Founding Landmarks of the Widows Sons 1998, 2001



To become a Widows Son, or to form a chapter of Widows Sons, you must be a Mason first. You must then promise to support the goals and purposes of the Widows Sons Organization.

Notice the words "promise to support the goals and purposes of the Widows Sons Organization?" It does not say make any changes to what my chapter of Widows Sons will support.

The sole founding goal and purposes of the Widows Sons is to support widows and orphans of Master Masons. This will be done autonomously in each state by the founding of a Widows Fund from within the Grand Chapter of the state. This Widows Fund is the first and foremost purpose of granting a charter for any Grand Chapter. Always remember: The Widows Sons is being founded to support widows and orphans of Master Masons. No other charity or any other object of monetary support, from any Widows Sons Grand Chapter, or any affiliated chapter, or any member should take precedence over the Widows Fund which supports only widows and orphans of master Masons in its state.

This is the main goal and purpose you promise to support as a Widows Sons or a chapter of Widows Sons. Are you supporting it or have you placed you own agenda to precede it. (read the last line of the sole founding paragraph above.


The second purpose of founding the Widows Sons was to promote fellowship and unity among brother Masons who ride motorcycles.

This was not one of the founding purposes. It was introduced IN 2001 along with the third purpose, as Florida and Texas were founding Grand Chapters. What does your chapter have written as its founding's first purpose on its publicity vehicle? I'm talking about a website, Facebook, or anything else your chapter uses to promote its cause. If you don't have your founding purpose correct, your wordage is misrepresenting our founding purpose and is also misleading those who are interested in becoming Widows Sons into thinking the Widows sons were not founded to aid and assist Widows. Please Change your verbiage to reflect the proper Founding purpose of aiding and assisting widows and orphans of Master Masons, rather than promoting fellowship among masons who ride...

The third purpose of the founding of the Widows Sons was to introduce Freemasonry to the world of motorcycling and to introduce the world of motorcycling to freemasonry.

No chapter or member of any chapter shall recruit motorcycle riders for the purpose of increasing the Widows Sons numbers in membership. The Widows Sons shall not allow any member of any outlawed organization(s) or any motorcycle club(s) that considers it self to be a one percent club to become a member of any chapter of Widows Sons, nor will any member of the Widows Sons associate with any member(s) of any outlawed organization(s) or any motorcycle club(s) that considers it self to be a one percent club while wearing Widows Sons regalia.

This was written because the 1% world is much much different than the Masonic world. Our membership is predicated by membership in the Masonic fraternity. Many Masons, who if they should be associating with a 1% group could sooner or later make problems for themselves or the Widows Sons, because they don't understand how the 1% world revolves. You cannot function in the 1% world if you don't know how it operates. This is not meant as disrespect to anyone. It was only added to protect our membership from getting involved and in trouble from something they know little or nothing about.

No Widows Sons Grand Chapter shall have any say, or any rule or authority over, nor any vote in the business of another Grand Chapter. Each State or Province Grand Chapter is autonomous of one another. Autonomous, being defined as; ruling and governing their own state, province or Masonic jurisdiction's business and activities in accordance with the due boundaries of Freemasonry of their jurisdiction first, then within the due boundaries of these Widows Sons founding by-laws and founding landmarks of the Widows Sons.

There shall be no governing or ruling committee or consulting body, or person in a position with any authority to make decisions for, council, or to rule over any entire national entity of the Widows Sons that has more than one jurisdiction. Each jurisdiction rules all Widows Sons business in its own jurisdiction.

This rules out any person, group, committee, round table, coordinator,  Presidential Board or Grand Board that is based on creating some "national" body of Widows Sons. Anything populated on a "National" intent is a direct violation of this bylaw.

Autonomous, being defined as; ruling and governing their own  business and activities in their own Masonic jurisdiction in accordance with the due boundaries of Freemasonry of their jurisdiction first, then within the due boundaries of these Widows Sons founding by-laws and founding landmarks of the Widows Sons.

An established Widows Sons Grand Chapter, that is in full compliance with the Founding By-laws and Landmarks may charter another Grand Chapter in another state into existence upon the promise given by the chapter that it will adhere to these Landmarks and the Widows Sons Founding by-laws, making changes to the by-laws only necessary to resolve any conflicts in these by-laws and landmarks with their Grand Lodge by-laws, rules or edicts. No other changes to the founding by-laws or founding landmarks should be made to appease any personal or Grand Chapter preferences. No single person shall issue charters to new Grand Chapters. They must be chartered by a Grand Chapter.

This is how it was intended. Only Grand Chapters could charter a new Grand Chapter. This was written to prevent any person, group or committee from having the power to decide who and or cannot be chartered. It was intended that anyone who wanted to be chartered, should contact a Grand Chapter, get the paperwork, make the promise to support the goals and intentions and by laws of the Widows Sons, making changes only to the founding bylaws to solve a conflict with their Grand Lodge, and get their chapter going.

I believe the chartering should be done by the Grand Chapter. If someone wants to be a coordinator, he should be no more than a coordinator in his own Masonic jurisdiction. He should stay out of the business of other jurisdictions and not make decisions for them, nor tell them anything other than what the founding bylaws stipulate. According to the founding bylaws and intentions there are no persons or groups for chartering new chapters other than Grand Chapters.

At the time there are fifty (50) Grand Bodies of Widows Sons in the United States, and bodies outside the U.S. Changes, alterations or amendments or additions to the Widows Sons Founding By-laws or the Founding Landmarks shall be made with a ratification vote of a ninety (90) percent majority of the fifty (50) widows Sons United States chapters and all chapters outside the U.S. by a ballot voting in favor of the purposed changes, or by a Grand Lodge proclamation.

This was intended to keep the bylaws as written. It also has been ignored by those who think they know better or have a way better than Freemasonry has followed for more than 299 years.

Adopted: 2001:When a logo, patch or insignia of the Widows Sons is adopted, only men who are Masons shall wear it. No wives, girlfriends, sisters, daughters, moms or grandmothers shall display a patch on their back. There will be no ladies’ or support or associate patches. No member or affiliate chapter shall create a patch, button, decal pin or any other item that advertises, names or promotes the Widows Sons. This is reserved for Grand Chapters.