White Cloud Kansas chief. [volume] (White Cloud, Kan.) 1857-1872, 1869-10-07
the oDD FELLOWS.
History of the Growth of the Order.

San FRAscIsco. CAL. Sept. ii. 1869
The Nailonai Grand L,dgs OF Odd
Fellows Of the United States will hold
its annual Convocstion. in this city. on
the 20'h inst. A lew facts and figures
relstive to the org ,uiz .tion may be OF in
lerest. -
In 1924 there were only six lodges
comprising the entire Order in AmerIcs.
three Of which were in the city oi B.lti-
more. and one each in Philadelphia, New
York and Boston. In that year tbs
Grand Lodge Of the United States Was
organized. ("Father" Wildey. the found
'r OF American Odd Fellowship. being
the first Grand Sire. which gave an i'm
petus to the operations Of the Order. and
essentially contributed to its subsequent
wide exren.iou. At the close OF 1889
the Society had been established in nearly
ell the central States on the Atlantic
se,bosrd. Fifty eight subordinate lodg
ges were at work. and ten Jurisdiction
Grand Lodges had becn instituted in
Pennsylvania, New York. Massachusetts
and the District of Columbia. The sg
gregats membership at this tima was
about three thousand. 10 ths next de-
csde. ending 10 ls49. Delaware. Ohio.
Louisisns, New Jersey, Kentucky. yir-
ginia. Indiana. Mississippi. Missouri and
Illinois bad added their Grand Lodges.
msking'a at that time fifteen grand bodies.
with one hundred and City subordinate
lodges. containing in all about eleven
thousand members. At the term in alton
o. the succeeding ten years Grsni Lo lgrs
had bsen organized in Texas, Alsb.m,. I.
Counecti icuf. South Carolina, Tsnnssse. .
North Oarolins. NV Ham pshire. Mich
igsn. Wisconsin, Vermont. lows and
Arksnsas. At this period. 1850. there
were thirty Grand Lodges in the Order,
and 2 354 subordinate lodges. with about
us 600 members. Since 1850 Grand
Lodge. have been instituted in Florida.
NJ nnesots. California. Lower Provinces
Of British North America. Cansd. W.>t.
Oregon. Nebraska, Kansas, We>t Vr
gina, Nevada and Colorado. and subor-
dinats lodges under tbs inmeii.te iuris
diction Of the Grand Lodge of the United
States. opened in Montans. D.cot.. Utah,
Arizona. Washington and Idaho Terri
tories. For several years the Order has
been established IA New Mexico and the
Sandwich and V.ncouver's Islands. aud
during the last year it was introduced
into Australi.. (colonies of Victoria and
New Zdsnd. whore ,haro are two Grand
Lodges and one Grand Eacsmpmpnt al
ready existing. with several large sn.l
honrishing subordinate boii-,, which
were formerly in sffiliatiou witt the Oh
and Indspeuden, Order Of Ola F. low.
of England. hot which have nov with
grest unanimity. adopted the ritual and
work OF the order in this country. and
accepted charter from the Grand L,dg.
of the United States. On the fr.t o.
Juy. 1868 there were on tn, .rican
Continent alone forty-0na Grand Lodge.
and three thonsanl one hundred and me
ty FIVE subordinate Lodges, and compri~
ing an aggregate membership of two hun
dred and forty FIVE ihousani and and
thirty sig. not inclu.iing the mem brrship
of the more receDtly orgsnized or new
lodges instituted during the previous term
70 the whole Order from which no reports
we're due. The present mem barship in
the Independent Oder of Old Fellow.
on this continent. approximates threr
hundred thonsand, in over thirty five
hundred subordinate lodges. located in
almost every town. village and hsmlei
throughout the land The foregoing fig.
urss relate only to the actual "contribut-
ing members" or those in full connec-
tion with some working lodge. and do
not include class of a. m .ny more bold
ing "withdrswsl cards." or "cards ol
clearance
The number of contributing members
Of the Orisr in each inri-dic'ion is about
as foIlow-: VI, sine 1000: Nav Hamp-
shire. 3 600; Msssachuse,ts. 10 600;
Rhode IsIsnd. 1000: Connecticut. D.
500: New York. Is 900: Nsv Jersey
10 900; Pennsylvania 73 900; Delaware
8 900; Marvlani, IA 900; DISTRICT OF
Columbis. 8 600: V,rginis. 8 600; W-si
Virginia. 8 200; Georgia. 1 500; Florida
8 900; Alabama. l 600: Mississippi. l
400; Louisiara. 1000: Texss. 900;
Arkansas. l 900: T-nnassse. 4 500; Ken
tnckv. 5000: Ohio. 32 900: Indians.
IL 600; Illinois. 90 600; Michigan. = I
500: Wisconsin. 6 600: lows. 5000;
Missouri $500; Kansas 2 900: Minn.-o.
ta, 1 200: Nebraska. 500: Colorado. 600
Nevada. l 500; Oregon. 2 600: C.li,orn.
ia. 13 600; III. Territories. 1000; Lowe,
Provinces British North Am-r,cs. 400;
O,'arin. ]. 900; Australia. 5000. Total,
S0l 600.
Tn aggregate membership of the va.
rions branches OF the Order Of Old F-l
lows in all parts Of ths whole world i.
over 1000 900 In Gr.W Britain alone
there are more than 500 900 Old Eel.
lows. The Enc.mpment Branch Of the
Order in this country is exceedingly y p'o>.
perous. This is usnslly deuominatsd ihf
"Pairiarchal Branch. and is tie hig esi
dspsvtment IT the iu.titutiou. working
entirely separate from the Lo1g. Branch,
There ara thirty two State Grand En-
campments. and nine hundred subordi
nste Eucampments. with = total member
ship of upward of so 900 Lssving ont
te work for the first ten years on the
continent. the official records state ths,
mp to July. 1860. tn. nnmher initiated
into the order w.s 660 s43 The sgsr.-
gate revenue received for al purposes re
ported foota np s33 $50 S24; nou Der o.
members relieved. 526 579: rumber o.
widowed families relieved 62 SOB: total
amount af relief paid. el4.lS9 402 The
Rrester number Of persons ioi,i.,ed in
suv one ve,r w.s in the last fiscal yasr.
ending the 1t Of July. 1869 b-ing 40.
! fQ1. IL n