Brother John Andrew Marinus - Charter Member

John Andrew Marinus demitted from Joppa Lodge to join Fidelity Lodge. He was then 38 years of age. In searching for information about Bro. Marinus we are somewhat confounded by reason of the wide area over which his activities are encountered.

The Ridgewood History of 1916 records that a John A. Marinus was third sergeant of Company D under Captain Westervelt of the 22nd Regiment, known as the Bergen County Regiment, of New Jersey Volunteers. At this time, which was about 1862, Bro. Marinus lived in Ho-Ho-Kus.

When Brother Marinus joined Fidelity Lodge he was living in Ho-Ho-Kus at the corner of Hollywood Avenue and Sheridan Road and was in the wheelwright business in that community. As Ridgewood grew he moved his business to the corner of Ridgewood Avenue and Broad Street where he was burned out by the great fire of 1881. From the Ridgewood History we learn that in 1890 Mrs. John Marinus had a private school at her home on East Ridgewood Avenue and Irving Street.

Bro. Marinus continued wagon building at various locations and with various partners until he was 73 years of age. He was superintendent of the Sunday School of the Paramus Reformed Church for twenty-five years. In later life he moved his business to Ridgewood and founded the Glen Rock Reformed Church.

Through his life Bro. Marinus was interested and active in both civic and fraternal affairs. He served his lodge in every official capacity at one time or another. He was Master in 1873, 1874, 1875, and 1880, Chaplain in 1876, 1877, and 1878, and Treasurer in 1870, 1871, 1881, and 1882. He died September 13, 1917 in his 86th year, strong and active up to a few months before his death. He is buried in Valleau Cemetery.

Brother Lucien Kendall - Charter Member

Lucien Kendall, a physician residing in Allendale in 1870, demitted from Reading Lodge to join Fidelity. Bro. Kendall was born in Hamburg, Bucks County, PA. In 1870 he became afflicted with tuberculosis and was very ill at the time he joined Bro. Knapp to become a Charter Member of Fidelity. He attended Lodge but three times. The third and last time was on February 10, 1871. His death occurred on October 27, 1871. The Master and Senior Warden attended the funeral in Reading, PA. There they were presented with Bro. Kendall's Grand Lodge Diploma and Sword, both of which were hung in the Lodge room. On November 25, 1871, a brother of Bro. Kendall visited the Lodge and presented it with a gift of Bro. Kendall's Masonic Books as a nucleus of a Masonic Library in Fidelity. It is probable that most of these mementos were lost in the fire of 1881.

Brother Richard Johns - Charter Member

The Reverend Richard Johns was 33 years of age in 1870 when he demitted from Milford Lodge to join Fidelity Lodge. He was a resident of Allendale and Minister of the Methodist Episcopal Church of that community. He was born in Dudley, England.

Bro. Johns would have been installed Chaplain of Fidelity Lodge in the beginning if there had been a sufficient number of members to fill the other offices. As it was he was installed Senior Deacon on November 7, 1870. Bro. Johns demitted from Fidelity Lodge in 1885.

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