The Belding banner-news. (Belding, Mich.) 1918-1973, 1919-04-23
ODD FELLOWS
WILL HAVE BIG
DAY AT IONA
WILL CELEBRATE l0OTH ANNI-
YERSARY OF FOUNDING OF
ORDER AT COUNTY SEAT.

ORDER AT COUNTY SEAT.
Members and officials of Belding
lodge, No. 447, /. o. o. F., are making
big plans fer strong delegation of
the local membership to go to Ionia
Saturday, at which place and time the
big centennial anniversary is to be
held for the lodges of Ionia county.
Similar celebrations are to be held On
the same day throughout the jurisdic-
tion of the order and it will be one big
day among our Odd Fellow friends in
that it marks out 100 years of exist
ence for their order
Down at Ionia the people feel rather
proud Of the fact that they are going
to be hosts to the Odd Fellows of the
county on this occasion and they are
laying plans to have a big time when
the boys get there. Along with the
boys will be a lot of Rebekah ladies'
and they will mix in with hundreds of
other Odd Fellows and Rebekahs from
all over the county and there will be
some crowd to take care of.
The founder of the Odd Fellow or
der was Thomas Wildey, who lives in
memory with the present day member
ship, as "Father" Wildey. He came
to this country in answer to the lure
of "the land Of the free and home of
the brave" He was a blacksmith
and located in Baltimore. In. England
he had been a member of an Odd Fell
lows lodge and shortly after he ar
rived in this country he conceived the
idea cf starting world wide frater-
nal organization here. He inserted
Amall advertisement in Baltimore
paper and through it got in touch with
four other men who had at one time
belonged to the same lodge which he
had in England. On the night of
April 26. 1919. these five organized
Washington lodge, No. /. This still
exists and is the home lodge of all
Odd Fellow lodges.
The growth by decades in the emm-
bership of the order is as follows: In
1919 it started with 5 members: in
1929 il, had / ,009 members; in 1889,
8. 1881 members; in 1s49, ia, ,637 mem
bers; in 1859, 173,S1S members: in
1869, 298. .637 members; in 1879, $780,
091 members: in 1889. 610,508 men,
bers; in 1889. S93050 members; in
1909, 1,532.507 members and in 1919
there are 100000 who are enrolled
as members of the order.
The first Michigan lodge was start
ed at Detroit in December. 1843. and
is known as Michigan lodge, No. 1,
and is one of the real lie lodges of the
state. The membership in Michigan
at the present time is close to 5000.
In addition to this there are also 3d.
900 Rebekah degree members who
might also be counted in with the fg-
ures.
Local Odd Fellows feel proud of>the
record of the order and are planning
on turning out about 200 strong to go
down to Ionia and take in the big
show. The local lodge is in a good
condition and committee has been
working for several weeks on the part
which it would take in the centennial
anniversary celebration at Ionia on
Saturday
Oddfellow hall will be headquarters
/ for the Rebekahs and the Armory for
the Odd Fellows that day. At 10:30
a. M, the following exercises to which
the public is cordially invited. will be
held at the armory:
Song, "America,v, by the audience;
i invocation, Rev. NJ L. MARSHALL;
opening remarks, f. E. Slye, president
Ionia county /. o. o. r. association;
harp solo, Miss Helen Lorch, Grand
Rapids.
! Address of welcome, Mayor F. w.
Green.
Words of welcome, in behalf of the
order, Fred Cutler.grand treasurer.
Response, w. f. Densmore, member
of Saranac lodge, No. 16S.
Exercise, patriotic song and drill
by boys and girls, under direction
/ of Miss Emma Rice; remarks, "We
Rebekahs." Mrs. Frank d. Curtis;
address, 100 years Of Odd Fellowship,
Rev. b. E. Branch, V. G., Ionia lodge,
No. 175; music, selected. Girls Glee
club; harp sold. Miss Helen Lorch;
closing song, audience.
Parade at 1870 p. M, participated
in by all lodges of the coupnty. All
members will report at the nmory
promptly. At 3 D. m. Belding de-
gree team will confer the first degree
upon the county anniversary class Of
100 candidates at the armory while
the Portland Rebekah degree staff
will initiate large class at the /. O..
o. F. hall. ~>
A dance and general good time in
the evening at the armory will end
what promises to be the biggest day
in the history of Odd Fellowship.