SOCIETIES.

" The Young Men's Christian Association" of Somerville was organized Aug. 18, 1873, with 95 members, and first took rooms under "Somerset Hall." The next year 117 members were reported. The highest has been 175; present number, about 60. Ladies are received as associate members. The work laid out was mostly religious, but subsequently a reading-room was opened when the society took possession of the quarters especially prepared for it in "Association Hall." This building was erected by five association men to accommodate the growth of the organization, and is the handsomest business structure in the town. These men were George V. Tunison, David K. Craig, Dumont Frelinghuysen, William C. Veghte, A. V. D. Honeyman. The presidents of the association have been A. V. D. Honeyman, 1873-75; William
W. Anderson, 1876; John E. Rowe, 1877; A. V. D. Honeyman, 1878; Martin N. Wyckoff, 1879; A. C. Lindsley, 1880. Union meetings of the churches, held every Sabbath afternoon, have been one of the outgrowths of this institution.
A lodge of Free and Accepted Masons was instituted in 1787, under the name of "Solomon's Lodge, No. 1," a history of which will be found in the township of Bedminster. The meetings of this lodge, as was the case with many in the early days, were held in different parts of the county, many being at this place. The only one of which any knowledge is preserved was on Dec. 17, 1816, when a celebration of the festival of St. John the Evangelist was held at Somerville. That society surrendered its charter about 1830.

"Solomon's Lodge, No. 46," worked under a dispensation for about three months in the fall of 1856, and in January, 1857, received its warrant. It had seven charter members. The first officers were Rev. J. H. Black, W. M.; A. E. Donaldson, S. W.; D. P. Kinyon, J. W.; Pethuel Mason, Trees.; F. F. Elmendorf, Sec. Meetings were held in a hall over Somerset County bank until the completion of Masonic Hall, in 1872, when it was taken possession of by the society and is still in use.
The officers for 1880 are Alfred Barber, W. M.; H. McClaren, S. W.; F. William Koehler, J. W.; C. Stein, Tress.; C. Cruiser, Sec.; F. Van Liew, P. M., S. D.; P. Struve, J. D.; James Wyckoff, P. Dumont Whitenack, M. of C.; Charles Young, Tiler; Robert L. Day, P. M., G. S. Cook, J. R. Garretson, Finance Committee; Fred. Van Liew, P. M., Robert L. Day, P. M., George S. Jones, P. M., Trustees. The present membership is 106.

" KeystoneChapter, No. 25, R. A.M.," was instituted in September, 1871. Its first officers were Dr. H. G. Wagoner, High Priest; Thomas Childs, King; J. Harper Smith, Scribe. It has at present 30 members. Meetings are held in Masonic Hall.
The officers for 1880 are C. Stein, M. E. H. P.; W. T. F. Ayres, E. K.; H. G. Wagoner, P. H. P., E. S.; J. Doughty, Jr., C. of H.; H. McClaren, P. S.; A. H. Dayton, R. A. C.; F. William Koehler, G. M. of 3d V.; John J. Dean, G. M. of 2d V.; P. School, G. M. of 1st V.; John Ringlemann, Trees.; F. Van Liew, Sec.; Robert L. Day, Tiler; G. S. Cook, A. H. Dayton, R. L. Day, Finance Committee.

Feb. 19, 1864, a number of gentlemen met at Temperance Hall, Washington, D. C., for the purpose of organizing the order of Knights of Pythias in the United States. Among the officers elected at this first meeting were Abraham Van Derveer, of Somerville, as Grand Banker; Matt. H. Van Derveer, the present county clerk, was appointed Worthy Guide by the Worthy Chancellor; both offices are now obsolete. March 24th of the same year M. H. Van Derveer, with others, was elected a representative to organize a Grand Lodge. This was accomplished April 8, 1864. Abraham Van Derveer was.elected Grand Scribe.

" Lodge of the Castle, No. 82," K. of P., was instituted Jan.13 ,1873. The charter members were John M. Powell, John C. Henry, David Noll, Joseph B. Smith, Jacob Shirts, John G. Dumont, Matt. H. Van Derveer, George Chase, James Folmsby, George T. Seis, C. V. D. Smith, James V. Smith, Garret P. Smith, John Voorhees, Edward A. Weeks, Edward Smith, Arthur Gaston, William Messier, John Messier, Edward Cooley, Frank Drobney, Theodore Staats, John V. D. Ten Eyck, William E. Johnson, George Clickener, Peter Struve. Meetings were first held in Somerset Hall one year. A ball was then finely fitted up in the third story of Adair's building, and since that time the meetings have been held there. The society is now in a prosperous condition, having $1400 in its treasury. A section of the endowment bank is in connection with the lodge.

The present officers are John E. Wehrly, Chancellor Commander; William Harris, Vice-Chancellor; D. S. Rockafellar, Keeper of Records and Seals; John W. Gerhart, Master of Finance; Joseph B. Smith, Master of Exchequer.
" Schiller Lodge, No. 28, D. 0. H." (Deutsche Oden Harigari), was instituted in Somerville on March 17, 1871, with Henry Reimer as 0. B.; Ferdinand Gutter, U. B.; Charles Schwed, Sec.; Lewis Phillips, Tress. It contains at present 32 members, and its present officers are C. T. Fredericks, 0. B.; Jacob Miller, U. B.; Adolph Hock, Treas.; Charles Schwed, Sec. Meetings were held at first in a room in the house of Mr. Lance, but in 1878 Schwed's Hall was fitted up and the meetings are now held there.

" Somerset Lodge, No. 43, 1.0. of 0. F.," was instituted June 27, 1880, with twelve charter members. Meetings are held at Masonic Hall. The officers are Joseph Vickery, N. G.; John W. Van Horn, V. G.; W. W. Dorland, R. S. ; John R. Quick, P. S.; Ira D. Crone, Tress.

"Naraticony Council, No. 31, Improved Order of Red Men," was instituted in 1871, and continued until August, 1880, when the charter was returned to the Great Council. It numbered at one time fifty members.

"Somerset Council, No. 68, U. A. M.," was instituted Nov. 20, 1872, with Martin Hart as Councilor ; C. T. Chapman, Vice-Councilor; Garret B. Sanborn, Senior Ex-Councilor; George Sanborn, Junior ExCouncilor; D. Rockafellar, R. Sec.; Thomas Van Allen, F. Sec.; Noah Dunham, Treas. The society numbered about 75 members, but is now discontinued. Meetings were held at Somerset Hall, at Doughty's, and finally at Schwed's Hall.

The charter for "Eastern Star Lodge, No. 105, F. and A. M.," of Bound Brook, bears date January, 1874, with Theodore Giles as Master; James P. Bush, Senior Warden; James P. Curry, Junior Warden; B. F. Littell, See. ; Samuel Kennedy, Tress. Meetings were held after 1876 in the present hall in Gillem's brick block.

The present officers are Richard G. Spicer, S. W.; John M. Rowland, J. W.; Benjamin F. Littell, Treas. ; Garret V. Morlette, See.; James P. Bush, P. M., S. D.; Daniel Somers, J. D; John G. Smith, P. M., M. of C.; John B. Coddington, P. M., M. of C. ; Peter Koehler, Tiler; James P. Currey, P. M. At present the lodge numbers 32 members.

"Somerset Lodge, No. 56, K. of P.," Bound Brook, was organized and instituted March 8, 1876, with a membership of eleven. The following were the first officers: Theodore R. Hodge, Past Chancellor; Duer A. Melvin, Chancellor Commander; Gilbert Mollison, Vice-Chancellor; George Creed, Prelate; J. I. Staats, Master-at-Arms; Charles W. Thomas, Keeper of Records and Seals; Henry K. Ramsey, Master of Exchequer; Peter Koehler, John G. Smith, Trustees. The membership at date, Sept. 7, 1880, was 28, with the following officers : Samuel Allen, P. C.; John Neagle, C. C.; John S. Smalley, Jr., V. C.; Edwin S. Barber, Prelate; Cyrus Peterson, M. at A.; George W. Shampanore, K. of R. and S.; Peter Koehler, M. of F.; H. K. Ramsey, M. of E.

The lodge has nine Past Chancellors, as follows: Theodore R. Hodge, Duer A. Melvin, Gilbert Mollison, John G. Smith, William S. Smalley, Henry K. Ramsey, Charles C. Bush, Samuel Allen, John Neagle. The lodge-room is in Masonic Hall, Main Street, Bound Brook.'

"The Women's Christian Temperance Union" of Bound Brook was organized Oct. 1, 1877, with a membership of 14; the present number of members (September, 1880) is 50. Officers: President, Mrs. John Smalley; Vice-Presidents (one from each church), Mrs. L. D. Cook, Mrs. J. D. Eaton, Mrs. A. R. Libbey, Mrs. S. N. Kingsbury, Mrs. Abram Ross; Secretary, Miss M. H. Roundey; Treasurer, Miss Mattie F. Parrott. This Union is auxiliary to the State Women's Christian Temperance Union, holds its annual meeting on first Wednesday of October, and a weekly prayer-meeting throughout the year. Public temperance meetings are held from time to time, and courses of lectures given on general subjects for the purpose of raising funds. A free reading-room, supported by the Union, is open every evening. Temperance literature is widely circulated. An auxiliary juvenile union has been maintained for over two years, and now numbers about 80 members. General sentiment is steadily advancing in the direction of temperance, and 880 persons have signed the total abstinence pledge.