The Grand United Order of Odd Fellows, American Jurisdiction is a jurisdiction of the Grand United Order of Oddfellows in the United States, Jamaica, Canada, South America, and other locations. Since its founding in 1843, its membership has principally included African Americans, due to their being discriminated against in most other fraternal orders in America at the time. [1]
The Grand United Order of Odd Fellows in America traces its origin to the original Grand United Order of Oddfellows in England, which was established in 1798. [2] In 1810 a group split from the Order and became the Independent Order of Odd Fellows, Manchester Unity. [3] In 1819 a branch of Oddfellowship was introduced into the United States by Thomas Wildey, and remained an organic party of the Manchester Unity until 1843, when it became a separate organization under the name Independent Order of Odd Fellows. By that time there were only four known lodges of Oddfellows in the United States owing allegiance to the Grand United Order; they were located near Pottsville, Pennsylvania. [4] [5] note: those four lodges were "self-inducted".
In 1842 members of the Philomathean Institute in New York city petitioned the Manchester Unity aligned American Oddfellows for a dispensation to form their institute into a lodge of Oddfellows. They were denied, because they were black. At this point, Peter Ogden, a black sailor who had been initiated into a Grand United Order affiliated lodge in Liverpool, suggested that they try to receive recognition from them. [6] This idea was approved, and Ogden sailed to England and obtained recognition from the Grand United Order's governing body at Leeds to form the Philomathean Institute into Philomathean Lodge, No. 646 on March 1, 1843. [7] The four existing Grand United Order-affiliated lodges refused to recognize Ogden as Deputy, admittedly because they did not wish to associate with black people. On his return to Liverpool, he applied, through his Lodge Victoria Lodge No. 448, to the Committee of Management, and the same was granted on January 6. 1943. [6]
A Committee of five Grand Masters and a Noble Father was appointed to constitute a Lodge in the City of New York to be known as the Philomathean Lodge No. 646, Grand United Order of Oddfellows.
This Committee arrived in New York City on Sunday, February 27, 1843, and convened Wednesday, March 1, 1843. On March 1, 1843, On Elm Street in the City of New York and State of New York, Philomathean Lodge was instituted at 12 noon with 48 members. At the installation of the first offices of the Lodge, Peter Ogden delivered to the Noble Grand all Books and paraphernalia belonging to the new lodge. [6]
Past Grand Master Joseph Jones, District Secretary of Liverpool, England, and member of Victoria Lodge No. 448, Grand United Order of Oddfellows, delivered the oration. Brother James B. Field, Noble Grand of Philomathean Lodge No. 646 responded most eloquently, and also called upon his staff of officers to express their gratitude to the delegates from England.
As the years rolled on, the illustrious Peter Ogden thought he had found a haven by receiving so much praise. He then decided to send for his sister to come to America where he could have a temporary home. But as the years rolled on and some of the members passed on, his sweet and gentle voice became boring. He was mocked and jeered openly. He took this performance to heart and discontinued his visits to the lodge. Due to the attitude and performance of the members, Peter Ogden decided to remain in solitude. As time went on he became ill, painful, and heartbroken and in the solitude of his home he passed away. He was buried without receiving the last rites of the Order.
Members of the Order heard of his death from overseas and searched until they found his sister, but she refused to give any information. Her reply was, “You killed my brother. I do not want to see any of you.”
After the institution of Philomathean Lodge, there was no provision for the female. A motion prevailed that each member who desires to may bring his wife, mother or daughter as a contributing member and be benefited thereby. Hence, from such desires, the Household of Ruth was formed to extend, strengthen and perpetuate the bonds of Friendship, Love and Truth.
A fixed admission fee, monthly contribution and special sick and death benefit were enacted and had long continued after Households were established. Some sisters paid dues in both places. This list was continued until 1928.
December 19, 1843, Philomathean Lodge No.646, Grand United Order of Oddfellows, received the authority to establish a Sub-Committee of Management of the Grand United Order of Oddfellow of England, subject to the resolutions and under the control of the Committee of Management of the Grand United Order of Oddfellows, England, of eight Past officers if possible, to carry out the extension of the Order in granting dispensations.
By 1847 there were 22 lodges in Ogden's organization and in 1851 lodges from New York, Pennsylvania, Connecticut, Massachusetts, New Jersey, Delaware and Maryland met at a Moveable feast in New Haven. [4]
The Lodge has been the basic local unit of the Order since its founding. Councils of Past Grand Masters, also known as the Patriarchal Order of Past Grand Masters in America, were added in 1844 and are composed, as the name suggests, by Past Grand Masters of the Order. Patriarchies, composed of Past Grand Masters who have rendered particularly valuable service to the Order, were created during a reorganization in 1873, and are modeled on a similar British adjunct. [4]
The number of lodges and other local units grew steadily during the 19th century. There were 32 in 1850 and 66 in 1860, though 17 of these were inactive. In 1863, at the twentieth anniversary of the Order, it was announced that there were 50 active lodges in the United States, Canada, and Bermuda and in 1867 there were 66 active lodges. During the 1870s the Order spread west and south, establishing lodges in Florida, Texas, Colorado and California. By the time of the Order's 1892 convention it had spread to Cuba. In 1897 there were 2,253 lodges and thirty six Grand Lodges. [4]
By 1979, the structure had apparently changed somewhat, with the national organization called the Grand Lodge, six "regional groups" and local Lodges. National conventions were then held biennially and the headquarters were in Philadelphia [8] The headquarters remain in Philadelphia (as of 2011). [9]
Ocean Springs, Mississippi had a hall. Louisville had several lodges.Union Lodge No. 1341 was established in 1867. St. John No. 1364 and St. Luke No. 1371 lodges were established by 1872. Two lodges of the G. U. O. O. F. sister society, the Household of Ruth, were established in Louisville in 1877: No. 24 and No. 60 and No. 4213 was established by 1911. The District Grand Lodge No. 19 was in New Castle, Kentucky. [10]
Membership has always been open to people of any race, though it has remained a predominantly African American Order. In 1979 there were 108,000 members. Their female auxiliary known as the Household of Ruth flourished during the golden age of fraternalism with nearly 100,000+ members. Unlike the Independent Order, the members of the Household of Ruth maintain their independence from the GUOOF, although the men can attain the Ruth Degree. [8]
The York Rite, sometimes referred to as the American Rite, is one of several Rites of Freemasonry. It is named for, but not practiced in, York, Yorkshire, England. A Rite is a series of progressive degrees that are conferred by various Masonic organizations or bodies, each of which operates under the control of its own central authority. The York Rite specifically is a collection of separate Masonic Bodies and associated Degrees that would otherwise operate independently. The three primary bodies in the York Rite are the Chapter of Royal Arch Masons, Council of Royal & Select Masters or Council of Cryptic Masons, and the Commandery of Knights Templar, each of which are governed independently but are all considered to be a part of the York Rite. There are also other organizations that are considered to be directly associated with the York Rite, or require York Rite membership to join such as the York Rite Sovereign College but in general the York Rite is considered to be made up of the aforementioned three. The Rite's name is derived from the city of York, where, according to one Masonic legend, the first meetings of Masons in England took place.
The Independent Order of Odd Fellows (IOOF) is a non-political, non-sectarian international fraternal order of Odd Fellowship. It was founded in 1819 by Thomas Wildey in Baltimore, Maryland, United States. Evolving from the Order of Odd Fellows founded in England during the 18th century, the IOOF was originally chartered by the Independent Order of Oddfellows Manchester Unity in England but has operated as an independent organization since 1842, although it maintains an inter-fraternal relationship with the English Order. The order is also known as the Triple Link Fraternity, referring to the order's "Triple Links" symbol, alluding to its motto "Friendship, Love and Truth".
Odd Fellows is an international fraternity consisting of lodges first documented in 1730 in London. The first known lodge was called Loyal Aristarcus Lodge No. 9, suggesting there were earlier ones in the 18th century. Notwithstanding, convivial meetings were held "in much revelry and, often as not, the calling of the Watch to restore order." Names of several British pubs today suggest past Odd Fellows affiliations. In the mid-18th century, following the Jacobite risings, the fraternity split into the rivaling Order of Patriotic Oddfellows in southern England, favouring William III of England, and the Ancient Order of Oddfellows in northern England and Scotland, favouring the House of Stuart.
The Independent Order of Oddfellows Manchester Unity Friendly Society Limited, also called the Manchester Unity of Oddfellows; trading as The Oddfellows, is a fraternal order founded in Manchester in 1810.
The Daughters of Rebekah, also known as the Rebekahs and the International Association of Rebekah Assemblies, is an international service-oriented organization and a branch of the Independent Order of Odd Fellows. As the Independent Order of Odd Fellows, the Rebekahs began as an all-white organization, typical at the time, that purported to promote reciprocity and charity, and drew inspiration from Judeo-Christian ethics.
A Grand Lodge, also called Grand Orient or by another similar title, is the overarching governing body of a fraternal or other similarly organized group in a given area, usually a city, state, or country.
Odd Fellows Hall, Independent Order of Odd Fellows Building, IOOF Building, Odd Fellows Lodge and similar terms are phrases used to refer to buildings that house chapters of the Independent Order of Odd Fellows fraternal organization. More specifically, these terms may refer to:
Sir George Bowyer, 7th and 3rd Baronet DL, was a British Barrister-at-Law and Liberal politician.
Provincial Grand Master, sometimes called District Grand Master or Metropolitan Grand Master, is a fraternal office held by the head of a Provincial Grand Lodge, who is directly appointed by the organisation's Grand Master.
Odd Fellows or Oddfellows is an international fraternity and its members.
Patrick Henry Reason, first named Patrice Rison, was one of the earliest African-American engravers and lithographers in the United States. He was active as an abolitionist. He was a leader in a fraternal order, gaining recognition for Hamilton Lodge No. 710, New York, as part of the Grand United Order of Odd Fellows in America.
Grand United Order of Oddfellows Friendly Society (GUOOFS) is an odd fellows grand lodge founded in 1798 and based in Manchester, England.
The Odd Fellows Hall in Baltimore, Maryland, United States was a building that was the meeting place of the Independent Order of Odd Fellows fraternal organization, as well as the organization's national headquarters, from 1831 until 1890. It was the first Odd Fellows' Hall in the United States.
James Lot Ridgely was an American lawyer and politician from Baltimore, Maryland, who has been called "the father of modern, ethical Odd Fellowship".
The Hamilton Lodge Ball was an annual cross-dressing ball in Harlem, United States. The Lodge's ball in 1869 was recognized as the first drag ball in United States history. The Hamilton Lodge Ball reached the peak of its popularity in the 1920s and early 1930s, as the Harlem Renaissance and Pansy Craze drew wealthy white New Yorkers and celebrities into Harlem nightlife.
The Household of Ruth is an auxiliary body of the Grand United Order of Odd Fellows in America open to both Odd Fellows and related women. The Grand United Order of Odd Fellows in America is the historically African American organization that was formed in 1843 by Peter Ogden. The Household of Ruth degree was founded by Patrick H. Reason in 1858. There are three degrees based on the story of Ruth in the Bible.
Peter Ogden was the founder of the Grand United Order of Odd Fellows in America. This fraternal order was a Benefit society open to African American men and was heavily involved with the early civil rights movement. Ogden was born in the West Indies and served on the S.S. Patrick Henry as a ship steward.
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