Australia, New South Wales and Capital Territory Masonic Registers and Card Indexes - FamilySearch Historical Records

Collection Time Period: (Heading 2)

Records in this collection cover the years 1831 to 1930.

Record History: (Heading 2)

In Australia, Freemasonry can be traced to the First Fleet’s arrival in 1788 with some record keeping beginning at that time. The United Grand Lodge of New South Wales was officially formed in 1888, and later became responsible for Freemasonry in the Australian Capital Territory. Complete records were kept from the time of the lodge’s creation.

Why this Record Was Created: (Heading 3)

These records were created to track members of the organization and to record their individual achievements of merit.

Record Reliability: (Heading 3)

The records regarding achievements within the organization are very reliable. Biographical information is usually reliable but in a few cases may have been deliberately falsified.

Record Description: (Heading 2)

The registers are handwritten in pre-printed bound volumes and include the following records:

• Lists of members • Lists of those who attended meetings • Meeting minutes • Certificates • Deeds of Settlement The card index is handwritten on pre-printed cards and includes the following: • Current members • Non-subscribing members • Deceased members

fckLRImage: Australia NSW ACR Masonic Register and Indexes Member List DGS 4288008_19.jpgfckLRImage: Australia NSW ACR Masonic Register and Indexes Meeting Attendees DGS 4288008_70.jpgfckLRImage: Australia NSW ACR Masonic Register and Indexes Minutes DGS 4287993_51.jpgfckLRImage: Australia NSW ACR Masonic Register and Indexes Deed DGS 4305845_9.jpgfckLRImage: Australia NSW ACR Masonic Register and Indexes Card Index DGS 4285916_164.jpgfckLR

Record Content: (Heading 3)

Biographical information that may found in the registers includes:

• Full name • Address • Occupation • Age • Joining or initiation date • Advancement dates • Current lodge • Former lodge • Certificate dates • Names of members attending lodge meetings • Names of members officiating in lodge meetings • Names of visitors attending lodge meetings • Brief description of general meetings • Dues paid • Land purchases or leases for lodge use

Biographical information usually found in the card indexes includes:

• Birth date • Joining or initiation date • Advancement dates • Death date (if deceased) • Certificates awarded • Lodge name or number

How to Use the Record: (Heading 2)

Begin your search by finding your ancestors in the index. Many of the lodge records have name indexes at the beginning of each volume. The indexes make it possible to access a specific record quickly. Remember that these indexes may contain inaccuracies, such as altered spellings, misinterpretations, and optical character recognition errors if the information was scanned.

When searching the index it is helpful to know the following:

• The lodge attended • The name of the person • The approximate dates of attendance

Use the locator information found in the index (such as page, entry, or certificate number) to locate your ancestors in the records. Compare the information in the record to what you already know about your ancestors to determine if this is the correct person. You may need to compare the information of more than one person to make this determination.

When you have located your ancestor’s record, carefully evaluate each piece of information given. These pieces of information may give you new biographical details that can lead you to other records about your ancestors. Add this new information to your records of each family. For example:

• Use the birth date or age along with the place of birth to find birth records and parents' names. • Use the birth date or age along with the residence to find the family in census records or church records. • Occupations listed can lead you to employment records or other types of records such as military records. • Use the information about others lodges attended to find former residences and to establish a migration pattern for the family. • Compile the entries for every person who has the same surname. This is especially helpful in rural areas or if the surname is unusual. • Continue to search the records to identify children, siblings, parents, and other relatives who may have attended the same lodge. This can help you identify other generations of your family. • When looking for a person who had a common name, look at all the entries for the name before deciding which is correct.

If you are unable to find the ancestors you are looking for, try the following:

• Check for variant spellings of the surnames. • Check for a different index. • Search the indexes and records of nearby counties.

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