Advance Lodge No. 635 Members Directory: Charter Members and Past Members

Member Profiles
Written by Brete Murphy

Charter members and past members of Advance Lodge No. 635, Astoria’s first Masonic lodge, now part of the lineage of Advance Service Mizpah Lodge No. 586.

Start Here · Series Hub · Timeline · Previous Article: To Be Assigned · Next Article: To Be Assigned · Related Directory: Master Members Directory · Related Member Profiles: To Be Assigned

Advance Lodge No. 635 was chartered by the Grand Lodge of New York on July 2, 1867, as Astoria’s first Masonic lodge.

It built the Advance Masonic Temple at 21-14 30th Avenue, which remains the meeting place of the combined lodge.

In 1993 Advance consolidated with Island City Mizpah Lodge. In 2018 that combined lodge joined Service City Geba Lodge to become Advance Service Mizpah Lodge No. 586.

This directory lists the charter members of Advance Lodge and its past members, with links to individual member articles as they are published. It covers historical members, not current members.

For the lodge’s history, see Advance Lodge No. 635: Astoria’s First Masonic Lodge.

Charter Members of Advance Lodge No. 635

The names below follow Henry Martin’s 1915 history of the lodge. The lodge’s own history counts 22 petitioners, while Martin’s list has 24 entries, including two Berger entries whose identities remain unresolved.

  1. John R. Clark, first Master
  2. Edwin A. Caldwell
  3. James D. Torrey
  4. John E. Oloff
  5. James N. Whitcomb
  6. Benjamin S. H. Maillefert
  7. Edward C. Graham
  8. Robert T. Wild
  9. Caleb G. Francis
  10. Cornelius R. Morris
  11. Charles C. Howell
  12. Joseph Curtis
  13. Julius J. Umschlag
  14. Edward T. Jenkins
  15. Charles O. Mann
  16. William M. Berger
  17. Charles Risdale
  18. Martin Willis
  19. Robert McCoskry Graham
  20. William C. Wilson
  21. John L. Morris
  22. Charles Cranfield

Past Members of Advance Lodge No. 635

Entries include roles, ranks, and membership dates where available. Individual profile links will be added as their destinations are confirmed.

Sources and Notes

Henry Martin’s 1915 history of Advance Lodge No. 635 supplies the charter-member list reproduced above. The lodge’s own history supplies the count of 22 petitioners.

Note 1: Charter List and Name Transcriptions

Martin’s list contains 24 entries, while the lodge’s own history counts 22 petitioners. Those counts should not be treated as interchangeable without checking the underlying founding and charter records.

The list includes William M. Berger and an entry rendered here as William A. Berger. One Berger entry has a garbled transcription. Whether the entries refer to two men has not been settled.

Benjamin S. H. Maillefert appears as “B. Mailifet” in Martin’s list. Other spellings may change as the original text and lodge records are checked.

The list is retained in the supplied order. Its numbering identifies entries in the transcription, not a verified total of distinct charter members.

Other Member Directories

Start Here · Series Hub · Timeline · Previous Article: To Be Assigned · Next Article: To Be Assigned · Related Directory: Master Members Directory · Related Member Profiles: To Be Assigned

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Brete Murphy

A Freemason, a local historian, well versed in symbolism, comparative religious studies, esoterica, and a member of several societies. I am currently the Historian of Advance Service Mizpah Lodge 586 in Astoria , New York.

https://www.bretemurphy.com/
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