This course covers the history of early women Freemasons. It’s less about dates and events and more the lives of real women who truly existed, in all their human ambiguity. This likewise is the history of what scholars, Masonic and otherwise, have made of these women, something that has lacked ambiguity.

This course will address the tradition of marginalizing, downplaying and denying the existence of these women; but will not dwell upon it. This course is meant to be entirely objective. So far as this course is concerned, the subjective days are over.

LESSON 1: Approaching Study of Early Women Masons

LESSON 2: Medieval Women Stone Masons

LESSON 3: Women and Early Modern Freemasonry

LESSON 4: Adoptive Women Masons

LESSON 5: The First Known Woman Freemason

LESSON 6: Other 18th Century Women Freemasons

LESSON 7: Early 19th Century Women Freemasons

LESSON 8: Late 19th Century Women Freemasons

LESSON 9: Those Who Didn't Make It But Tried

LESSON 10: Early Co-Masonry and Femalecraft Masonry

Student Outcome: This course objectively studies the lives of early women Freemasons. The successful student will be far more interested in truth than in drama, will study the required texts and lessons and will take all quizzes and the final.

Text & Materials

Required

“The Origins of Freemasonry: Facts & Fictions” (2006, University of Pennsylvania Press) By Margaret C. Jacob

- This text is available thru many online bookstores, including used book outlets

“Woman and Freemasonry” (1922, WILLIAM RIDER & SON, LTD.) by Dudley Wright

- Difficult to find in hard copy and often is expensive when it can be found, but is sold by reprint publishers and may be viewed free online here: http://www.phoenixmasonry.org/women_in_freemasonry.htm

“Haunted Chambers, the Lives of Early Women Freemasons” (2009, Cornerstone Book Publishers) by Karen Kidd

- Available via the publisher or via various online bookstores

Note about this text: Yes, I wrote this book. When I was a student at Marshall University, one of my professors listed his book as a required text. I’m aware of how very tacky many students find this practice. However, and in all modesty, there is no better book out there on the lives of early women Freemasons. Until there is, my book will be required reading for any serious student in this field.