Freemasonry Threaded Through Mormonism

About the Book

Although modern Freemasonry dates back to 1717 in England, the disciplined Order soon developed in America. An incident in 1926 in Batavia, New York led to a devastating upheaval that nearly destroyed Masonry in America. However, One Joseph Smith, Jr. took particular interest in all that was happening in Batavia with the Freemasons and likely thought that it would be the end of the Order. He grasped what he learned from Batavia and used his findings to develop his own religious movement in Palmyra, New York. Members of

Joseph, Jr's family were Masons. In 1930 Joseph, Jr's 584 pages "Book of Mormon" was printed and the "Church of God" became formally established. The new church drew members and established a church site in Kirtland, Ohio. Church visions quickly changed to establish the "City of Zion" for the second coming of Christ just east of Independence, Missouri. The church members followed and set roots in the new city of Zion. It was a mistaken vision because the Mormon membership rapidly grew and overtook the local government. The government retaliated and forced the Mormons out of Missouri. A Mormon Quorum had been established and was comprised of Freemasons for the most part, but at this point, some of the Quorum split off to form their own sects. The Mormon church body moved back to Illinois and established themselves in Nauvoo, Illinois on the Mississippi River. Joseph Smith, Jr, now know as Prophet Joseph Smith lead a continuously growing movement and was granted militia privilege by the governor. Notable John Browning, the gunsmith, established his family in Nauvoo. Members of the church Quorum encouraged the Illinois Grand Lodge of Masonry to establish a Lodge in Nauvoo. Prophet Smith became a Mason as did every man in the colony, the largest membership base in the state. However, they defiled the Grand Lodge and were stripped of their Masonry. Surrounding citizens rose up against the Mormons, Prophet Smith, and some Quorum members were jailed and vigilantes shot and killed Prophet Smith. The Mormons were then run out of Illinois and headed west to a "New Zion" by Bringham Young. The Mormon migration was underway to Western Iowa and then beyond. The ultimate Mormon colony settled in Salt Lake City

About the Author :
The author grew up some 75 miles north of Nauvoo and over the years made a number of trips to the Nauvoo area. During each trip, he absorbed the Area's Mormon history. As trips progressed, Nauvoo began to reconstruct their historical buildings and overtime provided church missionaries in period costumes to educate the visitors. Over the years of these Nauvoo visits, the author became a Freemason. Some Masonic history was found that touched on the remote connections with the Mormon Church. He joined the US Air Force and was located in many Western United States areas densely populated with Mormans. This gave him a more personal in-depth view of the religion. After his discharge from the US Air Force, he returned home to Moline, Illinois. In the years that followed, his occasional trips to Nauvoo resumed. In the meantime, his activity in Freemasonry grew more intense as he rose through its ranks to leadership positions. His desire for history and writing was his highlight and he produced two presentation studies: articles about the Cherokee Masons in parallel with the "Trail of Tears," and about the outstanding Masonic accomplishments of General Douglas MacArthur. The author's incentive to write this book came after he retired and moved to Rapid City, South Dakota where he joined in Masonic degree work and realized how more connected a Masonic Degree allegory was about the Morman church disciplines. Now he wants to share his research and interesting history.