Material Type

Artifact

Other Name

MASONIC MEMBERSHIP

Date

1914

Materials

WOOD, GLASS, PAPER

No. Pieces

1

Height

3.0

Length

52.5

Width

43.6

Description

FRAMED CERTIFICATE. FRAME IS WOOD, VARNISHED DARK BROWN. TOP OF FRAME HAS A PIECE OF CROWN MOLDING, AND SIDES OF FRAME ARE CARVED TO LOOK LIKE PILLARS. THERE IS A "G" AT TOP CENTER OF FRAME, CARVED OUT OF WOOD AND PAINTED GOLD (PART OF G HAS BROKEN OFF). BOTTOM CENTER OF FRAME HAS AN OPEN BOOK WITH TWO GOLD V-SHAPES ON IT. CERTIFICATE ITSELF IS CRINKLED (WAS WET AT ONE TIME). CERTIFICATE READS "GRAND LODGE OF ALBERTA ANCIENT, FREE AND ACCEPTED MASONS GRAND MASTER". FOLLOWED BY A NARRATIVE IN ENGLISH AND FRENCH AND BEARING DATES AND SIGNATURES. TO LEFT SIDE OF CERTIFICATE IS A STAMP THAT READS "THE GRAND LODGE OF ALBERTA ANCIENT, FREE & ACCEPTED MASONS OCT 12 5905". BACK OF FRAME HAS A TEXTURED PAPER BACKING THAT IS RIPPED, AND A WIRE FOR HANGING.

Subjects

DOCUMENTARY ARTIFACT

Historical Association

ASSOCIATIONS

History

THE "G" AT THE TOP OF THE FRAME, IS THE INITIAL OF THE WORD "GOD", WHICH IS USED IN WESTERN LODGES; EASTERN LODGES USE THE HEBREW LETTER PI OR YOD. THE DATES ON THE CERTIFICATE REFLECT HOW THE MASONS COMPUTE THE MASONIC YEAR - ACCORDING TO SACRED CHRONOLOGY, THE WORLD BEGAN 4000 YEARS BEFORE THE ADVENT OF CHRIST. THE MASONIC ERA COMMENCES WITH THE CREATION OF THE WORLD, THUS THE CHRISTIAN YEAR A.D. (IE. 1914) PLUS 4000 EQUALS THE MASONIC YEAR (IE. 5914). DONOR'S FATHER, JAMES BURNESS, LIVED IN BURDETT, BROOKS, AND FOREMOST, AND WAS ON THE CREW THAT BROUGHT GAS TO LETHBRIDGE IN 1912. JIM BURNESS WAS RAISED IN THE AREA NEAR BURDETT. HIS GRANDFATHER HOMESTEADED IN THAT DISTRICT CIRCA 1910. AT THE TIME OF WWII MR. BURNESS JOINED THE 4TH FIELD AMBULACE AT THUNDER BAY, ONT., AND WAS LATER ATTACHED TO THE SEAFORTH HIGHLANDERS' 1ST DIVISION AS A MEDIC. MR. BURNESS SAW COMBAT SERVICE IN ITALY, FRANCE, AND THE NETHERLANDS. AFTER THE WAR, HE DECIDED TO TRAIN AS A CARPENTER. IN 1955 MR. BURNESS DECIDED TO ABANDON CARPENTRY BECAUSE HE FELT THE TRAINING WAS OUTDATED. HE THEN TOOK A JOB AS A MAIL SORTER AT THE LETHBRIDGE POST OFFICE, WHERE HE WORKED UNTIL RETIREMENT IN 1979. DONOR WAS A COMMISSIONAIRE IN LETHBRIDGE FROM 1981-1983. *UPDATE* IN 2014 COLLECTIONS ASSISTANT JANE EDMUNDSON CONDUCTED A SURVEY OF MILITARY OBJECTS, INCLUDING SOME DONATED BY JAMES BURNESS. ACCORDING TO HIS LETHBRIDGE HERALD OBITUARY, THE DONOR, "JAMES (JIM) NICOL BURNESS OF LETHBRIDGE, PASSED AWAY PEACEFULLY ON FEBRUARY 16, 2005 AT THE AGE OF 86. JIM, THE BELOVED HUSBAND OF ANN BURNESS (NEE YANOTA), WAS BORN MAY 11, 1918 IN LETHBRIDGE. A DESCENDANT OF SOUTHERN ALBERTA PIONEERS, JIM GREW UP AND RECEIVED HIS EDUCATION IN BURDETT, ALBERTA AND AT THE AGE OF 24 ENLISTED IN THE CANADIAN ARMY, WHERE HE SERVED PROUDLY AS A STRETCHER-BEARER WITH THE INFANTRY IN THE ITALIAN CAMPAIGN OF WORLD WAR TWO. AFTER THE WAR HE WORKED IN CONSTRUCTION FOR TEN YEARS IN BANFF AND LETHBRIDGE. IN 1949 HE MARRIED ANN YANOTA OF BLAIRMORE AND THEY SETTLED IN LETHBRIDGE. THEY BUILT THEIR OWN HOME, ONE IN WHICH THEY LIVED FOR OVER 50 YEARS. JIM COMPLETED A 24-YEAR CAREER WITH THE POST OFFICE, HELPING REVITALIZE THE POSTAL EMPLOYEES ASSOCIATION... HE WAS A MEMBER OF ROTARY, KINSMEN, SHRINERS, SCOTTISH RITE, AND THE LETHBRIDGE GOLF AND COUNTRY CLUB." SEE PERMANENT RECORD P19860042001 FOR FURTHER INFORMATION. GIVEN THE DATE OF 1914 IDENTIFIED WITH THE MEMBERSHIP, IT WOULD HAVE BELONGED TO JAMES BURNESS SR, THE DONOR'S FATHER. THE FOLLOWING BRIEF BIOGRAPHY OF JAMES BURNESS SR WAS DEVELOPED WITH INFORMATION FROM THE GALT ARCHIVES, THE BURNESS GENEALOGY FAMILY HISTORY WEBSITE, WWW.BURNESS.CA, AND JAMES BURNESS SR.'S LETHBRIDGE HERALD OBITUARY. JAMES BURNESS WAS BORN ON MARCH 22, 1875 IN KINCARDINESHIRE, SCOTLAND. PRIOR TO IMMIGRATING TO CANADA IN 1906, BURNESS WAS MARRIED TO MARGARET SELBY PETER, AND THEY HAD TWO DAUGHTERS. ONCE IN CANADA, BURNESS MOVED TO LETHBRIDGE WHERE HE WORKED FOR THE CANADIAN WESTERN NATURAL GAS COMPANY, AND WAS MARRIED TO CATHERINE NICOL IN BURDETT, ALBERTA IN 1916. THE COUPLE AND THEIR SON JAMES JR. LIVED AT THE COSTE MEASURING STATION NEAR BURDETT, WHERE BURNESS MEASURED AND REPORTED ON GAS PRESSURE AND FLOW ON THE BOW ISLAND - CALGARY PIPELINE EVERY HOUR, 24 HOURS A DAY, SEVEN DAYS A WEEK. IN 1932 BURNESS WAS TRANSFERRED TO BROOKS, AND THEN FOREMOST TWO YEARS LATER. HE IS LISTED ON THE MEMBERSHIP LIST OF THE BOW ISLAND MASONIC LODGE NO. 64, HELD IN THE GALT ARCHIVES (20011107054). JAMES BURNESS SR. DIED IN MEDICINE HAT ON APRIL 27, 1961. SEE PERMANENT FILE FOR HARDCOPIES OF SOURCE MATERIAL.

Catalogue Number

P20010029002

Acquisition Date

2001-09

Collection

Museum

Less detail