Genealogical Research

The collections of the Livingston Masonic Library include the Archives of the Grand Lodge of the State of New York, F&AM. The Archives include lodge annual returns and membership registers dating from the late 18th century through the early 20th century. By using these records, it is possible to verify Masonic membership in a New York State lodge; the age, occupation, place of residence, and dates of Masonic degrees of an individual member. Please note that lodge records do not record detailed personal information on members. Marital status, names of parents or children, and other personal information are not routinely maintained by Masonic lodges.

The Archives is currently organized by lodge name and number. In order to verify membership, we need to know the name and/or the number of the New York State lodge of which a man may have been a member. In many cases, a man's residence does not necessarily coincide with the location of the lodge he joined. For example, many Masons living in the New York metropolitan area may have lived in Brooklyn, but joined lodges that met in Manhattan. There have traditionally been hundreds of Masonic lodges in the New York City area, with other urban areas providing homes to ten or more lodges. We simply do not have the staff to search out all the possible lodges of membership.

Genealogical requests received from members of lodges under the jurisdiction of Grand Lodges in amity with the Grand Lodge of New York, F&AM, are processed free of charge. The Library charges $35.00 per individual to be researched for requests received from non-members.

Requests for information must be sent to the Library by standard mail with the following additions:

• If a member, please include a copy of a valid dues card from a Masonic lodge (listed in the List of Lodges Masonic published by the Masonic Boards of Relief).
• If a non-member, please include a check or money order in the amount of $35.00, payable to the Livingston Masonic Library. This fee is not refundable in the event that no information is located.

Research requests may take eight to ten weeks to process.

Requests for information for members from the mid-20th century to the present may contact:

Grand Lodge Registry
71 West 23rd Street, 18th floor
New York, NY 10010

Please note that information on living members is not made available.

©2007, The Chancellor Robert R Livingston Masonic Library of Grand Lodge. This page last updated 4/12/2008.