Freemasons St. Thomas Lodge No. 44 fonds
https://heritagecollections.elgin.ca/link/archives786
- Museum / Archive
- Elgin County Archives
- Part Of
- Freemasons St. Thomas Lodge No. 44 fonds
- Description Level
- Fonds
- GMD
- textual records
- Date Range
- 1853-1995
- Accession Number
- 2002-01
- 2003-09
- Storage Location
- R6 S5 Sh3 B3-4
- R6 S5 Sh4 B1-4
- R6 S5 Sh5 B1-3
- R6 S5 Sh6 B1
- R6 S6 Sh6 B4 F1
- Museum / Archive
- Elgin County Archives
- Description Level
- Fonds
- Accession Number
- 2002-01
- 2003-09
- Storage Room
- Archives Storage Rm. 107
- Storage Location
- R6 S5 Sh3 B3-4
- R6 S5 Sh4 B1-4
- R6 S5 Sh5 B1-3
- R6 S5 Sh6 B1
- R6 S6 Sh6 B4 F1
- GMD
- textual records
- Date Range
- 1853-1995
- Physical Description
- 3 m of textual records
- History / Biographical
- Freemasonry is one of the oldest fraternal organizations in the world. Also known as Masonry, its official title is Ancient Free and Accepted Masons. Masonry is dedicated to the ideals of charity, equality, morality, and service to God. Masons try to promote "morality in which all men agree, that is, to be good men and true." Throughout its history, Masonry has sought to bring together men of different religious beliefs and political opinions. Men of any religion who profess belief in one God may join. Men who wish to become Masons must apply for membership: they are not invited to join. There are three steps or degrees of membership in the local Lodge: Entered Apprentice, Fellowcraft and Master Mason.
- Four lodges in London, England gathered in 1717 and created the first formal Grand Lodge to govern and regulate their affairs. In each Canadian province there is a Grand Lodge that governs the lodges within its boundaries. Lodges in the territories are attached to the Grand Lodges of British Columbia or Alberta.
- Freemasons brought their rituals and lodges to Ontario [Upper Canada] in the mid-eighteenth century. Records are sparse but a St. Thomas Lodge was known to exist from 1817 to approximately 1822. The current St. Thomas Lodge was formed in June 1853 and received its Charter or Warrant of Constitution from the Grand Lodge in Ireland to which it reported and sent annual fees.
- In 1855 St. Thomas Lodge No. 232, Irish Constitution was one of forty lodges that met and formed what is now known as The Grand Lodge of Canada in the Province of Ontario. At that time it took the number 21, GRC; at the renumbering of lodges in 1860 it was changed to the current number 44.
- St. Thomas Lodge No. 44 is a constituent lodge under the Constitution of the Grand Lodge of Canada in the Province of Ontario with head office in Hamilton, Ontario.
- St. Thomas Lodge # 44 meets on the first Thursday of the month at 561 Talbot Street, St. Thomas.
- Custodial History
- The contents of the St. Thomas No. 44 fonds were given to the Elgin County Library in 1992. They were transferred by deed of gift to the Elgin Country Archives in 2002. The scrapbook was donated to the Archives in 2011.
- Scope and Content
- Fonds consists of minute books (1853-1992), financial records (1881-1917), attendance registers and membership ledgers (1867-1994), proceedings of the annual meetings of the Grand Lodge (1866-1995), correspondence (1936-1992) and miscellaneous items, with varied dates.
- The fonds consists of the following series:
- 1. Minutes
- 2. Membership and Attendance records
- 3. Financial records
- 4. Correspondence
- 5. Historical records
- 6. Administrative records
- 7. Proceedings of the Grand Lodge (including two volume set "The History of Freemasonry in Canada" published in 1900 which contains a chapter on the history of Freemasonry in St. Thomas.)
- 8. Scrapbook, 1994-2009
- The records were created to document the life and activity of the Lodge (minutes and correspondence), the membership (financial and membership records), and those who attended the meetings of the Lodge (attendance and membership records).
- Subject Access
- Masons
- Access Restriction
- Open to researchers
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