Subject: Freemasonry

Handwritten and printed application for membership to the Charity Lodge of the Independent Order of Odd Fellows in Stockton, California. Dated February 16-23, 1859. The application proposes Luis Rosenthal for membership, with Alexander Isaac and A. Kohlberg as proposers. This document is signed.

Printed broadside announcing the election of officers of the Grand Lodge of Kentucky, signed by Abraham Jonas as Junior Grand Warden and three other lodge officers. Issued September 4, 1830. Sent to the Grand Secretary of the Grand Lodge of Vermont. One page plus a separate address leaf. Features signatures of notable individuals including a Kentucky newspaper publisher, a Louisville founding father, and a Kentucky Militia general.

This pamphlet, printed in Richmond, Virginia during the Civil War in 1864 by James E. Goode, contains the by-laws and membership roster of Richmond Lodge No. 10. The by-laws detail the rules and regulations governing the lodge, while the roster lists the officers, past masters, master masons, and members, including numerous individuals with Jewish names. This provides a glimpse into the social structure and membership of a Masonic lodge during the Confederacy, highlighting the presence and participation of Jews within the Richmond community.

Certificate of membership in the Grand Lodge of Pennsylvania, awarded to Joseph L. Moss. Issued in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, circa 1860. The certificate is a printed document.

Eight-page pamphlet detailing the membership and schedules of Enterprise Lodge No. 228 F & A.M., located in the Doric Room of Mason Hall at 6th Ave. & 23rd Street in New York City. Published in 1895, the lodge was chartered in 1851. The pamphlet lists numerous Jewish members, as well as H.W. Meincke and Cohen, identified as non-paying members.

Envelope addressed to W. J. Hooper, Secretary of Lodge 22, Eureka, Nevada. Postmarked Virginia City, Nevada, January 29, 1896. The envelope shows advertising.

Envelope addressed to W. J. Hooper, Secretary, Lodge 22, Eureka, Nevada. Postmarked Virginia City, Nevada, March 19, 1896. The envelope contains advertising and was sent by L. Guggenheim.

Two-page letter from Horace E. Baldwin in New York City to Charles Tobias in New Orleans, dated April 5, 1851. Baldwin discusses his illness, a capital investment in their business, and Masonic affairs. The letter indicates Charles Tobias had a financial stake in the New Orleans firm H.E. Baldwin & Co.

A one-page letter, folded, addressed, and docketed on the verso, written by Brother Samuel Townsend to Israel Israel, R. W. Master of the Grand Lodge of Pennsylvania, on June 4, 1804. The letter discusses Townsend's expulsion from Lodge #75, Pennsylvania.

This 40-page manuscript, written circa 1863, is a lengthy essay exploring Masonic ceremony and symbolism. The author, Rabbi Alexander Barnard Davis, examines the significance of the numbers three and seven in relation to human life stages and their symbolic representation within Masonic rituals. The manuscript incorporates biblical texts and Hebrew words and phrases, reflecting a blend of Masonic and Kabbalistic thought. Written in an exercise book from the Rev. A.B. Davis's Academy in Kingston, Jamaica.

Partly-printed manuscript document, boldly signed by officers elected by the Grand Lodge of the State of New York on June 20, 1833. Sent as a stampless letter to a Vermont Lodge. Includes the signature of Mordecai Myers as Deputy Grand Master.

Oil on canvas portrait of Solomon Jacobs, painted from life by Thomas Sully in 1812. The portrait depicts Jacobs during his tenure as Grand Master of Masons of Virginia. The painting measures 76cm x 63.5 cm and is housed in the University of Pennsylvania Libraries.

Pair of oil on canvas portraits of Moses Michael Hays (1739-1805) and Rachel Myer Hays (1738-1810). Attributed to Gilbert Stuart (American, 1755-1828), circa 1790. Each portrait measures 25 x 20 inches. Moses Michael Hays was a prominent Jewish merchant, civic leader, philanthropist, and Freemason in Colonial and early Federalist America. He lived in New York, Boston, and Newport, Rhode Island. Rachel Myer Hays was the sister of New York silversmith Myer Myers (1723-1795). The portraits descended through the Hays family and were collected by circa 1840 Jewish settlers in Cincinnati, OH. The current heirs include the president of an international literary society.

This 1840 edition, published in New York by M. M. Noah & A. S. Gould, represents a purported translation of the medieval Hebrew text, Book of Jasher. The book is a compilation from the Babylonian Talmud and other Jewish sources, intermixed with Arabic legends and biblical passages. The translation, though initially unattributed, is now associated with Moses Samuel of Liverpool. This edition includes a preface by M. M. Noah and endorsements from several prominent Hebraists of the time. The book is notable for its significance in Rosicrucian and Masonic circles, and its later acquisition by Joseph Smith, founder of the Latter Day Saint movement. The book contains [4], xxiii, [1 blank], 267, [1 blank] pages and measures 155 x 234 cm (6 x 9 1/8 inches).