My goal on Find a Grave is to post information on masonic brothers who have gone to the Celestial Lodge in the Sky. As a Mason myself I hope that I can uncover information for family members who might not have known a relative was a member of the Craft. This might help them fill in missing pieces of a family puzzle, aid in understanding some unusual piece of jewelry, or even inspire them to pursue the craft themselves.

Our older Brothers were often much more discrete in letting others know of their affiliation. There really was no reason other than "it just wasn't done." But being a mason was no secret as can be found by the numerous references in public notices, obituaries and on headstones. From annual Grand Lodge publications to local newspaper bulletins, many men were known publicly as such. However, these same men often spoke little of their affiliation to the craft, except with their fellow masons.

My own interest in uncovering this family information is personal. On his death bed, my grandfather awoke from unconsciousness. He was not asleep. I had just arrived a few minutes prior. In a very clear voice he said it was good to see me. He was a big man with hands the size of baseball catcher mitts. He took my hand in a way only a fellow mason would know, the way a mason can tell one in even the dark.

Later that night the workmen's roll was called, but he did not answer.

Prior to that evening, I did not know he was a mason but was curious about his grip and asked my mother. She could only confirm she heard that he was. (I was able to formally confirm with the Grand Lodge of Vermont a few months later). My only regret that day was having missed out on the opportunity to embrace him as a fellow mason and learn more of what he had to teach me.

I hope by finding and posting masonic information on this site, I might aid someone else in their journey to better understand.

I try to narrow down the lodge affiliation as best I can. Sometimes it is very clear which lodge a mason was a member and other times it's clear he was a mason but no other information was provided. If you happen upon this information and have the state he was buried, you can contact the Grand Lodge of that state and ask the Grand Secretary if he can look up the records. Most are willing to assist but some state may not have resources (both person or electronic) to do this quickly so be patient.

My goal on Find a Grave is to post information on masonic brothers who have gone to the Celestial Lodge in the Sky. As a Mason myself I hope that I can uncover information for family members who might not have known a relative was a member of the Craft. This might help them fill in missing pieces of a family puzzle, aid in understanding some unusual piece of jewelry, or even inspire them to pursue the craft themselves.

Our older Brothers were often much more discrete in letting others know of their affiliation. There really was no reason other than "it just wasn't done." But being a mason was no secret as can be found by the numerous references in public notices, obituaries and on headstones. From annual Grand Lodge publications to local newspaper bulletins, many men were known publicly as such. However, these same men often spoke little of their affiliation to the craft, except with their fellow masons.

My own interest in uncovering this family information is personal. On his death bed, my grandfather awoke from unconsciousness. He was not asleep. I had just arrived a few minutes prior. In a very clear voice he said it was good to see me. He was a big man with hands the size of baseball catcher mitts. He took my hand in a way only a fellow mason would know, the way a mason can tell one in even the dark.

Later that night the workmen's roll was called, but he did not answer.

Prior to that evening, I did not know he was a mason but was curious about his grip and asked my mother. She could only confirm she heard that he was. (I was able to formally confirm with the Grand Lodge of Vermont a few months later). My only regret that day was having missed out on the opportunity to embrace him as a fellow mason and learn more of what he had to teach me.

I hope by finding and posting masonic information on this site, I might aid someone else in their journey to better understand.

I try to narrow down the lodge affiliation as best I can. Sometimes it is very clear which lodge a mason was a member and other times it's clear he was a mason but no other information was provided. If you happen upon this information and have the state he was buried, you can contact the Grand Lodge of that state and ask the Grand Secretary if he can look up the records. Most are willing to assist but some state may not have resources (both person or electronic) to do this quickly so be patient.