In 1854 the Kansas-Nebraska Territory was officially formed, and it was shortly after thereafter that we have documentation of Masonic meetings within the territory that now comprises Nebraska. On May 28, 1856, the Grand Lodge of Missouri issued a charter to Giddings Lodge # 156 at Nebraska City. It was one of the 3 lodges that would become the Grand Lodge of Nebraska. In September 1857, Masters and Wardens from those three lodges assembled and organized the Grand Lodge of
Nebraska. Nebraska Lodge # 184 then became Nebraska Lodge # 1 and Giddings Lodge was renamed Western Star Lodge # 2.
It is my strong belief that In Jesse James case it is more likely that he was raised in a Monitor type Lodge. A meeting of Freemasons in the field or elsewhere. Someplace not in the Lodge, but under the stars, It is not having your name on a list that gets you through the doors and into a meeting........ It was not a new concept, those type of covert Masonic meetings and initiations had been happening for a long long time.
"The establishment of military lodges had been a fairly common occurrence during the 18th Century, particularly in
the British Army. Lodges were chartered by the Grand Lodges of England, Scotland, and Ireland, and assigned to a
particular regiment. Consequently, the individual Masons in any particular regiment could hold Masonic meetings and
initiate, pass, and raise candidates from that regiment. Moreover, they could meet wherever that regiment happened to
be stationed, whether it be in North America, India, or in Europe. During the American Revolution, several colonial
Grand Lodges chartered military lodges that accompanied units of the Continental Army on their campaigns. After the
Revolution, however, these military lodges surrendered their charters to the Grand Lodges that had issued them.
From the beginning of the 19
th Century American Grand Lodges did not generally approve of issuing charters or
dispensations to military units. Since nearly every unit was stationed in a place where a state Grand Lodge was already
in existence, the thought was that it would be improper for a lodge, say chartered by the Grand Lodge of Pennsylvania,
to meet at a military post in Texas, where another Grand Lodge was sovereign. Given the fact that blue-uniformed
Masons from Nebraska would probably not be welcome at a lodge meeting in Mississippi, the Grand Lodge of
Nebraska decided to buck the tradition and issue a dispensation. Monitor Lodge was issued a dispensation in July 1863"
They would have us believe " It had a highly successful, if brief, existence, initiating, passing, and
raising brethren assigned to Union Army",
BUT considering the First Nebraska was called up and raised by
Julius Sterling Morton.........I would say it is highly likely that they may have been raising a Freemason or two for the Confederate army and Quantrill as well.
L.C.
