The Mysterious Symbols on Squire Boone’s Headstone - Did Daniel Boone Carve Them?
Above are Masonic images on Squire Boone’s headstone which are (l to r) a Compass and Square, a Point in a Circle, and the letter “G.” More images below.
Robert Alvin Crum copyright 23 November 2024
Before I moved into the “High Country” of the North Carolina mountains in 2017, I lived in Salisbury, North Carolina, which is just a short drive from Joppa Cemetery in Mocksville. I frequently went to Mocksville and Davie County to do research about my Boone and Bryan ancestors. Whenever I was in the area, I would leave flowers, coins or flags at the graves of my ancestors Squire and Sarah Morgan Boone. I also photographed and even completed a large painting of the gravesite. The text on Squire’s headstone always fascinated me, and what I found is the subject of this article.
The cemetery was originally known as Burying Ground Ridge, and the area around today’s Joppa Cemetery was settled in the early 1750’s. Joppa Cemetery is believed to hold the graves of many of those early settlers. Until recently, the earliest marked grave was that of Squire Boone, who was buried there in 1765. Squire’s wife, Sarah, died in 1777 and was buried beside him. More recent research confirmed the location of the grave of their oldest son, Israel, who died in 1756. He’s buried to the left of his parents, and his grave was marked in May 2009 by his descendants and The Boone Society.
Squire Boone died on January 2, 1765, and was buried in Joppa Cemetery in what is now Mocksville, North Carolina. He was sixty-nine years old, and his gravestone reads:
SQUIRE BOONE
DEPARTED
THIS LIFE IN
THEY SIXTY
NINTH YEAR
OF HIS AGE IN
THAY YEAR
OF OUR LORD
1765 GENEI
ARY THA 2
O
In the biography written in 2007 about Daniel Boone, Robert Morgan writes on page 81:
“The inscription may have been cut by Daniel himself, for the imaginative spelling resembles that in many of the documents in Daniel's handwriting. The symbol of the point within the circle carved in the stone suggests that Squire was indeed a Freemason. In those days the sign was most often intended to show the duty of the individual brother to ‘God and man by means of the circumference.’ But it was also a sign often to taken to mean ‘the Divine Spirit indwelling creation and abiding in the nature of man.’ It is possible that the sign was used to illustrate Tertullian's definition of God as a circle whose center is everywhere and circumference nowhere. According to A Dictionary of Freemasonry, it is a symbol of the creation of the world.”
After reading this entry by Robert Morgan, I returned to Squire Boone’s grave to give his gravestone closer examination. This one symbol he explained appearing in the lower right corner wasn’t the only Freemasonry symbol. I found Masonic symbols throughout the text on Squire Boone’s gravestone! I will go into more detail about all the Masonic symbols I found later in this article, but first I’d like to explore why they might be there in the first place.
Robert Morgan also wrote in his Boone biography on pages 26 & 27 the following:
“There is reason to believe, based on symbols carved on his tombstone in North Carolina, that Squire, like his son Daniel later, had been initiated into the society of Freemasons. Leaders such as Benjamin Franklin were known to be enthusiastic Masons. Formed in England early in the eighteenth century, the secret society was devoted to fellowship, ceremony, charity, and service to the community. Joining the Freemasons could have made Squire feel even more independent of the Quaker Meeting.”
“Freemasonry offered a fresh way of looking at society and mankind – liberal, rational, committed to a useful, moral life, not based on revelation, class, monarchy. Jews and even African Americans and Native Americans might be initiated into lodges. It seems likely the Boones’ affiliation with Masonry strengthened their sense of belonging to the fraternity of all men, whether white or Indian, American or British, and helps explain Daniel's conduct later in the complex, dangerous time of the American Revolution.”
Robert Morgan continues in his Boone biography on page 60 by saying:
“Though Boone may have been initiated as a Freemason in 1755, his return to Virginia in 1760 also provided an opportunity for joining the brotherhood. An important lodge had already been established in nearby Fredericksburg, and there are rumors that the Boones met George Washington in Fredericksburg also. It is possible his father, Squire, became a Freemason at this time also, or renewed his Masonic connections begun earlier in Pennsylvania.”
Historian Neal O. Hammond edited a book that includes Lyman Draper’s interviews of Nathan Boone, Daniel Boone’s youngest son. The title of the book is My Father, Daniel Boone, and Nathan Boone tells Draper on page 14 that my father “often spoke of Washington, whom both he and my mother personally knew.” Nathan continues saying that “…it is more likely they met in Fredericksburg in 1762.”
There’s evidence that George Washington was a Mason and that he attended the lodge in Fredericksburg. Why was Daniel Boone in Fredericksburg in 1762? Did he meet George Washington at the lodge there? There is no clarification about this detail by Nathan Boone. However, on page 139 in Hammond’s book about Draper’s interview, Nathan Boone recounts his father’s funeral in 1820 and says, “There were no military or Masonic honors, the latter of he was a member, as there were then but very few in that region of the country.” Nathan Boone advises that his father was a Mason.
Dr. John W. Bizzack published an article online entitled Unravelling Tall Tales: A 21st Century Investigation into the Disputable Masonic Claims that Daniel Boone and Davy Crockett Were Freemasons. He begins his article by saying that there has been a longstanding belief that Daniel Boone and Davy Crockett were Freemasons. He adds that Daniel Boone’s name appears on the “Famous Masons” list and generations of Masons have defended the listing “without regard to the fragile and unreliable speculation on which those claims are based.” Dr. Bizzack continues by saying the beginning of the belief that Daniel Boone was a Freemason began at Boone’s reinternment in 1845 in Frankfort, Kentucky, because “Freemasons, along with a reported 25,000 other people, attended the ceremony.”
Dr. Bizzack also mentions in his article that John Filson interviewed Daniel Boone and published in 1784 the first biography about Boone. Bizzack mentions that John Filson was a Freemason at Christen Lodge No. 84 in Wilmington, Delaware. However, Bizzack finds it curious that Filson never mentions in his writing that Boone was a “brother Mason.”
Also mentioned as an authority in Dr. Bizzack’s article is J. Winston Coleman who is “a highly respected Kentucky historian,” and he was a member of the Masonic Lexington Lodge No. 1. Bizzack says that “Coleman extensively researched about Freemasonry in Kentucky” and wrote, “an Authentic Account of Masonry in Lexington and Fayette County, Kentucky 1788 - 1933.” Bizzack emphatically states, “There are no references or notations about Daniel Boone being a Mason in any of Coleman’s writings.” Bizzack concludes. “The writings of Boone’s exploits and life certainly suggest he conducted himself in ways compatible with Masonic values. But the issue of whether Boone was a member of the Craft remains undocumented and unproven.”
I began my search for documentation that both Squire and Daniel Boone were Freemasons after reading Robert Morgan’s statement mentioned above that they were both Freemasons. Daniel Boone’s son, Nathan, said he was a Mason, which should be pretty good evidence that his father was a Mason; however, I’ve not yet found any other documentation or evidence confirming this.
As part of my research, I also photographed and completed a tracing of Squire Boone’s gravestone to examine whether and how many masonic symbols might appear there. When I compare my photo and my tracing to the headstone tracing that’s between pages 38 and 39 in Spraker’s The Boone Family, there are a few more letters there in the book. These few additional letters have no bearing on my analysis of the masonic symbols.
As I mentioned above, the symbol Robert Morgan and others notice and on which they focus is the point in a circle at the lower right-hand corner. However, if you examine the stone in person, every “O” in the text has a point in the center. It is a little difficult to see in a photograph, but it is clear on my tracing. There is also a “Y” in the word “year,” and for some unknown reason, there is a point in a circle superimposed over it. On the headstone, there are carved six symbols of the point in a circle.
The most common masonic symbol is the square and compass, and it’s used worldwide by Freemasons and Masonic lodges. In Masonry, the square is an emblem of morality, and the compass represents the relationship between the individual and society. The text on Squire’s headstone has seven “A’s,” and they all are carved into the shape of a masonic square and compass.
Another possible masonic symbol on this headstone is the letter “G.” It stands for “geometry,” and masons frequently place it in the center of their square and compass symbol. Geometry is the basis for stonemasonry, and, symbolically, it is the basis for Freemasonry. There are only two “G’s” on this headstone, and I would not consider this as a masonic symbol, if it only appeared in the word “age.” It piqued my curiosity, when I saw it in the month of Squire’s death which is spelled “Geneiary.” There was not a standardization of spelling in the eighteenth century since Webster’s Dictionary was not yet in existence. One might argue that the stone carver was spelling phonetically, but a “G’ at the beginning of a word has a harsh sound, and months like June and July have a soft sound. So why didn’t this carver use a “J” rather than a “G?” Is the “G” on this headstone a masonic symbol as appears to be the case with the “O” and “A?” Unfortunately, we have no way to confirm this suspicion.
Dr. Bizzack mentions only the one point in a circle in the lower right corner but appears to dismiss it as a possible masonic symbol but also suggests that it might be a Quaker symbol. I’m a little surprised by the latter statement, since Squire was expelled by the Quakers from the Friend’s Meeting in Pennsylvania before he migrated to North Carolina in 1750. Why would a possible Quaker symbol be carved in his headstone at the time of his death fifteen years later in 1765?
Dr. Bizzack also mentions the letter “A” and says, “A closer look at the letter ‘A’ is merely the letter “A’ and not a Masonic symbol.” As a visual artist, carver, and during my studies in geometry, I learned that “the shortest distance between two points is a straight line.” When closely examining the seven “A’s” the headstone, where the “A” should be completed using a straight horizontal line, all are drawn as a right angle appearing to be the square portion of the masonic square and compass symbol. Why wouldn’t the stone carver take the easier route of carving a straight line seven times rather than carving a more complicated right angle? These seven “A’s” are clearly the symbol of a square and compass.
It's possible that Daniel Boone was a Mason based on his son’s statement. Authors disagree, and Dr. Bizzack reminds us that there’s no documentation. The question also remains about Daniel’s father, Squire. Was he a Mason? It’s possible given his political connections, but, again, there’s no documentation to be found.
However, the big question is why are there masonic symbols on Squire Boone’s headstone? Without analyzing all the letters, there’s no question that the “A’s” and the “O’s” are Masonic symbols. It’s understandable to conclude that they’re on the headstone, because Squire was a Mason, or the carver was or both. At the moment, there’s no documentation, so my hope is that the reason isn’t lost to history, and maybe one day we’ll know.
The final question is who carved Squire Boone’s headstone that included Masonic symbols? Many claim it was his son Daniel. Again, there’s no documentation that he did so.
I looked at one more possibility about who might have carved this headstone. Squire Boone, Jr. was twenty-one years of age at the time of his father’s death. There are existing examples of stone carvings in other locations by Squire Boone, Jr., so I examined and compared the text on them to Squire Boone’s headstone. One is in Richmond, Kentucky, and is called the “Squire Boone Rock.” On it is a carving that says, “1770 Squire Boone.” Tradition says that Squire carved this to let his brother Daniel know that he had returned to the vicinity. When I compared the text, I saw no similarities to his father’s headstone. Another place with examples of Squire Boone, Jr.’s stone carving is in Harrison County, Indiana where Squire lived his final years, died and was buried. There are stones carved by Squire Boone, Jr. in his reconstructed Grist Mill in Harrison County. One has text and the date 1809, but the text on this stone also doesn’t resemble that on his father’s headstone. Therefore, it doesn’t look like the headstone carving was by the hand of this son either.
Examination of the text on Squire Boone’s headstone in Joppa Cemetery does reveal masonic symbols. It’s possible that he and/or the carver were Masons. However, after my research and examination, there doesn’t appear to be hard evidence that Squire was a Mason nor the identity of who carved this headstone. Therefore, the mystery continues about why masonic symbols appear on the headstone of Squire Boone.
Sources:
Bizzack, John W., Unravelling Tall Tales: A 21st Century Investigation into Disputable Masonic Claims that Daniel Boone and Davy Crockett Were Freemasons, https://thecraftsman.org/unraveling-tall-tales/
Cemetery Census, Davie County North Carolina Cemeteries, Davie County Historical & Genealogical Society, http://cemeterycensus.com/nc/davie/cem089.htm
Draper, Lyman Copeland, Draper Manuscripts, State Historical Society of Wisconsin, Madison, WI.
Hammond, Neal O., Editor, My Father Daniel Boone: The Draper Interviews with Nathan Boone, The University Press of Kentucky, Lexington, KY, 1999.
Heitman, Mary J., History of Joppa Church, Martin-Wall History Room, Davie Public Library, Mocksville, NC.
Lilley, George H., The Meaning Behind 15 Common Masonic Symbols, https://www.ghlilley.com/blogs/news/freemason-symbols?
Masons of California, Freemasonry Symbols: An Introduction to the Symbols, Signs, and Emblems of Masons and Masonic Lodges, https://freemason.org/freemasonry-symbols/
Martin-Wall History Room, Davie County Public Library, Mocksville, NC.
Morgan, Robert, Boone: A Biography, Algonquin Books of Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC, 2007.
Sons of the American Revolution, www.sarpatriots.org/patriotssearch and cemetery search.
Spraker, Hazel Atterbury, The Boone Family, The Tuttle Company, Rutland, VT, 1922.
U.S. Quaker Meeting Records 1681-1935.
