Aftermath of Bennett’s Accusations

Despite Bennett’s allegations of irregularities in the work of Nauvoo Lodge, Nauvoo Masons continued to gather and advance worthy brethren through the various Masonic degrees until August 11, 1842. Immediately following the August 11 entry in Minute Book 2, an injunction issued by Abraham Jonas on Nauvoo Lodge was copied into the record. In the document, dated July 30, 1842, Jonas explained that he had been informed by “sundry authentic sources, but more particularly by a communication from Bodley Lodge No 1 that great irregularities have taken place in the work of said Nauvoo Lodge and that many of the Land marks of ancient masonry have been repeatedly violated to the injury of the Masonic Institution in general, and more particularly of the craft of the state of Illinois.” Consequently, Jonas suspended the work of the lodge until the next annual meetings of the Grand Lodge of Illinois, which were to be held in October 1842. Additionally, Jonas commended the officers and brethren of Nauvoo Lodge “to discontinue all Meetings as a Lodge—and no longer perform any work as such, until the minutes and proceedings of said Lodge shall be fully examined and investigated.” To allow the grand lodge “more fully to examine,” the proceedings of Nauvoo Lodge, “and judge fairly and understandingly of their case,” Jonas told the Mormon Masons to have representatives from their lodge attend the meetings of the grand lodge and to bring with them their minute book.

In obedience to the injunction, Henry G. Sherwood and Lucius N. Scovil attended the meetings of the Grand Lodge of Illinois as representatives for Nauvoo Lodge, but did not take the lodge’s records with them as they had been instructed. During the meetings, the Committee on Returns and Work reported that they had reason to believe that Nauvoo Lodge had departed from “the intention and ancient landmarks of our institution” and that they had done so “to an inexcusable extent.” The committee moved that a special committee should investigate the matter by traveling to Nauvoo and inspecting the lodge’s minute book, “and diligently enquire into any irregularity or misconduct alleged to have been committed by said lodge, and to examine persons and papers connected with the subject, and report the facts to the M[ost]. W[orshipful]. Grand Master.” When the special committee submitted their findings to newly elected Grand Master Meredith Helm, they concluded that the principal charges made against Nauvoo Lodge were “groundless and without proof to sustain them,” but reported that “irregularities have obtained in the work of the lodge, . . . the correction of which should not be passed over in silence.” With that in mind, the committee resolved that the injunction on Nauvoo Lodge’s dispensation be removed. After considering the report of the special investigating committee, Grand Master Helm removed the injunction from Nauvoo Lodge, and the work of the lodge soon commenced anew. Charges of irregularities did not cease, however. At the meetings of the Grand Lodge of Illinois in October 1843, the Committee on Returns and Work reported that while the abstract of Nauvoo Lodge appeared “in some measure correct,” it also contained irregularities, and because of “the disrespect and contempt” that the lodge had “shown in refusing to present the records of their Work to this Grand Lodge,” the committee resolved that their dispensation be revoked and a charter denied.

Conclusion

Bennett’s allegations against Nauvoo Lodge, regardless of their validity, placed the lodge under public scrutiny and contributed to the July 1842 suspension of Nauvoo Lodge’s dispensation and the eventual revocation of that dispensation and denial of a charter in October 1843. A comparison of the lodge’s two minute books shows that some of Bennett’s claims were wrong and malicious but also confirms that the accusations had some truth to them and may help explain why Nauvoo Lodge’s representatives

at the meetings of the Grand Lodge of Illinois in 1842 and 1843 did not take the lodge’s records with them. After Bennett publically [sic] revealed that the original minute book of the lodge (Minute Book 1) had been altered, Nauvoo Masons may have feared that the Committee on Returns and Work would have noticed that the record produced by the representatives of Nauvoo Lodge (Minute Book 2) contained copied minutes. Regardless of the rationale, the plan backfired. By altering their minute book and refusing to present their records before the Grand Lodge of Illinois in 1842 and 1843, the brethren of Nauvoo Lodge implicitly acknowledged irregularities that had occurred within their lodge and validated Bennett’s general concerns if not his specific claims.

Amid rumors of his moral misconduct and his supposed expulsion from a Masonic lodge in Ohio in the 1830s, Bennett realized that his exit from Nauvoo was imminent, and he looked for ways to disparage his accusers. His accusations against Nauvoo Lodge were only a few of the total number of charges he made against the Mormons in the summer and fall of 1842, but he nevertheless effectively used his previous position as lodge secretary and his familiarity with the institution’s minute books to further damage the image and reputation of the Mormons. Even though some of his claims were exaggerated and others false or unsubstantiated, Bennett nevertheless used the minutes of Nauvoo Lodge as authoritative records to vilify the Mormons. His accusations placed the lodge under public scrutiny, and provided non-Mormons in the surrounding communities and state with more reason to be suspicious of the church and its adherents.

Aside from Bennett, Nauvoo Lodge’s records were authoritative for two other competing groups: the Mormons and non-Mormon Freemasons. Since Bennett, the Mormons, and the non-Mormon Masons saw that the minute books could be used to indict the Mormon Masons, each group focused on the minutes as a way to determine whether the Mormons were honest. Not only did Bennett, Clayton and the Mormons, and the non-Mormon Freemasons in Illinois recognize the importance of Nauvoo Lodge’s records, but they all also realized the importance of affiliation in Freemasonry, for turning to the records of the lodge would determine, if Bennett’s accusations about irregularities were correct, whether the Mormons’ relationship with Masonry warranted preservation. Thus, Bennett tried to use the minute books to damage the reputation of the Mormons, while Clayton and the Mormons attempted to maintain their relationship with Freemasonry by concealing their records. At the same time, Illinois Masons requested that the Mormon Masons bring their records to the meetings of the grand lodge and then eagerly anticipated what Nauvoo Lodge’s minute books would reveal.

This case study illustrates a portion of the power struggle that existed in Illinois in the 1840s, and highlights competing interests on the antebellum frontier. Due in part to the accusations of John C. Bennett against the brethren of Nauvoo Lodge, Mormon participation in Freemasonry generated the suspicion of some Illinois Masons, who questioned the value of preserving the Mormons’ relationship with their fraternity. The failure of the Mormon Masons to comply with the demands of the Grand Lodge of Illinois in October 1842, and again in October 1843, implicitly confirmed the fears of many Illinois Masons that Mormon participation was detrimental to their organization. While the Masons had been the target of antimasonic hatred and scorn in the 1820s and 1830s, they now joined with other Americans in directing animosity toward the Mormons, who proved worthy, in their minds, of suspicion and mistrust.