Thomas Wildey | |
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| Born | 1782 |
| Died | 1861 (aged 78–79) |
| Nationality | British |
| Occupation | Philanthropist |
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| Odd Fellows |
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Thomas Wildey (1782–1861) was the founder of the Independent Order of Odd Fellows (IOOF) in North America.
Thomas Wildey | |
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| Born | 1782 |
| Died | 1861 (aged 78–79) |
| Nationality | British |
| Occupation | Philanthropist |
| Part of a series on |
| Odd Fellows |
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Thomas Wildey (1782–1861) was the founder of the Independent Order of Odd Fellows (IOOF) in North America.
Wildey was born in London, England, in 1782. He was left an orphan five years later - and the IOOF pledge to "Educate the Orphan" sprang from his personal childhood experiences. At the age of 14, Wildey went to live with an uncle. After he had 9 years of schooling, he became an apprentice to a maker of coach springs. He joined the British Oddfellows in 1804.
When Wildey emigrated to America in 1817, the British were still unpopular in the States because of the War of 1812. In that year Baltimore was suffering both a yellow fever epidemic and mass unemployment. An outgoing personality, Wildey missed companionship and advertised in the newspaper to determine if there were any other Odd Fellows in Baltimore; he requested them to meet him at the Seven Stars Inn.
On April 26, 1819, Wildey and the four men who responded to the advertisement, John Welch, John Duncan, John Cheatam, and Richard Rushworth, [1] formed the Independent Order of Odd Fellows in North America, dedicating the Order to achieve philanthropic goals. Other Englishmen who were Odd Fellows had grouped in the states along the Eastern Seaboard, and Wildey gathered them all into the newly formed fraternity. He traveled widely to set up lodges in the most recently settled parts of the country.
At the time of his death in 1861, there were more than 200,000 members of the IOOF. In the late 19th century and early 20th century the IOOF became the largest Fraternal Order in North America with more than two million members.[ citation needed ]
In April 1865 a monument was erected to Wildey in Baltimore, consisting of a statue on a Doric column that is 52 feet in height. [1] The monument is located at the intersection of North Broadway and Lamley Street.
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.
IOOF is the Independent Order of Odd Fellows, a fraternal order founded in 1819 in Baltimore, U.S., by Thomas Wildey
During the American Civil War (1861–1865), Maryland, a slave state, was one of the border states, straddling the South and North. Despite some popular support for the cause of the Confederate States of America, Maryland did not secede during the Civil War. Governor Thomas H. Hicks, despite his early sympathies for the South, helped prevent the state from seceding.
Insignia Financial Ltd is an Australian financial services company that originated with the Independent Order of Odd Fellows and was formerly known as IOOF Holdings Ltd. It provides clients with a range of financial services including financial advice, investment management, superannuation and estate and trustee services. It is listed on the ASX 200.
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:
PM Park is a restaurant and lodging establishment in Clear Lake, Iowa. It was previously run by the Patriarchs Militant as a children’s summer camp for the less fortunate.
IOOF Building may refer to two buildings in the centre of the city of Adelaide, South Australia. The first was built in the late 19th century and was demolished in the early-mid 1960s. As a result of this, the second was built as a "replacement" in the mid 1960s.
Odd Fellows or Oddfellows is an international fraternity and its members.
The New Richland Odd Fellows Hall is a historic Independent Order of Odd Fellows (IOOF) clubhouse in New Richland, Minnesota, United States, built in 1902. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2006 under the name Strangers Refuge Lodge Number 74, IOOF for its local significance in the themes of entertainment/recreation and social history. It was nominated for being the home of a large and important local fraternal organization, and for serving as a venue for a wide range of other groups and events. The building now houses the New Richland Public Library.
The Odd Fellows Building in Raleigh, North Carolina, also known as the Commerce Building, is a 10-story skyscraper built in 1923. It reflects Late 19th and Early 20th Century American Movements architecture and Classical Revival architecture and consists of the classic base-shaft-capital design. The Odd Fellows (IOOF) Building served as a meeting hall for the Independent Order of Odd Fellows and as a business.
The Independent Order of Odd Fellows in Sweden (IOOF), is a part as a grand lodge of the non-political and non-sectarian Independent Order of Odd Fellows, made up of people of good character who have a desire to promote universal harmony and are ready to exercise works of charity and benevolence, specially to those in need.
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.
The I.O.O.F. Centennial Building is an historic building located at 150 East Chisholm Street in Alpena, Michigan. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2015. It dates back to 1876 and is “an excellent example of late Victorian commercial architecture.”
Friendship Cemetery is a cemetery located in Columbus, Mississippi. In 1849, the cemetery was established on 5 acres by the Independent Order of Odd Fellows. The original layout consisted of three interlocking circles, signifying the Odd Fellows emblem. By 1957, Friendship Cemetery had increased in size to 35 acres, and was acquired by the City of Columbus. The cemetery was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1980 and was designated a Mississippi Landmark in 1989. As of 2015, the cemetery contained some 22,000 graves within an area of 70 acres and was still in use. The Mississippi School for Mathematics and Science hosts a public event every April at night in the cemetery. Students complete a research project on someone buried at the cemetery, before dressing up and doing a performance as the person they researched.
James Lot Ridgely was an American lawyer and politician from Baltimore, Maryland, who has been called "the father of modern, ethical Odd Fellowship".
Media related to Thomas Wildey at Wikimedia Commons
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