By Brete Murphy · November 11, 2026
A working index of historical members associated with Springfield Gardens Lodge No. 1057 and its nine constituent lodge histories. The directory records founding connections, documented offices, biographical notes and related articles, with incomplete identities and uncertain affiliations clearly marked.
Springfield Gardens: Start Here · The Nine-Lodge Lineage · The Seven Lodges
About This Directory
Springfield Gardens brings together nine constituent lodge histories, the largest constituent group within the seven-lodge set examined in this series.
Their beginnings run from Jamaica’s 1864 charter to Suburban’s 1928 charter.
Most belonged to southern and southeastern Queens, but the geographical reach was broader.
Suburban’s early history, for example, belongs to Ridgewood.
The constituent institutions came together through consolidations between 1963 and 2013.[1]
This directory is a growing research index, not a complete membership roll.
It distinguishes:
- Founders and club members.
- Verified charter membership.
- Early officers and later members.
- Life dates and dates of lodge activity.
- Lodge membership and service to an associated property organization.
- Original lodge affiliations and membership documented only in a combined body.
Living members are not included.
The present lodge meets in Rockville Centre.
The Lineage at a Glance
| Institution | Number | Beginning identified in the supplied research | Meeting-place connections | Later combination |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jamaica | 546 | Charter, June 16, 1864 | Jamaica Town Hall; Union Avenue temple dedicated in 1902 | Woodhull joined in 1985; Jamaica-Queens Village formed in 1998; joined Springfield Gardens in 2013 |
| Hillside | 894 | Institution, May 29, 1911; charter, May 8, 1912 | Willard Avenue temple, constructed in 1913 and opened with a fair in 1914 | Council-Hillside, April 29, 1963; joined Springfield Gardens, July 22, 1994 |
| Prosperity | 962 | Charter, May 6, 1920 | Hillside’s temple | Joined Suburban-Queens Village in 1984 |
| Council | 979 | Charter, May 4, 1921 | Richmond Hill references; Hillside’s temple during part of its history | Council-Hillside, April 29, 1963 |
| Woodhull | 982 | Under dispensation from January 5, 1921; charter date to be entered from the controlling record | Jamaica’s Union Avenue temple and Hollis references | Consolidated with Jamaica in 1985 |
| Dunton | 1017 | Charter, May 3, 1923 | Van Wyck Boulevard clubhouse and temple history | GLNY records give May 22, 1986; an earlier district account gives 1985 |
| Queens Village | 1046 | Charter, May 6, 1925 | Community House | Suburban-Queens Village, March 27, 1981; Jamaica-Queens Village, April 24, 1998 |
| Springfield Gardens | 1057 | Institution, November 21, 1925; charter, May 6, 1926 | Springfield Boulevard temple; later Rockville Centre | Present continuing institution |
| Suburban | 1087 | Charter, May 3, 1928; constitution at Tadmor’s temple that May | Tadmor’s temple; Floral Park reference by 1979 | Suburban-Queens Village, March 27, 1981 |
Jamaica-Queens Village joined Springfield Gardens on July 22, 2013, according to GLNY records.[1]
This table summarizes institutional changes.
It does not establish when each lodge first occupied or last used a particular building.
Read Nine Lodge Histories, One Queens Lineage →
Jamaica Lodge No. 546
Jamaica received its charter on June 16, 1864.
Its early meeting places included the old Town Hall.
The lodge dedicated its Union Avenue temple, now associated with 162nd Street, in 1902.[2]
Woodhull later organized with Jamaica connections and consolidated with it in 1985.
Jamaica and Suburban-Queens Village formed Jamaica-Queens Village in 1998.
That body joined Springfield Gardens in 2013.
Charter Roster Research
| Research item | Period | Current position |
|---|---|---|
| Charter membership | 1864 | Name-by-name roster not yet entered |
Later Officers and Members
No individual entries have yet been supplied for this section.
That is a directory gap, not evidence that members cannot be identified.
Read Jamaica Lodge’s Rooms and Union Avenue Hall →
Hillside Lodge No. 894
Hillside began under dispensation in 1911 and received its charter in 1912.
Its Willard Avenue temple followed in 1913, with an opening fair in January 1914.
Prosperity used the building, and Council appears there during part of its history.
The research records the temple’s sale to Queens Tabernacle in 1986.[3]
Hillside and Council combined in 1963.
Council-Hillside joined Springfield Gardens in 1994.
Founding and Charter References
A first Master is not automatically proof of a complete charter roster.
| Name | Connection identified in the supplied research | Dated reference | Biographical or research note | Related article |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Joseph H. Courtenay | First Master | Early terms, 1911–1913 | Identified with the temple project and a November 1917 recognition evening. The exact jurisdictional wording of the Nevada representative appointment should follow the original record. | Hillside’s Temple Story |
| Arthur E. Wenige | Identified as a charter member in historical account; later Master | Founding period; mastership reference by 1914 | Architect associated with Wenige & Nelson and secretary of the temple holding company. Exact mastership dates require the officer record. | The Engineer’s Room |
Later Officers and Members
| Name | Documented connection | Life or activity reference | Biographical or research note | Related article |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| John M. Smythe | Master | 1916 | Individual life and office records to be completed | — |
| Harry S. Best | Member | Died 1928 | Research identifies a fatal Long Island Rail Road accident; exact date and notice to be attached | — |
| Jeromus H. Meissner | Hillside member; Wakefield founder | 1929 | Earlier affiliation is listed in Wakefield’s anniversary history; membership-transfer details remain unresolved | Wakefield’s Founders |
Associated Property Role: Membership to Be Confirmed
| Name | Documented connection | Dated reference | Research question |
|---|---|---|---|
| Dr. Albert L. Voltz | Identified with the temple holding company and a finance committee | 1913 and 1920 references | Attach evidence establishing lodge membership separately from the property-organization role |
Read Hillside Masonic Temple →
Read Two Lodges in Two Nights: Hillside and Richmond Hill →
Prosperity Lodge No. 962
Prosperity received its charter in 1920 and used Hillside’s temple.
Its history also includes visiting-team activity at Geba.
Prosperity joined Suburban-Queens Village in 1984, entering the branch that later continued through Jamaica-Queens Village into Springfield Gardens.[1][4]
Charter Roster Research
| Research item | Period | Current position |
|---|---|---|
| Charter membership | 1920 | Name-by-name roster not yet entered |
Later Officers and Members
No individual entries have yet been supplied.
Read Lending a Hand: Prosperity’s Visiting-Team Connection →
Council Lodge No. 979
Council received its charter in 1921.
The research identifies it with Richmond Hill and includes Hillside temple references.
Council combined with Hillside on April 29, 1963.[1][3]
Charter Roster Research
| Research item | Period | Current position |
|---|---|---|
| Charter membership | 1921 | Name-by-name roster not yet entered |
Officers and Members Identified in the Research
| Name | Documented connection | Dated reference | Biographical or research note | Related article |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Frank P. Bennett | Tyler | 1950s | Also identified as tyler of Queens Village and Rufus King. Each office reference should retain its own citation. | Lending a Hand |
Service as tyler should not automatically be treated as proof of membership in every lodge served.
Bennett’s membership affiliations require their own records.
Woodhull Lodge No. 982
Woodhull organized under dispensation in January 1921 with Jamaica connections.
Its meeting-place references include Jamaica’s Union Avenue temple and premises in Hollis.
Those references do not establish ownership of either building.
Woodhull consolidated with Jamaica in 1985.[5]
Founding and Charter Roster Research
| Research item | Period | Current position |
|---|---|---|
| Organizing group | 1921 | Names not yet entered |
| Charter membership | Date to be confirmed from the controlling record | Roster not yet entered |
Later Officers and Members
No individual entries have yet been supplied.
Dunton Lodge No. 1017
Dunton’s beginnings lay in a Masonic club and a clubhouse project that preceded the lodge’s charter.
The research records a cornerstone ceremony in 1921 and a lodge charter on May 3, 1923.
Those dates do not claim that the completed temple opened in 1921.
The Van Wyck Boulevard property’s construction, ownership and occupancy require their own chronology.[6]
The GLNY records give May 22, 1986, for Dunton’s consolidation with Springfield Gardens.
An earlier district account gives 1985.
The discrepancy remains unresolved.
Charter Roster Research
| Research item | Period | Current position |
|---|---|---|
| Masonic club membership | Early 1920s | Must be kept separate from lodge membership |
| Lodge charter membership | 1923 | Name-by-name roster not yet entered |
Later Officers and Members
No individual entries have yet been supplied for this directory.
Read the Dunton Temple Property Story →
Queens Village Lodge No. 1046
Queens Village received its charter on May 6, 1925.
Its early meeting-place history includes the neighborhood’s Community House.
Suburban and Queens Village combined in 1981.
The resulting branch, later incorporating Prosperity, joined Jamaica in 1998.[1]
The Community House occupancy dates and changing address references remain subjects for the individual lodge history.
Charter Roster Research
| Research item | Period | Current position |
|---|---|---|
| Charter membership | 1925 | Name-by-name roster not yet entered |
Officers and Service References
| Name | Documented connection | Dated reference | Research note | Related article |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Frank P. Bennett | Tyler | 1950s | Also recorded serving Council and Rufus King; lodge membership should be verified separately from office service | Lending a Hand |
The duplicate entry is intentional because it records a separate institutional role.
Springfield Gardens Lodge No. 1057
The research describes a club of forty-two Masons by 1920.
Institution under dispensation followed on November 21, 1925, and the lodge charter on May 6, 1926.
Its building history includes the temple at 138-35 Springfield Boulevard.[1]
The club roster, lodge charter roster and property chronology should be checked separately.
Later consolidations brought the other constituent histories into the continuing lodge.
That did not necessarily mean every predecessor physically occupied the Springfield Boulevard building.
The present meeting place is in Rockville Centre.
The relocation date remains unresolved.
Club and Charter Roster Research
| Research item | Period | Current position |
|---|---|---|
| Reported forty-two-member club | By 1920 | Name-by-name roster not yet entered |
| Institution officers and membership | 1925 | Records to be transcribed |
| Charter membership | 1926 | Name-by-name roster not yet entered |
Later Officers and Members
No individual entries have yet been supplied for this section.
Read Springfield Gardens Lodge No. 1057: Main History →
Read Springfield Gardens: Start Here →
Suburban Lodge No. 1087
Suburban received its charter on May 3, 1928.
Its constitution took place at Tadmor’s Ridgewood temple that May, alongside Maspeth and Rufus King.
Suburban continued using Tadmor’s premises for decades.
A 1979 notice placed it in Floral Park, but the precise departure date from Tadmor remains unresolved.[7]
Suburban combined with Queens Village on March 27, 1981.
Charter Roster Research
| Research item | Period | Current position |
|---|---|---|
| Charter membership | 1928 | Name-by-name roster not yet entered |
Members Identified in the Research
| Name | Documented connection | Life or activity reference | Research note |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jacob Krauss | Identified as a Suburban member in newspaper research | Died 1979 | Original death notice, exact date and identity details to be attached |
Read One Hall in Ridgewood: Suburban at Tadmor →
Members Documented Only in Combined Lodges
No individual entries have yet been supplied for this section.
Future names may be grouped under:
- Council-Hillside.
- Suburban-Queens Village.
- Jamaica-Queens Village.
- Springfield Gardens after the relevant consolidations.
Articles About This Line
- Springfield Gardens: Start Here
- Springfield Gardens Lodge No. 1057: Main History
- Nine Lodge Histories, One Queens Lineage
- Jamaica Lodge’s Rooms and Union Avenue Hall
- Hillside Masonic Temple
- Woodhull Lodge No. 982
- Dunton Lodge No. 1017
- Dunton’s Van Wyck Boulevard Temple
- One Hall in Ridgewood: The Suburban Connection
The separate Prosperity, Council, Queens Village, Suburban and Springfield Boulevard building articles should be linked when their publication paths are confirmed.
Source Notes
1. Lineage and Consolidations
Grand Lodge of New York records as compiled by Brete Murphy.
The author’s Springfield Gardens series and revised lineage essay.
Supports the constituent framework and consolidation sequence.
The Dunton 1985–1986 discrepancy remains unresolved.
The current meeting reference follows the supplied lodge listing, not a fresh verification of visitor information.
2. Jamaica
The author’s Jamaica lodge and Union Avenue temple research.
See Jamaica Lodge’s Rooms and Union Avenue Hall.
The directory does not yet contain a name-by-name charter roster.
3. Hillside
The author’s Hillside lodge and temple articles and underlying newspaper research.
The supplied references include early institutional accounts, Courtenay recognition coverage and later building and member notices.
Wenige’s charter-member identification follows the Advance historical account.
Voltz’s property-organization role is not treated as independent proof of lodge membership.
4. Prosperity and Council
The author’s individual lodge research.
The visiting-team and shared-premises references are discussed in Lending a Hand.
Service as tyler is distinguished from a confirmed membership affiliation.
5. Woodhull
The author’s Woodhull article and underlying records.
The January 1921 dispensation is distinguished from the charter date.
Use of Jamaica and Hollis premises does not establish ownership.
6. Dunton
The author’s Dunton lodge and property research.
The club, lodge and building project are treated as related but distinct subjects.
A 1921 cornerstone reference does not establish completion in that year.
7. Suburban
The author’s Suburban research and Tadmor temple connecting story.
Contemporary references establish activity at Tadmor through 1955 and a Floral Park reference by 1979.
The exact move date remains unresolved.
The Krauss death notice requires its full citation in the individual entry.
8. Directory Status
This is an incomplete research index.
Several entries still require life dates, original citations or membership verification.
The absence of names in a section is not a claim that its roster cannot be recovered.
Direct clipping URLs were not supplied with the manuscript.
Springfield Gardens: Start Here · The Nine-Lodge Lineage · Springfield Gardens: Main History
The Seven Lodges: Complete Series Guide · Connecting Stories · Queens History Blog
