Freemasons & the U.S. Declaration of Independence
The purpose of this webpage is to present information about Freemasons and the U.S. Declaration of Independence.
Please feel free to contact me with information, suggestions, or corrections about the information on this site. You can contact me by clicking on my name: Paul M. Bessel
Signers of the Declaration of Independence
the information below was obtained from several reference books about U.S. history and freemasonry
|
Name |
State |
Date Signed |
Masonic Membership, if any |
| John Adams | Massachusetts | Aug. 2, 1776? | not a Mason |
| Samuel Adams | Massachusetts | Aug. 2, 1776? | not a Mason |
| Josiah Bartlett | New Hampshire | Aug. 2, 1776? | not a Mason |
| Carter Braxton | Virginia | Aug. 2, 1776? | not a Mason |
| Charles Carroll of Carrollton | Maryland | Aug. 2, 1776 | not a Mason |
| Samuel Chase | Maryland | Aug. 2, 1776? | not a Mason |
| Abraham Clark | New Jersey | Aug. 2, 1776? | not a Mason |
| George Clymer | Pennsylvania | Aug. 2, 1776? | not a Mason |
| William Ellery | Rhode Island | Aug. 2, 1776? | First Lodge of Boston, 1748 |
| William Floyd | New York | Aug. 2, 1776? | not a Mason |
| Benjamin Franklin | Pennsylvania | Aug. 2, 1776? | Grand Master of Pennsylvania, 1734 |
| Elbridge Gerry | Massachusetts | Sept. 4, 1776 | not a Mason |
| Button Gwinnett | Georgia | Aug 2, 1776? | not a Mason |
| Lyman Hall | Georgia | Aug 2, 1776? | not a Mason |
| John Hancock | Massachusetts | July 4, 1776 & Aug 2, 1776 | became a Mason in Merchants Lodge No. 277 in Quebec, affiliated with Saint Andrew’s Lodge in Boston, 1762 |
| Benjamin Harrison | Virginia | Aug 2, 1776? | not a Mason |
| John Hart | New Jersey | Aug 2, 1776? | not a Mason |
| Joseph Hewes or Howes | North Carolina | Aug 2, 1776? | Unanimity Lodge No. 7, visited in 1776, and buried with Masonic funeral honors |
| Thomas Heyward, Jr. | South Carolina | Aug 2, 1776? | not a Mason |
| William Hooper | North Carolina | Aug 2, 1776? | Member of Hanover Lodge in Masonborough, N.C. |
| Stephen Hopkins | Rhode Island | Aug 2, 1776? | not a Mason |
| Francis Hopkinson | New Jersey | Aug 2, 1776? | not a Mason |
| Samuel Huntington | Connecticut | Aug 2, 1776? | not a Mason |
| Thomas Jefferson | Virginia | Aug 2, 1776? | there is no evidence that he was a Mason |
| Francis Lightfoot Lee | Virginia | Aug 2, 1776? | not a Mason |
| Richard Henry Lee | Virginia | Sep 4, 1776 | not a Mason |
| Francis Lewis | New York | Aug 2, 1776? | not a Mason |
| Philip Livingston | New York | Aug 2, 1776 | not a Mason |
| Thomas Lynch, Jr. | South Carolina | Aug 2, 1776? | not a Mason |
| Thomas McKean | Delaware | 1781 | listed as visitor to Perseverance Lodge in Harrisburg PA |
| Arthur Middleton | South Carolina | Aug 2, 1776? | not a Mason |
| Lewis Morris | New York | Aug 2, 1776? | not a Mason |
| Robert Morris | Pennsylvania | Aug 2, 1776 | no evidence that he was a Mason |
| John Morton | Pennsylvania | Aug 2, 1776? | not a Mason |
| Thomas Nelson, Jr. | Virginia | Aug 2, 1776? | no documentation that he was a Mason |
| William Paca | Maryland | Aug 2, 1776? | not a Mason |
| Robert Treat Paine | Massachusetts | Aug 2, 1776? | Attended Massachusetts Grand Lodge in 1759 |
| John Penn | North Carolina | Aug 2, 1776? | no evidence that he was a Mason |
| George Read | Delaware | Aug 2, 1776? | not a Mason |
| Caesar Rodney | Delaware | Aug 2, 1776? | not a Mason |
| George Ross | Pennsylvania | Aug 2, 1776? | not a Mason |
| Benjamin Rush | Pennsylvania | Aug 2, 1776? | no documentation of Masonic membership |
| Edward Rutledge | South Carolina | Aug 2, 1776? | not a Mason |
| Roger Sherman | Connecticut | Aug 2, 1776? | not a Mason |
| James Smith | Pennsylvania | Aug 2, 1776? | no evidence that he was a Mason |
| Richard Stockton | New Jersey | Aug 2, 1776? | Charter Master of St. John’s Lodge in Princeton NJ 1765 |
| Thomas Stone | Maryland | Aug 2, 1776? | not a Mason |
| George Taylor | Pennsylvania | Aug 2, 1776? | not a Mason |
| Matthew Thornton | New Hampshire | Nov 19, 1776 | not a Mason |
| George Walton | Georgia | Aug 2, 1776? | Solomon’s Lodge No. 1, in Savannah GA |
| William Whipple | New Hampshire | Aug 2, 1776? | St. John’s Lodge, Portsmouth NH 1752 |
| William Williams | Connecticut | Aug 2, 1776? | not a Mason |
| James Wilson | Pennsylvania | Aug 2, 1776? | not a Mason |
| John Witherspoon | New Jersey | Aug 2, 1776? | no evidence of Masonic membership |
| Oliver Wolcott | Connecticut | Sep 4, 1776 | not a Mason |
| George Wythe | Virginia | Aug 27, 1776 | not a Mason |
| SUMMARY | 56 men signed the Declaration of Independence it appears that 9 (16%) were Masons |
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