TOM THUMB 1838-1883 * * * * * THE DESCRIPTION of FUNERAL SERVICE & BURIAL

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The remains of Charles S. Stratton, more familiar as, “General Tom Thumb,” were buried with Masonic honors in the Mountain Grove Cemetery at Bridgeport, Conn. yesterday afternoon, July 19th, 1883. He died on July 15th. It was estimated that more than 10,000 people attended the ceremonies. Of this throng, fully 8,000 were women and girls. The body lay exposed to view in St. John’s Episcopal Church on Fairfield Avenue, during the afternoon. It reposed in an oaken coffin 3 feet 10 inches in length and covered with black cloth. Silver bars ran along the sides and Masonic emblems engraved in silver were fastened above the bars. The silver plate on the lid was engraved with the Masonic pillar, all seeing - eye, and altar, the inscription in the center being: “Charles S. Stratton, aged 45 years, 6 months, and 11 days.”

The face of the dead dwarf looked perfectly natural. The body was dressed in a broadcloth suit. Blood stone studs ornamented the shirt front. On the left coat lapel glittered a gold badge engraved with the thirty-second Masonic degree. A white lace veil was spread over the face. On the lid rested the Knight Templar chapeau and silver sword of the General. The scabbard was inlaid with chased silver and the hilt was of silver and ebony. The weapon was only twenty inches long. Beside the hat and sword rested a floral anchor and cross intertwined sent by Mr. and Mrs. Phineas T. Barnum. At the foot lay a square and compasses of white roses presented by Mr. William R. Higby, and a cross of flowers, the gift of the Hamilton Commandery of Knights Templar. Two knights in full uniform, with drawn swords, stood at the head and foot of the casket as the spectators passed through a double file of Knights who formed a guard of honor.

The funeral services at St. John’s Episcopal Church were at 2:30 o’clock. The pall bearers were in uniform. Behind, in double file, marched the Templars of Hamilton Commandery and the members of St. John’s Lodge No. 3 of Free Masons.

A prayer closed the service and then the Knights and Masons marched from the church three abreast with drawn swords, escorting the coffin to the hearse. A full band of musicians, uniformed in red and blue, wearing black helmets with waving plumes of white, played the “Dead March,” and the procession started for the cemetery, two miles distant. Twenty carriages occupied by relatives and intimate friends followed the hearse. Nearly 1,000 people surrounded the burial plot when the cortege arrived.

Mrs. Stratton, born 1841 and died in 1901, was only a few inches shorter than her husband who was three feet tall, was too weak to stand and a cushion was brought from the carriage and laid on the ground at the edge of the grave. The little widow sat upon it, supported by her mother and mother-in-law. The ceremonies lasted more than half an hour. Mrs. Stratton became more and more agitated as they proceeded and just as Prelate Dutton dropped the floral Masonic emblem into the grave, and the knights crossed their swords and began to chant the closing hymn, her little figure shook for a moment with strong emotion, and she fell back senseless into the arms of her mother. There were cries of pity from the crowd that looked on and hundreds of women watched with anxiety the efforts to revive the little woman. Mrs. Stratton was lifted and carried to her carriage. She revived as the carriage was rolling homeward.

Article copied from a Bridgeport, CT
newspaper, 1883

I found this interesting & thought you might too.
Not many remember he was a well respected Mason.
Hiram Abiff
The Widow's Son

“No man has ever knelt at our altar of obligation, and arose the same man."
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A TRIBUTE TO ARMY SPC. GREGORY JAMES MISSMAN

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One of the distinguishing marks of true character is the willingness to take risks and go beyond what is expected by the call of duty. Extra service, the willingness to do more than what is demanded of us, is a measure of our patriotism, and the depth of our religion. To go beyond others in acts of courage, loyalty, and kindness, is one of the marks of a “good soldier.” This is true of Army Spc. Gregory James Missman.

Personal courage is the positive manifestation of an inward alertness to the presence of freedom. Gregory James Missman, proved himself to be a good soldier, one of the best his country ever produced. The enemy who fought against him as well as the men who fought with him, can testify to that. To live hopefully, and courageously today, is not easy. To do so, a man must dedicate himself to something beyond his own little self. This Gregory did without question.

There are two types of strength. There is the strength of the wind that sways the mighty oak, and there is the strength of the oak that withstands the power of the wind. There is strength of the locomotive that pulls the heavy train across the bridge that holds up the weight of the train; one is the power to keep going, the other is the power to keep still; one is the strength by which we overcome, the other is the strength by which we endure. Gregory certainly had these strengths.

Death touches each of us differently. For some, the feeling is simply, “I’m sorry.” For others it can be a deep personal loss going beyond words, and surfacing in some way for an extended period. Although I did not have the pleasure and honor of knowing Gregory personally, the latter is how my comrade in arms death affects me now, and will continue to affect me.

Gregory had dreams and wanted to live his life to the fullest. He would have loved to dance, gazed at the sun, the moon, and the sky once more; spend quality time with his small son, shoot hoops with his buddies, and feel the joy of living. Now, he is gone, only to remain in the hearts and memories of those who knew and loved him, and there were many. For this young man lost two lives, the one he was living, and the one he would have lived. We, whom he left behind, should not feel the sorrow for his passing, but rejoice in the memory of his life; a life, lost too soon.

I offer my deepest sympathies to the Missman family. You can be proud to say that your son gave his life so others may live. He did what he had taken an oath to do. He did it without thinking of the risk involved and, whatever was done, he believed that it was correct, and honorable. War drew him from his homeland in the sunlit springtime of his youth. Those, like your son Gregory, who did not come home alive, remain in perpetual springtime, forever young, and a part of him is with us forever. We will often wonder what kind of life your son might have had, and how different our world would be if he had lived.
Thank you and farewell, MY COMRADE IN ARMS.

May God cradle Army Spc. Gregory James Missman, in His loving arms.

“When you departed from this life,
The loss was so severe,
That deep within our aching hearts,
There falls an endless tear.”


TO THOSE WHO DIED,
HONOR AND ETERNAL REST.

TO THOSE STILL MISSING,
REMEMBRANCE AND HOPE.

TO THOSE WHO RETURNED,
GRATITUDE AND PEACE.


Godspeed young man.
Hiram Abiff
The Widow's Son

Where ever God shall guide our Brother no want shall turn him back,
His shepard is beside him and nothing will he lack,
God's wisdom waketh, God's sight is never dim,
He knows the way our Brother taketh, and he will walk with him.

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SOMETHING TO THINK ABOUT. . .

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At this point in time, our cherished order faces a critical junction in our glorious history. Simply put, our brotherhood faces the frightening prospect of declining membership and a general apathy among many of its members.

It will be necessary for all of us in the Masonic order throughout the United States to do some serious soul searching and thinking to prevent this sad prospect from continuing into the future.

Every organization and every type of organization in this nation face the same dual problems, apathy among its present members and the inability to draw in and retain new ones. This epidemic starts with child and youth activities, religious groups, civic organizations, veteran groups and all others we may think of.

No further proof of such decline is needed than to speak with some hard working Cub Scout leader, CYO worker or a Commander of a veteran post, to see that this malaise is nationwide.

What the Masonic fraternity must do, will involve a widespread plan to attempt to reestablish the moral values upon which this great nation was founded and prospered so well. The Masonic fraternity is facing a morally and ethically corrupt society, a society that will not, and cannot, respond to traditional approaches, because it simply no longer feels the Masonic fraternity (or any other organization today) is a part of its' moral character.

In short, Freemasonry must attempt in its own way and fashioned after Masonic concepts, to help in the rebirth of those values that have been lost. A nation that loses its values has relinquished its heritage and will surely forfeit the future. This is where the crux of the matter lies. We are faced on all sides with a decline in personal honesty and integrity, with religious, business, government and educational corruption and moral bankruptcy on the part of the American people. Our society is torn with problems involving alcohol and drug abuse, with violent crimes and depravity, with sexual promiscuity, and more degradation, to an extent many of us could not have imagined just a few short years ago.

In responding in our own way to such problems, in attempting to help re-establish the values we cherish, should be the Masonic mission of the next quarter century. The task ahead, if such is pursued, will entail hard work and complex planning, but any attempt at less is a band-aid approach to the problems we face.

We all like to think that our Masonic philosophy is a bulwark of morality, a way to live with our fellow man, be he Mason or not, in peace, harmony, and brotherly love.

How better to reflect such a philosophy than to engage in a noble enterprise such as this? Our fraternity would not face such a drastic decline as we experience today if society reflected those values it held so long ago.

The answer lies in a collective attempt to restore cherished values across this land. What more glorious mission could the Masonic order engage upon at this point in time? Time is running out and we have within our grasp an opportunity to help in the restoration of traditional American values. If such an attempt is made and fails, we may still take pride in the attempt; if such an effort results in other groups and individuals taking up the challenge, wonderful!

This is the path to Masonic survival, and probably too, the survival of the values and country we all love.

That’s how I see it from my side of the podium.
Hiram Abiff
“The Widows Son”
“No man has ever knelt at our altar of obligation, and arose the same man."
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WHAT MAKES US DIFFERENT. . .

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We owe our being to those who came before us. We are here because they were here, and because of the way, their lives unfolded. Imagine, if you will, the countless chance happenings, the many coincidences and accidents, all of which had to come about in the precise way they did, in order to result in our being here, and, being what we are!
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Each of us attends our Lodge meetings, because we want to. We attend, because we firmly believe, beyond a shadow, of a doubt, that due to our efforts, we are making this world a better place. But what makes, us as Masons, different from members of other fraternal organizations? To answer this question may take some serious thought. We are members of what the Masonic as well as the non-Masonic community refer to as, “the greatest fraternity in the world.” This is quite a reputation! I believe we are different as Masons because the instinct to become a Mason was born in us. I do not believe the subtle hints that may have been directed to us at one time or another, by a Mason to a non-Mason, has anything to do with our becoming a member. Somewhere, in our subconscious, we knew, sooner, or later, we would have joined because inwardly, the calling was already there, and would eventually emerge when the time was right. However strange this reasoning may seem, let’s investigate further. Each man who becomes a member of our grand fraternity is someone very special; someone who has a certain quality of character distinguishing him from others. These qualities do not imply we are better than others, but the ignited desire within us to help our fellowman, burns at a much higher degree of intensity. It is not a superficial desire, as it is a deep one. No man kneels at our Altar of Obligation and arises the same man. The oaths we have taken at the Altar of Obligation are deeply imbedded in our minds, and we practice the tenets of our order towards all mankind, well after the Master has closed his lodge, while we are constantly reminded of the “Point within a Circle.” Each one of us, as Masons, practice our tenets, as the younger generations refer to as, “twenty-four seven.” We are men of strong convictions and we are not, swayed easily. We are extremely patriotic, and have within our ranks many true, American, heroes.
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We consider all men as our equal and look down upon no one. We extend our hand to the fallen and the down trodden as a token of our brotherly
love, and, under no circumstance does any sound of distress reach our ears in vain, nor any outstretched hand seeks our aid without response.
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Each of us has a very strong tie to Deity and our cable-tow is that connection. I firmly believe that here, within the Temple of Masonry, men differing in language, in modes of thought, in dress and in habits of life, are able to meet around a common altar, share a common hope and seek a common ideal. These mental images do not seem to appear in other fraternal organizations. We are taught in our beloved order, the relative importance of self-analysis to the duties of life. Each day or night, when we review our actions, behavior and thoughts, and attempt to see how they coincide with our own philosophy, and measure up to the standards outlined by the craft, we improve ourselves as better men and better Masons. I doubt whether other fraternal organizations leave this impression on their members. Our ancient brotherhood is founded upon the principles of love, hope, and charity; principles that through many centuries, have led to the betterment of all humanity. In Masonry we have been taught, to search not for the transient pleasure, but for the philosophy and the guidance, that will aid us in gaining the most from the short time we are accorded here, by contributing the most to our fellow man. Our teachings do not pass quickly into and out of existence. Our teachings do not vanish, end, nor die. The advantage we have as members of this fine organization is that it has been in existence for a long, long time. Unfortunately, other fraternal organizations do not have the same time - frame of experience, as we do. After all, we have centuries of experience and many “Masonic celebrities” have contributed so much to our being. So here we have, “the greatest fraternity in the world.” And why, is it so great?
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Because each one of you are a member, and our members are the GREATEST men in the world!
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That's how I see it from this side of the podium.

Hiram Abiff
"The Widows Son"
"No man has ever knelt at our altar of obligation, and arose the same man."
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