These documents cover the period from 1782 to 1798.
As these copies in our possession are photostat fac-similes of the original documents in the Library of Congress, there can never be any question of correctness or of their authenticity.
The finding and collating of this material will settle for all time to come the question of Washington's connection with the Ancient Fraternity, and his opinion and esteem of Freemasonry.
The earliest record we have of any Masonic Body proposing a masonic address to General Washington, was the resolution offered in King David's Lodge, No. 1, at Newport, Rhode Island, during Washington's visit to Newport in March, 1781, while the French Army under Rochambeau was quartered there. Washington arrived in Newport on the sixth of March and remained there until the thirteenth, when he left for Providence by way of Bristol.
It was in anticipation of this visit that the Brethren of King David's Lodge, of which Brother Moses Michael Hays[10] was Worshipful Master, that a masonic greeting to General Washington was proposed. The following entry from the old Minute Book of the Lodge will explain why the project failed to materialize.
W. M. KING DAVID'S LODGE, No. 1, NEWPORT, R. I., 1780-1781.
GRAND MASTER OF MASONS IN MASSACHUSETTS, 1788-1793.
Extract from the Records of King David's Lodge.
"Regular Lodge night, held at the house of Mr. James Tew, Wednesday evening, the 7th February, 1781. 5781.