Thomas Chittenden and Ira Allen Freemasons

Republic of Vermont All-Seeing Eye coin, 1785-88

If anybody needs documented proof of both Thomas Chittenden and Ira Allen being freemasons, this is it! In the book Ancient Craft Masonry in Vermont, by Lee S. Tillotson, the author goes into some detail.

Anyone growing up in Vermont is aware of the exploits of Ethan, supposedly a self-taught free thinker, during the Revolutionary war. He wrote abook called The Oracles of Reason, thoroughly Masonic, in which he argues for a Deistic approach to life.

Here is a sample:
"By extending our ideas in a larger circle, we shall perceive our dependence on the earth and waters of the globe which we inhabit, and from which we are bountifully fed and gorgeously arrayed; and next extend our ideas to the sun, whose fiery mass darts its brilliant rays of light to our terraqueous ball with amazing velocity, and whose region of inexhaustible fire supplies it with fervent heat, which causes vegetation, and gilds the various seasons of the year with ten thousand charms: this is not the achievement of man, but the workmanship and providence of God. But how the sun is supplied with materials, thus to perpetuate its kind influences, we know not. But deny the reality of those beneficial influences, because we do not understand the manner of the perpetuality of that fiery world, or how it became fire? or will any one deny the reality of nutrition by food, because we do not understand the secret operation of the digesting powers of animal nature or the minute particulars of its cherishing influence? None will be so stupid as to do it. Equally absurd would it be for us to deny the providence of God, by "whom we live, move, and have our being," because we cannot comprehend it."

His brother, Ira, was the younger brother of Ethan and a real trailblazer in the family
Anyway, Here are the excerpts from Ancient Craft Masonry In Vermont:

"Dr. Jonas Fay, who recieved his second degree in Vermont Lodge on June 26,1782, the same night that Ira Allen and Thomas Chittenden were initiated, also became amember of the North Star Lodge..."

"on November10,1781, a charter was issued by St.Andrews Grand Lodge of Massechusetts to Jim Barret and others for a masonic lodge at Springfield, Vermont, under the name "Vermont Lodge". The number of this lodge in the Massechusetts register was 17."

"The petition for the charter was dated at Cornish, Vermont, May 11, 1781"

"The original charter...It bears among others the signiature of Paul Revere, then Grand Senior Warden of the Grand Lodge of Massechusetts"

"Ira Allenand Thomas Chittenden were both intiated in Vermont Lodge on the same night, June 26,1782. The records relative to the bringing to masonic light of those two noted men are as follows:
June 24, 1782.'Br. Barrett proposes for initiation Ira Allen. The lodge having paricular Aquaintance of the foregoing proposal, proceeded to Ballot-Ballotted in Ira Allen.'
June 26, 1782.'Br. Fay proposes for initiation Thos. Chittenden Esqr. The Lodge having particular aquaintance of his Excellency Thos. Chittenden Esqr.(He was governor of Vermont at the time) proceeded to ballot for him. Ballotted in Thos. Chittenden.
Made Masons: Ira Allen: THos. Chittenden."

"Thomas Chittenden received his second and third degrees in North Star Lodge at Manchester, and afterwards became a charter member and the first master of Dorchester Lodge at Vergennes."

Of course this tradition of the the Governor being a freemason continue to this day. Check out our governor!

Finally, here is what Cora Cheney says in Profiles From the Past:

"The Masons were largely descendants of the ruling group in the state, which constituted the aristocrats in a sense. Chittenden and the Allens and their crowd were all Masons, and for all the democratic talk, Vermont was founded as a republic with a high concentration of power in the hands of a few."