The first lodge in what is now Ontario was a military lodge associated with the 8th Regiment of
Foot (Kings Own) which was at Fort Niagara in 1773. The PGL of Quebec (Moderns) warranted several
civilian lodges in (now) Ontario, which was then part of Quebec:
St John’s Lodge of Friendship, Niagara, 1780
St James’ Lodge, Cataraqui, 1781
St John’s Lodge, Niagara, 1787
Union Lodge, Cornwall, 1790
Rawdon Lodge, York, 1792
As well New Oswegatchie Lodge, Elizabethtown was warranted by the PGL of New York (Ancients) in 1783
and joined the PGL of Quebec in 1787.
From there, chaos. In 1792 Prince Edward, Duke of Kent, established the PGL of Lower Canada
(Ancients) which established two lodges in Ontario:
Glengarry Lodge No 1, Glengarry, 1792
Royal Edward Lodge No 5, Edwardsburgh, 1792
Also in 1792 was created the PGL of Upper Canada (Ancients) which warranted 20 lodges before it died in 1817. In 1802 a group broke away forming the Schismatic Grand Lodge of Newark, which claimed itself an independent Grand Lodge, not a Provincial Grand Lodge. In addition to the nine founding lodges, it warranted ten new lodges. In 1817, on the death of the PGL of Upper Canada (Ancients), a Grand Masonic Convention was held in Kingston. It operated until 1822 and warranted at least six new lodges. In 1822 the Second PGL of Upper Canada united the first PGL and the Schismatic Grand Lodge. The Second PGL lasted until 1829 and warranted six new lodges.
A scandal in 1826 resulted in extensive anti-Masonic feeling in the United States resulting in the closing of many lodges and which impacted lodges in Upper Canada. In 1842 the Second Grand Masonic Convention was held, also in Kingston which attempted to form a Grand Lodge. It died in 1847.
In 1842 the Grand Lodge of Scotland created the PGL of Canada West (the new name for the former Upper Canada), which is known as the Third Provincial Grand Lodge.
There were also lodges warranted by the Grand Lodge of Ireland, starting in 1819. These lodges started discussions in 1853 to create a Grand Lodge.
Part of the problem was difficulty in communicating with the Grand Lodges in Great Britain. It became obvious that Canada needed a Grand Lodge. In 1855, all the lodges in Canada West (now Ontario) and Canada East (now Quebec) were invited to a meeting in Hamilton where the Grand Lodge of Canada was established. English, Irish, and Scottish lodges were there. Thirty lodges joined the new Grand Lodge of Canada.
In 1857 the Third PGL proclaimed itself the Ancient Grand Lodge of Canada. Canada West now had
two Grand Lodges, who were not speaking to each other, and some lodges belonging to one of the
British Grand Lodges. In 1858 the two Grand Lodges combined as the Grand Lodge of Ancient Free and
Accepted Masons of Canada. Only six lodges in Canada West did not join but did affiliate with the
Grand Lodge AF and AM of Canada later:
Affiliated with the United Grand Lodge of England:
Union-Goderich, Goderich (affiliated 1870)
St John’s, Carleton Place (affiliated 1872)
Corinthian, Peterborough (affiliated 1860)
Dalhousie, Ottawa (affiliated 1872)
St John’s, London (affiliated 1872)
Affiliated with the Grand Lodge of Ireland
St John’s, Hawksbury (affiliated 1888)
From 1888 all lodged in Ontario have belonged to the Grand Lodge of Canada.
In 1869 a number of Quebec lodges formed the Grand Lodge of Quebec. The separation took until 1874 to complete. The Grand Lodge of Canada warranted some lodges in Manitoba (which formed its Grand Lodge in 1875) and in Saskatchewan (which formed its Grand Lodge in 1906). There was some criticism over the name Grand Lodge of Canada since it had jurisdiction only over Ontario but that name had good a historical basis. In 1887 the name was changed slightly to the Grand Lodge of Canada in the Province of Ontario, which is the name today.
As a lodge moved from jurisdiction to jurisdiction in the chaotic days, it frequently changed number and occasionally changed name. In 1859 the Grand Lodge did a renumbering. Since then the numbers have been fixed. A table of the various old numbers is in the back of Whence Come We?
The Grand Lodge maintains records of several hundred thousand Masons, going back at least to the
union of 1858. The records do not contain a great deal of information, at least:
– that he was a Freemason
– the name of the lodge in which he was initiated or that he joined
– age and profession at that date
The Grand Lodge charges for the search (currently $25) and asks for as much information as possible,
such as:
– full name
– residence
– lodge name, number and location in which initiated
– age when initiated
– if Past Master, of what lodge
– any other relevant information, including dates
You can reach the Grand lodge at
Grand Secretary
Grand Lodge AF and AM of Canada
363 King St W
Hamilton
Ontario
L8P 1B4
References:
For much more detail consult:
McLeod, Wallace; et al – Whence Come We?, Freemasonry in Ontario 1764 - 1980
McLeod, Wallace; Jenkyns, Michael – Whence Come We? – vol 2 1980 - 2010
both published by the Grand Lodge of Canada in the Province of Ontario