There was nascent “colored” Scottish Rite activity present in Cleveland as far back as May 1879. Most Puissant Sovereign Grand Commander Joshua D. Kelley 33° of the King Fredrick Grand and Supreme Council of the Most Puissant Sovereigns and Grand Inspectors General of the Thirty-Third (33rd) and Last Degree of Scottish Free Masonry engaged in correspondence with Brother William T. (Theodore) Boyd for the stated purpose of establishing the four Scottish Rite bodies of that day (Lodge of Perfection; Chapter of Rose Croix, Council of Princes of Jerusalem; and a Consistory) in the Valley of Cleveland. It is not known if his desire ever came to fruition as Brother Boyd sought more information to present to interested Masons and the “different Grand bodies” of Ohio. Nevertheless, Illustrious Kelley appointed a “representative” for Ohio in the person of S.G.I.G. William M. Wiley 33°.
Joshua D. Kelley
Most Puissant Sovereign Grand Commander 33°
William T. (Theodore) Boyd
It is also not known if Brother Boyd was a Scottish Rite Mason at that time. It is possible that he was, but his membership for that period has not been documented. What can be documented is that he was Elevated to the Thirty-Third and Last Degree of Freemasonry on Thursday, August 11, 1881, as a member of the Supreme Council of the State of New York (whose name was subsequently changed to the “Supreme Council of Sovereign Grand Inspectors General, of the 33rd and Last Degree of the A.A.S.R. for the United States of America, its Territories and Dependencies most commonly known as the Supreme Council of the United States or the hereinafter referred to as the “DeBulow Supreme Council”). It is not known if he received the preceding degrees of the 4th through the 32nd prior to the ceremony or if all degrees were conferred during the same ceremony. Some historical records indicate that Illustrious Boyd received his patent as a Sovereign Grand Inspector General directly from the Supreme Council of France as far back as April 18, 1881. That has not been confirmed and while is possible, it is not probable. However, Illustrious Boyd was listed as an Active member of the Debulow Supreme Council in January 1888.
First Scottish Rite body
On (Holy) Thursday, March 22, 1883, White Rose Chapter No. 5, Rose Croix de H.R.D.M. (Heredom) was established and “negro” Scottish Rite freemasonry formally took shape in Cleveland and Ohio. It is not known why the name “White Rose” was chosen. However, in a masonic sense, white is a color representative of purity and reverence. Illustrious Boyd is listed as the first Most Wise and Perfect Master.
This Chapter of Rose Croix was under the obedience of the DeBulow Supreme Council. What the Cleveland Fraters did not know at that time Illustrious Baron Augustus Hugo DeBulow (its first Most Puissant Sovereign Grand Commander) did not have the permission of the Supreme Council of France (of which he was a member) to visit the United States and erect a Supreme Council for Negros. In fact, he was a suspended Mason. Therefore the formation of the Chapter falls under the fruit-of-the-poison-tree doctrine. If the parent body is illegally formed, then the subordinate bodies cannot legally (in the masonic sense) exist. It is not known if the Fraters knew this or were even concerned.
Patrick H. (Henry) Reason 33°
Most Puissant Sovereign Grand Commander 33°
At the time of the Chapter’s formation S G.I.G. Patrick H. (Henry) Reason 33° was serving as Deputy for the Orient of Ohio (as listed in the previous picture). Just 4 years prior he completed a term as the second Most Puissant Sovereign Grand Commander of the DeBulow Supreme Council while living in Cleveland.
Initially White Rose Chapter No. 5 met on the fifth Sunday at Woodland Avenue and Eagle Streets (which is now roughly centerfield at Progressive Field) and subsequently on the fourth Tuesday at 58 Public Square with the other “colored” masonic houses of the day (Excelsior Lodge No. 11; Eureka Lodge No. 52; Light of the West Lodge No. 46; Keystone Chapter No. 8, Royal Arch Masons; St. John’s Chapter No. 14, Royal Arch Masons; Ezekiel Commandery No. 3, Knights Templar; and Red Cross Commandery No. 7, Knights Templar).
Illustrious Boyd served as the Most Wise and Perfect Master for the next 13 years and the Chapter appears in various listings of colored masonic bodies in Cleveland until 1896.
Jockeying For Position
Southern Jurisdiction
It is also worthwhile to note that during this time that the modern-day territorial boundaries between the two “recognized” Negro Supreme Councils—the United Supreme Council of the Ancient and Accepted Scottish Rite of Freemasonry Thirty Third Degree of the Northern Masonic Jurisdiction of the United States of America (USC NJ) and the United Supreme Council of the Sovereign, the Grand Inspectors General of the 33d and Last Degree of the Ancient and Accepted Scottish Rite of Freemasonry for the Southern and Western Jurisdiction of the United States of America (the current day United Supreme Council, 33°, Ancient & Accepted Scottish Rite of Freemasonry, Prince Hall Affiliation, Southern Jurisdiction, United States of America [USC SJ])—had been established, but not necessarily rigidly adhered to. The USC SJ established a presence in the city of Cleveland as early as October 1889 as evidenced by the election of G.I.G. Thomas H. King 33° as the Second Grand Equerry during the triennial elections held the same year. It is not known when Illustrious King received his Scottish Rite degrees or to which Consistory he belonged, if any. It is likely he operated as a member at large.
Samuel B. (Benjamin) Brooks
About 2 years later, in December 1891, Most Puissant Sovereign Grand Commander Thornton A. (Andrew) Jackson 33° appointed Samuel B. (Benjamin) Brooks of Cleveland as the Deputy for Ohio. At this time there was no Consistory in the city of Cleveland. This happened, notably, prior to John G. Jones’ establishment of a bogus United Supreme Council and chartering of a Consistory in the city of Cleveland.
Northern Jurisdiction
For reasons unknown, as there was no Scottish Rite activity under their obedience operating in the city. In May 1896, Most Puissant Sovereign Grand Commander George W. (Wellington) Roper 33° of the legitimately formed USC NJ appointed G.I.G. Archibald I. “Archie” Billows 33° of St. Cyprian Consistory No. 4, Valley of Pittsburgh, Orient of Pennsylvania as a Special Deputy for the Orients of Ohio and Pennsylvania.
That, in itself, is evidence of the growing Scottish Rite presence in Ohio, and specifically the city of Cleveland. Albeit fleeting and dubious, this interaction was also the first connection Negro Masons in the city of Cleveland enjoyed with regularity of Scottish Rite origin and association.
John G. Jones
In late 1896, the vision, in earnest, of John G. (George) Jones, a much-maligned member of Negro freemasonry, reached Cleveland, Ohio. On Monday, September 28, 1896, John G. Jones arrived in Cleveland and conferred the Thirty-Third and Last Degree of Freemasonry upon Jerry E. Reed; Samuel B. Brooks; and Benjamin M. Shook.
For reasons unknown Samuel B. Brooks underwent a second 33rd degree conferral. He had been a 33rd as early as 5 years prior under another obedience.
John G. (George) Jones
Most Puissant Sovereign Grand Commander 33°
One week later, in October 1896, during the second Annual Session of The United Supreme Council Ancient and Accepted Scottish Rite of Freemasonry for the Southern and Western Masonic Jurisdiction of the U.S.A. and Canada (John G. Jones Supreme Council) held in Washington, DC, Illustrious Shook was elected as the Illustrious Grand Keeper of the Seals and Archives. This aligns with similar service in the John G. Jones Imperial Council in the same timeframe as Illustrious Shook was elected Imperial Grand Recorder the same month.
Unique is the fact the Illustrious Shook was elected to a Supreme Council position—which is normally reserved for Active members—before he held membership in a Consistory. He did participate in the predecessor organization, White Rose Chapter No. 5, Rose Croix headed by Illustrious Boyd. Illustrious Shook served as the Perfect Knight Tyler.
Later that year John G. Jones’ complete vision came to fruition. On Friday, December 11, 1896, Imperial Consistory (No. 27) was chartered under the auspices of the John G. Jones Supreme Council with Illustrious Shook being appointed as the Deputy of the Valley (Orient) of Ohio. It is not known why the name of “Imperial” was chosen.
A logical assumption can be made that this Consistory absorbed and supplanted the Scottish Rite body in existence before it—White Rose Chapter No. 5, Rose Croix.
The first officer corps was composed of the following Fraters:
- S.P. Robert Davis 32°—Illustrious Commander-in-Chief
- G.I.G. Jerry E. Reed 33°—Illustrious Deputy Commander
- S.P. George L. Ross 32°—Illustrious 1st Lieutenant Commander
- S.P. C.H. James 32°—Illustrious 2nd Lieutenant Commander
- G.I.G. William T. Anderson 33°—Illustrious Grand Minister of State
- G.I.G. Thomas Kinzie 33°—Illustrious Chancellor
- S.P. Eli J. Lucas 32°—Illustrious Treasurer
- S.P. L.J. Price 32°—Illustrious Registrar
- S.P. William T. Lane 32°—Illustrious Keeper of the Seals and Archives
- S.P. G.W. Teger 32°—Illustrious Hospitaler
- S.P. H. W. Tucker 32°—Illustrious Engineer and Architect
- S.P. Cyrus H. Adams 32°—Illustrious Master of Ceremonies
- S.P. William H. Barber 32°—Illustrious Sword Bearer
- S.P. J.H. Oliver 32°—Illustrious Standard Bearer
- S.P. John Lee 32°—Illustrious Captain of the Guard
- S.P. S. Snowden 32°—Illustrious Tyler
At the time Imperial Consistory was chartered, John G. Jones had been suspended from the USC SJ more than a year prior by Most Puissant Sovereign Grand Commander Thornton A. Jackson 33° for illegally creating his own Supreme Council after he was not further promoted by being elected as the Most Puissant Sovereign Grand Commander; was not re-elected to his position as Puissant Lieutenant Grand Commander; and instead was elected as the Grand Chancellor—two positions lower than that he previously held—during the elections of the same month.
The suspension firmly places the origins of the John G. Jones Supreme Council in bogus, irregular, and spurious territory. It is not known whether the members in the Valley of Cleveland knew this or cared about it. This marks the second time bogus Scottish Rite freemasonry visited upon Cleveland Fraters.
Nevertheless, these Fraters wasted no time in getting to work! By February 1897, the Fraters had established a benefit fund for their membership which numbered upward of 50.
In much the same fashion as its predecessor—White Rose Chapter No. 5, Rose Croix—it too disappeared from the fabric of the city and the city directories. It operated in the usual manner until about 1906.
At one time there were five legitimate Supreme Councils in existence primarily composed of “colored” men. All were scrambling for territory and members. It was not uncommon for two different Supreme Councils to have a Consistory chartered in the same city (DeMolay Consistory for the King David Supreme Council and DeBulow Consistory No. 3 for the King Frederick Supreme Council in the city of Philadelphia), or for one to subsume the masonic body and membership of the other. This appears to be the case in 1896.
A Curious Organization
A bit of masonic conjecture stipulates that in 1900 the storied Illustrious Boyd of Cleveland (an original White Rose Chapter member) and L. (Lewis) D. (Depugh) Easton of Cincinnati (an original Red Rose Chapter member) conspired to form a Supreme Council for the state of Ohio. Information in this regard is scant; however, there was some form of a Boyd faction operating in Ohio around that time
Interestingly enough, around the turn of the century, there were three separate factions of Scottish Rite freemasonry operating in the state of Ohio—Debulow Supreme Council; USC SJ; and the Boyd faction—none of them masonically legal due to irregularities in their formation and/or lineage. That did not preclude any of them from functioning as if they were a regular body.
Legitimate Scottish Rite Freemasonry Arrives In Cleveland
Similar to what occurred with the first Shrine Temple in Cleveland (King Solomon), Imperial Consistory seems to have disappeared from print in the newspapers and directories. The last reference is in 1905. However, Bezaleel Consistory No. 15 came into existence in mid-1906 so that seems indicate the remaining members of Imperial Consistory probably formed the basis of the new Consistory. This assumption is further strengthened by the fact that members of Imperial Consistory also appear on the early rolls of Bezaleel Consistory No. 15 (i.e., G.I.G. Cyrus H. Adams 33°; S.P. George L. Ross 32°; and S.P. William F. Hansberry 32°).
Records of activities for the intervening period of late 1897 through July 1906 are not available so what occurred in the interim is left for future historians to uncover. Those records would contain vital information concerning the activities of the day from the demise of Imperial Consistory to the rise of Bezaleel Consistory No. 15.
The assumption that the remaining members of Imperial Consistory formed the basis of Bezaleel Consistory No. 15 gains additional credence when considering the actions of the “. . . Deputy for the State of Michigan and Surrounding States” S.G.I.G. James F. (Francis) Rickards 33°.
Illustrious Rickards was a rising star in the USC NJ as he was concurrently serving as the Illustrious Grand Minister of State. Imperial Consistory, led by Illustrious Shook engaged in correspondence with the USC NJ as early as January 1906 about aligning with a competent Scottish Rite Jurisdiction. The correspondence was received and the responsibility for investigating their query devolved upon Illustrious Rickards.
In May 1906, during his return trip home from the 25th Annual Session of the USC NJ held in the Valley of Philadelphia, Orient of Pennsylvania, he spent one evening in the Valley of Cleveland. That evening he met with G.I.G. Thomas W. Walker 33° and others and delivered a speech explaining Scottish Rite legitimacy of origin and regularity, as they were members of a John G. Jones Consistory. Illustrious Rickards then basically, performed an altar call for those wayward and duped Scottish Rite Masons to remove the shackles of irregularity and pledge their allegiance to a competent authority. The Fraters present at the initial meeting—S.G.I.G. Benjamin M. Shook 33°; G.I.G. Thomas H. King 33°; G.I.G. Cyrus H. Adams 33°, and others—bought into the vision and agreed to take the Oath of Fealty and affiliate with the USC NJ. Those members met later and agreed to organize a successor Consistory, under a legitimate authority.
Scottish Rite freemasonry again returned to the Valley of Cleveland when Bezaleel Consistory No. 15 and coordinate bodies—Hiram Chapter of Rose Croix No. 15 and King Solomon Lodge of Perfection No. 15—were chartered under legal and competent authority on the date of July 18, 1906.
Illustrious Benjamin M. Shook 33° was one of the original six Illustrious Sirs of the Consistory. The others were G.I.G. Jerry E. Reed 33°; G.I.G. Samuel B. Brooks 33°; G.I.G. William T. Anderson 33°; S.G.I.G. Thomas W. Walker 33°; and G.I.G. Thomas H. King 33°. As was common for that era, all Fraters who had been members of irregular, bogus, clandestine, and spurious, bodies, were allowed to join the legitimate organization with their titles and grades intact. Owing to his prior Deputyship Illustrious Shook was later listed as Past Active.
Common sense might lead one to believe that Illustrious Boyd was a charter member and original Illustrious Sir as well, but that is not the case. It can be surmised that that since White Rose Chapter No. 5, Rose Croix “disappeared” or was subsumed into Imperial Consistory which belonged to an irregular, bogus, clandestine, and spurious Supreme Council lead by expelled Scottish Rite Freemason John G. Jones, Illustrious Boyd sought to continue his affiliation with Debulow Supreme Council. In order to do so, he joined King Solomon Consistory in Cincinnati. It was warranted by the Debulow Supreme Council in 1887 and grew out of the establishment of Red Rose Chapter years earlier. It is not known if he demitted to Bezaleel at a later date.
The first recorded officer corps of Bezaleel Consistory No. 15, and co-ordinate bodies, is as follows:
- Bezaleel Consistory No. 15
- G.I.G. Cyrus H. Adams 33°—Illustrious Commander-in-Chief
- Hiram Chapter No. 15, Chapter of Rose Croix
- S.P. George L. Ross 32°—Most Wise and Perfect Master
- King Solomon No. 15, Lodge of Perfection
- S.P. J.W. Johnson 32°—Thrice Potent Master
- The Consistory originally met on the third Tuesday of the month.
The Consistory originally met on the third Tuesday of the month.