Tale of a Lost Jewel

by Rt. Wor. John L. Carlson

On a cool evening this past September an unknown gentleman came to Siloam Lodge and said, “I have something that I believe belongs to a Mason.” Now this gentleman, David Mullen, of Grafton Massachusetts, who is not a Mason, not yet anyhow, knew exactly what he was holding in his hand, having been associated with masons previously. In my discussions with David, there is Masonry in his lineage. We all know stories of jewels appearing on eBay, Facebook Marketplace or in some local pawn shop.  All too often, lodges lose track of these jewels, whether they be a past master’s jewel or a district deputy’s jewel. Clear instructions should be given to family members that in case of death, the jewel is to be given back to the brother’s lodge. After all, it is the property of the lodge and only loaned to that person to be worn while in that position.  

Back to this remarkable story. My son, who happens to be the master of Siloam Lodge, came to me with this jewel and asked me if I would see that it was returned to its rightful owner.  I accepted the challenge. 

I found that David lived about a half mile from my home in Grafton. He is a bus mechanic in Sudbury, Massachusetts. David was working on a school bus one day, and lying on the dash covered in two months’ worth of dust and other debris was what looked like a pencil case. He dusted it off, opened it up and there was a past master’s jewel. Upon examining the jewel closely, he did not recognize the lodge name on this jewel but clearly knew it was Masonic. 

Living in Grafton, David passed through Westborough every day, going by Siloam Lodge on his way to work in Sudbury. One afternoon he called the lodge and spoke to our ambassador, Wor. Mike Grim, who told him to drop by the lodge and someone would be there. As before, my son took the jewel and expressed his gratitude to David for returning the jewel and gave it to me.

I looked at this jewel and didn’t recognize the lodge name on the hinge either, and figured I might have reached a dead end. The lodge name on the hinge was Theodore Roosevelt Lodge, under the banner name of Thomas Talbot Lodge. How were these two connected?

The first name on the hinge, Wor. Charles Allard, dated 1936 with the word “Wollaston” underneath the name. The second name was Wor. Frederick Marland, dated 1997. Having never heard of Theodore Roosevelt Lodge, I went to Google and came up with a lodge by that name in none other than Wollaston New Jersey. I was ready to get in my car and take a trip. I later found out that there is a Wollaston, Massachusetts. It is a neighborhood of Quincy, Massachusetts.

I contacted a brother Mason and good friend, Rt. Wor Carmen Borgia, who helped me with my research, but even he was stumped by the name of the lodge and how the inscriptions of the hinge were tied to the body of the jewel showing Thomas Talbot Lodge. I decided I would call the Grand Secretary’s office in Boston. They know everything! I was directed to our Grand Librarian, Wor. Matthew P. Ahearn.

A call to Wor. Bro. Ahearn put together the chronology linking Theodore Roosevelt Lodge to Thomas Talbot Lodge, and the story is quite interesting. Look it up some time. 

After putting various names in place, I made a call to Wor. Bro. Marland and explained that I had come to possess a past master’s jewel with his name on it. There was a great sigh of relief from him knowing that his jewel had been found. Apparently when he was riding a school bus in the Concord area during a Masonic event, his jewel slipped out of his carrying case and got lost in the seat of the bus he was on. Of course, as it happens, panic sets in when you go to look for your jewel and realize that you have lost this precious lodge artifact  of great monetary and historical value given to you with great trust. I know it’s happened to me!

Wor. Bro. Marland currently serves as Senior Grand Deacon for the Grand Lodge. His blue lodge is Wamiset Lodge in Tewksbury, Massachusetts. I visited this lodge recently along with Rt. Wor. Jeffery Bartee, District Deputy Grand Master of the 15th district, and presented this jewel to its rightful owner. The highlight of the evening was seeing the look on Wor. Bro. Marland’s face when I placed the jewel in his coat pocket.

This ends a story that we could all face some day, through the thoughtfulness of a stranger who is no longer a stranger to me, and could have profited greatly from this find, but is a friend to be held in high regard for his concern to do the right thing. He is a man of character, the type of man we are looking for.

I will recruit this gentleman!