I am on a list for Liverpool and there has been a discussion on stonemasons. Does anyone know whether stonecarvers and marble cutters wrking in 19th c Washington would have belonged to an organization similar to England's Friendly Soc of Stonemasons? Are there records of emplyment? Or would they just have been common laborers? Janet

My Grand-Uncle helped with the Washington Monument and he was listed as a Stone mason. He was a teenager when he came from County Kerry thru Liverpool to NY to DC.I do not know where he got his stone mason skills from ? He was listed as a StoneMason in the early DC directories but I know he did a number of things so he could have been a just a laborer.For whatever this info is worth, M.Corridon ----- Original Message ----- From: <Caiside@aol.com> To: <WashingtonDC-L@rootsweb.com> Sent: Sunday, November 10, 2002 7:37 AM Subject: [WashingtonDC'' ] stonemasons > I am on a list for Liverpool and there has been a discussion on stonemasons. > Does anyone know whether stonecarvers and marble cutters wrking in 19th c > Washington would have belonged to an organization similar to England's > Friendly Soc of Stonemasons? Are there records of emplyment? Or would they > just have been common laborers? > > Janet > > > ============================== > To join Ancestry.com and access our 1.2 billion online genealogy records, go to: > http://www.ancestry.com/rd/redir.asp?targetid=571&sourceid=1237 > >

I too am searching for information on stone masons but over in Loudoun Co. VA. You might want to try the Freemasons Archives in the appropriate area. From research on my ancestors (Divine/Devine) the trade seems to be passed on from father to son. Training or apprenticeship would have to occur so another area you might want to search is apprenticeship records. If the training was not done by a relative you might be able to find the person living in the household of a known stone mason (in the census or on tax records) where he was likely receiving his training. As far as records of employment - I was lucky in my research in that the area I was dealing with was a small community where the residents valued their history and documents so my ancestors received some credit for their work. For the most part though I assume unless the stonemason was highly valued in the building of an important structure it would be nearly impossible to find "employment records" - perhaps in a newspaper report of the construction - or if there was some kind of court dispute? If anyone knows of any other organizations which would have attracted Stonemasons in the 19th century or earlier I too would appreciate the information being posted to the list. Thank you, Susan McIntyre Caiside@aol.com wrote: >I am on a list for Liverpool and there has been a discussion on stonemasons. >Does anyone know whether stonecarvers and marble cutters wrking in 19th c >Washington would have belonged to an organization similar to England's >Friendly Soc of Stonemasons? Are there records of emplyment? Or would they >just have been common laborers? > >Janet > > >============================== >To join Ancestry.com and access our 1.2 billion online genealogy records, go to: >http://www.ancestry.com/rd/redir.asp?targetid=571&sourceid=1237 > > > >

How nice to learn of some fellow-descendants of DC stonemasons! My g-grandfather, William H. PICKLES, emigrated from Liverpool in 1884 and worked on the National Cathedral, and several statehouses across the country. Once his family immigrated into the US, they settled in DC. William was trained in England prior to coming to this country. He and his family moved fairly often as his workplace changed from one church to another in different villages. The family always seemed to have a lot of pride in him and his occupation, so I don't think stonemasons were considered common laborers, as one person wondered. There would have been much skill involved in this work. There was a "Stonecutters' Association of Washington, DC" to which he belonged. I have his "Quarterly Working Card" from that association dated Oct. 1, 1901. It was signed by their president, J. HAMEL and is embossed with their stamp. If anyone would like a scanned copy of this card, I would be happy to send one as an attachment to them at their e-mail address. Hope this helps someone! Mary Anne ----- Original Message ----- From: Caiside@aol.com To: WashingtonDC-L@rootsweb.com Sent: Sunday, November 10, 2002 11:37 AM Subject: [WashingtonDC'' ] stonemasons I am on a list for Liverpool and there has been a discussion on stonemasons. Does anyone know whether stonecarvers and marble cutters wrking in 19th c Washington would have belonged to an organization similar to England's Friendly Soc of Stonemasons? Are there records of emplyment? Or would they just have been common laborers? Janet ============================== To join Ancestry.com and access our 1.2 billion online genealogy records, go to: http://www.ancestry.com/rd/redir.asp?targetid=571&sourceid=1237