How did the Grand Lodge of South Carolina become A.F.M.?

 

    We all know that in South Carolina, we style ourselves as Ancient Free Masons, or A.F.M.  Our Grand Lodge is the only known and recognized Grand Jurisdiction that uses this title.  The other Grand Lodges are usually some variation of Free and Accepted Masons (F. & A.M.) or Ancient Free and Accepted Masons (A.F. & A.M.).    
    To get to the origins of A.F.M, we must first look at some earlier events that occurred in England.    
    For a time, there were at least four Grand Lodges operating in England.  Two of them, however, emerged as the most influential when it came to the spread of Freemasonry to the American Colo

nies.  The Athol Grand Lodge, or Grand Lodge of Ancient Masons, had formed in England several decades after the formation of the Grand Lodge of England, which dates to 1717.  The Grand Lodge of England and the Athol Grand Lodge were rivals.  The Athols described the Grand Lodge of England as “Modern Masons”, and this was meant to be somewhat of a derogatory term, in that the Athols felt themselves to be “Ancients” and, therefore, more in line with the old traditions, rituals, and teachings of Freemasonry.  Eventually, in 1813, these two Grand Lodges united to form the current United Grand Lodge of Ancient Free and Accepted Masons of England, but not before the rivalry had spread to the American Colonies and, thus, to the new United States of America and, of course, to South Carolina.
    There was a time when there was a Grand Lodge of Free and Accepted Masons (F. & A.M.) in South Carolina.  This was the original Provincial Grand Lodge of South Carolina, as established under the authority of the Grand Lodge of England and dated back, according to several Masonic historians, to 1737.      
    Just like in England, however, there was for many years, another Grand Lodge operating in South Carolina.  The Athol Grand Lodge had chartered Lodges in Pennsylvania, which in turn, as a Grand Lodge, had chartered Lodges in South Carolina.  In 1787, five of these type Lodges came together and formed the South Carolina Grand Lodge of Ancient York Masons, or A.Y.M.  Within four short years, these original five A.Y.M. Lodges had multiplied to thirty-five Lodges.  Remarkably, the rival Grand Lodge only claimed about a third of that number of Lodges, even though it had been in existence since 1737.    
    The rivalry between the A.Y.M. Grand Lodge and, what was becoming known more and more as the “Modern Mason”, or M.M. Grand Lodge became very bitter as the years went by.  An A.Y.M. quote of unknown origin describes the feelings in those days: “Those Modern or new Masons, we know not, neither indeed can we, since he that cometh not in the door agreeably to our ancient landmarks, but climbeth over the wall or some other way is a thief and a robber.”    
    Many influential Masons in both Grand Lodges recognized that the division was harmful to Freemasonry in South Carolina and, as early as 1807, steps were taken to resolve the problem.  In 1809, after several negotiations and meetings between the two Grand Lodges, a new united Grand Lodge was born.    
    The union quickly fell apart, however, when many of the former A.Y.M. Lodges, under the leadership of then St. John’s Lodge No. 31, seceded from the new Grand Lodge of South Carolina.  Less than a year after the formation of the united Grand Lodge, sixteen of the A.Y.M. Lodges had reformed the Grand Lodge of Ancient York Masons.    
    Interestingly, the new unified Grand Lodge could no longer be described as M.M., or “Modern”.  Enough of the A.Y.M. Lodges had remained with it and influenced it enough that it appeared to be more in line with the Ancient York Masons than the former Free and Accepted Masons (F. & A.M.), or “Modern”, Grand Lodge of SC.  In fact, they discarded Anderson’s “Constitutions”, as their code, in favor of the “Ahiman Rezon”, as used by the Ancient York Masons.  For all intents and purposes, there were now two “Ancient” Grand Lodges working is South Carolina.   
    By 1816, efforts were again underway to unify the two Grand Lodges.  By this time, the South Carolina Grand Lodge of Ancient York Masons had again grown to include thirty-five Lodges while the Grand Lodge of South Carolina only counted fifteen.  In 1817, committees from both Grand Lodges adopted a plan that called for union of the two into “The Grand Lodge of Ancient Free Masons of South Carolina”, which is when A.F.M. first appears.    
    On December 26, 1817, the Grand Lodge of South Carolina and the South Carolina Grand Lodge of Ancient York Masons ceased to exist and the new Grand Lodge of Ancient Free Masons of South Carolina became the only true and lawful Masonic authority in the State.    
    Many of the other state Grand Lodges, especially those existing in those states that had been colonies, went through similar splits and re-unions as South Carolina.  The adoption of the names (F. & A.M., A.F. & A.M.) often reflects which Grand Lodge (“Ancient” or “Modern”) was the most influential at the time.

 

 /s/

Grayson W. Mayfield, III  PM                                                                      Evergreen Lodge No. 153, A.F.M. of S.C. 

 

DISCLAIMER: The above article was compiled from various sources and includes, on some occasions, my opinions and interpretations.  It should not be considered as an authoritative explanation of the subject at hand.

 

Every brother ought to belong to some regular Lodge where he resides, and should always appear therein properly clothed, and in clean and decent apparel, subjecting himself to all of its By-Laws, and the general regulations.  He must attend all the meetings of the Lodge, whether regular or extra, when duly summoned, unless he can offer to the Lodge such an excuse as the said laws and regulations admit.

- excerpt of Section II, Chapter III, Ahiman Rezon

Some Masonic Words

AHIMAN REZON - the title still used by South Carolina and Pennsylvania for their Books of Law. It was used in years gone by also by Georgia, North Carolina, Tennessee, Maryland and Nova Scotia. It was the title given by Dermott to the Book of Constitutions of the Grand Lodge (Ancients) of England. Presumably the words had a Hebraic origin, but no one has as yet settled on a translation so authoritative that all are satisfied. "Will of Selected Brethren", "Secrets of a Prepared Brother", "Royal Builder", "Brother Secretary", "Intimate Brother Secretary", "A Prepared Brother", are all suggested meanings by various scholars who adduce various Hebrew words and their compounds as possibilities for the meaning Dermott had in mind when he first used the syllables as a title.  Scholars also dispute the pronunciation. Ah-HIGH-man REE-zon is common, but the better scholarship seems to indicate that properly the second word should be pronounced with the accent of the second syllable--Re-ZON

PROFANE and LIBERTINE - Among other words much used in Masonry, two have changed in meaning with the passage of the years. Anciently "PROFANE" came from "pro" (without) and "fanum" (temple) and signified one uninitiated, not within the circle of the Craft. "LIBERTINE" was once a free thinker, one who did not subscribe to the doctrine of the church ". "PROFANE" in common parlance is now one given to taking the name of God in vain and the “LIBERTINE" is a licentious person. Masonically a profane is merely one not initiated, and an "irreligious libertine" is an agnostic or an atheist, and not a man of promiscuous habits.

 

From:  THE SHORT TALK BULLETIN
The Masonic Service Association of the United States
VOL. 31 August 1953 NO. 8

A.D. and A.L.:  In many Masonic documents and cornerstones, brothers will often notice dates with an “A.D.” and “A.L.” before or after the dates.  What does this mean and what is the difference?  The letters “A.D.” is an abbreviation for the Latin words “Anno Domini”, which means “the year of our Lord”.  Therefore, our current year is the 2007^th year since the birth of Jesus Christ.  The letters “A.L.” is an abbreviation for the Latin words “Anno Lucis” which means “the year of light”.  It has been accepted by Ancient Craft Masons that the World was created in 4000 B.C. (before Christ) when God said “Let there be light”, as recorded in the Holy Scriptures, the Great Light of Masonry, in the Book of Genesis, Chapter 1, and Verse 3.  Therefore, we are currently at the 6007^th year since the birth of the World.

- excerpted/edited from an article by MW Brother Gerald L. Carver