FAMILY HEIRLOOMS – MASONIC MEDAL

THOMAS A. NICHOLS – MASONIC MEDAL

 

Thomas A. Nichols, Masonic Jewel – Anthracite Lodge 285 W.H. Mortimer Manufacturing, Jeweler, Pottsville, PA

 

The NICHOLS family has just one other heirloom besides the Latin Bible noted in the preceding blog.  It’s a  Masonic Medal awarded to Thomas A. NICHOLS in 1882 by the Pennsylvania, Anthracite Lodge F&AM No 285, upon his completion of his term as Worshipful Master.

One of the first ancestors I wrote about two years ago was Thomas A. NICHOLS. His history interested me because of the Masonic Medal with his name inscribed on it. We had a medal with a name, but who was Thomas A. NICHOLS? What was the medal? It launched two years of in-depth research about a man whom I came to respect and admire.

I think he treasured the Masonic Medal and worked hard to earn it.  Why was it passed on to my 2x great-grandfather instead of one of his other children? Somewhere down the line the story was lost.  The medal passed from one generation to the next but even the man and his place in our family history was forgotten.

I am very happy to have recaptured some of Thomas’s history and that our family has a small memento to associate with him.   A detailed account about the Masonic Medal is in an earlier blog post. Another benefit to blogging about Thomas A. NICHOLS, are the connections made with other descendants who have shared information and photographs.

 

© 2016 copyright Kendra Hopp Schmidt. All rights reserved.

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Genealogy Sketch

Name: Thomas Ackley Nichols
Parents: Matthias Nichols and Sarah Ackley?
Spouse: Helena Knerr and Lillian Watson Bull
Children: John, Bertha, Charles and Mary, Florence, Howard

Relationship to Kendra: 3rd great- grandfather

1. Thomas Ackley Nichols 1824-1895
2. John Mathews Nichols 1857-1929
3. Mabel Elvina Nichols Hyde 1888-1954
4. John Frederick Hyde Jr. 1911-1980
5. Jean Hyde Hopp Eichorn
6. Kendra Hopp Schmidt