Irwin County GaArchives History .....History of Irwin County, Chapter 4 1932
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Joy Fisher http://www.genrecords.net/emailregistry/vols/00001.html#0000031 June 10, 2004, 5:25 pm

CHAPTER 4.

MASONIC LODGES.

   The first and oldest masonic lodge in original Irwin County, was Irwin Lodge,
number 212, which was granted a dispensation in 1856, by the grand master and
later was granted a charter with the following officers to wit: B. B. Ransom,
Worshipful Master; Joshua A. Luke, Senior Warden; George Young, Junior Warden;
and the following brethren to wit: George Paulk, D. J. Fenn, L. McCall, M. G.
Faulkner, L. M. Colbert.

   In 1858, the following were the officers of the Lodge: B. B. Ransom,
Worshipful Master; David L. McCall, Senior Warden; George Young, Junior Warden;
George Paulk, Secretary; D. J. Fenn, Treasurer; R. R. Ransom, Senior Deacon; L.
M. Colbert, Junior Deacon; John E. McMullin and Thomas Tucker, Stewards; Asa
Rooks, Tyler; and the following members to wit: William Hobby, L. G. Young, J.
J. S. Young, P. M. Young, Thomas Paulk, M. G. Faulkner, J. A. Luke, Samuel D.
Fuller, Willis Dorminy, F. E. Walters, Jesse J. Luke, James Fletcher, R. W.
Clements, and R. M. Griffin.

   In 1859, the following were the officers, to wit: B. B. Ransom, Worshipful
Master; D. J. Fenn, Senior Warden; George Young, Junior Warden; L. L Colbert,
Junior Deacon; Thomas Paulk, Secretary; R. W. Clements, Treasurer; J. A. Luke
and S. D. Fuller, Stewards; R. R. Ransom, Tyler; and the following members: M.
G. Faulkner, B. D. McCall, Micajah P. Young, Lawson G. Young, W. Hobby, A. P.
Clements, Thomas Tucker, Willis Dorminy, George D. Wilcox, M. Henderson Sr.,
John Fletcher, James W. Whiddon, James Fletcher, Asa Rooks, J. J. Luke, L.
Horton, F. Walters, W. D. Ross, T. B. Lanier, A. R. Chandler and B. W. Fussell.

   In 1860, the following were the officers: D. J. Fenn, Worshipful Master; F.
E. Walters, Senior Warden; M. Henderson, Junior Warden; A. P. Clements,
Treasurer; R. W. Clements, Secretary; L. M. Colbert, Senior Deacon; Asa Rooks,
Junior Deacon; A. R. Chandler and L. Horton, Stewards; W. Hobby, Tyler. Members:
S. D. Fuller, R. R. Ransom, Thomas Tucker, R. M. Griffin, J. J. Luke, G. M.
Fletcher, George Paulk, J. A. Luke, B. L. McCall, James Fletcher, Willis
Dorminy, L. G. Young, George Young, M. P. Young, George D. Willcox, John
Fletcher, J. W. Whiddon, W. D. Ross, T. B. Lather, Samuel Young, John Ross.

   In 1861, the following were the officers: D. J. Fenn, Worshipful Master; F.
E. Walters, Senior Warden; M. Henderson, Junior Warden; A. P. Clements,
Treasurer; R. W. Clements, Secretary; L. M. Colbert, Senior Deacon; Asa Rooks,
Junior Deacon; A. R. Chandler and L. Horton, Stewards; Rev. W. D. Ross,
Chaplain; William Hobby, Tyler. Members: Thomas Tucker, J. J. Luke, George
Potter, Jr., J. A. Luke, D. L. McCall, James Fletcher, Jr., Willis Dorminy, L.
G. Young, George Young, M. P. Young, George D. Willcox, John Fletcher, James W.
Whiddon, Samuel Young, S. B. F. Townsend, and Rev. John Ross.

   When the Civil War broke out all the members of the above lodge except those
who were too old, enlisted in the Confederate army and rushed to the seat of war
ready to lay down their lives in defense of a cause they believed just and
sacred. Many were killed in battle, others died from disease and exposure and at
the close of hostilities there was not a sufficient number of the members left
to carry on, so the Lodge's Charter was surrendered. Later on, lodges were
constituted at Isabella, in Worth County, Abbeville, in Wilcox County and
Nashville, in Berrien County, all of which was originally Irwin County.

   In 1885, a new lodge was constituted at Irwinville, Georgia, number 315,
which is still in existence and has been the mother of more lodges than almost
any other lodge in this section. The following lodges in their constitution drew
upon this lodge for some of its members to wit: Tifton, number 47, Sycamore,
number 210, Bethel, number 515, Pinelevel, number 353, at Fitzgerald, Ocilla
number 374, Rebecca, number 464.

   The following were charter members of Irwinville Lodge, number 315: William
M. Gibbs, Worshipful Master; Jonathan Smith, Senior Warden; John J. Luke, Junior
Warden; John Walker, Senior Deacon; Cornelius Clements, Junior Deacon; David M.
Hogan, Treasurer; R. W. Clements, Secretary; E. A. Johnson, Tyler. Brethren: W.
J. Clements, Lemuel Tayler, Z. T. Player and Rev. O. D. Mulkey.

   This Lodge was constituted by Brother John A. Tomberlin, Past Master of
Western Light Lodge, number 272, on November 28, 1885.

  The first election for officers was held December 10, 1885, and the following
brethren were elected. William M. Gibbs, Worshipful Master; Jonathan Smith,
Senior Warden; John J. Luke, Junior Warden; David M. Hogan, Treasurer; R. W.
Clements, Secretary; E. A. Johnson, Tyler; John Walker, Senior Deacon; W. J.
Clements, Junior Deacon; Rev. O. D. Mulkey, Chaplain; Z. T. Player and Lemuel
Tayler, Stewards.

   Each member of the Lodge paid into the Treasury $8.50 on a fund to be used as
a building fund for building a lodge hall.

   On December 10, 1885, the lodge received the first petitions for membership,
that of L. D. Tayler and David Clements. David Clements was the first one to be
initiated, which occurred on January 9, 1886. L. D. Tayler was the second to be
initiated, which occurred February 13, 1886. This lodge continued to prosper and
has resulted in much good in the surrounding country. At the present time there
are five lodges in the county, to wit: Waterloo, Abba, Ocilla, Lax and
Irwinville, all in a good and flourishing condition.


Additional Comments:
From:

History of Irwin County by J. B. Clements (1932)

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