General Discussions

Dear Companions,

My name is Cristian Mosneanu, and I am a member of the "History Commission" of the National Grand Lodge of Romania and a companion of the Grand Chapter of Royal Arch Masons in Romania. In order to write a book, I need information about Brothers Albert G. Goodall and James McMurray Austin, whom I believe brought Royal Arch Masonry to Romania in 1882.Here are my arguments in this regard:

-        In 1883, there were friendship guarantees (likely signed a year earlier) between the Grand Lodge of Romania and the Grand Lodge of the State of New York, signed on behalf of the American Brothers by J. M. Austin, who as far as I know was the Grand Secretary of Obedience in New York. The Royal Arch was established in Romania in September 1882, and by the end of 1881, J. M. Austin had been the Most Excellent High Priest of the Royal Arch in New York. Most likely, discussions began during his tenure as Most Excellent High Priest in 1881.

-        From 1883 to 1887, the Grand Lodge of Romania had friendship guarantees with the Memphis Rite and the Scottish Rite. Both guarantees were signed on behalf of the Americans by Brother Albert G. Goodall.

Upon further research, I discovered that Brother Albert G. Goodall had a FABULOUS Masonic journey:

-        He was a "General Foreign Representative" for the Scottish Rite (starting in 1862), the Grand Lodge of New York (starting in 1869), the York Rite in New York (after 1870), and the Memphis Rite (I don't know if it was the regular Memphis Rite or the Rectified one, and I don't know the year when he started serving). Between 1870 and 1880, he visited all recognized Supreme Councils worldwide, including Europe (Great Britain, Italy, Russia, Turkey, and Greece—these last three countries were neighbors of Romania at the time).

My assumption is that the Royal Arch in Romania was brought with the assistance of Brothers J. M. Austin and Albert G. Goodall (I believe he had the most significant contribution).

Therefore, if time permits (I know you are very busy) and if you have documents in the archive you oversee regarding the foreign Masonic relations of Brother J. M. Austin (from 1880 to 1881) and Brother Albert G. Goodall (from 1879 to 1887), you would be of great help to me. You can send me any information from that period about the two of them—it might be very useful.

I'm leaving this written text here because I couldn't find a contact email address where I can request information. I should mention that I've already written to the Grand Lodge in New York and the Supreme Grand Chapter of Royal Arch Masons in New York in my quest for information. If you can assist me with any information, please send an email to the address: cristian.mosneanu@gmail.com.

Eternally grateful,

Comp. Cristi Mosneanu