History
Origins of Grand Lodge
At a Grand Communication of a majority of the Lodges of Ancient York Masons established in the State of Delaware, held by appointment, at the Town Hall in the Borough of Wilmington, on Friday, the 6th day of June 1806.
The Present Lodges:
Lodge No. 31, Laurel Town, Sussex County, by its Representative, Worshipful Jesse Green, Past Master.
Lodge No. 33, New Castle, New Castle County, by its Representatives, Worshipful John Crow, Master; Worshipful Evan Thomas, Past Master; Worshipful Maxwell Bines, Past Master.
Lodge No. 96, Newark, New Castle County, by its Representative, Worshipful James Snow, Master.
Lodge No. 14, Wilmington, New Castle County, by its Representatives, Worshipful Thomas Stockton, Master; Worshipful John Sellars, Past Master; Worshipful John Patterson, Past Master; James Tilton, Junior Warden.
The Grand Lodge proceeded agreeably to regulation, to vote by ballot for Grand Officers for the ensuing year, to serve until the next annual elections, and the votes being taken by Lodges and counted the following were elected as the first officers of the new Grand Lodge of Delaware:
Most Worshipful Gunning Bedford, Jr., Grand Master
Right Worshipful Jesse Green, Deputy Grand Master
Right Worshipful Joseph Israel, Senior Grand Warden
Right Worshipful John McBeth, Junior Grand Warden
Right Worshipful Thomas Stockton, Grand Treasurer
Right Worshipful Edward Roche, Grand Secretary
Worshipful John Sellars, Grand Marshal
Worshipful David Robinet, Grand Tyler.
Thus was the Grand Lodge of Delaware duly constituted on June 6th and 7th, 1806 by 13 brethren representing Lodges No. 14, No. 33. and No. 96 of the Grand Lodge of Pennsylvania and No. 31 of the Grand Lodge of Maryland.
Thomas Stockton was named Charter Worshipful Master of Washington Lodge No. 1 (formerly No. 14); John Crow, Charter Master of St. John’s Lodge No. 2 (formerly No. 33); George Read, Charter Master of Hiram Lodge No. 3 (formerly No. 96); and Thomas Skinner, Charter Master of Hope Lodge No. 4 (formerly No. 31).
Charters were granted to the above Lodges under the jurisdiction of the newly formed Grand Lodge of Delaware and the Lodge numbers changed accordingly to those listed above.
1History of the Most Worshipful Grand Lodge A.F. & A.M. of Delaware, Green, Charles E. (1956)
