Master Mason Certificate, 1815
Horace Chase, a lawyer, judge, politician and postmaster, received this certificate at the beginning of his Masonic career. He later went on to become the Grand Master and Grand Secretary of the Grand Lodge of New Hampshire. A certificate acted as a credential for a Freemason who traveled beyond his circle of acquaintance. The text on this certificate highlights this function noting that Chase and lodge officers signed it, “to identify our said brother and prevent deception.”