Your committee finds according to the statements of the delegates from Massachusetts that since the time of the organization of the African Grand Lodge of Modern Masons in the State of Massachusetts which occurred June 24th, 1791, that no steps or effort had been made or taken by the officers and members of the African Grand Lodge of Modern Masons of Massachusetts to have said Grand Lodge Masonically legalized and set right.
Your committee is wholly unable to find or secure any genuine information that even a charter was ever granted by the Grand Lodge of England for the establishing of African Lodge No. 459 at Boston, Mass.
Your committee has investigated various printed proceedings of the African Grand Lodge of Massachusetts which name was changed in the year of 1808 to the name of the Prince Hall Grand Lodge of Massachusetts, and we cannot find the name of African Lodge No. 459 printed in any of the Grand Lodge proceedings of Massachusetts.
Your committee is unable to find or be placed in the possession of any genuine information that would lead the committee to believe that there was ever a charter granted by the Grand Lodge of England to Prince Hall and his associates at Boston, Mass.
Your committee finds further that the so-often repeated statement made by some of the less informed brothers of our race that the color line and prejudice had been the cause in the State of Massachusetts and other places throughout the country and especially in the northern states in the refusal of some of the White Grand Lodges of Masons in denying us recognition was not based on account of color but it was predicated solely upon the grounds that the origin of Freemasonry among the Colored Masons in the State of Massachusetts was unlawful and irregular.
Committee:
JOHN G. JONES, of Illinois,
W. R. LAWTON, of Missouri,
B. F. ROGERS, of Illinois,
H. D. VENA, of Michigan,
J. H. BANKS, of Rhode Island.
The above named committee report was adopted forty-one to ten.
THE SIXTH NATIONAL GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF COLORED MASONS OF THE UNITED STATES WAS HELD AT OMAHA, NEB., MAY THE 10th, 1874
The Sixth National General Assembly of Colored Masons of the United States convened at Omaha, Neb., May the 10th., 1874. Delegates were present from the States of Pennsylvania, Nebraska, Iowa, Illinois, Michigan, Tennessee, Missouri, Colorado, New York and Kansas. John G. Jones of Chicago was elected president of the congress. E. R. Overall of Omaha, was elected secretary.