Encyclopaedia Britannica

Encyclopaedia Britannica
Author: Hugh Chisholm
Publisher:
Total Pages: 1090
Release: 1910
Genre: Encyclopedias and dictionaries
ISBN:

This eleventh edition was developed during the encyclopaedia's transition from a British to an American publication. Some of its articles were written by the best-known scholars of the time and it is considered to be a landmark encyclopaedia for scholarship and literary style.

The Fraternal Atlantic, 1770-1930

The Fraternal Atlantic, 1770-1930
Author: Jessica L. Harland-Jacobs
Publisher: Routledge
Total Pages: 0
Release: 2023-09-25
Genre:
ISBN: 9780367654085

This book examines Freemasonry in the eighteenth- and nineteenth-century Atlantic world. Drawing on fresh empirical evidence, the chapters position fraternalism as a critical component of Atlantic history. Fraternalism was a key strategy for people swept up in the dislocations of imperialism, large-scale migrations, and the socio-political upheavals of revolution. Ranging from confraternities to Masonic lodges to friendly societies, fraternal organizations offered people opportunities to forge linkages across diverse and widely separated parts of the world. Using six case studies, the contributors to this volume address multiple themes of fraternal organizations: their role in revolutionary movements; their intersections with the conflictive histories of racism, slavery, and anti-slavery; their appeal for diasporic groups throughout the Atlantic world, such as revolutionary refugees, European immigrants in North America, and members of the Jewish diaspora; and the limits of fraternal "brothering" in addressing the challenges of modernity. The chapters in this book were originally published as a special issue of Atlantic Studies: Global Currents.

Freemasonry

Freemasonry
Author: Mark Stavish
Publisher: Llewellyn Worldwide
Total Pages: 265
Release: 2007
Genre: Body, Mind & Spirit
ISBN: 0738711489

An exploration of Freemasonry and its history, philosophy, symbols and practices.

The International Encyclopedia of Secret Societies and Fraternal Orders

The International Encyclopedia of Secret Societies and Fraternal Orders
Author: Alan Axelrod
Publisher: Checkmark Books
Total Pages: 308
Release: 1997
Genre: Secret societies
ISBN: 9780816038718

Debunking the spurious reputations of some, detailing the authenticity of others, The International Encyclopedia of Secret Societies and Fraternal Orders contains over 800 A-to-Z entries describing the names, natures, and purposes of secret societies throughout history and around the world. An extensive introduction gives readers a solid overview of the evolution of secret societies from their ancient roots, typologies of secret societies - how and why they specialized, why schisms and splinter groups are almost inevitable, how brotherhoods often formed around one charismatic personality, and why memberships are now declining. Further, The International Encyclopedia of Secret Societies and Fraternal Orders has a comprehensive bibliography, an index, and includes the addresses of secret societies in existence today.

The Brotherhood of Freemason Sisters

The Brotherhood of Freemason Sisters
Author: Lilith Mahmud
Publisher: University of Chicago Press
Total Pages: 262
Release: 2014-03-28
Genre: Social Science
ISBN: 022609605X

This “stupendous ethnography of female Freemasonry in Italy” reveals the fascinating paradox of elitism and exclusion experienced by “female brothers” (Michael Herzfeld, author of Evicted from Eternity). From its cryptic images on the dollar bill to Dan Brown’s The Lost Symbol, the Freemasons have long been one of the most romanticized secret societies in the world. But a simple fact escapes most depictions of this elite brotherhood: there are also female members. In this groundbreaking ethnography, Lilith Mahmud takes readers inside Masonic lodges of contemporary Italy, where she observes the ritualistic and fraternal bonds forged among Freemason women. Offering a tantalizing look behind lodge doors, The Brotherhood of Freemason Sisters unveils a complex culture of discretion in which Freemasons reveal some truths and hide others. Female initiates—one of Freemasonry’s best-kept secrets—are often upper class and highly educated, yet avowedly antifeminist. Their self-cultivation through the Masonic path is an effort to embrace the deeply gendered ideals of fraternity. In this lively investigation, Mahmud unravels the contradictions at the heart of Freemasonry: an organization responsible for many of the egalitarian concepts of the Enlightenment and yet one that has always been, and in Italy still remains, extremely exclusive. The result is not only a thrilling look at a surprisingly influential world, but a reevaluation of the modern values we now take for granted

Rough Mason, Mason, Freemason, Accepted Mason

Rough Mason, Mason, Freemason, Accepted Mason
Author: Oscar Patterson
Publisher: Rowman & Littlefield
Total Pages: 259
Release: 2017-08-09
Genre: Social Science
ISBN: 0761869611

Modern Freemasonry in the United States and Great Britain celebrates its 300th anniversary in 2017 tracing its direct history from the Grand Lodge of England founded in 1717. This text is intended to provide a theory of origin for the Fraternity. It is based on available sources, many of which are not Masonic in nature, but cover the disciplines of history, religion, ethics, economics, politics, and labor development. The book begins with an overview of how the Fraternity initiated members in the seventeenth and early eighteenth centuries, and includes the ancient Legend of Noah. It then reviews how history is written and exams the utilization of Biblical and legendary accounts in the development of a country’s, peoples’, or organization’s history. The text moves on to the transition from craft guild to fraternal organization and gives the full text of Freemasonry’s four oldest documents: Regius Poem, Cooke Manuscript, Graham Manuscript, and Schaw Statutes. This is followed by a description of the London Masons’ Company based on the assumption that this city-wide organization of craftsmen chartered in 1481 may have been the administrative precursor of the Grand Lodge of England. The author then reviews the demise of craft guilds and the rise of fraternal societies in the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries. Additional chapters review the Masonic approach to ritual, education, and ethical decision making. The text closes with a discussion of the philosophy of Freemasonry as well as comments and suggestions regarding Freemasonry’s future. The last chapter is a Scottish Charge appropriate to all men, not just Freemasons.

Tracing Your Freemason, Friendly Society & Trade Union Ancestors

Tracing Your Freemason, Friendly Society & Trade Union Ancestors
Author: Daniel Weinbren
Publisher: Pen and Sword
Total Pages: 148
Release: 2019-01-30
Genre: Reference
ISBN: 1526710358

An easy-to-use guide for British family historians researching ancestry tied to organizations like the Freemasons, friendly societies, and trade unions. Fraternal and friendly societies and trade unions—associations that provide mutual aid and benefits—have a long, fascinating history, and the most famous of them—the Freemasons—have a reputation for secrecy, ritual, and intrigue that excites strong interest and has been the subject of widespread misunderstanding. Daniel Weinbren, in this concise, accessible handbook, dispels the myths surrounding them and gives readers insight into their real purposes, their membership, and their development over the centuries. He has also compiled a detailed compendium of books, archives, libraries, and Internet sites that readers and researchers can consult to find out more about these organizations and to trace the involvement and experience of family members who were connected with them. The origins of these societies are explored as are their economic, social, and civic functions, and the impact they had on the lives of members. The range of such societies covered includes the popular and international ones such as the Oddfellows, Foresters and Rechabites, as well as the smaller local fraternal organizations. The type of assistance they offer, their structure and hierarchy, meetings and ceremonies, regalia and processions, and feasts and annual gatherings are all described and explained. So much information about these organizations and their membership is easily available if you know where to look, and Weinbren’s work is the ideal introduction to them. Anyone who has a forebear who was at some time linked with one of these organizations will find his book to be an essential guide to their research.

American Freemasons

American Freemasons
Author: Mark A. Tabbert
Publisher: NYU Press
Total Pages: 281
Release: 2006-10
Genre: History
ISBN: 0814783023

An overview of the mysterious history of the Freemasons and their presence in American society With over four million members worldwide, and two million in the U.S., Freemasonry is the largest fraternal organization in the world. Published in conjunction with the National Heritage Museum, this extravagantly illustrated volume offers an overview of Freemasonry’s origins in seventeenth-century Scotland and England before exploring its evolving role in American history, from the Revolution through the labor and civil rights movements, and into the twenty-first century. American Freemasons explores some of the causes for the rise and fall of membership in the fraternity and why it has attracted men in such large numbers for centuries. American Freemasons is the perfect introduction to understanding a society that, while shrouded in mystery, has played an integral role in the lives and communities of millions of Americans. Copublished with the National Heritage Museum.

The Better Angels of Our Nature

The Better Angels of Our Nature
Author: Michael A. Halleran
Publisher: University of Alabama Press
Total Pages: 247
Release: 2010-03-11
Genre: History
ISBN: 0817316957

The first in-depth study of the Freemasons during the Civil War From first-person accounts culled from regimental histories, diaries, and letters, Michael A. Halleran has constructed an overview of 19th-century American freemasonry. The author examines carefully the major Masonic stories from the Civil War, in particular the myth that Confederate Lewis A. Armistead made the Masonic sign of distress as he lay dying at the high-water mark of Pickett's charge at Gettysburg.

The Etiquette of Freemasonry

The Etiquette of Freemasonry
Author: An Old Past Master
Publisher: Simon and Schuster
Total Pages: 299
Release: 2012-01-12
Genre: History
ISBN: 1626366098

First written in 1890, The Etiquette of Freemasonry is a timeless window into the mysterious traditions and practices of one of history’s most intriguing secret societies. This straightforward guide blends instruction with philosophical reasoning to capture the true spirit of the Freemason brethren. Readers will get the chance to walk in the footsteps of the Freemasons and finally peek behind the veil of mystery. Discover such hidden mysteries as: the meaning of the “Jewels of the Lodge,” how ancient ceremonial rites are conducted, and the details of rituals of ascension required to become a First-, Second-, and Third-degree Mason. A vital resource for historians, students, Freemasons, and anyone who has ever been interested in modern cults, The Etiquette of Freemasonry answers the question, “What does it mean to be a Free and Accepted Mason?”