Canadian Masons - International Institute

Fraternal Associations
Fraternal organizations are yet another way of finding out a bit more about an ancestor. Some fraternal organizations have qualifications that a person must meet before joining, such as belonging to a certain religion. All organizations, however, exist as a way for people to come together to socialize and help the community. Many fraternal organizations grew out of the desire for an organization similar to the Masons. When looking through graveyards in search of ancestors, there are many times that you will come across the symbol of one of these organizations on a headstone.

Masons


Masonry is not only the oldest, but also the largest fraternity in the world. Although its origins are debated, the practices and procedures of the Masonic Lodge observed worldwide were formalized with the establishment of the Grand Lodge in England in 1717, and have not been extensively altered since that time. Masonry, however, actually dates further back than that, extending back to the stonemasons who built the great cathedrals of Europe. Because masons were primarily migrants, they were required by the nature of their craft to live at a building site until the job was finished, then to move someplace when more work was available. For this reason, Masonic organization centered around the “lodge.”

Today, the more than four million Freemasons around the world come from virtually every occupation and profession. Within the Fraternity, however, all meet as equals.

The above symbol is one of many used to show membership in the Masons. Because of the history of stonemasons and other craftsmen being the first Masons, the tools of their trade are still used symbolically to show membership.

Because Masonry is so prevalent, you may have noticed Masonic abbreviations, or other fraternal abbreviations on headstones, and not even realized what these abbreviations relate to.

I have been unable to find a United Grand Lodge for Canada which would be the umbrella organization under which all the provinces have their lodges. Instead, each province has their own Grand Lodge. If you are interested in contacting the Masons to try to find more information about relatives, you can check with the Grand Lodge of the province your ancestor was from, and from there you can determine to which local lodge your ancestor would have belonged.

Alberta
The Grand Secretary Grand Lodge of Alberta 330 12th Avenue SW Calgary, Alberta T2R 0H2 Telephone: (403) 262 -1149

British Columbia
Grand Lodge of British Columbia and Yukon Grand Secretary’s Office 1495 West Eighth Avenue Vancouver, British Columbia V6H 1C9 Telephone: (604) 736-8941 Email: [mailto:grand_secretary@freemasonry.bcy.ca grand_secretary@freemasonry.bcy.ca]

Manitoba
The Grand Lodge of Manitoba]has their own Archives. Listing of the holdings of the Archives—dating back to 1818 with predominant dates 1870– present) can be viewed at the above link. Grand Lodge of Manitoba 420 Corydon Ave. Winnipeg Manitoba R3L 0N8 Telephone: (204) 453-7410

New Brunswick
Grand Lodge of New Brunswick Masonic Temple, 92 Germain Street Saint John, New Brunswick E2L 4R8 Telephone: (506) 652-2390 Archives

Newfoundland
Grand Lodge of Newfoundland and Labrador Office of Grand Secretary Box 10 Masonic Park, Freemason’s Hall 115 Mount Carson Avenue Mount Pearl, NL A1N 3K6 Email: [mailto:glnfld@nf.sympatio.ca glnfld@nf.sympatio.ca]

Nova Scotia
Grand Lodge of Nova Scotia 167 Coronation Ave Halifax, Nova Scotia B3N 2N2 Telephone: (902) 423-6149

Ontario
Grand Lodge of Canada in the Province of Ontario 363 King Street West Hamilton, Ontario L8P 1B4 Telephone: (905) 528-8644 Email: [mailto:office@grandlodge.on.ca office@grandlodge.on.ca]

Prince Edward Island
Grand Lodge of Prince Edward Island PO Box 337 Charlottetown, PE C1A 7K7 Telephone: (902) 894-3443 Emails can be sent through the website.

Quebec
Grand Lodge of Quebec 2295, rue Saint-Marc Québec) H3H 2G9 Telephone: (514) 933-6739

Saskatchewan
Grand Lodge of Saskatchewan 1930 Lorne Street Regina, Sask, S4P 2M1 Telephone: (306) 522-5686

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