The North Carolina Mason

Page 14 The North Carolina Mason May/June 2019 Masons in History NC ritual work has a Cushman Connection Proposed Code Amendments for 2019 Here are the proposed amendments to be considered at Annual Communication, Sept. 27-28: Amendment Group 1 To raise the per capita rate owed to the Grand Lodge to $25 from its current rate of $20. SUBSTITUTE AMENDMENT: This amend- ment would increase the grand lodge per capita $5 effective Dec. 31, 2019; $5 effec- tive Dec. 31, 2022; $5 effective Dec.31, 2025 Submitted by Grand Lodge Finance Committee Amendment Group 2 To require the Grand Lodge to collect $1 a year on all its per capita tax members on roll as of Dec. 31, for the George Wash- ington National Masonic Memorial. Submitted by Sophia #767 Amendment Group 3 To require brothers to immediately notify the Secretary of their lodge of changes in contact information. Submitted by Mount Holly #544 Amendment Group 4 To require a majority vote to approve an Honorary Member. Submitted by Stedman #730 Amendment Group 5 To administratively suspend the membership of a member who has been charged with a felony. Submitted by Oak Grove #750 By Ludwik Wodka Grand Historian Where did the ritual work that North Carolina practices today come from? Most American Masonic jurisdic- tions trace their work to a ritualist named omas Smith Webb, who began teaching his version of the ritual in the northeast in the late 1790s. Around 1816, Webb taught the work to Jeremy Ladd Cross, a hat-maker from New Hampshire, who a few years later taught it to a Connecticut Mason by the name of James Cushman. It was Cushman who rst brought the work to North Carolina. Cushman was born on Dec. 23, 1776, in Brooklyn, Connecticut. He was descendant of the Rev. omas Cushman, one of the original settlers at the Plymouth Colony in Massachusetts in 1620. James was the grandson of Lt. Josiah Cushman, a Revolutionary War veteran. Little is known about his early life or education, but his Masonic career began around 1815 in Norwich, where he also joined the Royal Arch Chapter and Knights Templar. In 1818, Cushman encoun- tered Jeremy Ladd Cross, who was appointed Grand Lecturer of Connecticut that year. Cross taught Cushman the Webb Work (or his version of it), and shortly thereafter, he headed south. At this time, most of the traveling lecturers who were teaching the Webb Work headed west, particu- larly into the Midwest and Great Lakes region. Cushman arrived in Virginia in 1819 and su!ciently impressed the Grand Lodge, which adopted a resolution establishing the posi- tion of Grand Lecturer, to which Cushman was appointed. In 1821, he traveled south to North Carolina. e Grand Lodge here also created the position of Grand Lecturer and made Cushman the rst to hold the title. While in North Carolina and Virginia, Cushman supplemented his income by collecting payment to establish several of the rst Councils of Royal and Select Masters, as well as several Royal Arch Chapters. Cushman remained in Virginia for only three years. Around 1824, he headed back north and settled in New Jersey, where he was again appointed Grand Lecturer. He remained there only a few years before passing away in November 1829. He is buried in Mount Holly, NJ. Even though Cushman rst intro- duced North Carolina to the Webb Work, his most lasting contribu- tion to the state was teaching the ritual to one of his pupils, Levi L. Stevenson. It was Stevenson who returned in 1836 and again exemplied the Work to the Grand Lodge and became a Grand Lecturer. rough Stevenson's sustained eort as Grand Lecturer (from 1836-1873), the legacy of Cush- man's version of the Webb work has been adopted and preserved by the Grand Lodges of North Carolina, Virginia, and West Virginia. Photo from findagrave .com Tombstone of Bro. James Cushman, who spread the version of our ritual work throughout several states as Grand Lecturer. He is buried in Mount Holly, NJ. REMINDER: Deadline for submitting your 2019 Lion and Pillar application is fast approaching. All materials must be in by June 30.

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