The lodge was in its 7th year since it received its initial dispensation on March 14, 1870. 

There were 236 lodges under the Jurisdiction of The Grand Lodge of Virginia. Greenway Court No. 94 was declared extinct at the Grand Annual Communication in December, and its number was reissued to Winterpock Lodge No. 94. The 14^th Masonic District was reduced to six lodges, including Unity Lodge No. 146.

District 14

The lodge was among six Lodges in the 14th Masonic District that encompassed Frederick County, Clarke County, and Warren County. Having 47 Masons, its membership consisted of 19% of the district. The District Deputy Grand Master was William S. Love. He was based in Winchester and unable to visit Unity Lodge No. 146 due to pressure of professional engagements. He had received information that led him to believe that Unity Lodge No. 146 was prosperous.

Lodge Officers

Lodge officers were elected on June 8, 1878 during a stated communication. Worshipful William O. Rust was elected to be Master of the Lodge.

Office	Beginning of Year	June 8 Elections
Worshipful Master	Thomas L. Kirby	William O. Rust
Senior Warden	John Terrill Lovell	G. H. Hill
Junior Warden	William O. Rust	John G. Brown
Treasurer	Edward C. Balthis	Edward C. Bathis
Secretary	George H. Bowman	George H. Bowman
Senior Deacon	John W. Gulley	John W. Gulley
Junior Deacon	Charles H. Henning	Charles E. Henning
Chaplain		–
Tiler	David W. Jones	David W. Jones

Past Masters

1877	Thomas L. Kirby
1876	Smith S. Turner
1875	Thomas W. Petty
1874	Thaddeus Haynie
1873	Thaddeus Haynie

Brethren

One member, William S. Davidson, had withdrawn. Two members had been suspended for non-payment of dues: F. M. Angelo and Harry W. Cline.

Deaths

Thomas Newton Ashby

Thomas was a Mason in Front Royal Lodge No. 102. He was also a charter member and first Master of Unity Lodge No. 146 for years 1870 to 1872.

On December 1, 1870, he was serving as Front Royal’s President. He was the first elected president starting his term on July 1, 1871 through July 1, 1873 where Gibson E. Roy was elected to succeed him as Mayor/President.

At the time of his death, Mr. Ashby was the secretary of the Shenandoah Valley Railroad. He died suddenly in the Oakley House on February 12 at his home. His survivors included his wife, Miss Elizabeth Mann Almond Ashby, two surviving children, Thomas Almond Ashby and William Richardson Ashby II, and a sister, Elizabeth Ann Ashby. He was buried in Prospect Hill Cemetery in Front Royal.

Williams, Boyd, and Turner were trustees to sell his properties. A mansion on 34 acres within the corporate limits of Front Royal was sold to Mr. George W. Macatee for $4,525. His 340 acre river farm rented by William Scroggin for the past 17 years was sold to Casper W. Burner of Page county. His 47½ acre property in the Fork was sold to Col. I N. King. All of which totalled $10,093.74 with $2,553.73 in cash.

Occupations and Happenings

Ewell Baker was the Circuit Court Clerk.

Edward C. Balthis was on the Central Yellow Fever Relief committee.

George H. Bowman was on the new Front Royal Board of Trustees, and put on the Committee on Streets in July.

John G. Brown operated a store on Main street selling dry goods, ready-made clothing, shoes, hats, hardware, and groceries. As part of the Central Yellow Fever Relief committee, he was appointed to confer with various parties having funds for sufferers of Yellow Fever that could be turned over to the committee.

M. B. Buck had a case on appeal to the Supreme Court at Staunton for the 12th Circuit, which started hearing cases on September 10th. He was fifth on the docket for M. B. Buck vs Isaac N. King.

D. Cone was the president and manager of Riverton Mills Company, Limited. He was also on the Yellow Fever Relief Railroad Committee at Riverton.

Thomas K. Konrad was on the local sub-committee of the Yellow Fever Committee for Linden.

William L. Fuller owned the Mont-View Bar on the West End of Main Street. He sold wine, whisky, brandy, gin, ale, and liquor. His average sales of drinks were 319 alcoholic beverages, 239 malt beverages, and 4 gallons of whisky per month.

John W. Gulley was the owner of the tin, sheet-iron and stove works. Advertisements in the local paper often displayed engravings on various cook stoves. At the end of November, he was putting a tin roof on the new Methodist church. He was also a member of the Good Templars, and represented Warren County at the Grand Lodge of Good Templars in December.

The residence and shop of John W. Gulley were both painted with the a popular brand of Gutta Percha Paint by W. R. Putnam, Jr in July. Cheaper than lead and oil alone, the indoor and outdoor paint was often advertised as not being a chemical paint, made of pure white lead. Ingredients were combined in pure linseed oil with pure oxide of zinc for gloss, tint, and Gutta Percha to make it water-proof and durable. 

Thaddeus Hayne was on the Yellow Fever Relief sub-committee in the Howelsville district.

Reverend C. W. Hollis preached at the Presbyterian Church on the first and third Sundays at 11 am and 7 pm.

Thomas L. Kirby was the administrator of the deceased estate of Daniel Stouffer in July.

George W. Leach owned the “Front Royal Saloon” in the East end of the main building of the Front Royal Hotel on the public square. He sold liquor, wine, ale, beer, chewing tobacco, and cigars. He left Mr. Ellison Ramey in charge of the saloon. His average sales of drinks were 450 alcoholic beverages and 66 malt beverages per month.

Captain Leroy Leach was the sheriff. He left by train as a delegate for a convention in Alexandria on August 27 with Smith S. Turner and Major James R. Richards. In November, he slaughtered 14 hogs with an average weight of 203½ pounds. 

John Terrill Lovell was the editor of the local newspaper, the Warren Sentinel. He was a director of the Shenandoah Valley Railroad Company, and had left for the 11:20 am train for Charlestown, WV for a directors meeting on July 5. He was also on the Board of Visitors in Blacksburg in the middle of August.

Mr. Lovell was on the district committee for the County Committee of the Conservative Party. He held a meeting for the Committee in his office at the Warren Sentinel on July 16, to plan for another meeting to pick delegates for the upcoming Congressional Convention for the 8th district in Alexandria on August 28. He was the chairman when the conservative party assembled at the courthouse on August 20 (County Court Day). Unfortunately, he was confined to bed by a serious sickness and unable to attend the Convention in Alexandria,

Soon after, he called a meeting to order regarding the Relief of the Yellow Fever Sufferers in the South. He was placed on the local sub-committee for the Corporation of Front Royal. 

On December 3, he left for the House of Delegates in Richmond for the roll-call on December 4th, followed by the session from December 5th to December 12th. At that time he introduced various resolutions: cut voting costs in cities under 5,000 voters, abolished the office of the general agent and store-keeper, allow the collection of printing fees on legal cases, raise the minimum age of school children from five to seven, restore forfeitures of debts & principal at more than 6% interest, remove taxes on oysters, and nominate Robert H. Turner as a circuit court judge for the 12th circuit. He also introduced a petition from Front Royal’s Mayor Gibson. E. Roy and four others to stop the diversion of taxes intended for public free schools.

While in Richmond, the Grand Lodge of Virginia’s Annual Communication was also in session in the evenings December 9th to December 11th. John Lovell was elected for his sixth year to represent Unity Lodge No. 146. He paid the Lodge’s dues of $23.50 for 47 members. While there, he was placed on the committee on Masonic Jurisprudence and ruled that Lodges should not have by-laws that drop members for non-payment of dues, or for other causes.

Mr. Lovell was expected back home on December 21.

Major James R. Richards started out as a Lieutenant, assigned to duty by the Secretary of War in the 9th Regiment cavalry at Fort Bliss, Texas in August. He left by train as a Major, and a delegate for the Convention in Alexandria with Smith S. Turner and Captain Leroy Leach at the end of the month. He also had five tracts of real estate of 635 acres sold on October 15 at the courthouse doors, one of which had a large brick dwelling, barn, and other outbuildings.

Gibson E. Roy was serving as the second elected President/Mayor since July 1, 1873. 

He was also the Warren County Schools Superintendent, conducting meetings of the County School Board at the courthouse. At the end of August, he posted a condensed statement of the annual school report of Warren County with statistics, such as the number of students enrolled. On September 4, he held exams in the Academy Building for teachers. Afterwards, he posted the list of teachers certified to teach in the Warren Sentinel on September 13.

He was a delegate at the Sunday School Convention on July 8 of the Baltimore Conference Methodist Eposcipal Church, South, which met in Staunton at 8pm.  He was the superintendent of Warren County, and attended the July 11 Session of the Teachers Institute in Manasses. 

He attended the Combination Institute in Manasses that opened August 19, with seven other superintendents. He gave a reading analysis along with an illustrated diagram. He explained the elementary sounds of speech, and how they applied to phonetics when spelling and reading. He was elected as the first vice president.

Mr. Roy took a train and represented Front Royal at the Order of Good Templars in the District of Columbia on July 2.

Thomas M. Roy was a salesman at McKay & Co.

William O. Rust was a delegate to the Methodist Episcopal Church South District Conference in Winchester on September 11.

Smith S. Turner was often involved in selling and auctioning real estate. He was instrumental in selling Thomas Newton Ashby’s estate on July 10 on behalf of his widow.

He was a member of the County Committee of the Conservative Party of Warren, and was at the committee meeting on July 16 at 1:30pm. He left by train as a delegate to the Alexandria Convention on August 27 with Captain Leroy Leach and Major James R. Richards. 

His attendance was noted at the Page County Circuit Court in September.

As an ex-confederate officer, he was called upon by the Army of Northern Virginia to help collect medicine and funds to help with Yellow Fever in the South. He attended the Relief for Yellow Fever Sufferers meeting on September 17. After a reading of the letter, he gave a speech, and offered a resolution to forward contributions to John H. Murray, Treasurer of the Louisiana Division of the Army of Northern Virginia in New Orleans. He was placed on the central relief committee. Once collections were enroute, he sent a letter to the Treasurer stating that the supplies were on their way.

William Scroggin had rented a 340 acre river farm from Thomas Newton Ashby for 17 years, which was sold to Casper W. Burner for $5,528.40 after Mr. Ashby’s death. He was on the central relief committee for Yellow Fever Relief.

M. Scott Weaver had served on the central relief committee for the Yellow Fever Relief in September. On October 16, he fractured his leg while on his way to the Winchester Fair.

Reverend H. M. Wharton preached at the Baptist Church on the second and fourth Sundays at 11 am and 7 pm, and 11 am on the Saturday before the fourth Sunday. His wife had fallen ill in September, and Reverend Dr. Cuthbert took his place on the pulpit on September 8. Through a series of meetings, he added 16-18 people to N. S. Baptist Church in Page county. 

While at the Linden Chapel, he gave a lecture on “Temperance” on June 25 to the Friends of Temperance, Linden Council No. 149. On December 6, he went to the Grand Lodge of Good Templars for a week to represent Page county, where he was installed as the Grand Worthy Chaplain of the Grand Lodge of Good Templars.

Communications

The Lodge gathered on Saturday evening prior, or on the full moon of every month.

Masonic Events

Turner Ashby Lodge No. 232

A tournament, festival and dance was held in Markham on July 8 to raise funds for a Masonic Hall for Turner Ashby Lodge No. 232. The Front Royal String Band furnished the music at the event. On December 6, an oyster supper and ice-cream festival was given by the ladies of Markham to raise additional funds for the Lodge.

Sixty Years a Mason

In July, it was discovered that Mr. Alexander R. Newman had been a Mason for over 60 years and served in both the war of 1812, and in the Confederate Cavalry in the late war. A few newspapers picked up the story, stating he must be one of the oldest Masons alive and has many years before him. He produced a certificate dated June 21, 1821 from Front Royal Lodge No. 102 where he was initiated on October 10, 1818. The certificate was signed by:

Master	William M. Robertson
Senior Warden	William P. Brown
Junior Warden	Newton Headly
Secretary	Samuel Simpson

Yellow Fever Relief

Yellow Fever had been prevalent through the 1800’s, but broke out as an epidemic in the South in 1878 in Louisiana, Mississippi, Tennessee, and Kentucky. First appearing like a common flu, the symptoms would change as the internal organs were attacked, causing yellow skin, black vomit, and eventually hemorrhaging to death about a week later. Without treatment, little could be done other than to comfort the sick. Its cause was unknown, often called “the strangers disease” as it had often affected newcomers to town in the past, rather than the residents who had become immune. It would be many years before it was discovered that the Aegis Egyptae mosquitoes carried the disease.

At the end of August, the local paper reported alarming statistics of Yellow Fever in New Orleans, Louisiana, Memphis, Tennessee, Grenada, Missisissippi, and Vicksburg, Mississippi. People from the infected areas were trying to get away from the scourge. Some had fallen ill on the way, but it hadn’t spread to others. No cases had been in the North, and it hadn’t spread to the southeast in Norfolk, VA, Savannah, GA, Charleston, WV, or Key West, FL except for occasional cases at quarantine from the West Indies.

On September 6th, Shenandoah county contributed $144.25 in cash and 100 barrels of flour, in which the Cassia Masonic Lodge No. 142 in Woodstock had contributed $40. The town of Winchester had contributed $611.46.

Folks in Front Royal were trying their best to help the Yellow Fever sufferers as well. Mr. N. Keefer, an old mechanic, left a pair of boys fine calfskin boots with the druggists, Hill & Trout, with the proceeds to benefit the yellow fever sufferers.

The Louisiana Division of the Army of Northern Virginia (ANV) met in the hall of the House of Delegates in Richmond on September 12th. With Governor Holiday presiding, the surviving members had issued an appeal to their late comrades in arms in the Confederate service. All resources had been exhausted while caring for their poor, sick and burying the dead. They appealed to every Virginian to contribute bread, medicine, and funds to their aide. During the meeting of Ex-Confederate officers and soldiers, Captain Smith S. Turner of Warren was one of the people appointed to collect funds.

A public notice was posted to the citizens of Warren County to assemble at the court-house on September 17th, called to order by John Terrill Lovell. Mr. Lovell made several resolutions that were unanimously accepted. They formed a group of ten people known as “The Yellow Fever Central Relief Committee for Warren County”, and smaller groups of two for each locality in the county, to report back by September 26th. The appeal by the Louisiana Division of the ANV was read. Smith S. Turner was among several people making speeches afterwards, and offered a resolution to forward the collections to the Treasurer of the ANV for the relief of fever sufferers. The groups collected money, flour, bacon, and potatoes.

Ten Masons from Unity Lodge who were put on the committees include the following:

Central Relief Committee	M. Scott Weaver, Captain Smith S. Turner, John G. Brown, William Scroggin, George H. Bowman, and Edward C. Balthis.
Howelsville Sub-Committee	Thaddeus Haynie
Linden Sub-Committee	T. K. Conrad
Corporation of Front Royal Sub-Committee	John T. Lovell
Riverton Railroad Depot Committee	D. Cone

The Central Relief Committee then met in Mr. John Lovell’s office at the Warren Sentinel the next day, September 18. They moved quickly corresponding with the receiver of the Virginia Midland Railroad Company to furnish transportation on September 26th, distributing a short circular with duties for subcommittees, and spoke with all parties that could provide funds for Yellow Fever sufferers.

On September 18th, a letter from Richmond stated that Woodstock had contributed 68 barrels of flour along with other supplies and money. On the night of September 19, the Fristoe Hall had the Charades and Vocal and Instrumental Concert. Anyone who could not go was asked to send a 25¢ admission fee to help against the scourge in the Mississippi Valley.

In the morning of September 26th, Captain Smith S. Turner wrote to John H. Murray, Treasurer of Louisiana Division of ANV that Warren county had shipped 87 barrels and 1 bag of flour, 14 barrels and 5 bags of potatoes, 14 pieces of bacon, 1 box of groceries, and 1 case of grape brandy. In addition, it was reported that many of the people had contributed through other channels as well.

Grand Annual Communication

Monday, December 9, 1878 to Wednesday, December 11, 1878

The Grand Annual Communication of Ancient York Masons took place in Alban’s Hall, Richmond on December 9 to 11, 1878 at night, Monday through Wednesday. John T. Lovell of the Warren Sentinel, had been elected for the sixth time to represent the Lodge and paid the Lodges dues of $23.50 at 50¢ per member.

During the Grand Annual Communication, John T. Lovell was appointed to a standing committee on Masonic Jurisprudence. The committee resolved one inquiry, resolving that it is not proper for a Lodge’s by-laws to drop a member for non-payment of dues. 

Masonic Influence

Judge James M. Jeffries of 9th Judicial Circuit delivered an address before Bruington Lodge, King and Queen county where he is a member. A brief extract was reported in the paper, explaining that Masons can communicate without their respective countries’ language. A native American Indian Chief of the order was watching American’s being tomahawked, scalped, and slaughtered by an English and Indian force after their surrender.  A cry for mercy and protection of the language caused him to command no more killing of white men. His story concluded that it’s a well-authenticated tradition that every officer on the American side of the Revolutionary war belonged to the Masonic fraternity except Benedict Arnold.