The record shows the first Lodges In Texas were organized by Capt. W. D.
Matthews, Grand Master of the King Solomon Compact Grand Lodge of
Kansas, on April 10, 1873, by organizing Mt. Bonnell Lodge No. 1,
Austin, No. 2, San Antonio and No. 3 Houston, No. 4 at Galveston. On the
19th of August, 1875, these four lodges met at Brenham, Texas, and
organized a Compact Grand Lodge with N. W. Cuney as the Grand Master,
and J. J. Hamilton as Grand Secretary.
Some years after, about 1885, (the record is not clear,) C. C. Dean
succeeded N. W. Cuney as Grand Master. Rev. A. Grant, W. D. G. M., and
in the year 1886 C. C. Dean, G. M.
Rev. A. Grant, W. D. G. M., called a special session of the Grand Lodge
and at that session declared and adopted the act of Secession from the
National Compact Grand Lodge, elected delegates to go to Houston, Texas,
as special commissioners to meet the Worshipful Grand Lodge of White
Masons for the purpose of being healed and chartered.
Now, according to the record found in Sayles' Masonic Jurisprudence, on
the History of Negro Masonry in Texas, emphatically states that these
Negro delegates did appear and did present to the White Grand Lodge a
petition to be healed and chartered.
Sayles does not give the names of the petitioners. The petition sets
forth that there were 650 members at that time, to be healed.
The record shows that the White Grand Lodge appointed a committee to
investigate the petition, and the record further shows that the
committee made the following report: