Odd Fellows: History of One of the Oldest & Largest Worldwide Fraternity

The Fraternity of Odd Fellows is considered one of the oldest and largest fraternity (also known as a fraternal and service organization and a friendly society) in the world. Its roots can be traced back to trade guilds in England in the year 1700s or older.

It is also the first fraternity to accept both men and women when it formed that Rebekah degree in 1851. Though the term sorority was not yet coined in that year, the Rebekah may be considered the first and oldest sorority in the world.

It aims to improve and elevate the character of humankind, to aid the community and the world and make it a better place to live, to aid the less fortunate by donating to charities, to support the youth of our community and help them grow, to aid our own members in times of distress, to support science and research foundations for the elimination of diseases and poverty and to support our community in every way possible.

Its motto is friendship, love, and truth.

It continues to exist in the United States, Canada, Cuba, Dominican Republic, Puerto Rico, Australia, New Zealand, Austria, Belgium, Netherlands, Czechia, Denmark, Finland, Germany, Iceland, Norway, Poland, Puerto Rico, Philippines, Sweden, and Switzerland with over 600,000 members making it one of the oldest and largest fraternity in the world.

Moreover, Odd Fellowship, unlike many other organizations, makes no special effort to attract "name" members. Odd Fellows is a warm, personal type of affiliation that doesn't rely on "rubbing elbows" with the famous to give them satisfaction.

Examples of famous members who belong to the royal family are:
King George IV of United Kingdom
Levi and Matilda Stanley, King and Queen of the Gypsies

In America, there were some hundreds who were members of the Odd Fellows Fraternity. Some of these great men were:
Schuyler Colfax, U.S. Vice President in 1869 to 1873
Ulysses S. Grant, 18th U.S. President
Rutherford Hayes, 19th U.S. President
Thomas Hendricks, 21st U.S. Vice President
William McKinley, 25th U.S. President
Warren Harding, 29th U.S. President (19211923)
Franklin Roosevelt, 32nd U.S. President
Anson Jones, the last President of the Republic of Texas
William Jennings Bryan, U.S. Secretary of State (1913-1915)
Earl Warren, U.S. Chief Justice (1953-1969)
Goodwin Knight, 31st Governor of California

In the field of architecture:
Nathan Kelley, the architect who designed the Ohio statehouse
William Marsh Rice, Founder of Rice University

Iconic figures:
Wyatt Earp, a legendary figure of the Wild West
Charlie Chaplin, famous actor and comedian

Many members of the Rebekah also became famous leaders and pioneers in many fields, one example is:
Lucy Hobbs Taylor, first female dentist in the United States

Philippine website:

www.ioofphilippines.yolasite.com

ioofphils@yahoo.com

Sovereign Grand Lodge:

www.ioof.org

iooftheSGL@bellsouth.net

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[dave2806]

we have a drinking fountain in the middle of our public park which was put there by the odd fellows . it would appear that the lodge that was so huge in our town just disappeared over time . great shame .

[LouieBlakeSarmiento]

@dave2806 That's nice. I hope to see a photo of that. Where are you located? Just like several other fraternal organizations, there are places that forgot to preserve their glorious history. But there are also several places where Odd Fellows is still active and have a good number of members. In Europe, Sweden for example: membership in some lodges can reach a hundred having a total of 40,000 members in just Sweden alone. It really depends on the area now. In Friendship, Love and Truth!

[inpectorbob]

HI LOUIE AS AN ODDFELLOW THANKS FOR THE VIDEO I MYSELF HAVE JUST ATTENDED OUR BICENTENARY CONFERENCE AND CELEBRATIONS IN MANCHESTER ENGLAND MAY WE PROSPER FOR ANOTHER 200 YRS IN FRIENDSHIP LOVE AND TRUTH BOB ZANKER

[LouieBlakeSarmiento]

@inpectorbob We hope that Oddfellowship will grow in membership and it activities. FLT

[freemason118]

@richcapo I to that brother

[TzeffNL]

The "all seeing eye" is also a symbol for these guys...!

[IOOF1819]

@richcapo Greetings in Friendship, Love and Truth!

[richcapo]

Greetings and peace from a Mason. You sound like a great group of individuals.

[IOOF1819]

The Independent Order of Odd Fellows are dedicated to improving and elevating the character of mankind by imparting the principles of friendship, love and truth and making the world a better place to live by aiding the community, the less fortunate, the youth, the elderly, the environment and the community at large in every way possible

[IOOF1819]

Currently, Odd Fellows have over 12,000 lodges and some 600,000 members in Australia, Austria, Belgium, Belize, Canada, Chile, Cuba, Czech Republic, Denmark, Dominican Republic, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Iceland, Mexico, Netherlands, New Zealand, Nigeria, Norway, Poland, Puerto Rico, Philippines, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, United Kingdom, United States of America, Uruguay, and Venezuela. Other Odd Fellows group also exists in Scotland and in the Bahamas, etc.

[IOOF1819]

The Manchester Unity Oddfellows (in United Kingdom) state on their website that "Oddfellows can trace its roots back to the Trade Guilds of the 12th and 13th centuries. Some believe that there are records in Scotland which show that the Oddfellows in its original form may have arisen in the 1500s. Some historians claim that it existed before 1650. What is clear is that there were numerous Odd Fellow organizations in England in the 1700s. It was officially brought to America on April 26, 1819.