Freemason's Records for the Family Historian

Introduction

As researchers we are always on the look-out for new sources and records sets that may contain information about our ancestors.  This week travel writer and photographer, Steve Newman, shares some background and links to the records of an ancient international society that historically, being shrouded in so much mystery, often falls beneath the radar of many an intrepid family historian.

Freemasons circa 1820 by D C Johnson

This article first appeared in the BBC "Who Do You Think You Are" Magazine.

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Freemasonry can, perhaps surprisingly, be a rich vein of information for the family historian. Today it is the oldest and largest fraternity in the world being found on six of the seven continents with the exception of Antarctica which briefly held a lodge established by Admiral Richard E. Byrd, polar explorer in 1935.  

People often become curious about Freemasonry because of a mention in a relative's obituary, from finding a box with certificates and regalia or a Masonic emblem on a gravestone. Sometimes a family knows of the Masonic connection but for others, it's a bit of a surprise. If you come across acronyms such as AF&AM and FAAM, or a pair of compasses with a right angled square symbol in your research, you probably have a Freemason in the family.

As the UK population emigrated to the New World and beyond many of them took Freemasonry with them and founded lodges abroad. George Washington and Benjamin Franklin were both Masons as was Buffalo Bill Cody, John Wayne and the Australian cricketer Don Bradman.

Many regiments in the British army had their own lodges and some still retain their founders’ names. The 8th Regiment of Foot founded the first Masonic Lodge in Canada and many of the present lodges in India were formed when regiments were stationed there or by young men going out to seek their fortunes in the 18th  and 19th centuries. Rudyard Kipling wrote many of his books whilst a member of the Lodge in Lahore.

Masonic meetings were even held in prisoner of war camps in the 2nd World War but had to be held in great secrecy as those attending would have been subject to further punishment. The Royal Navy also has a strong tradition of Freemasonry with several Royal sailors including King George VI being members. The masonic tradition extended into the Royal Air Force on its formation in the early 20th century.

Many universities and professions founded their own lodges which still meet today. Oscar Wilde was a member of Apollo University Lodge No. 357, Oxford. In 1905 a group of musicians and actors founded the Chelsea Lodge No. 3098 whose members have included some of the most famous names of television, theatre, music and film. Like many lodges today this lodge has its own website so if you know your ancestor was in the entertainment profession these theatrical lodges are another course of research open to you. 

This gentleman is an unknown Master of St David’s Lodge No 393 Berwick-upon-Tweed. There are clues however in the picture. The table and backcloth are hallmarks of Green’s Photographic Studio in the town so we are able to pinpoint a definite time period. Also his Masonic jewels give us a clue to other orders and his progression in Masonry.

Although tailors, builders, surgeons, Old Boy’s associations and many other professions and social groups may well have created their own lodges from a very early date, what was more common was for men to join a lodge near where they lived in a country town and for the lodge membership to cover a broad range of occupations.

Gilbert and Sullivan were both Masons with the latter giving his name to Arthur Sullivan Lodge No. 2156 which still meets to this day in Manchester. Freemasonry spread rapidly throughout Europe with the great musician Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart becoming a member of a lodge in Vienna. His opera the Magic Flute is often regarded as a Masonic allegory.

Freemasonry is administered in individual countries by a Grand Lodge. The United Grand Lodge of England (which also covers Wales), the Grand Lodge of Scotland and the Grand Lodge of Ireland (for the whole of Ireland) hold a rich source of records, photographs and archives. In England there are also Provincial Grand Lodges roughly corresponding to each of the old counties which administer the individual lodges of that area.

The tracing of ancestry in England and Wales is done through the United Grand Lodge of England’s Library and Museum.  The Library has its own website (See Useful Sources) which is an excellent starting point.

It’s a common misconception that, being freemasonry, the Grand Lodges will have a comprehensive alphabetical indexes listing past members. This however is not the case. On the other hand, people often do have information about their ancestors masonic connections in the form of photos, jewels or certificates. 

Masonic aprons, and jewels can be helpful in tracing your ancestors progress in Freemasonry. They should be photographed and presented with your enquiry with as much information you have.

The library only needs a lodge name or number and a rough idea of date to be able to search your enquiry. Information available from masonic records is dates of membership, address, age at initiation, occupation. What is not available are details of family members, dates of birth and death and copy membership certificates.

Your local town or borough archives may well have lists of Masons in the local lodge at certain dates as part of the Quarter Sessions Records. Some lodges may have deposited their records in local archives so they can be kept in secure and safe conditions and may be available for consultation subject to a typical  70 year closure period.  

These important records consist of not only Lodge Minute Books but also material such as Treasurer's accounts, Attendance Books, membership rolls, letters and much more. These archives may even have photographs of members in regalia and some lodges work closely with their local archives for material for their own websites.

Useful Links

My Ancestor Was A Freemason :  Pat Lewis Published by the Society of Genealogists. 2005. £5.95.   New Revised (2012) Edition  This book deals with the history of Freemasonry and how to find the records of Freemason ancestors. It also includes chapters on Freemasonry publications, women Freemasons, lodges, prisoners of war and record repositories.

The United Grand Lodge of England (www.ugle.org.uk)   Library and Museum website is a useful starting point  http://www.freemasonry.london.museum/family-history/. They have an excellent leaflet on Freemasonry and Family history which you can download as a PDF.

The Grand Lodge of Scotland (www.grandlodgescotland.com) has a genealogy department with some useful guidelines but please be aware that at certain times of the year (particularly in the summer months) a very large volume of enquires often means that a reply can take several weeks. The site also has a list of Scottish Masonic war memorials

The Grand Lodge of Ireland has series of documents and lists which can prove very useful at http://www.irish-freemasons.org/Pages_GL/Texts_of_Interest/crossle.htm

National Register of Archives and Access to Archives (both available via The National Archives website on http://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/). Papers relating to the Masonic membership of individuals or included in the archives of other organisations may also be found via the Archives Hub search engine http://archiveshub.ac.uk/

Local Record Offices and archives hold returns of members made by lodges to the local Clerk of the Peace under the Unlawful Societies Act from 1799 to 1965.  The records state the name and profession of the individual mason and quite often have other information too.

Regimental Museums can hold photographs of their Masonic lodges especially when stationed abroad. It was quite common for masons in Regiments who died abroad to have a square and compasses engraved on their tombstones. 

The internet has many pages dedicated to individual Regimental, Air Force and Naval Lodges. So if you know your ancestors service record this may be an avenue for you to explore. 

John Lane’s Masonic Records 1717-1894 is an authoritative listing of all the lodges established by the English Grand Lodges from the foundation of the first Grand Lodge in 1717. Originally published in book form in 1895, it is now available as a searchable data base on line via the Library and Museum of Freemasonry’s website or at http://www.hrionline.ac.uk/lane/. It covers all lodges established before 2010 and can be searched by lodge name, number of location.

Many individual lodges now have their own websites working closely with their local records office. Lodge Secretaries are very busy so it’s a good idea not to contact them first but get as much information as you can before approaching them. A good example of this type of Lodge website is found at www.stdavids393.org.uk.

Masonic war memorials are quite common and are scattered all over the British Isles. Some are inside individual Masonic halls but many are in public places erected by their brethren. An internet search will find most of them.

Summary

Before approaching any of Masonic organisations listed here it will help if  you can gather as much evidence as you can. You may find several kinds of aprons, sashes and other examples of regalia and these should be photographed as they denote the different degrees and rank your ancestor will have achieved. If you also find any Masonic jewels, they look a bit like medals, these too should be photographed as well as any certificates you may find. The more background you can supply the more information you are likely to uncover.

You can follow Steve's adventures on his travels at:
http://www.stevenewman.co.uk/
http://www.silvertraveladvisor.com/

You can also follow St David's Lodge, Berwick upon Tweed on Twitter @Berwick_393
There is lots of interesting information on their website http://www.stdavids393.org.uk/