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Find your family story.

Fraternal Orders and Your Family History Research

4/17/2013

15 Comments

 
How Fraternal Order Records Can Help You With Your Family History Research via 4YourFamilyStory.com. #genealogyᄅ Copyright 2013 Caroline M. Pointer
What is a Fraternal Order?
As defined by Wikipedia, a fraternal order "...is an organized society of men associated together in an environment of companionship and brotherhood." [1]

Some examples of fraternal orders are Masons, Freemasons, Oddfellows, Knights of Pythias, and Knights of Columbus.

What Kind of Information You Might Find to Help You With Your Research.
Fraternal order membership information or records can provide that one little {or big} clue that you need to further your research. While census records are excellent for showing an every-10-year snapshot of your ancestors, fraternal order records can provide the in-between-census information that is needed to help you tell you ancestor's family story or to further your research.

For example, my 2nd great grandfather, Daniel Rook Vaughan, was a member of the Order of the Knights of Pythias, and when I requested his records from them and received them, I was able to further narrow down when he and his family moved from Eagle Pass, Texas, where they are located in the 1900 census [2], to San Antonio, Texas, where Daniel passes away in 1909 [3], because the records from the San Antonio Chapter indicated when he had been accepted into the chapter in 1902. [4]

Further, in the copies of the San Antonio Chapter records I received about him, they notated his death date in 1909 [5] lending further evidence of his death. Other information gleaned from them include names of other members [6,7] he may have known at the time as well as the fact that his membership to this particular chapter had been accepted based on a membership card [8]. If true, this could possible mean he had joined previous to 1902 at another chapter...somewhere.

Picture
© Copyright 2013 Caroline M. Pointer
How to Find if Your Ancestor Was a Member of a Fraternal Order.
These places can be varied and many {or few} depending on how much information you already have and/or know. Here are a few ideas on where to look:

  • Look at their death certificate. Were they buried in a fraternal order's cemetery? That's exactly how I found out my 2nd great grandfather was a member of the Order of the Knights of Pythias. The name of the cemetery was the Knights of Pythias Cemetery in San Antonio, Texas. [9]
  • Look at their tombstone. Are there any symbols on it you don't know the meaning of? Take a pic of it and research the symbol on a website like graveaddiction.com.
  • Look at county histories. A fraternal order chapter is located in a city or town, which, in turn, is located in a county. Locate county histories both online and offline looking for an entry about your ancestor. Even if your ancestor didn't have a biographical write-up, he may have still been listed in the general history of the county or area as a member or founding member of a a particular fraternal order's chapter.
  • Visit with family members. Call up your Great Aunt Bernice. You know, the one with all the awesome family artifacts and heirlooms? {The family ephemera!} Ask if you can come and visit and  talk about family history with her. And possibly see the family artifacts. If you're lucky and she agrees, then let her tell you what she knows and remembers. Have a look-see at those artifacts. Look on the back of photos where there are groups of men in funny looking hats. Are there any clues in the photo -- like a sign or banner with the fraternal order's name? Perhaps there is identification on the front or back of the photo. Also look for membership cards, membership certificates, letters, post cards, and funny-looking hats. Yes, funny-looking hats. Ask if you can take pictures and/or scan all the possible fraternal order clues -- even the funny-looking hat.
  • Search the image online. If the funny-looking hat doesn't have any identification information on it do a Google Image Search or a TinEye Reverse Image search of the image of the funny-looking hat. Maybe someone else has already identified the fraternal order whose members wore the funny-looking hat and maybe they shared the image online somewhere. Do the same kind of  reverse image search(es) for the group photo. Maybe a descendant or a group has posted the same photo online somewhere and maybe they have more information about it. {Hey, stranger things have happened, and you just never know until you look.}
  • Consult city directories -- online and offline -- where you know your ancestor lived. Look in the index under clubs, orders, lodges, etc.
  • Consult church histories -- online and offline -- where you know your ancestor lived. Some fraternal orders are religious-based as in the case of the Knights of Columbus.
How to Look Up Information about Fraternal Orders Online.
  • Google the fraternal order.
  • Consult the Genealogy Research: Complete List of Fraternal Organizations page on exonumia.com.
  • Visit Cyndislist.com where you can find links to all sorts of fraternal orders, links to articles about fraternal orders in general, as well as links to articles about specific fraternal orders.

How to Contact Fraternal Orders for Further Information.
  • If they have a website, look on the fraternal order's website to see how they might want to be contacted for questions. Make sure your requests are direct and courteous. Keep in mind that these fraternal orders may not have digitized records, and it may take a while for them to retrieve the information. In my case, the Knights of Pythias records were not digitized and it took about a month to receive them. But? Totally worth the wait.
  • If they don't have a website consult an online White Pages Directory or one at the library.

Have you had any luck with researching an ancestor's fraternal order membership? Any surprises you learned while doing it -- about researching or your ancestor? How did you find out your ancestor was a member of a fraternal order? Share in comments below. =)

~Caroline

© Copyright 2013 Caroline M. Pointer
Sources
1. Wikipedia contributors, "List of general fraternities," Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia, http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=List_of_general_fraternities&oldid=549406892 (accessed April 17, 2013).
2. "1900 United States Federal Census," database, Ancestry.com ( http://ancestry.com : accessed 17 Apr 2013), entry for Daniel Vaughan (age 52), p.1B, Eagle Pass, Texas; citing "NA film no.T623."
3. "Texas, Deaths, 1890-1976," index and images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/pal:/MM9.1.1/JFZC-ZZ2 : accessed 17 Apr 2013), Daniel R. Vaughn, 26 Dec 1909.
4. "Semi-Annual Report, Unity Lodge No.36, San Antonio, Texas, 30 Jun 1902," Order of the Knights of Pythias, Dallas, Texas.
5. "Semi-Annual Report, Unity Lodge No.36, San Antonio, Texas, 31 Dec 1909," Order of the Knights of Pythias, Dallas, Texas.
6. 
"Semi-Annual Report, Unity Lodge No.36, San Antonio, Texas, 30 Jun 1902," Order of the Knights of Pythias, Dallas, Texas.

7. "Semi-Annual Report, Unity Lodge No.36, San Antonio, Texas, 31 Dec 1909," Order of the Knights of Pythias, Dallas, Texas.
8. "Semi-Annual Report, Unity Lodge No.36, San Antonio, Texas, 30 Jun 1902," Order of the Knights of Pythias, Dallas, Texas.
9. "Texas, Deaths, 1890-1976," index and images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/pal:/MM9.1.1/JFZC-ZZ2 : accessed 17 Apr 2013), Daniel R. Vaughn, 26 Dec 1909.
15 Comments
Nancy Marty
4/17/2013 10:28:39 am

This was so good to read today! My grandfather was not only a high ranking member of the Knights of Pythias in Ohio, he and his brothers and sisters were in the Home for Orphans for a number of years that was run by this organization. I didn't realize there were records I could request. I was very close to my grandfather, so I know many of the obvious things about his life, but I'd love to know just how high he served in this organization and any other things I might learn that would tell me more about a side of him I wouldn't have known as a child growing up. Thanks so much for this blog!

Reply
Caroline Pointer
5/30/2013 08:42:59 am

Nancy,

Whoa. If they ran the Home for Orphans, there might be records there you just might be able to access if, indeed, you need them for further research. Definitely worth looking into, in my opinion.

And thanks for stopping by and your kind words. I appreciate it and them! =)

~C

Reply
Mariann Regan link
4/17/2013 05:13:14 pm

These are excellent tips! Here are the things that never would have occurred to me: tombstones, country histories, a TinEye reverse image search, and church histories.

With my ancestors, I get the impression that their church probably WAS their fraternal order. But you never know!

Reply
Caroline Pointer
5/30/2013 08:45:38 am

Mariann,

While the church was definitely the social place for many areas, it never hurts to look at other places, and fraternal orders are just another avenue for further research and information as well as a place to look for that "one" clue a researcher may be looking for. Never hurts to look, and it's incredibly satisfying when you find something.

Thanks for reading and commenting. I appreciate it! =)

~C

Reply
Tiffany Pugh
4/18/2013 01:47:35 am

My ggGrandfather was a member of the Odd Fellows. I did not realize it until one day when I was looking at one of his pictures. I noticed that he was wearing several badge/metals pinned to his jacket. One of them was a star with Texas written across it. I wondered if maybe he was in law enforcement, so I called to inquire with my grandmother. She said that it was probably badges from the Odd Fellows which she knew he was a member of but didn't know much else since he passed before she was born.

Reply
Caroline Pointer
5/30/2013 08:47:00 am

Tiffany,

Great find in the photo! Sounds like an avenue for further research for more information. Who knows where it might lead?

Thanks for stopping by! =)

~C

Reply
Susan S
4/18/2013 04:04:02 am

Don't forget, this can apply to your female ancestors as well. My grandmother was a member of The Rebekah Lodge, a female organization associated with The Oddfellows. I have a couple of her pins, but do need to write to them to see what information they might have. Don't forget your female ancestors!

Reply
Caroline Pointer
5/30/2013 08:49:21 am

Susan,

Very good point. Look for the female versions of fraternal organizations. Thanks for adding to the conversation and thank you for reading. I appreciate it!

~C

Reply
Al J
1/11/2014 02:39:02 pm

Hi Caroline, You forgot a very useful item, the Obituary. It may contain a listing of the clubs and Lodges that they belonged to.

Reply
Tara link
2/1/2014 05:17:43 am

Hi Caroline,

My family in Texas used the services of two funeral homes quite often. One of them was named Fleming's Fraternal Undertaking Co. which sounds masonic to me. It was bought by another funeral home company which operated in a nearby city. When I tracked them to their website, I discovered two masonic orders and two fraternities on their homepage. Do you think this implies that my family may have been Freemasons?

Reply
Daniel Woodson
7/21/2014 05:11:06 am

To All: My grandfather worked for Fleming's Fraternal Undertaking Company in 1949 in Beaumont, Texas. We don't have any pictures of him and I'd like to know if anyone affiliated with the company knew of him or had any pictures of him. I'm trying to find out more information about which funeral home purchased them as well. Please let me know if you have any information you can provide by contacting me at my email address and please use "Fleming's Fraternal Undertaking Company" in the subject field. Thank you so very much in advance!

Reply
Tara link
7/21/2014 11:31:34 am

I don't see an email address listed for you so I'm replying to you here. Fleming's Fraternal Undertaking Co was started in 1930 and is now defunct. It was bought out by Mack HANNAH Jr and operated as Fleming's Funeral Home until 1958. The owner of another funeral home stated that the records were destroyed. The Amistad Research Center's finding aid lists a folder for the 1941 correspondence between Fleming's Fraternal Undertaking Co and M. W. Prince Hall Grand Lodge of Louisiana. You can also check with the curator at the Museum of the Gulf Coast (Port Arthur's historical society) and ask if they have any records from Mack HANNAH's funeral homes. If you need any other information, my email is tara.r.gregory@gmail.com

RAndy
10/25/2017 04:04:27 pm

I would like to get in contact with anyone connected with Flemings Fraternal Undertaking that was in Beaumont Tx in the late 40s

Andrea Burke
3/10/2014 05:52:49 am

Yes, I believe they may have been The Masonic funeral is a big deal, and they would have wanted that if he was an active member! My grandfather was a 32nd Degree Mason and he wanted a Masonic funeral, which I attended of course with my family. Some funeral homes are run by the fraternal brothers of the organization. More likely in past years, as membership in these organizations is declining especially in the past 20-30 years. Our local Chapter of Masons has closed and was adopted into the chapter located in the County Seat of our county here in Ohio.

Reply
Tara
10/26/2017 07:14:25 am

RAndy...Connected to Flemings Fraternal Undertaking in what way?

Reply



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