National Heritage Museum-New Perspectives on American Freemasonry and Fraternalism

This just in from the email…

CALL FOR PAPERS – Symposium on American Freemasonry and Fraternalism

National Heritage Museum, Lexington, Massachusetts

New Perspectives on American Freemasonry and Fraternalism – Friday, April 9, 2010

The National Heritage Museum announces a call for papers for its first biannual symposium, “New Perspectives on American Freemasonry and Fraternalism,” to be held on Friday, April 9, 2010 at the Museum in Lexington, Massachusetts.

The National Heritage Museum is an American history museum founded and supported by Scottish Rite Freemasons in the Northern Masonic Jurisdiction of the United States.  As the repository of the largest collection of American Masonic and fraternal objects, books and manuscripts in the United States, the Museum aims to foster new research on American fraternalism and to encourage the use of its scholarly resources.

The symposium seeks to present the newest research on American fraternal groups from the past through the present day.  By 1900, over 250 American fraternal groups existed, numbering six million members.  The study of their activities and influence in the United States, past and present, offers the potential for new interpretations of American society and culture.  Diverse perspectives on this topic are sought; proposals are invited from a broad range of research areas, including history, material and visual culture, anthropology, sociology, literary studies and criticism, gender studies, political science, African American studies, art history, economics, or any combination of disciplines.  Perspectives on and interpretations of all time periods are welcome.

Possible topics include:

• Comparative studies of American fraternalism and European or other international forms of fraternalism
• Prince Hall Freemasonry and other African-American fraternal groups
• Ethnically- and religiously-based fraternal groups
• Fraternal groups for women or teens
• Role of fraternal groups in social movements
• The material culture of Freemasonry and fraternalism
• Anti-Masonry and anti-fraternal movements, issues and groups
• Fraternal symbolism and ritual
• The expression of Freemasonry and fraternalism through art, music, and literature
• Approaches to Freemasonry – from disciplinary, interdisciplinary, or transnational perspectives; the historiography and methodology of the study of American fraternalism

Proposals should be for 30 minute research papers; the day’s schedule will allow for audience questions and feedback.

Proposal Format: Submit an abstract of 400 words or less with a resume or c.v. that is no more than two pages.  Be sure to include full contact information (name, address, email, phone, affiliation).

Send proposals to: Aimee E. Newell, Director of Collections, National Heritage Museum, by email at anewell@monh.org or by mail to 33 Marrett Road, Lexington, MA  02421.

Deadline for proposals to be received is August 15, 2009.  For more information about the National Heritage Museum, see www.nationalheritagemuseum.org.  For questions, contact Aimee E. Newell as above, or call 781-457-4144.

Masonic Research & the Pig-Stealing Deserter

Aude - Vide - Tace

I’ve spent a lot of time in the last five years researching both Masonry and the American Civil War, as well as the intersection of those two subjects, and that is why my blog posts have been less frequent of late. Currently, I am in the middle of the final edit for my book on that subject which will be published in early 2010 by the University of Alabama Press and it’s time-consuming work. I had been thinking about Civil War Masonry since I was raised, but it wasn’t until I began looking for Civil War ancestors here at home that the work really started to take shape. In fact, it was over dinner one night some years back that my wife shared an interesting tidbit that got the whole thing rolling. Her great great grandfather, she announced, died in 1863 in “Chimichanga, Georgia,” which made me pause with my fork in mid-air.

“Chickamauga?”

“That could have been it,” she said blandly, eating her peas.

My wife has no interest what-so-ever in history, but historically minded folks will recognize the homophone as a reference to the Battle of Chickamauga that occurred in north Georgia on September 19-20, 1863. To suggest to a Civil War geek like me, that someone died within 20 miles of that place in 1863 is the same as saying – yeah, my  grandfather worked in a schoolbook warehouse in Dallas in 1963. So I told her that there were a lot of people who died in Chickamauga, Georgia in 1863 and most of them died from lead poisoning.

I hurriedly finished my peas, and got out the family papers. Sure enough, we found the reference to Chickamauga, and that led to a record’s request to the National Archives and Records Administration (NARA), and some correspondence with the Indiana Historical Society, among others. I think my frau would have been content to just let her great great grandfather rest in peace with his burrito, but by that point I was committed.

Men and women seem to go about genealogy differently. From what I can tell there are two main areas of interest for chick-genealogy. The first going something like this; “What diseases did my grandmothers die of and do I carry the gene for female baldness?” Every genealogy I’ve ever looked at that was compiled by a female described the diseases, maladies, and medical complaints of the ancestor more thoroughly than a coroner’s report. And hers was no exception; that thing was filled with more tumors, lesions, goiters and leprosy than a field dressing station along the Burma Railway in 1942– it’s enough to make you retch. The only thing missing was a tissue sample.

The other interest females invariably have is kind of a scrapbook thingy where they can read old newspaper clippings about what kind of dress the bride wore and paste it all pretty-like in a photo album. So when you’re poring over these things, you’ll come across pressed flowers and scraps of material and old social notices from the Mudburgh, Iowa News Advertiser about the soiree over at Lorraine Hudson née Klingenhoffer’s where the band played until the wee hours of the morning.

This is, of course, vastly different from what guys are interested in – namely, “Did my great-grandfather save the Union by shooting Braxton Bragg in the left nut?” And of course that inquiry carries with it some risk, because although you are unlikely to discover that your Grandfather was awarded three Medals of Honor (you’d already know that), you could find some cool stuff like maybe he was in Pickett’s Charge or something, but you might also just find the eerie line in the official record “Shot for Cowardice” written by some clerk in a spidery hand at regimental headquarters, or “Stole a pig: deserted.”

Probably the best possible outcome is to find out that he was wounded in battle somewhere – accidental shootings don’t count and just leave the impression that the whole family is a collection of idiots. Killed in action is morbidly acceptable, because at least that means he was in the thick of things and aiming at Braxton Bragg’s family jewels, before a crafty sharpshooter cut short the life of a hero. If they survived the war and didn’t come away with a cool eye patch or a wooden leg or something, it’s still ok, but it’s better if they wrote a lot of letters and described desperate bayonet fights among the harried rear guard, or catching a spy or something. Outlawry is acceptable too, but only during wartime and only against the enemy.

You can also check and see if they were Masons. The Grand Lodges maintain detailed records of membership, and they are always a great place to start. You’ll need their full name and the approximate year of birth to determine when they would have been eligible to join. Back then, barring something odd, a man had to be twenty-one to be initiated. Dates of death are also very useful and many families noted those down, so even if you don’t know where the gravesite is, you can often determine the year, if not the exact date of death. Obituaries, which often survive among the scraps of material and pressed flowers are a big help in this, and also in determining Masonic affiliation because they will generally note if Masonic funeral rites were performed. The better ones will list the lodge name and number. Even if you confirm your ancestor’s Masonic pedigree, you might not find a lot from Grand Lodge unless the Mason was active in lodge. But in genealogy, something is always better than nothing.

If this spurs you on to finding the paladin, or the pig-stealing deserter, in your own family, a few things might help. For starters, I’d look for letters or death certificates that place them in a particular location on a concrete date. If you can determine that the guy was in, for example, Georgia in 1863 and if he was military age, you’ve got a damn good chance of having either a potential Hero of the Union (or Confederacy, as they case may be) or the bane of swineherds everywhere. Birth and death records are hard to find if the family copies are lost, but they are the baseline – if you find them, you have your ancestor right where you want him — pinned down to time and place and then you can expand your search to government, Masonic and church records. When you finally nail down that the guy was a soldier, NARA will search their enormous collection and find the enlistment records for you for free. You’ll even get a physical description, wooden leg and all.

If you find his apron – let me know.

Wordprocessing and more….FREE

Who doesn’t have a need to type, or organize, information in a digital form? The problem for many is that the most popular wordprocessing suite (wordprocessing, database, and spreadsheet) is Microsoft’s Office. Office, however, comes with a lofty price tag of $125 or more. For this reason, I recommend Open Office Suite, “the leading open-source office software suite for word processing, spreadsheets, presentations, graphics, databases and more.” Open Office can not only do everything Microsoft can do, but it can also read most of the other office software formats, and of course best of all…it is FREE. In this article, I wish to provide to you the tools needed to install and begin using this outstanding software.

First, you can download the software HERE. Installation is simple, and the program itself does a nice job of walking you through the process. However, you can use this Step-by-Step Installation, to help along the way. Please note that although the process in the Step-by-Step is for version 2.4.1, the process is the same for the newest version.

Once the software is installed it operates like most any other wordprocessing program you may have already used. The following is a list of basic tutorials found on the Tutorials for OpenOffice website, which is a good starting point for those brothers who have little to no experience with wordprocessing.

• Writer (similar to Microsoft Word)
• Calc (similar to Microsoft Excel)
• Impress (similar to Microsoft PowerPoint)
• Draw
• Base (similar to Microsoft Access) —THIS IS NOT FOR THE BEGINNING COMPUTER USER!!

OpenOffice can be used by any Mason, or Lodge, to easily and freely document, organize, and edit any information needed by the craft. It’s usage can range from simple printouts of notices to more complex mail merges.  Create labels, fliers, and envelopes all while having the computer automatically fill in pertinent information such as name and address.

The overall rating for OpenOffice — 5 out of 5 stars (basic functions)/3 out of 5 stars (complex functions)

• 5 out of 5 stars for Masonic usefulness (basic and complex functions)
• 5 out of 5 stars (basic functions) / 2 out of 5 stars (complex functions) for ease of use for those brothers with less technology experience but willing to try

Please watch for future articles that will utilize OpenOffice. First of which will contain directions and files for merging of Base (database) and Writer (word processor) for pre-formatted letters.

A Conference for Scholars and Practitioners

Hidden in Plain Sight

I ran across this information today and thought I would share with all of my West Coast esoteric minded brothers.

AMORC, the Rosicrucian esoteric tradition out of San Jose, California, is hosting a Conference in 2010 at Rosicrucian Park in San Jose, and has an open call (and invitation to scholarly Masonic brothers) to participate by proposing papers or by attending the Conference.

Full info is below, or you can follow the link here to their micro site.

Compass of the Wise – 18th century

Hidden in Plain Sight:
The Influence of Western Esoteric Movements on Modern Thought

A Conference for Scholars and Practitioners

2010 will mark the 300th anniversary of the publication of The True and Complete Preparation of the Philosopher’s Stone of the Fraternity of the Golden and Rosy Cross by Sincerus Renatus in 1710, the first known reference to the Rosicrucians as an institution.

Through scholarly research, the interaction of Western Esotericism with the mystical traditions of organized religion has been recognized to be extensive. Further, and less well known, is the often pivotal role esoteric groups and beliefs have had in shaping the modern world as a whole, while remaining “Hidden in Plain Sight.”

We invite you to this conference to join with other scholars and practitioners within the field of western esotericism in exploring the substantial influence this tradition has on modern thought.

In addition to the opportunity to share our research and practice within the realm of western esotericism, we envision the weekend as an opportunity to celebrate the many facets of this tradition. We invite participants to exercise not only their scholarship, but cultural creativity as well.

We will gather together on the weekend of July 22-25, 2010, coinciding with that month’s Full Moon, at Rosicrucian Park in San Jose, founded in 1927 by Dr. H. Spencer Lewis. Mark your calendars now! Please contact librarian@rosicrucian.org for more information. If you are interesting in submitting a paper, click here.

There is no set conference fee. There is a suggested donation of $75.00 per participant (at the door) to help defray Conference costs.

CALL FOR PAPERS:

The interaction between Western esotericism and the mystical traditions of organized religion has been long recognized. Less well known is the often pivotal role esoteric groups and beliefs have had in shaping the modern world, while remaining “Hidden in Plain Sight.”

An example of this is exhibited in the renowned influence Freemasonry and Rosicrucian thought had on America’s Founding Fathers.

Scholars and practitioners within the academic field of Western esotericism are invited to share their research exploring the substantial influence this tradition has had on modern thought. Presentations may include both discourses and works of art including drama, music and visual.

The conference is an open venue for the Western esotericism community and is not restricted solely to members of AMORC. Papers will be evaluated according to academic merit and are not expected to solely reflect the views and opinions of the Rosicrucian Order, AMORC.

Authors are encouraged to submit proposals pertaining to esoteric movements such as the Mystery Traditions, Pythagoreanism, Hermeticism, Neo-Platonism, Gnosticism, Christian Theosophy, the Kabbalah, Alchemy, Freemasonry, Martinism and Rosicrucianism.

All proposals submitted should be written in English. Papers should follow Chicago Manual of Style, and include an abstract, an outline and a bio. There is no minimum or maximum length for the paper; however oral presentations should be no longer than one hour, including lecture and discussion. Multi-media presentations are encouraged, and participants are responsible for bringing the necessary equipment for their multimedia presentation. Please contact librarian@rosicrucian.org for more details.

All materials, proposals, abstracts, papers and presentations should use bias-free language and approaches following the ideals and guidelines of the Chicago Manual of Style, 15th Edition (sections 5.203, 5.204 and 5.205) and should be considerate of all religions, belief systems, ethnic groups, genders, nationalities, walks of life, and political parties.

To submit your proposal, please email the proposal to librarian@rosicrucian.org by July 15, 2009.

The Location – Rosicrucian Park

Rosicrucian Park is situated in an area that was once mostly orchards and farmland. Conceived in 1927 by H. Spencer Lewis, the Park now covers nearly an entire city block. Rosicrucian Park attracts thousands of visitors each year from all over the world. The Park offers a mysterious and beautiful combination of Egyptian and Moorish architecture set among broad lawns, rose gardens, statuary, and sparkling fountains. The peaceful environment, along with the spiritual essence of what Rosicrucian Park represents, creates a serene and harmonious ambiance sensed by its many visitors.

St Germaine, on “In Search of…”

If you remember, we encountered St. Germaine some months back when we talked to Pip Faulks about Cagliostro…  Some have speculated that Cagliostro and St. Germaine were one and the same.

Fun blast from the past.

Part I

Part II

Part III

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