Past Masters of Wayne 25

PAST MASTERS of WAYNE 25

Prior to 1851 elections occurred semiannually in June and December. An (a) denotes the first half of the year and a (b) the latter half.

1823 (a) * Alexander Ewing

1823 (b) * Alexander Ewing

1824 (a) º* John Tipton

1824 (b) º* John Tipton

1825 (a) º* John Tipton

1825 (b) º* John Tipton

1826 (a) º* John Tipton

1826 (b) º* John Tipton

1827 (a) º* John Tipton

1827 (b) º* John Tipton

1828 (a) º* John Tipton (demit Apr. 7, 1828)

1828 (b) * Joseph Holman

1829 (a) * Lewis G. Thompson

1829 (b) * Anthony Litsey Davis

1830 (a) º* Hugh Hanna

1830 (b) * Absolom Holcomb

1831 (a) * Allen Hamilton

1831 (b) * Samuel Hanna

1832 (a) * Anthony Litsey Davis

1832 (b) * James Hudson

1833 (a) * Henry Wolff Rudisill

1833 (b) * Samuel Edsall

1834 (a) * William Rockhill

There is no record of the election or installation of William Rockhill in the minutes. Even in the earliest compilation of Wayne’s history by Bro. John W. Dawson with the aid of Sol D. Bayless in the 1850s he was not credited with having been such. However, in 1866 Sol D. Bayless recorded in a tribute to Samuel Hanna at his death that William Rockhill was elected Worshipful Master of Wayne Lodge on December 10, 1833. In addition, the committee that assembled the photo frame of Past Masters in 1917 included his photo but their source is unknown.

In the early 1830s, the meetings were few and far between but recorded. No written records remain to detail any activity between June 1833 and March 1840, but rumors persist to this day of meetings continuing in secret due to the anti-Masonic climate at the time. In 1840, Wayne 25 continued its labors, but little is known about the era from 1840 up to 1848 due primarily to the minute book disappearing. In 1849, a committee appointed to find it was unsuccessful in that endeavor.

1840 (a) * Henry Wolff Rudisill

1840 (b) * Henry Wolff Rudisill

1841 (a) * Charles Edwin Sturgis

1841 (b) * History Forgot

1842 (a) * History Forgot

1842 (b) * History Forgot

1843 (a) * History Forgot

1843 (b) º* Jacob Hull

1844 (a) * History Forgot

1844 (b) * History Forgot

1845 (a) * Charles Edwin Sturgis

1845 (b) * History Forgot

1846 (a) * History Forgot

1846 (b) * History Forgot

1847 (a) * History Forgot

1847 (b) * History Forgot

Smallwood Noel is credited with being a past master of the Lodge and Charles E. Sturgis and Jacob Hull are both said to have served multiple terms during this decade. There is a distinct possibility that Samuel H. Shoaff was master during these years too. The hope is that someday that which is lost to time will be found completing this list.

1849 (a) * Henry Wolff Rudisill

1849 (b) * Henry Wolff Rudisill

1850 (a) * Charles Edwin Sturgis

1850 (b) * Samuel H. Shoaff

1851 (b) * Solomon Doty Bayless

In 1851, at the annual communication of the Grand Lodge of Indiana, the annual election of officers was changed from the existing semiannual format to an annual format held in June each year.

1851-52 * Solomon Doty Bayless

1852-53 * Solomon Doty Bayless

1853-54 * Solomon Doty Bayless

1854-55 * Solomon Doty Bayless

1855-56 * Joseph Johnson

1856-57 * Solomon Doty Bayless

1857-58 * Joseph Johnson

1858-59 * Joseph Johnson

1859-60 * Joseph Johnson

1860-61 * Solomon Doty Bayless

1861-62 * Solomon Doty Bayless

1862-63 * Solomon Doty Bayless

1863-64 * Solomon Doty Bayless

1864-65 * Solomon Doty Bayless

1865-66 * Samuel H. Shoaff

1866-67 * Samuel H. Shoaff

1867-68 * Samuel H. Shoaff

1868-69 º* Andrew Holman Hamilton

1869-70 º* Andrew Holman Hamilton

At the annual communication in 1865, a resolution passed giving the option of electing annual officers in either June or December. Wayne Lodge continued with June elections. Then at the annual communication in 1870, a resolution required the annual elections of officers to be held in December. Consequently, Andrew H. Hamilton served an 18-month term, as there were no elections held until December 1870.

1871 º* Everett G. Pierce

1872 º* Everett G. Pierce

1873 * Solomon Doty Bayless

1874 º* Andrew Holman Hamilton

1875 * Daniel L. Harding

1876 * Charles D. Law

1877 * Thomas Johnson Rodabaugh

1878 * Daniel L. Harding

1879 º* Smith Richard Mudge

1880 º* Andrew Holman Hamilton

1881 º* Andrew Holman Hamilton

1882 º* David A. Robison

1883 º* Everett G. Pierce

1884 º* Andrew Holman Hamilton (demit Oct. 28, 1884)

1885 * Thomas Johnson Rodabaugh

1886 * Thomas Johnson Rodabaugh

1887 * James Harvey Brokaw

1888 * James Harvey Brokaw

1889 * Edward O'Rourke

1890 * Edward O'Rourke

1891 * James C. Craig

1892 º* Aaron E. Van Buskirk

1893 º* Herman W. Tapp

1894 §* John R. Kretsinger

1895 * James C. Craig

1896 * Charles B. Fitch

1897 * James Harvey Brokaw

1898 º* Edwin D. Jump

1899 º* Edwin J. Hollister

1900 * Harry William Pierce

1901 º* Isadore I. Pottlitzer

1902 º* Isadore I. Pottlitzer

1903 º* Edwin D. Jump

1904 * Henry Cohen

1905 * Jacob A. Duerr

1906 * Charles Alexander

1907 * Charles Alexander

1908 º* Loren Pearce Sanders

1909 * Abraham West Beaber

1910 * Benjamin Braton Sanders

1911 * Raymond Floyd Castle

1912 * Albert Edward Thomas

1913 * Robert James Gaskill

1914 * Warren Victor Sweet

1915 §* Franklin Henry Gaylord

1916 * Clarence Arthur Comincavish

1917 * Arthur Paul Bitner

1918 * Christian Gustav Hessert

1919 * Erich Benno Kuckein

1920 º* Ralph Henry Noll

1921 * Harry Frederick Starke

1922 º* Scott Earl Claudy

1923 * William Karbach

1924 * Frederick Edmond Murry

1925 º* Elmer E. Cook

1926 º* Henry William Haesert

1927 * Ralph Sites

1928 * Orval Braner

1929 * Manuel K. King

1930 * Edwin Christian Weiler

1931 * Chalmer Henry Hamilton

1932 * Romney Leslie Wass

1933 * Rudolph Harold Zehner

1934 * Charles Archer

1935 * Walter Henry Kruse

1936 §* John Walter Whitacre

1937 * Vernon Roy Robinson

1938 * Walter Albert Shady Sr.

1939 * Elmer Louis Buck

1940 º* Willard Allen Briant

1941 * Morris Schuster (resigned in January)

1941 * George Arthur Triplett

1942 º* Otto Kurt Keuneke

1943 º* Robert Calvin Ruhl

1944 * Homer Richhart

1945 * Daniel Irving Weikel

1946 * Conrad William Scott

1947 * Carroll Howard Weaver

1948 * Virgil Leroy Stafford

1949 * Eugene A. Roush

1950 * Raymond Franklin Overmyer

1951 * Monroe William Brosius

1952 * Paul William Elzay

1953 * Nile William Hake

1954 * Kenneth E. Goller

1955 §* Edward Henry Kronmiller

1956 * Bernard Leroy Smith

1957 * Ned Laverne Neuman

1958 º* Ronald Lawrence Meeks

1959 * Harold Wilson Garrison

1960 * Joseph M. McDowell

1961 * Charles Russell Bandy

1962 * Eugene Frederick Goshorn

1963 * Simon Henry Hartsing

1964 º* Forest Raymond Finnell

1965 * Daniel D Dale

1966 * Robert Joseph Bogenschuetz

1967 * Robert Harry Witchey

1968 * Wayde O. Cleckner

1969 * Ivan Albert Planck

1970 * Donald Ray Marvel

1971 * William Richard Doctor, Jr.

1972 * Frederick Nathan Roembke

1973 William John Allan

1974 §* David Allan Lorentzen

1975 * James Stewart DeMond

1976 º John Albert Bleich, Sr.

1977 William Lee Doctor

1978 * Robert Whyte

1979 * George Robert Diemond

1980 * Jarvis Simpson Doan, Jr.

1981 * William Theodore Schauer

1982 * George Elza Rey

1983 * Albert Carl Winkler

1984 Terry Richard Webb

1985 Terry Richard Webb

1986 * Albert Carl Winkler

1987 * Norbert O. Parrot

1988 * Tanis Nickolas Gouloff

1989 Bob Fred Jesse, Jr.

1990 William Crandall Kerley

1991 * Albert Herbert Bojrab

1992 Steven Eugene Bahr

1993 * Joe William Armstrong

1994 William Lee Doctor

1995 Jeffrey James Daughtry

1996 Jeffrey James Daughtry

1997 * Daniel D Dale

1998 * Daniel D Dale

1999 * Daniel D Dale

2000 º John Albert Bleich, Sr.

2001 º John Albert Bleich, Sr.

2002 * James Stewart DeMond

2003 * James Stewart DeMond

2004 * James Stewart DeMond

2005 º John Albert Bleich, Sr.

2006 Richard Allen Messinger

2007 * Malhon De Whitaker

2008 John Albert Bleich, Jr.

2009 Bryan Nathaniel Baggett

2010 º Kent Philip Halloran

2011 Robert Andrew Adams

2012 Lawrence Albert Davis, Jr.

2013 David Paul Trindel

2014 Michael Todd James

2015 Braxton Layne Shirar

2016 Anthony Michael Russell

2017 David Le Edward Williams

2018 Jonathan Michael Mort

2019 Jerry Alan Mort

2020 Antonio Gonzales, Jr.

2021 Thomas Parker Hansen

2022 Cory Dewitt Lemons

2023 Wiliam Walter Pond

2024 Michael Joseph Hetrick

2025 Igor Buranj

2026

2027

2028

2029

2020

* Deceased

º Demitted

§ Suspended/Expelled

Members of Wayne Lodge who have served as the Most Worshipful Grand Master of the State of Indiana are:

John Tipton served as the third Grand Master of Indiana in 1820-21 while a member of Pisgah Lodge No. 5 in Corydon, IN. He was the first non-charter member of the Wayne Lodge joining on demit 18 September 1823 and was later granted a demit 7 April 1828 when he was relocating the Office of Indiana Affairs from Fort Wayne to Logansport. He then served a second term in 1828-29 while a member of Tipton Lodge No. 33 in Logansport, IN.

Solomon Doty Bayless served back-to-back terms from 1857-59 as the twenty-second Grand Master of Indiana. After being elected for the 1859-60 term he declined to serve.

Edward O’Rourke served from 1895-96 as the forty-sixth Grand Master of Indiana.

As we read over this list of the past, we are reminded of the words

“One by one the roses fall.

Drop by drop the streams run dry.

So, one by one the members die.”