        
                       METHODS OF HISTORICAL RESEARCH 
        
                         by Joseph S. Gordon, Ph.D. 



    There is hardly a better way to seek more light in Freemasonry than 
    to conduct historical research.  Yet many who would like to 
    undertake an historical project do not know how to begin, not to 
    mention complete a work of history.  This paper will attempt to 
    orient the beginner as to how to accomplish an historical study and 
    will deal with six aspects:  one, the personal characteristics of 
    the researcher; two, how to select a topic; three, how to find 
    information; four, how to file and retrieve information; five, 
    thoughts on evaluating data; and six, tips on writing. 

    
    Recognizing the inadequacy of such a short paper to the scope of 
    the task, I hope at least that your appetite will be whetted to 
    embark on a research project. Further, I would like to offer my 
    services to conduct a seminar on historical research for members of 
    this Lodge of Research.  It seems that the best time to conduct the 
    seminar would be after lunch on the day of the lodge's regular 
    meeting. Announcements in the Trestleboard will follow if there is 
    enough interest from the craft. 

    
    Before outlining methods of historical research, it is necessary to 
    dwell briefly on characteristics of the researcher himself.  
    Research may not be suited to everyone, but many have the 
    capability to study if they know what is expected and what personal 
    traits they should possess. A most important trait is curiosity; 
    one should have a deep desire to learn more about a given subject.  
    Although there may well be other motivators, curiosity serves one 
    perhaps best to help one sustain the energy and interest of a 
    project.  Patience and perseverance are two related character 
    traits that are also most desirable.  The study of history should 
    ideally be viewed as a lifetime's occupation; to perform well 
    requires systematic accumulation of information which usually 
    cannot be rushed despite the revolution of the computer age in 
    which we live.  It often takes months if not years to gather enough 
    information and insights to produce a worthy article or book of 
    history.  Finally, the complete researcher should aspire to wisdom.  
    The analysis of human experience requires all the knowledge and 
    understanding the historian can muster to deal with his topic.  
    Reading widely, observing human nature, and seeking broadening 
    experiences are some ways to gain this elusive virtue.  A work of 
    history is only as good as the person who produced it, for he acts 
    as a filter of information between the reader and the past.  Now 
    let us proceed to the actual process of research and writing 
    itself.[1] 


    Selecting a topic is probably the most important and also most 
    difficult step in research.  In essence, this step involves finding 
    a question to answer. There are several ways to go about finding a 
    subject.  For many this involves an introspective process, asking 
    questions of oneself such as what are my interests. What experience 
    have I had or what studies have I done earlier on which I can now 
    build to produce a new study?  What have I always wanted to know 
    but never had time to pursue?  Permit me to illustrate topic 
    selection introspectively using my own case as an example.  
    Examining my collections at home, which I submit are a good 
    indicator of my interests, two masonic topics stood out. The first 
    topic was opposition to Freemasonry in Nazi Germany; I had 
    collected a number of books written by Nazis in the 1930's 
    vilifying Freemasonry, which the Nazis considered to be one of 
    their arch enemies along with Jews and communists.[2]   This seems 
    to be a rich field to explore.  Second, I noticed that I had been 
    collecting a lot of masonic music, which included a two-record 
    album of music Mozart had written for the craft. Also found in my 
    library were three volumes of music published in Berlin in 1834 for 
    the Grand Lodge in Berlin.[3] 

     
    There are many questions one could ask about this music:  who wrote 
    the latter? How was it used in the Lodge?  What influenced the 
    writing of such music?  Did other lodges in the world use the 
    music? Could we not perform this music as part of an historical 
    discussion and perhaps incorporate its use in lodges in the United 
    States. 

    
    Another method to select a topic is sometimes called the "general 
    specific" technique.  The idea is to start reading in general words 
    (on Freemasonry) until one finds a specific topic that attracts 
    attention.[4]  Then pursue this topic.  I used this method in 
    selecting the topic for my master's thesis. Knowing that I was 
    interested in general in the period of the French Revolution, I 
    began reading about this great event until a footnote caught my eye 
    about a German scientist who sailed around the world with Captain 
    Cook and later tried to import democracy into Germany during the 
    French Revolution.  The biography of this scientist, Georg Forster 
    (1754-94) became the subject not only of my master's thesis but 
    also of my doctoral dissertation. 


    Some historians consider availability of sources, especially 
    primary or unpublished sources, to be a determining factor in 
    choosing a subject. If one knows of the existence of information 
    such as lodge records, correspondence, diaries, or other documents 
    of the past, these can serve as the basis of a study.  Many of us 
    have access to such valuable information right in our own lodges or 
    homes and never thought to exploit it.  Although it is not 
    absolutely necessary to employ primary sources in order to gain 
    respectability as an historian, it is at least an indicator that 
    one is exploring a fresh subject if one can determine that these 
    sources have not been tapped or at least not exhausted if already 
    used. 


    A final way to find a topic is to consult other historians for their 
    advice. Most would be more than willing to assist and can often 
    save you months of wasted effort; experienced researchers often 
    encounter more good topics than they can possible handle 
    themselves.  One of the best pieces of advice I ever received was 
    from an old German professor who urged me to become a letter-
    writer.  Introduce yourself, share ideas, obtain assistance, and 
    join in the fraternity of historians. Writing letters is helpful, 
    of course, not only in finding a topic but also in learning about 
    new sources of information published and unpublished as well as 
    discovering other historians who may be working in your field. 

    
    Before leaving the question of topic selection, permit me a comment 
    on the quality of topics.  It strikes me that Masonic research has 
    been quite one-sided, too often focusing on internal rather than 
    external matters.  By internal I mean studies on ritual or the 
    furnishings of the lodge, e.g., the origins of the gavel. Somewhat 
    neglected it seems have been studies on the relationship of 
    Freemasonry to the outside world.  For example, I have long been 
    interested in the role of Masonry in the American and French 
    Revolutions.  While some studies have appeared on these subjects, 
    most have been of poor quality and few have been written by Masons.  
    A recent book on Masonry's interaction with the general society is 
    Lynn Dumenil's "Freemasonry and American Culture".[5] 
        
        
    Although written by a woman with no apparent connection to 
    Freemasonry, the book is a solid piece of research that chronicles 
    how the craft evolved in the 19th century and adapted successfully 
    to the changing social environment.  By the way, such a book is 
    recommended reading for today's Masons who are struggling with this 
    very problem of declining membership during a period of dramatic 
    change in our society. 


    Finding information is easily the most time-consuming phase of a 
    research project.  We all have some idea as to where information 
    can be found -primarily in a library, but most college graduates 
    are completely unfamiliar with how to use a library.  Yes, we all 
    spent a lot of time there in college, but most (including me, I 
    must confess) were more involved in socializing or sleeping than 
    anything else. 


    Thus, the first step is to take a bit of time to become familiar 
    with the workings of a good library and to gain an acquaintanceship 
    with the major tools of gaining access to its holdings.  At the 
    school of hard knocks I have collected three tips about using a 
    library that I would like to share.  First, be redundant in 
    searching for information.  Although computers are taking over this 
    field, I urge you to use all possible ways of determining the 
    holdings of a library: e.g., card catalogues, indices, and 
    bibliographies.  There does not yet exist, not do I expect that any 
    system will ever be created that contains all the information one 
    seeks.  Second, become a browser.  When fetching a book from the 
    stacks, take a minute to scan the other books in the area. 
        
        
    In a well organized library, related books are usually stored 
    together and one can usually expand the yield of the search by 
    merely browsing.  Furthermore, the serendipity phenomenon can often 
    take place; one can sometimes find a book on the shelf by chance 
    that may be the most important source for one's entire project. 
    Once I found an important book on the shelf that was not listed in 
    the catalogue and that the librarian did not know existed.  Third, 
    ask the reference librarian for assistance.  Many beginning 
    researchers are loathe to ask for help fearing perhaps that they 
    will reveal their ignorance by asking a question.  But that is why 
    the librarian is sitting there and this person has been trained and 
    is usually most anxious to aid nice people like ourselves. 


    Historians are somewhat handicapped in finding information compared 
    to students of contemporary affairs, who have many more research 
    aids at their disposal.  But some of these aids can be of value to 
    historians as well, such as the guides to journal literature, "The 
    Social Science Index" or the "Public Affairs Information Service".  
    Historians can also benefit from "The Readers Guide to Periodical 
    Literature" and newspaper indices such as the "New York Times 
    Index".  Manuscripts are usually catalogued in most countries; in 
    the United States there is the "National Union Catalogue of 
    Manuscripts".  Many countries also have agencies such as England's 
    Historical Manuscripts Commission that will assist researchers in 
    finding unpublished material, letters, diaries, and the like.  
    Again, letter-writing is an invaluable tool in discovering sources 
    of information. 


    Historians of Freemasonry have an even greater handicap than the 
    average historian.  There is no one library to my knowledge in the 
    country that contains a really comprehensive collection.  In the 
    Washington area, the two best libraries are located at the George 
    Washington Masonic Memorial and at the Scottish Rite Temple on 16th 
    Street.  Although there are many Masonic publications that appear 
    in the United States and Europe, there does not appear to be any 
    index for the researcher.  (Appended to this paper in Appendix 2 is 
    a list of American publications cited in Dumenil's book). Probably 
    the best journal of Masonic history is "Ars Quatuor Coronatorum", 
    published by Quatuor Coronati Lodge in London, the "premier lodge 
    of Masonic research in the world".  One can easily join the 
    Corresponding Circle of this lodge and obtain copies of the journal 
    for the nominal cost of membership.  Masons are also not very well 
    served with quick reference works where one can easily flesh out 
    and give authority to a given point with a pertinent fact.  Many of 
    the lexicons that have appeared are of questionable value, although 
    one handy source is quite useful, Pick & Knight, "The Pocket 
    History of Freemasonry".[6] 


    Although much of research is quite tedious, there is the excitement 
    of the historian as detective, where one's imagination and 
    inventiveness can run wild.  Hunting for information and places to 
    find it outside of the standard library is an important part of our 
    task in many projects.  The various kinds of government records:  
    census, criminal, court cases, tax rolls, immigration information, 
    and diplomatic correspondence can be treasure troves of useful 
    material.  Perhaps a short summary of my own research on the 
    biography of Georg Forster could well illustrate the point.  Having 
    located his letters and diaries that had been published as well as 
    all of his own published works, I prepared to travel to England to 
    try to reconstruct his life there during the period 1766-1778. I 
    first made a list of all the names of persons and institutions 
    mentioned and wrote to each of the latter such as the Royal Society 
    in London to ask permission to consult their records. Before 
    leaving for London, I also consulted the manuscript catalogues of 
    other countries; finding papers of these people listed as being 
    held in various libraries around the world, I wrote to each archive 
    or library and ordered copies of materials pertaining to Forster. 
    Arriving in London, we (my wife came along to help) then searched 
    the listings for some 200 names at the Historical Manuscript 
    Commission and found further locations of pertinent materials.  One 
    of the best finds was a multi-volume diary manuscript of one of his 
    closest friends, located in the British Museum.  The diary 
    mentioned my subject almost every entry. Other finds included the 
    following.  The Royal Society had original letters written by 
    Forster as well as minutes of meetings that mentioned him 
    frequently.  Tax records revealed the amount of his payments which 
    helped paint a picture of the family's financial status.  Business 
    records corroborated the firm where he was an apprentice and 
    described the nature of the international trading company.  British 
    Admiralty records contained information in the form of 
    correspondence, ship logs, and diaries of the crew which revealed 
    much information about Forster's voyage around the world with 
    Captain Cook.  All of this information and more permitted rather a 
    detailed sketch of Forster's life while living in England.[7] 


    One should not have the impression, however, that the historian as 
    detective is uninterrupted joy.  If there is a five percent return 
    on one's effort in such a search that would be considered a lot.  
    But that five percent can make your day (not to mention your month 
    sometimes).  One area where we encountered particular frustration 
    involved Forster's Masonic life in England.  Having read that his 
    father was a Mason, I wrote to the Grand Lodge of England which 
    answered that he was indeed made a Mason in Warrington, England, in 
    1766. Alas, the Warrington Lodge, which was founded in 1764 and had 
    continuous records from 1790, had lost the minute book that would 
    have contained the information we sought. 


    Collection a lot of information over a long period of time, as is 
    usually the case in an historical project, requires a system of 
    retrieval.  Otherwise, it is maddening to know that there is a 
    crucial bit of information someplace but it cannot be found when 
    needed.  No one can dictate what technology should be used -file 
    cards, computer files, xerox files, or notebooks.  The main thing 
    is that there is a system and each individual designs his own to 
    suite his style.  It is important to remember that the system must 
    be used from the very beginning to avoid losing time to go back and 
    do it right later. Virtually all researchers use some kind of 
    double entry system that is based on two pillars; bibliography and 
    substantive information.  Accurate records must be kept of 
    bibliography.  This may sound overly pedantic, but one must be sure 
    to use the proper format for bibliographic entries from the very 
    beginning, which saves one from having to waste costly time redoing 
    citations.  Most academics use Kate Turabian, "A Manual for Writers 
    of Term Papers, Theses, and Dissertations".[8]  But if one intends 
    to publish an article in a particular journal, it is wise to note 
    the style guide that is used, because editors frequently have their 
    own variations.  I still use 3x5 note cards kept in a shoe box for 
    my bibliography.  If you are unable to memorize the proper format 
    for the basic kinds of citations, i.e., books and articles, make 
    sample cards to have handy for reference.  My bibliography cards 
    contain much more information than just the mere citation; I use 
    them as a running account of the history and utility of each 
    source.  For example, I always record the library number of the 
    book, should I have to find the book again.  I keep a record of the 
    libraries consulted for the work (whether I found it there or not) 
    to prevent going to the wrong library.  An evaluation of the work 
    should be briefly noted - its usefulness, strengths and weaknesses, 
    and bias of the author. Finally, I also note the source where I 
    found the work cited for use primarily in ordering from inter-
    library loan.  Libraries require the source of a citation before 
    accepting a loan request, because there are occasionally works 
    cited that never existed and librarians like to verify the 
    information before trying to find the work for the customer. 


    The other pillar of a double-entry system, the substantive 
    information, is cross-referenced with the bibliographical. 
    Information should be filed in the following manner.  Divide the 
    project into categories, if possible, at the beginning. The 
    categories usually correspond to the major sections of the study.  
    When taking notes while consulting each work, note the source each 
    time along with the information.  In addition, use a separate 
    location for each category for each work. Because this description 
    can be confusing, let me illustrate using note cards.  While 
    extracting information from a book, make a separate note card for 
    each of the categories of information, where applicable of course.  
    Whenever a work is consulted, continue the procedure.  When the 
    information-gathering is complete, one can arrange the cards by 
    categories from all the sources, ready to write.  In this way, all 
    the cards pertaining to a given section can be grouped together in 
    preparation for analyzing and writing up the information.  Where I 
    used note cards as an example, others could just as well use 
    computer files, folders of xerox copies, or notebooks in the same 
    way. The main point is that one uses a system which permits 
    organizing large amounts of information while keeping track of the 
    sources at the same time. 


    Evaluating the information and its sources is a continuing process 
    from the beginning to the very end of a project. Finding the truth 
    is the object of this aspect of research and may be especially 
    difficult to accomplish when studying Freemasonry.  The craft is 
    permeated with myths, legends, and symbolism which greatly enrich 
    its message.  But this richness can complicate the work of the 
    historian whose task is to separate myths from reality.  But the 
    symbolism of Masonry is but one pitfall that can sidetrack the 
    historian.  He may have problems with logic which can lead to false 
    conclusions or interpretation of material, as is well discussed in 
    David Hackett Fischer's book, "Historians' Fallacies".[9]  One of 
    the many examples he cites is false causation; there may be a 
    chronological connection between two events, but it may be false to 
    draw a cause-and-effect conclusion.  For example, Pete fires a 
    pistol and immediately afterwards John falls dead.  While it is 
    possible and perhaps probable that Pete killed John, it may be that 
    John died of a heart attack and was never shot. Frequently 
    historians are led astray because there was intentional deception 
    in the information.  George Forster's wife, for example, altered 
    her husband's letters, which she published, in order to present 
    herself in a more favorable light having been caught cheating in 
    the marriage.  Historians unaware of her deception painted a much 
    rosier picture of the Forster marriage than was true until archival 
    research discovered the truth. Frequently deception is involved 
    unintentionally as people normally tend to exaggerate, place 
    themselves in a better light, or memory fades and tends to forget 
    the bad and accentuate the good. 

    
    In addition to deception, there is often the temptation of the good 
    story that becomes repeated in numerous accounts without anyone 
    really checking its veracity.  Such stories have become fact for 
    most of us - Mussolini made the trains run on time; Galileo dropped 
    weights from the Tower of Pisa; and Newton discovered gravitation 
    under an apple tree - are all apparently myths.[10] 

     
    Besides problems with interpretation of evidence, the historian 
    needs also to be on his guard for bias in secondary works of 
    history.  Everyone has some prejudice stemming from one's 
    background, upbringing and environment, and it is impossible to 
    eliminate prejudice from coloring one's interpretation of history. 
    The historian must therefore seek to evaluate the bias of other 
    historians in order to judiciously make use of the work. A good way 
    to try to ascertain the perspective of an author is to find reviews 
    of his work in journals or periodicals. Book reviews are usually 
    listed in the "Book Review Digest". 


    The final aspect of the historical project is the actual writing.  
    Without getting into the mechanics of writing, I would like to 
    mention some points concerning organization and style.  Works of 
    history are frequently considered uninteresting (and Masonic 
    history may have more than its share in this category). This 
    situation can often be traced to problems of organization:  many 
    words lack focus.  To give this focus, the work needs to address a 
    major question, there must be a reason that this piece is written.  
    Too often facts are merely related without any real meaning to the 
    reader.  The author seems proud to have collected information and 
    it became interesting to him.  But to involve the reader there 
    should be an angle to explore.  Does this specific research shed 
    light on a general question that many a ready may understand?  Does 
    the author take a position on a controversial issue? How does the 
    research advance our understanding of Freemasonry?  If such 
    questions can underlie the organization of an historical work, the 
    readability should be greatly increased.  One pitfall needs to be 
    avoided, however.  Many historians, especially beginners, tend to 
    get bogged down in providing the reader background information that 
    they almost forget to deal with their main topic.  While the reader 
    should not be left in the dark about the context of the study, a 
    few sentences of orientation are usually sufficient, especially in 
    an article. 


    Readability is further enhanced by two almost contradictory 
    practices of the historian.  First, one should attempt to immerse 
    one's self in the subject as if actually living in the period 
    studied. Reading widely to accumulate knowledge of everyday life, 
    eating, travel, view of the world help the historian not only to 
    enrich his study with pertinent detail but also to evaluate sources 
    of information using the information as a filter.  At the same 
    time, the historian must be able to treat his subject with 
    detachment, seeing its blemishes as well as its good side.  It 
    seems to be the natural tendency of most researchers to fall in 
    love (or sometimes to hate) one's subject resulting in a distorted 
    picture.  Realizing this pitfall, one should strive to achieve a 
    balance and even-handed judgement. 

    
    In order to improve one's writing ability one should analyze samples 
    of recognized good historical prose, such as is usually found in 
    "American Heritage" magazine.  By paying attention to good writing 
    both consciously and unconsciously one can improve one's own style.  
    My doctoral advisor introduced me to the unconscious method when I 
    began writing my long opus after I submitted the first chapter 
    which was stylistically a bit rough. He gave me a volume of essays 
    by Samuel Eliot Morrison, whom he considered to be the best writer 
    of American English, and urged me to read aloud 15 minutes each 
    day.  Skeptically, I followed his advice and was surprised to see 
    how my style changed for the better in a short period of time. 

    
    As in most human endeavors, when the mystery is removed and one has 
    some inkling of how something is done, much can be accomplished.  
    So it is hoped with this short essay on historical methodology that 
    interest will be stimulated in a common effort to enrich our 
    experience in Masonry through historical research. 



 
    NOTES:
        
    [1] An excellent one-volume guide to historical research is Jacques 
        Barzun and Henry F. Graff, "The Modern Researcher", 4th ed. New 
        York:  Harcourt Brace Jovanovich, 1985. 

    [2] For example, Paul Siabertz, "Freimaurer im Kampf um die Macht", 
        (Hamburg: Hanseatische Verlagsanstalt, 1938), and Felix Franz 
        Egon Lutzeler, "Hinter den Kulissen der Weltgeschichte", 2 
        vols, 2d ed. (Leipzig:  Helingische Verlagsanstalt, 1937). 

    [3] Mozart, "Complete Masonic Music" (Turnabout TV 34213-14); 
        "Neues Gesangbuch fur die grobe National-Mutterloge zu den drei 
        Weltkugeln in Berlin und deren Tochterlogen" (Berlin: Jonas 
        Brothers, 1834). 

    [4] William Adrian Brown, curator of the George Washington Masonic 
        National Memorial was kind enough to provide a list of what he 
        considers to be basic reading in Masonry which is contained in 
        Appendix 1. 

    [5] (Princeton:  Princeton University Press, 1984).

    [6] Fifth edition (London:  Frederick Muller, 1969).

    [7] Joseph S. Gordon, Reinhold and Georg Forster in England, 1766-
        1780 (dissertation Duke University, 1975). 

    [8] Fourth edition (Chicago:  University of Chicago Press, 1973). 

    [9] (New York:  Harper Torchbooks, 1970). 

    [10] Robin W. Winks, ed., "The Historian as Detective: Essays on 
         Evidence" (New York: Harper Torchbooks, 1968).






                                 Appendix 1
                        GENERAL WORKS ON FREEMASONRY
    
                     (Provided By William Adrian Brown)
                          
                             
           History of Ancient Egypt, Rawlinson
           Egypt's Place in History, Bunsen
           Ancient Egyptians, Wilkinson
           Records of the past, Birch
           Egypt from the Earliest Times, Birch
           Secret Societies of all ages and Countries, Heckerthorn
           The Ehsenes, Ginsbury
           The Ghostics, King
           The Mysteries of Freemasonry, Fellows
           Alphabets of the seven Planets, Von Hammer
           History of Architecture, Fergussen
           On Architecture, Hope
           History of Art, Lubke
           Archaeologa (A Compilation), Zion
           Acta Latomorum, Thory
           Historie des ancennes Corporations, Onin Lacroix
           The Romans in Britain, C. Coote
           History and development of the Guilds, Brentano
           English Guilds, Smith
           The History of Freemasonry (London Edition), Carson
           American Edition of the Same, Carson
           Masonic Sketches and Reprints, Hughan
           Early History and Antiquities of Freemasonry, Fort
           History of Freemasonry in Europe, Rebold
           History of Freemasonry, Laurie
           History of Freemasonry, Findel
           History of Freemasonry, Krause
           History of Freemasonry and Concordant Orders
           Masonic History and Digest, Mitchell
           Origin and Early History of Freemasonry, Steinbrenner
           Masonic History, The A&A Scottish Rite, Folger
           History of the Knights Templars, Addison
           History of the Knights Templars, De Vogue
           Illustrations of Freemasonry, Preston
           The Traditions of Freemasonry, Preston
           Land Marks of Freemasonry, Oliver
           Constitutions, Anderson
           Ahiman Rezon, Dermott
           Encyclopedia of Freemasonry, Mackey
           Royal Cyclopaedia of Freemasonry, English
           Encyclopaedia of Biblical Literature, Kitto
           Chamber's Encyclopaedia, Chamber
           Dictionary of the Bible, Smith
           Clark's Commentariesm, Clark
           Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire, Gibbon
           History of Germany, Kolrausch
           History of England, Macauley

 
                                 Appendix 2
                MASONIC MAGAZINES AND LOCAL LODGE BULLETINS

         (Cited in Lynn Dumenil, "Freemasonry in American Culture")


    Acorn News (Oakland, California)
    American Freemason (Storm Lake, Iowa)
    American Mason (Washington, DC; also known as the Kraftsman)
    American Tyler (Detroit & Grand Rapids, Michigan; also known as 
        Tyler-Keystone) 
    Brotherhood (New York)
    Builder (Anamosa, Iowa)
    Bulletin, San Francisco Bodies No. 1, A&ASR (San Francisco) Capital 
        News Service (Washington, DC)
    Duluth Masonic Calendar (Duluth, Minnesota)
    Fellowship Forum (Washington, DC)
    Freemason (Los Angeles)
    Freemasonry and Eastern Star (Los Angeles; also known as Southwestern 
        Freemason) 
    Freemasons' Repository (Providence, Rhode Island)
    High Nooner (Chicago)
    High-Twelvian (Kansas City, Kansas)
    Illinois Freemason (Bloomington)
    Indiana Freemason (Franklin)
    Ivanhoe Masonic News (Kansas City, Missouri)
    Junior Warden (San Francisco)
    Kansas City Freemason (Kansas City, Kansas)
    Kraftsman (see American Mason)
    Live Oak Bulletin (Oakland, California)
    Masonic Advocate (Indianapolis, Indiana)
    Masonic Analyst (Portland, Oregon)
    Masonic Bulletin (Canton, Ohio)
    Masonic Bulletin (Cleveland, Ohio)
    Masonic Bulletin (Long Beach, California)
    Masonic Chronicle (Columbus, Ohio)
    Masonic Digest (Los Angeles)
    Masonic Herald (Rome, Georgia)
    Masonic Home Journal (Louisville, Kentucky)
    Masonic Monthly (San Francisco)
    Masonic Outlook (New York)
    Masonic Record (San Francisco)
    Masonic Review (Cincinnati, Ohio)
    Masonic Review (New York)
    Masonic Standard (New York)
    Masonic World (San Francisco)
    Master Mason (Washington, DC)
    Murad's Mirror (Burlington, Iowa)
    New Age Magazine (Washington, DC)
    New England Craftsman (Boston)
    Oklahoma Mason (McAlester, Oklahoma)
    Pacific Craftsman (San Francisco; also known as Pacific Lodge 
        Bulletin)
    Pacific Mason (Seattle, Washington; also known as Pacific Freemason) 
    Sciot Booster (Sacramento, California)
    Sciots Journal (San Francisco)
    Scottish Rite Bulletin (Duluth, Minnesota)
    Scottish Rite Clip Service (Washington, DC)
    Shawnee Light (Louisville, Kentucky)
    Short Talk Bulletin of the Masonic Service Association of the United 
        States (Washington, DC)
    Southern Masonic Journal (Birmingham, Alabama)
    Southwestern Freemason (see Freemasonry and Eastern Star)
    Square and Compass (Utica, New York)
    Stockton Trumpeter (Stockton, California)
    Temple Topics (Mount Morris, Illinois)
    Texas Freemason (San Antonio)
    Texas Masonic Journal (Fort Worth)
    Trestleboard (San Francisco)
    Trestleboard of New York (New York)
    Tyler-Keystone (see American Tyler)
    Universal Craftsman (Cleveland, Ohio)
    Universal Engineer (New York)
    Voice of Masonry (Chicago)

