Senior Deacon
Jonas Higbie of Charter Oak No. 249 as Junior Deacon
Charles H. Floyd of Suffolk No. 401 as Secretary
Phineas B. Sills of Jappa Lodge No. 201 as Treasurer
Having obtained the necessary dispensation by Grand Lodge, Jephtha Lodge No. 494 was chartered on January 25, 1860. Jephtha
Lodge was convened for the first time on Saturday January 28, 1860, as a Lodge under Dispensation in a room over the store of J.
Fleet at the corner of New and Main St. Huntington Village, where they met for five years. A committee was appointed to outfit the
room properly for Masonic work and to procure the necessary jewels. Charter Oak Lodge # 249 was gracious in donating the
necessary regalia for the Officers.
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