M.W. Dr. Jepthah B. Munn, PGM

Recently I became aware of the grave site of a distinguished worthy brother that was buried in the Hillside Cemetery across from Madison Lodge.  With a little help from WB Dale Keller who used to work in the cemetery many years ago, I was able to locate the grave of M.W. Dr. Jepthah B. Munn (1780-1863).

The story of Jepthah B. Munn is the story of a distinguished physician, and statesman as well as something of a history of Freemasonry in the Morris County area.  

Jepthah B. Munn was a physician and was a founder of the Medical Society of Morris County in 1816 and was elected the organization's President in 1820.  In 1828 he was elected a Fellow in the Medical Society of New Jersey.

Munn served in the New Jersey General Assembly from 1810 to 1814 and on the Legislative Council (State Senate) from 1825 to 1836, serving as vice-president and acting Governor of New Jersey in 1836.

M.W. Munn was raised to the sublime degree of Master Mason in 1804 in Paterson-Orange Lodge No. 13, he served as Worshipful Master of Cincinnati Lodge No. 17 (Morristown, NJ) from 1809-1814 and became the charter Worshipful Master of Chatham Lodge No. 33 in 1814 and served in this capacity until 1819.  (Note: The current Borough of Madison was not founded until 1834, and previous to that was known as the "Bottle Hill" section of Chatham)

Chatham Lodge subsequently surrendered it's warrant in 1824, and M.W. Munn returned to Cincinnati Lodge, and affiliated with St. John's lodge No. 2.Elected Senior Grand Warden of the Grand Lodge of New Jersey 1818-1820, he subsequently became Grand Master of New Jersey in 1821 serving in this capacity until 1824.  His term as Grand master was best known for when 

he received Bro. Lafayette at Elizabeth, NJ in 1824.

 In 1837, Munn participated in constituting the St. John's Grand Lodge in New York in competition with the regular Grand Lodge of New York.   Munn Lodge was the first lodge to be voted on and warranted under the jurisdiction of Saint John's Grand Lodge and for some 30 years there were two distinct Grand Lodges in New York, and a number of warrants were issued - including one in Hoboken, NJ which was later absorbed into the Grand Lodge of New Jersey.

In 1842 M.W. John Darcy, PGM censured M. W. Munn for his participation in the creation of theSaint John’s Grand Lodge.  This censure was rescinded in 1845.Most governing bodies of Masons in America openly admitted that the St. John’s Grand Lodge had no Masonic Status, but they also did not regard it as a clandestine body. 

Then in 1849 a third Grand Lodge of New York a third Grand Lodge in New York was constituted and the situation was found entirely ridiculous and arbitrated by all other Grand Lodges in the country at the time.  In December of 1850 Munn Lodge was granted a warrant by the Grand Lodge of New York and Saint John’s Lodge was subsequently dissolved.