Onondaga and Oswego Masonic District Historical Society

New Web Site

by RW Gary Heinmiller | Jul 19, 2020

New Officers, Archives Update

by RW Gary Heinmiller | Oct 23, 2013

What’s New

by RW Gary Heinmiller | Oct 23, 2011

Guess time flies when you’re having fun.

I don’t know how many times I’ve visited a website and they haven’t updated them in ages, and have a bunch of stale stuff on ‘em.

I’m happy to report that OMDHS has been quite busy the past few years and have posted over 6,500 pages of compilations on its History pages [and considerably more to the OMDHS hard drive]. If you look in the upper left corner of this page you may see the “Newest Uploads” listed.

Data Backup

I don’t normally do this in venue of this nature, but I shall digress here for a moment an tell a short tale.

When I was buck-tailed Second Louie in the Army by first assignment out of Officer’s Basic was in Santo Domingo. Talk about a learning curve! It was Great!

I was assigned to a J-Staff [Joint Staff], no less, a one my first jobs was to set a Publications account so that the J-Staff could have an ongoing supply of Forms and Publications. Gee whiz . . .where to begin . . .

In [relatively] short order I opened an account and had a really tidy and complete publications and forms storeroom set up.

The J-Staff did such a fine job that we were out of Santo Domingo in about year and a half.

Near the tail end of our deployment the Inspector General came into my office one day and appointed me to his staff as his Records Management Officer, which meant I got the lovely job of organizing, accounting for insuring the collecting and transportation of all records of all of the units on the island and getting ‘em safely off of the island to a records repository in the States. Obviously another giant learning curve, but it too was Great! Not all that hard, but great learning experience. I had a neat machine gun escort, records all neatly palletized, to an awaiting C-130 and away we went.

These were the days of 3×5 cards, file folders and tons of paper, which we still have, but now enter the computer age.

The Library and Archives of the OMDHS still has books, magazines and papers, but we now also have a considerable archive of electronic archives.

In the early days of computers, the luxury of a hard drive was not in the general domain, so ‘stuff’ was stored punch cards, punch tape, magnetic tape or floppy disks. Backup was an exciting exercise of trying to keep up and organized backup of you files, awaiting the inevitable need for retrieval or the ugly specter of a systems upgrade or computer crash.

Enter the new technology. I was at may local Best Buy a few months ago, I they had the neatest little thing of a portable hard drive at less than $50. I’m sure there are several varieties of such devices, but one I purchased is called “My Passport Essential;” you may view its specifics at http://www.wdc.com/en/products/products.aspx?id=440

It’s about the size of a cell phone and the one thing that I have long been awaiting. I AUTOMATICALLY BACKS UP my data files each and every time I create or update a data file. It’s portable, searchable, and silently and reassuringly sits there with all of my data safely saved at all times.

Part of reason to the telling of this short tale is that Freemasonry is most often described as system. It is great to be able to preserve some of this system to conveniently in the new electronic age. If one were to look at this Masonic System, and its ‘Basis’ . . . Geometry, one would soon discover the Logo of the OMDHS, as I did.

OMDHS Logo – the Sun, Moon and Stars

The ‘Star of David’ and ‘Kings Solomon’s Seal’

In the Army the learning curve I experienced taught me a considerable amount about ‘systems’ in general, which was extended even more in the following years. It is quite interesting how sometimes a system is a system . . . from the micro to the macro, sort of ‘all for one and one for all.’ From the quantum level to the universal level, multidimensional and timeless in its implications and realities, the basis of which is the same as our time-honored institution . . . . Geometry . . .

In the above logo may be found all sound, color, DNA, the Platonic Solids, atomic structure, time [now], space [here], art, science, music, religion, history, the past & future, and of course, the SS of KST.

Craft Masonry in New York Series

What began as Craft Masonry in Onondaga County [3 parts] in Apr 2007, has rather mushroomed into the Craft Masonry Series for all of the counties in the State of New York, which may been seen on the History Pages of this present website. Each of these counties is compiled in 8 point type [you can edit it and change the type to any size you want, or view at 150%]. Each county gathers together what could reasonably compiled from mostly internet sources, though I do have a very fine collection of other materials on hand in our OMDHS Library.

For this present compiler, the possibility to expanding this project by a significantly extended visit to The Chancellor Robert R Livingston Library of Grand Lodge in Manhattan is nearly completely out of the question owing to travel, hotel, meal &c considerations, though their Director, R.’.W.’. Tom Savini has been very helpful on most occasions when I have requested specific information.

Happily Google Books and Archives.org have in the past few years greatly expanded their offerings on their respective websites, wherein I have found a treasure trove of Proceedings, Histories, General and Autobiographies of significant Masonic interest.

A listing of some of these writings and compilations may be found below at the bottom of this present page. The blue links are posted on the History Pages of the OMDHS website.

Lodge List of the Lodges of the Grand Lodge of the State of New York: 1759 to Present

This project, begun 2007 has been ongoing to the present time [Oct 2011]

It is a database of every known Lodge ever having existed in the Provincial Grand Lodge and the Grand Lodge of the State of New York, to include the schismatic Grand Lodges there to. As noted, it is an ongoing project, but at present encompasses over 2000 lines entries of Lodges in over 80 pages of data.

In the Masonic Hall of the Grand Lodge of the State of New York the records equivalent to this listing are recorded in Lodge Registers, the current Volume of which number was  234 in 2008. In the Grand Lodge Library there is a card file, also containing much of, and most likely more than, that which is compiled in the Lodge Listed compiled the present writer. Theirs is not openly or readily accessible to those seeking such information and electronically searchable; mine is. For each Lodge listed on this listing I have endeavored, with some obvious exceptions due to lack of data, include each Lodge in the appropriate compilation for the county in which the Lodge existed, the Craft Masonry Series noted above and below

—–

Craft Masonry Series

Masonic Writings and Compilations

The blue links are posted on the History or Geometry Pages of the OMDHS website

Masonic Geometry, Parts I-IV        2002

Masonic Geometry Part I                 A View of Contemplative Geometry in Freemasonry

Masonic Geometry Part II                 Preston’s ‘Masonic’ Geometry

Masonic Geometry Part III                Fra Luca Pacioli, Leonardo DaVinci and Others . . .

Masonic Geometry Part IV                From a Point to a Line to a Superfices to a Solid

Masonic Geometry Part V                 Receptions of a Mason

Grand Masters of England              128 pages                              2006

Grand Masters of Scotland             44 pages                                 2006

Grand Masters of Ireland                 37 pages                                2006

Grand Masters of New York,           350 pages                              2007

Other Grand Lodge Offices of New York     70 pages                  2007

                                              Total       629 pages

Craft Masonry in Onondaga County – Parts I, II and III                 2007

                Craft Masonry in Onondaga County 1799-1826

                Craft Masonry in Onondaga County, Part II, 1826-ca 2001

                Craft Masonry in Onondaga County, Part III. 2002 to Present

Craft Masonry in Oswego County                                                    2007

33rd Degree Masons, Valley of Syracuse          180 pages                              2008

Civil War Masons in the State of New York        765 pages                              2008        5 Volumes

Volume I           Preface

                           Table of Contents

                           Alphabetical Listing of Freemasons of New York State in the Civil War

                           Report of Grand Historian Ross – 1890

                           A-B  Biographical Sketches; 122 pages

Volume II          C-G Biographical Sketches; 117 pages

Volume III         H-Q Biographical Sketches; 118 pages

Volume IV         R-V Biographical Sketches; 146 pages

Volume V          W-Z Biographical Sketches and Appendices; 262 pages

     Lodge Name Listing of Freemasons of New York State in the Civil War

     Lodge Number Listing of Freemasons of New York State in the Civil War

     Lodge Number Listing and Recap in this present work

     Full Lodge Listing and Masonic Districts – 1899

Other writings and compilations at website: www.omdhs.SyracuseMasons.com :

 Masonic History pages

World History

The Epic of Gilgamesh and the Deluge of ‘Noah’

Early American History

Early Masonic Lodges in Northern New York State

Freemasonry in the Old Northwest Territory

Civil War Masons in the State of New York        765 pages                              2008        5 Volumes

Freemasons of NY in the Civil War – Vol. I of V

Freemasons of NY in the Civil War – Vol. II of V

Freemasons of NY in the Civil War – Vol. III of V

Freemasons of NY in the Civil War – Vol. IV of V [R-V]

Freemasons of NY in the Civil War – Vol. V of V

Freemasons of NY in the Revolutionary War                                                    Mar/Apr 2008          293 pages

Lincoln ‘Masonic Bookends’

Loyalist Freemasons of New York State

New York Freemasons in the War of 1812                                                       Aug/Sep 2010         79 pages

Shortest and Tallest Freemasons

Onondaga Masonic District History

Craft Masonry in Onondaga County 1799-1826                                              Apr 2007   169 pages

Craft Masonry in Onondaga County, Part II, 1826-ca 2001                           May 2007   128 pages

Craft Masonry in Onondaga County, Part III, Active Lodges as of 2007      May 2007     60 pages

Liverpool Syracuse Lodge No. 501 History

Local History

Liverpool Telegraph

Prospect Hill and Richard Husted Parker

District History

Bro. T. Walker Gaggin, Architect of Syracuse Masonic Temple

Bros. Gardner, Redfield, Longstreet, Teall and Tyler Families

Colonel Henry A. Barnum

Craft Masonry in Oswego County, New York

District Deputies of the Onondaga District

Ensign Robert Wilson at Yorktown

Freemasons in the Ancestry of L. Frank Baum

Illustrious Bro. Orrin Welch and Commodores Perry

Other Lodge Histories

A Nostalgic View of Three Southern Tier New York Lodges

Craft Masonry in Albany County, New York                                                                    Feb 2010  55 pages

Craft Masonry in Allegany County, New York                                                                 Jun 2010   38 pages

Craft Masonry in Broome and Chenango Counties, New York                                 Jun 2010    52 pages

Craft Masonry in Cattaraugus County, New York                                                         Jun 2010    69 pages

Craft Masonry in Cayuga and Tompkins Counties, New York                                   Apr 2010    117 pages

Craft Masonry in Chautauqua County, New York                                                         Jan 2010    43 pages

Craft Masonry in Chemung, Schuyler and Tioga Counties, New York                     May 2010   78 pages

Craft Masonry in Clinton and Essex Counties                                                              Jan 2010    128 pages

Craft Masonry in Columbia County, New York                                                              Jul 2010      54 pages

Craft Masonry in Cortland and Madison Counties, New York                                    Apr 2010     47 pages

Craft Masonry in Delaware County, New York                                                               Mar 2010    66 pages

Craft Masonry in Dutchess County, New York                                                               Mar 2010    28 pages

Craft Masonry in Erie County, New York                                                                         Nov 2009    168 pages

Craft Masonry in Franklin and Hamilton Counties, New York                                    Oct 2010     33 pages

Craft Masonry in Fulton and Montgomery Counties, New York                                  Apr 2010     53 pages

Craft Masonry in Genesee and Wyoming Counties, New York                                  Feb 2010    59 pages

Craft Masonry in Greene and Ulster Counties, New York                                           Mar 2010     43 pages

Craft Masonry in Herkimer County, New York                                                                Mar 2010    114 pages

Craft Masonry in Kings County, New                                                                               Jun 2011     217 pages

Craft Masonry in Livingston County, New York                                                              Apr 2010 31 pages

Craft Masonry in Manhattan [approx 350 Lodges]

      Vol I                                                 Jul 2011     327 pages

      Vol II       Nos. 202 thru 287        Jul 2011     150 pages

      Vol III      Nos. 304 thru 449        Jul/Sep 2011  102 pages +

      Vol IV      Nos. 512 thru 698        Jul/Sep 2011   123 pages

      Vol V       Nos. 704 thru 897        Sep 2011    24 pages ++

      Vol VI

Craft Masonry in Niagara & Orleans Counties, New York                                          Jan 2010 41 pages

Craft Masonry in Nassau County, New York                                                                 Jun 2011 39 pages

Craft Masonry in Oneida County, New York                                                                   Mar 2010 109 pages

Craft Masonry in Onondaga County

                Part I       1799-1826          Apr 2007    74 pages

                Part II      1826-2001          May 2007   101 pages

                Part III     Active Lodges as of 2007     May 2007    59 pages

Craft Masonry in Ontario, Seneca and Yates Counties, New York                            Feb 2010 87 pages

Craft Masonry in Orange and Rockland Counties, New York                                    Sep 2010  89 pages

Craft Masonry in Otsego and Schoharie Counties, New York                                   Mar 2010  80 pages

Craft Masonry in Rensselaer and Schenectady Counties, New York                      Apr 2010   58 pages

Craft Masonry in Saratoga County, New York                                                               May 2010  32 pages

Craft Masonry in St. Lawrence County, New York                                                        Oct 2010   84 pages

Craft Masonry in Steuben County                                                                                    Nov 2010 133 pages

Craft Masonry in Suffolk County, New York                                                                    May 2010  33 pages

Craft Masonry in Sullivan County, New York                                                                  May 2010  93 pages

Craft Masonry in Washington County, New York                                                           Mar 2010 178 pages

Craft Masonry in Wayne County, New York                                                                     Feb 2010 21 pages

Craft Masonry in Westchester and Putnam Counties, New York                               May 2010  156 pages

Freemasonry in Jefferson County, New York                                                                Jun 2008    61 pages

                                                                                     Masonic Districts Page Total       3,863 pages +

Freemasonry in the New York Third Masonic District         1900                                166 pages

Freemasons Patent – Herkimer Co., NY                                                                          Feb 2009    7 pages

Grand Lodge of New York – Lodge List 1759-Present                                                  2007-2011  66 pages

Grand Lodge of New York – other Grand Line Biographies                                         Dec 2008     76 pages

Lodge Nos. 1 – 23                 (1902 Grand Lodge Proceedings – 45 pages)

Lodge Nos. 26 – 44               (1903 Grand Lodge Proceedings – 25 pages)

Lodge Nos. 45 – 79               (1904 Grand Lodge Proceedings – 58 pages)

Lodge Nos. 82 – 110             (1905 Grand Lodge Proceedings – 58 pages)

Lodge Nos. 98 – 126             (1906 Grand Lodge Proceedings – 48 pages)

Lodge Nos. 127 – 147            (1907 Grand Lodge Proceedings – 39 pages)

Lodge Nos. 148 -173             (1908 GL Proceedings – 53 pages)

Lodge Nos. 231 – 275            (1911 GL Proceedings – 52 pages)

Lodge Nos. 263 – 294            (1912 GL Proceedings – 72 pages)

Lodge Histories,                    1913 Proceedings  295-329 – 79 pages

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                          Total       529 pages

Michigan Lodges warranted by New York State 2

Michigan Territory Lodge warranted by the GL of the State of New York                       Jul 2009  138 pages

New Oswegatchie Lodge No. 7                                                                                            Aug 2009   23 pages

Sea & Field Lodges and the American Masonic Overseas Mission

Table of Contents and Notes (20 pages)

Grand Masters History

Biographical Sketches of Grand Masters in the State of New York

Grand Masters of the United Grand Lodge of England

Grand Masters of Ireland

Grand Masters of Scotland (large file – 155 pages)

Other New York Grand Lodge Officers

Richard Harison – DGM – Paper – 14 pages

Richard Harison -DGM – Notes and References – 99 pages

George IVs Visit to Holyrood

Grand Masters at the Battle of Culloden

Grand Masters of Grosvenor Square

John Murray, 4th Earl of Dumore – British governor of the Province of New York (1770-71) and the Virginia Colony, from 25 Sep 1771 through the start of the Revolutionary War

Joseph Enos, Jr., Grand Master 1822-24

What’s New

by RW Gary Heinmiller | Jun 8, 2007

http://www.cornerstonepublishers.com/tns.html

The Temple That Never Sleeps: Freemasons and E-Masonry Toward a New Paradigm by Josh Heller and Gerald Reilly Softcover $16.95

Also available at www.amazon.com  (books)

The two authors, American and UK Masons, present a radical view of Freemasonry for both today and tomorrow. In addition to their ideas are those of numerous Internet Masons (E-Masons) from around the world who, . . . have provided stunning personal insight into the viability of the Craft in the Internet Age.

This book will challenge your understanding of Freemasonry today and how it might transform for future generations.

Google Books – Search Engine

http://books.google.com/

See, for example: http://books.google.com/books?q=%22freemasonry%22&btnG=Search+Books

which gives 3820 hits for “Freemasonry” . . . some (1379) with full text, some with limited text available.

For the search term “Freemasons” there are 3600 hits.

One such book available from Google Books, which may be downloaded is:

The New Free-mason’s Monitor, Or, Masonic Guide: Or, Masonic Guide. For the Direction of Members … By James Hardie, 1818

http://books.google.com/books?vid=0Pp5Ow_HHy0hU8YVZjC&id=NiwiAAAAMAAJ&pg=PA1&lpg=PA1&dq=Masonic&as_brr=1#PPR1,M1

Novus Ordo Saeculorum (NOS) – Internet Forum, a bit strange but lively discussion

http://www.novusordosaeculorum.com/

PhoenixMasonry

http://www.phoenixmasonry.org/

There active website continues to uploaded new listings, which are clearly identified on their Home Page.

One recently uploaded is the complete text, in four volumes, of Denslow’s “10,000 Famous Freemasons.”

Editing Copy & Paste or Downloads

Regarding the above noted book, if downloaded these four volumes consist of 2,366 pages of text! There are ways to download such information so that it is considerably more user friendly, for example in the present case:

1. Click on Volume I and you will arrive at the URL http://www.phoenixmasonry.org/10,000_famous_freemasons/Volume_1_A_to_D.htm

2. On the explorer toolbar, go to ‘Edit’ and click on ‘Select All.’ All of the text & graphics will turn Blue.

3. On your keyboard, depress the Control Key and then the “C” (CTRL C) simultaneously. This will Copy the text selected.

4. Open a New Blank Document in MS Word and depress the Control Key and then the “V” key (CTRL V) simultaneously. This will Paste the selected text into the New Blank Document. If you look at the resultant Paste, you will have about 565 pages of text and graphics.

5. For your new loooonnnng MS Word document, go to Edit and select the ‘Select All’ option. All of your text will reverse image to white text on a black ground.

6. While all of document is thus reversed, select ‘Arial’ for your Font, and then 8 points for the Font Size.

7. At this point your new document will be considerably shorter, but the paragraph spacing will have a lot of extra spacing. To adjust this, go to ‘Format’ and click on ‘Paragraph.’ Under spacing, set ‘Before’ and ‘After’ to zero (0) and Line Spacing to ‘Single.’

8. If there are pictures or graphics in the document, they too may be edited for size, placement and ‘cropping’.

a. To edit a picture or graphic, click on it and you will see a box form around it with little boxes in the corners and on the middle of the top, bottom and sides. If you place your mouse over, for instance, the lower right corner of the moused picture of graphic, a double arrow will appear.

b. You may then depress the left mouse key and drag the cursor in toward the center of the picture or outward, and the size of it will get smaller or larger accordingly. Also, while the picture is ‘moused’ you may change the position of it on the page by Aligning it Left, Center or Right, from the toolbar.

c. If you wish to do more advance editing of the picture, click on it and go to Format and click on Picture. If you have not clicked on the picture, the Picture option will not function under the Format tab. When the Picture window opens you will see a heading which reads, ‘Crop From’. If there are portions of the picture you would like to eliminate or edit, you may Crop your picture from the Top, Bottom, Left or Right to suit your needs or tastes, getting rid of extraneous material, ragged borders, &c.

d. If you wish to Imbed or Mortise you picture into the text of you document, you may, from the same Format/Picture window, to the ‘Layout’ tab. You must have ‘moused’ your picture for this to function. Under Layout, you will see ‘Wrapping Style;’ I normally click on ‘Square,’ around which you will see a blue square appear when you click on it . . . then I click on the Advanced button. From there click on the Text Wrapping tab. At the bottom of the new window you will see ‘Distance from Text.’ If you wish to mortise your picture on the left side of your page, set the left distance at zero (0) and the right distance at 0.1”. You may then click on your picture and Drag it to wherever you wish it to appear along the left margin of your page.

Conversely, If you set the left distance at 0.1” and the right distance at zero (0), you may click on the picture and Drag it to wherever you wish along the right margin of your page.

There are many other options and distances that you may use, but the above ones will get you started. When put into text, all of these editing procedures may appear daunting, but once learned they may be quickly and affectively.

If you are going to upload your text or pictures to the internet, you may wish to place the pictures in Tables, which a matter for discussion apart from the present one.

This will reduce the 565 pages to about 179 pages with a few minor adjustments to the headings and graphic, so that the first page, with the resized and mortised picture of the cover, will look something like:

 

10,000 Famous Freemasons

by William R. Denslow

Volume I – A- D

 

Foreword by Harry S. Truman, PGM, Past Master, Missouri Lodge of Research

Published by Macoy Publishing & Masonic Supply Co., Inc., Richmond, Virginia

Copyright, I957, William R. Denslow

http://www.phoenixmasonry.org/10,000_famous_freemasons/Volume_1_A_to_D.htm

Reduced 70%, from 565 to 179 pages.

All four volumes reduced from 2366 pages to 738 pages total.

There are many other ways to experiment with various settings, but the ones given above outline the basics from which you may vary as you see fit. With very little practice you will be able to quickly format documents in many different ways.

The Books of

Benson J. Lossing

These books, while perhaps not considered ‘Masonic’ are well written for reference purposes

and contained a very large number of excellent engravings.

From a research standpoint, there are a considerable number of Freemasons represented within the pages of these books,

such as http://freepages.history.rootsweb.com/~wcarr1/Lossing1/Chap44.html

where there may be found an account, with links, of the

SURRENDER OF BRITISH STANDARDS AT YORKTOWN

and a very fine engraving of the same.

These standards were surrendered to Bro. Robert Wilson, first Secretary of Military Lodge No. 93, Manlius, New York.

A more complete account of this may be found on the OMDHS website at:

http://omdhs.syracusemasons.com/History/Wilson%20Robert.pdf

 

Lossing – Field Book of the Revolution, Volume I

http://freepages.history.rootsweb.com/~wcarr1/Lossing1/Contents.html

 

Lossing – Field Book of the Revolution, Volume II

http://freepages.history.rootsweb.com/~wcarr1/Lossing1/Contents2.html

 

Lossing – Field Book of the War of 1812

http://freepages.history.rootsweb.com/~wcarr1/Lossing2/Contents.html

Lossing – The Hudson from the Wilderness to the Sea

http://threerivershms.com/hudson.htm

—————

The Life of Brother Joseph Brandt

by Colonel William L. Stone. Volumes I and II New York: Harper & Brothers, 1843.

LIFE OF JOSEPH BRANT AND BORDER WARS OF THE AMERICAN REVOLUTION, VOL. I (1843)

LIFE OF JOSEPH BRANT AND BORDER WARS OF THE AMERICAN REVOLUTION, VOL. II (1851)

also by Colonel William L. Stone

The Life and Times of Brother Sir William Johnson

 

LIFE AND TIMES OF SIR WILLIAM JOHNSON, BART., VOL. I (1865)

LIFE AND TIMES OF SIR WILLIAM JOHNSON, BART., VOL. II (1865)

REMINISCENCES OF SARATOGA AND BALLSTON (1880)

THE ORDERLY BOOK OF SIR JOHN JOHNSON DURING THE ORISKANY CAMPAIGN 1776-1777 (1882)

 

Masonic Library & Museum Association – MLMA

An International Organization of Librarians, Archivists, Curators, & Directors

http://www.mlmassn.org/e-book_library.htm

E-Book Library

(In alphabetical order by Title)

10,000 Famous Freemasons by William R. Denslow  – Volume 1 “A-D”; Volume 2 “E-J”; Volume 3 “K-P”; Volume 4 “Q-Z“

The Arcane Schools – Part 1 – Part 2 – Part 3 – Part 4 – Part 5 – Part 6 – Part 7

The Book of Enoch

The Book of the Ancient & Accepted Scottish Rite by Charles T. McClenechan

Born in Blood; The Lost Secrets of Freemasonry by John J. Robinson

Brothers and Builders by Joseph Fort Newton

The Builder by Joseph Fort Newton

The Builder Magazine 1915 – 1930

Carr’s World of Freemasonry – Six Hundred Years of Craft Ritual

Clausen’s Commentaries on Morals and Dogma

A Commentary on the Freemasonic Ritual by Dr. E. H. Cartwright

A Complete History of the Ancient & Primitive Rite by R. G. Mc Bean

The Constitutions of Freemasons by James Anderson – 1734 Edition

The Constitutions of the Grand Lodge of Massachusetts by C.W. Moore

Conversations on Freemasonry by Henry Wilson Coil, Sr.

The Craftsman, and Freemason’s Guide by Cornelius Moore

The Creation by Albert Pike

Digest – Index of Morals and Dogma by T.W. Hugo, G.C.C.H.

“Encyclopedia of Freemasonry” by Albert G. Mackey, M.D.

The Enigma of Freemasonry by Ralph W. Olmholt, PM

English Speculative Freemasonry by T. Stewart

The Freemason at Work by Harry Carr

Freemasons’ Book of the Royal Arch by Bernard E. Jones

Freemasonry in the Holy Land by Rob Morris

1801 Edition of Webb’s Freemason’s Monitor

1867 Macoy’s Masonic Manual

The Freemason’s Treasury, 52 Short Lectures on the Theory and Practice of Symbolic Masonry by George Oliver

General History of the Order of the Eastern Star by Willis D. Engle

The Genius of Masonry or A Defence of the Order by S. L. Knapp

The Genesis of Freemasonry by Douglas Knoop

Gould’s History of Freemasonry Throughout the World – Volume I – Volume II – Volume III – Volume IV – Volume V – Volume VI

The Historical Landmarks and other Evidences of Freemasonry, Explained

History of the Ancient and Honorable Fraternity of Free and Accepted Masons by Henry Stillman and William Hughan 1906 

Volume 1;  Volume 2

History of Freemasonry by Albert G. Mackey, M.D. 33rd Degree – Volume 1;     Volume 2;  Volume 3;  Volume 4;  Volume 5;  Volume 6;  Volume 7

The History of Freemasonry by J.W.S. Mitchell

History of Freemasonry by George Oliver

The History of Freemasonry and the Grand lodge of Scotland by W. A. Laurie

The History of the Dionysian Artificers by Hippolyto Joseph Da Costa, Esq.

The History of the Imperial Council, Ancient Arabic Order, Nobles of the Mystic Shrine for North America

History of the Supreme Council 33rd Degree 1861-1891 by James D. Carter

 The History of the Knights Templar by Charles G. Addison

Ihling Brothers & Everand Masonic Outfitters Catalog No. 58

The Illustrated History of Freemasonry by Moses W. Redding

Illustrations of Masonry by William Preston

Introduction to the Entered Apprentice Degree by Carl H. Claudy

Introduction to the Fellowcraft Degree by Carl H. Claudy

Introduction to the Master Mason Degree by Carl H. Claudy

Is It True What They Say About Freemasonry?  The Methods of Anti-Masons

Its About Time – Moving Masonry into the 21st Century

The Kabbakah Unveiled by S. L. MacGregor Mathers

King James Bible

“King Solomon’s Temple” by Jerome Bernard Frisbee

The Knights of Malta 1523-1798 by R. Cohen

The Kybalion by Three Initiates

Laudable Pursuit: A 21st Century Response to Dwight Smith

Laudable Pursuit: The Audio Video version of the book

The Light of Egypt, Volume II by Thomas H. Burgoyne

Lightfoot’s Manual of the Lodge by Jewel P. Lightfoot, P.G.M.

The Lights and Shadows of Freemasonry by Robert Morris

The Lost Keys of Freemasonry by Manly P. Hall

Masonic Initiation by W. L. Wilmshurst

The Masonic Ladder by John Sherer

The Masonic Manual by Robert Macoy, revised 1867 Edition

The Masonic Manual

The Masonic Research E-Library by Ralph W. Omholt

Masonic Trials and Michigan Digest by Henry M. Look

Masonry Defined by Albert Mackey 33rd Degree – Revised by E. R. Johnston

Masonry Dissected by Samuel Pritchard (AKA: Pritchard’s Exposure)

The Master’s Handbook by Carl H. Claudy

The Meaning of Masonry by Albert Pike

The Meaning of Masonry by W. L. Wilmshurst

Morals and Dogma by Albert Pike

Mormonism and Masonry by S. H. Goodwin

The Mysteries of Freemasonry by J. Fellows

The Mysteries of Free Masonry, by Captain William Morgan

Opinions on Speculative Freemasonry

Parade to Glory By Fred Van Deventer  

Paranada: Beyond Beyond–Beyond the Geometry of the Gods; Deciphering Delphi: Breaking the Pythagorean Code

A Pilgrim’s Path by John J. Robinson

The Pocket History of Freemasonry by Fred l. Pick

The Collected “Prestonian Lectures”   Volume 1 1925-1960;  Volume 2 1961-1974;  Volume 3 1975-1987

The Principles of Masonic Law by Albert G. Mackey, M.D.

Reading Guide to the Scottish Rite Works of Albert Pike

The Revelations of a Square by George Oliver

Richardson’s Monitor of Freemasonry

The Right Angle by H.P. Blavatsky

Rosicrucian and Masonic Origins by Manly P. Hall

Roynayne’s Handbook of Freemasonry – A Complete Manual

Secret Societies of the Middle Ages by Thomas Keightley

The Secret Teachings of All Ages – Manly P. Hall

Sickle’s Monitor of Freemasonry

The Spirit of Masonry by William Hutchinson

The Symbolism of Freemasonry by Albert G. Mackey, M.D.

Symbolism of the Three Degrees by Oliver Day Street

Tales of Masonic Life

The Theocratic Philosophy of Freemasonry by George Oliver

The Virginia Text Book by John Dove

Washington and his Masonic Compeers by Sidney Hayden

Webb’s Freemason’s Monitor, 1865 Edition, by Thomas Smith Webb

A Well-Spent Life; A Brotherly Testimonial to the Masonic Career of Robert Morris

Within the Temple of Isis by Belle M. Wagner

World Peace Through Brotherhood by Frederic L. Milliken

The Writings of George Washington by G. Washington

 

Quatuor Coronati Research Lodge No. 2076

The Premier Research Lodge. Membership information or . . . now have their Transactions available on .pdf CDs.

http://www.quatuorcoronati.com/

Currently available on CD-ROM in searchable PDF format:

Volumes Available: AQCs 1-40, 42, 44-46, 48, 49, 51, 53, 55, 56, 58-117

Now Available: Quatuor Coronatorum Antigrapha (QCA) Vols 10, 11, 12

Each CD comes with a current Adobe Reader installation folder, rules for the Norman B. Spencer Prize Essay, a letter from the Editor and a Style Guide for submissions to AQC. The Index CD contains a combined Index from AQC 1 to 109 and individual indexes for 110 to 117 in searchable PDF format. It also contains an Article Register of all papers in AQC together with authors’ names, dates and the relevant volume & page numbers.

Rosslyn Templars

Masonic Articles – An interesting assortment of articles. Be sure to surf the rest of the website for more interesting items.

http://www.rosslyntemplars.org.uk/masonic_articles.htm

About the Society 

Since 1991, the Scottish Rite Research Society (SRRS) has become one of the most dynamic forces in Masonic research today, pursuing a publication program emphasizing quality—both in content and physical form. While it has its administrative offices at the House of the Temple in Washington, D.C., it is open to all. We encourage anyone interested in deepening his or her understanding of Freemasonry to become a member and make the SRRS your research society.

http://www.scottishrite.org/what/educ/srrs.html

Heredom is the flagship publication of the Scottish Rite Research Society and has been sent annually to members since 1992. It is a collection of the finest essays on contemporary and historical Freemasonry emphasizing the Scottish Rite.

http://www.scottishrite.org/web/heredom.htm

OMDHS Library Acquisitions

by RW Gary Heinmiller | Apr 26, 2007

The Library and Museum of the Onondaga & Oswego Masonic Districts Historical Society has a fine collection of Books, Magazines, Papers, Archives and Artifacts for the Brother in search of more or further Light. The Library is open during the Communications of the Masonic Bodies which meet at the Liverpool Temple; the Blue Lodge meets there on First and Third Mondays, 7-9 pm, except in July and August. The Liverpool and Phoenix Libraries are also available by appointment for research.

R.’.W.’. Herbert W. Greenland Templar Sword:

The Biography of R.’.W.’. and Ill.’. Bro. Greenland may be seen at http://www.syracusemasons.com/Past%20Masters/greenland.pdf.

He was Created a Knight Templar in Central City Commandery No. 25, KT in 1884.

120 years having passed, through the good graces of Mr. Larry Sherman of Michigan,

his gold Templar Sword has returned home to Syracuse and is safely and gratefully in the OMHDS collection at the Liverpool Temple.

Bro. Greenland’s bronzed plaque is also in the Lobby of the Liverpool Temple.

Additionally, his extensive Masonic collection is housed at the Chancellor Robert R Livingston Library of Grand Lodge, at the campus in Utica, New York.

Central City Commandery No. 25 Cup:

For many years I have known of this cup, and have seen it at antique shows, display cases and on the internet, but now we are quite fortunate to have one for our collection through the graces of the Scottish Rite Offices at the Memorial Center in North Syracuse, NY. It is rather unique among the many Masonic artifacts created over the years.

PhoenixMasonry has a feature article on the cup on its website at:

http://www.phoenixmasonry.org/masonicmuseum/ny_loving_cup.htm

Of this cup, they note:

This is without a doubt one of the most beautiful of the Three Handled Loving Cups ever made.  It was produced for the 96th Annual Conclave of the Grand Commandery of the State of New York and states Compliments of Central City Commandery, No. 25, Knights Templar, June 1909.  It is decorated in a very dark rich blue and gold lettering and trim and has colored transfers of the Commandery Building [see notes below] and Jewel on each of the panels [respectively]. 

It measures 3 1/8 inches tall and 3 3/4 inches in diameter.

Be sure to surf the other great pages of PhoenixMasonry while visiting it. Some other fine examples of three-handles cups may be seen at http://www.phoenixmasonry.org/masonicmuseum/loving_cups_table_of_contents.htm

Note: The Commandery used to always meet in conjunction with the Central City Bodies, to include:

Central City Lodge No. 305, F&AM

Central City Chapter No. 70, RAM

Central City Commandery No. 25, KT

and Central City Scottish Rite Bodies, A.A.S.R.

1. The first meeting place of the Commandery was at 63 (now 317) South Salina Street, just south of the First Presbyterian Church. This old landmark has long since disappeared, and the adjacent building razed so that the original site would be difficult to determine.

2. The Commandery then moved to the new Central City Masonic Hall at 339 South Salina Street on 5 Mar 1871.

3. The disastrous fire in Jan 1902 fortunately did not destroy their records. The Commandery temporarily held their conclaves in the Greyhound Building at the corner of James and Warren Streets through the generosity of Syracuse Lodge No 501 until adequate restoration could be achieved.

The building shown on the ‘Loving Cup’ appears to be the Onondaga County Courthouse, designed by Archimedes Russell, Architect.

The Charles Arundell Murcott Moody Collection:

Known as Bro. ‘Joe’ Moody to the Onondaga District, this fine collection, recently passed to the archives of OMDHS by M.’.W.’. Bruce Widger, Past Grand Master of Masons in the State of New York, gives an interesting perspective of Bro. Joes Masonic career in Jamaica. Among the collection are his beautiful Certificates of membership, correspondence, a paper on Jamaican Freemasonry than he delivered, an some interesting copies of “The Jamaican Freemason – A Pictorial New Magazine,” a collection of about 50 books and booklets [which will appear in subsequent updates to this website], and his exquisite 30^o sash and jewel.

Again, we wish to thank M.’.W.’. Widger for his ongoing support of the OMHDS, of which he is a Founding Member, and for his generous donations from his private collection of the years, to include a complete set of ‘the Word,’ from its inception.

From last report, Bro. Joe is in retirement in the sunny South. Thank you Bro. Joe; you are well-remembered among your contemporaries in the Onondaga District.

In the Colonial period there were some interesting connections among some Grand Masters of England, Scotland & Ireland with Jamaica. This will be a forthcoming posting to the History pages of this website.

Acquisition Register:

Over 2,000 entries have been made to our acquisition register. It will be made available on-line when it has been made compatible to the format on the internet. The posting of to Register is ongoing and could use a few stout-hearted Brothers to assist in this endeavor. If you have a computer [which you obviously have if you are reading this], and some time to ‘spare’ <grin>, please drop us an email and assist in bringing more and further Light to the Fraternity. Many Libraries and Museums have who they affectionately call “Friends of the Library.” I hope that we many in our area; it is a mutually rewarding experience to a Friend of the Library. We get the benefit of you kind assistance; you get to see at first hand a very fine Masonic collection.

In the Works:

Having nearly completed a draft of the “Socio-genealogical History of the Grand Masters of England, Scotland and Ireland,” the first draft . . . “Ireland” has been posted on the History page of the present website, along with a series of genealogical charts showing the close inter-relationship of many of these Grand Masters. On the History page you will other papers of a similar nature at:

http://omdhs.syracusemasons.com/history.htm

In the meanwhile I am also working on a four-part [+] compendium of Freemasonry in the Onondaga District and am well on my way to the first installment of it. Check back from time to time to see what has been uploaded.

Links:

Since compiling the original Links Page of this website, I have obviously come across many more, but for the time being I would like to call you attention to just a few. Just not enough hours in the day to get too fancy for now. If you have a favorite Link you would like to share, or something you would like to contribute to this website [a picture, paper, thought or otherwise] please drop us an email.

Having acquired a great new Webmeister, Bro. Kevin Razawich, I have been busily rummaging through my very large hard drive files to [finally] get some of them uploaded. I know that the Philosophy Page is somewhat barren for the present, but check back from time to time.

http://arsmasonica.blogspot.com/2007_04_01_archive.html

This is one way to get into the Blog of R.’.W.’. Richard Powell. It is a crisp, clean presentation, well worth the time to surf, with timely articles and great graphics. His Home Page may be seen at: http://arsmasonica.com/default.aspx

http://tinyurl.com/

Not Masonic, but very useful if you have very long URLs you wish to email or other post. At this URL you may enter your longest URLs and it will reduce to a very SHORT one.

Example: http://books.google.com/books?id=zT_661xPKn0C&pg=PA126&lpg=PA126&dq=%22rensselaer+van+rensselaer%22&source=web&ots=P_UO8pGUSt&sig=1WUCATd-3dt0YhtT4C2AMmI8qjk#PRA1-PA530,M1

This will take to you a great book on the van Rensselaers, specifically to page 530 where appears Killian Henry van Renssalaer, a luminary in the Scottish Rite and a Brother of the Onondaga Pre-Mogan Mt. Moriah Lodge No. 245 of Amber, Otisco, New York. A very interesting fellow.

If you go to tinyurl.com you may enter this long URL and will end up with the tiny URL of http://tinyurl.com/244m2a .

Check out both of the above URLs; you will see that you end up at the same page.

http://threerivershms.com/fieldbookTOC.htm

This URL will take you to “The Pictorial Field-Book of The Revolution by Benson J. Lossing Volume l”

This is one of a couple of URLs where this book may be found. It is a most interesting work on the American Revolution filled with great engravings. There is a companion the this work: Volume II.

Also, by the same author is another wonderful work on the War of 1812, which may be found with more great engravings at:

http://freepages.history.rootsweb.com/~wcarr1/Lossing2/Contents.html

If you really get hooked on Lossing, he also wrote “The Hudson from the Wilderness to the Sea,” with more great engravings at:

http://threerivershms.com/hudson.htm and “The Pictorial Field-Book of the Civil War,” filled with photos, a copy of which is in the archives of the OMDHS, private collection.

Not Masonic? Well, errrr, I have found a lot on most interesting information in it about many of our Brothers, both Colonial & British who had quite active roles in the Revolution, which has appeared or will appear at: http://omdhs.syracusemasons.com/history.htm

http://www.damanhur.org/temple/

Masonic Temples have been around for a long time. Take a peek at this URL. There is a graphic on this page on which you may click to look at the workmanship in some of the various rooms of this Temple dug out of a mountain.

The Life and Writings of Philip Duke of Wharton

I can’t say that everyone is burning to read this book, but Philip was Grand Masons of the Premier Grand Lodge of England in 1722-23, during whose tenure James Anderson wrote the now famous Constitutions. He was a bit of rascal & rogue, as was more common in his time for his station in life than one may imagine. When first I came across this URL, I was the first to download it; I see that now, as of this posting, 24 more people have downloaded it at: http://www.archive.org/details/lifeandwritingso024502mbp

Or it may also be downloaded at: http://books.google.com/books?id=XlUDAAAAMAAJ&pg=PA81&lpg=PA81&dq=%22mary+wortley%22+%22life+and+writings%22&source=web&ots=t3wV8uI52D&sig=5l-S2zL4zGMHgkSQw70z2Ah0c44#PPR1,M1

There are at least two companion books to this, one being “Lady Mary Wortley Montagu, Her Life and Letters 1689-1762” at:

http://books.google.com/books?id=tuD8_ws7uV0C&dq=%22lewis+melville%22+%22mary+wortley%22&printsec=frontcover&source=web&ots=ot7gMZfpJ8&sig=IZGpKGK1ApeyGdeI6SMhxWpkSFc

[makes you think again about the tinyURLs above].

The other companion book is “Hell-Fire Duke” by Mark Blackett-Ord, which I recently purchased through Amazon.com and is now in the archives of the OMDHS.

Recent Accessions:

McNulty, W. Kirk, “Freemasonry – Symbols, Secrets, Significance”

Available from Amazon.com at: http://www.amazon.com/Freemasonry-Significance-W-Kirk-MacNulty/dp/0500513023 , is in the archives of OMHDS, private collection. It is one of the best designed Masonic books I have had the pleasure of reading, with great illustrations! I had the pleasure of talking with W. Kirk a few months ago while on a visit to Washington with Brer Bil, where he was installed as Senior Warden of Fiat Lux Lodge.

I noted Bro. McNulty’s name on the evening’s program and inquired of the Brother sitting to my left if W. Kirk was present. The Brother looked around the lodge room and grinned, pointing to my immediate right. W. Kirk was sitting next to me. Talk about synchronicity!!!

Book Description – The ultimate book on Freemasonry, with a rich collection of symbols and lore that illuminate the famous fraternal society.

“The Craft,” with an estimated four million Freemasons worldwide, remains the largest fraternal organization in the world. Written by an active Freemason, this book comprehensively explains Freemasonry through its fascinating visual culture, rich in mysterious and arcane symbols of life, death, and morality that have evolved over centuries of secrecy and that have profound philosophical meaning. Ceremonial regalia, paintings, manuscripts, tracing boards, ritual swords, furniture, prints, ephemera, and architecture: the book is copiously illustrated with many specially researched items from Freemasonry archives. This unrivaled compendium will appeal both to Freemasons wishing to learn the full story of their order and to a general audience that is intensely curious about this traditionally secretive and closed movement.

The coverage includes • the historical and philosophical background of the order, including the Knights Templar, the medieval stonemasons’ guilds, and esoteric traditions such as Kabbalah and Hermeticism • its history from the earliest Masons to the present day, including famous members and scandals • its geographical spread from Japan to California, Sweden to South Africa •300 illustrations, 200 in color

About the Author W. Kirk MacNulty has been a Freemason for over forty years and is a member of three lodges in the United States and England. His previous books include The Way of the Craftsman and Freemasonry: A Journey Through Ritual and Symbol. He lives in Arlington, Virginia.

Lomas, Robert, “Freemasonry and the Birth of Modern Science.”

Available from Amazon.com at: http://www.amazon.com/Freemasonry-Birth-Modern-Science-Robert/dp/1592330118 is also in the archives of the OMHDS, private collection. This is another fascinating read of the early times of the Grand Lodge of England &c. It was from this book that I developed an interest in the connection between Grand Master and the Royal Society and noted the penchant for the UK to use titles for people, rather than names. In time this led to over 800 pages of material compiled on my hard drive and a draft of what is now “A Socio-genealogical Perspective of the Grand Masters of England, Scotland and Ireland,” an excerpt of which may be found at: http://omdhs.syracusemasons.com/history.htm

Book Description In 1660, within a few months of the restoration of Charles II, a group of twelve men, including Robert Boyle and Christopher Wren, met in London to set up a society to study the mechanisms of nature. At a time when superstition and magic governed reason, the repressive dogma of Christian belief silenced many, and where post-war loyalties ruined careers, these men forbade the discussion of religion and politics at their meetings. The Royal Society was born and with it modern, experimental science.

This situation seems unlikely enough, but the fact that the founding members came from both sides of a brutal civil war makes its origins all the more astonishing. Freemasonry and the Birth of Modern Science is a fascinating study of the turbulent political, economic, and religious background to the formation of the Royal Society – an era of war against the Dutch, the Great Plague, and the Great Fire of London. In particular, it reveals the ambitions of one man, Sir Robert Moray, the key driving force behind the society. Building on his detailed experience of another organization and the principles on which it was based, Moray was able to structure and gain finance for the Royal Society. This other organization, the “Invisible College” as Boyle called it, is known today as Freemasonry. This book  will make you reassess many of the key events of this period and will show how Freemasonry, supported by Charles II, was the guiding force behind the birth of modern science, under the cover of the Royal Society. About the Author Robert Lomas gained a first-class honors degree in electrical engineering before earning a Ph.D. for research into solid state physics and crystalline structure. He has always had a keen interest in the history of science and wrote an acclaimed biography of Nikola Tesla entitled the Man Who Invented the Twentieth Century. In 1986, Robert became a Freemason and quickly became a popular lecturer on Masonic history before co-authoring the international bestsellers, The Hiram Key, The Second Messiah, and Uriel’s Machine. He currently lectures in Information Systems at Bradford University School of Management.

————-

Other Recent and not-so-recent Accessions and items of interest:

The below books are also in the OMDHS Library, private collection, and may be borrowed from there or acquired through Amazon.com, Borders, Nobles or your favorite bookseller. The appearance on the below list does not suggest that I agree with the views of the authors, but in that these books are ‘out there’ for the readings public, some of them have been acquired to see what they have to say. If anyone would like to write a short book review or comment of anything they have read, please feel free to drop us an email:

Hodapp, Christopher, “Solomon’s Builders – Freemasons, Founding Fathers and the Secrets of Washington, D.C.”

Ulysses Press. 324 pages, paperback, with index. “Unravels history from myth as it takes you on a Freemason’s tour of Washington. It reveals the evidence of Masonic influence during the construction of America and its new capital, including clues hidden in plain sight.” Also by Chris Hodapp, lest anyone not have heard of it by now . . . <grin> . . . “Freemasons for Dummies.”

 

·       Baigent & Leigh, “Temple and the Lodge”

·       Baigent & Leigh, “The Dead Sea Scrolls Deception”

·       Baigent, Leigh & Lincoln, “Holy Blood + Holy Grail.” Dell Books. 488 pages, paperback, with index.

·       Baigent, Leigh & Lincoln, “Messianic Legacy”

·       Brown, Dan, “The DaVinci Code”

·       Burstein, Dan, “Secrets of the Widow’s Son” Sterling Publishing. 201 pages, hardcover, with index.

·       Gardner, Laurence, “Lost Secrets of the Sacred Ark.” Barnes & Noble. 395 pages, paperback, with index.

·       Gardner, Laurence, “The Shadow of Solomon – The Lost Secrets of Masonry Revealed”

·       Knight & Lomas, “The Hiram Key”

·       Knight & Lomas, “The Second Messiah”

·       Lawlor, Robert, “Sacred Geometry.” Thames and Hudson, 111 pages, paperback.

·       MacNulty, W. Kirk, “Freemasonry – A Journey through Ritual and Symbol.” Thames and Hudson. 96 pages, paperback.

·       Melchizedek, Drunvalo, “The Ancient Secret of the Flower of Life.” Volumes 1 [228 pages] and 2 [251 pages, with index]. Light Technologies Publishing, paperback.

·       Plummer, L. Gordon, “The Mathematics of the Cosmic Mind – A Study in Mathematical Symbolism.” The Theosophical Publishing House. 215 pages, hardcover, with index.

·       Wallace-Murphy, Tim and Hopkins, Marilyn, “Rosslyn”

·       Wallace-Murphy, Tim and Hopkins, Marilyn, “Templars in America – From the Crusades to the New World.” Barnes & Noble. 276 pages, hardcover, with bibliography.

·       Yates, Frances A., “The Rosicrucian Enlightenment.” Barnes & Noble. 269 pages, hardcover, with index. A standard work.

·       Prebble, John, “Culloden.” Penguin. 360 pages, paperback, with index. The Battle of Culloden, following which three Grand Masters were executed.

Early Ritual and Related Masonic Classics: