Daily AncestorSquare and compasses
A square and compasses on a gravestone, often with a G in the middle, shows the person was a Freemason, a member of a Masonic lodge.
The builder's square and the compasses, taken from stonemasons' tools, are the best known Masonic emblem. Masons read the square as morality and fairness and the compasses as moderation; the G is said to stand for God or Geometry.
The emblem means membership, which leads to records: lodge minutes, the grand lodge's membership cards or returns, and Masonic funeral notices in the newspaper. Many men belonged to two or three lodges, so look for other emblems on the same stone.
How to cite this page
Daily Ancestor. "Square and compasses." Dictionary of Old Record Words. https://dailyancestor.com/dictionary/gravestone-symbols/square-and-compasses. Last checked 2026-10-15.