180
BRO TSUNG LAI SHUN IN MASSACHUSETTS
A letter was sent on 14 July 1980 from the office of the librarian of the MW Grand Lodge of AF and AM of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, as follows:
Dear Mr. Haffner:
Enclosed are several items concerning L.S. Tsung, who appears in our records as Laisun Chan:
record as it appears in the Grand Secretary's office membership list, Hampden Lodge, 1879
letter to Springfield Public Library and 5 items received in response.
Unfortunately, the clippings are neither dated nor identified in their files and one is incomplete.
I trust these will be helpful to your records. If anything more surfaces, I shall pass it on....
Cordially,
[signed] Roberta Hankamer, Librarian
The record card reads as follows:
Name Laisun Chan
Residence Springfield
Occupation Chinese Commissioner
Nativity-46 Lodge HAMPDEN Initiated 1873-4-8
Passed 1873-5-20 Raised 1873-9-23 Membership 1873-9-23 Dim., Sus., Dis. Reinstated Deceased
Remarks: [blank]
The meaning of "-46" under Nativity is presumably that Bro Tsung was 46 years old, not that he was born in 1846, as other years are given in full.
The title page of the by-laws reads, "By-laws, of/Hampden Lodge./ F. & A.M./Springfield, Mass./(Approved March 8, 1876.)/Springfield:/ Weaver, Shipman and Company, Printers./1879." and under the letter L appears the entry, "Laisun, Chan '73,"
The Springfield City Directory and Business Advertiser for 1873-74 has three entries:
Laisun Chan, Chinese Commissioner of Education, house 65 Howard street
Laisun E.T., student, board 65 Howard street
Laisun Spencer T., student, board 65 Howard street