25 Lodges, Clubs, or Secret Societies Your Ancestor May Have Been a Member Of

One of the more interesting parts of our ancestors’ lives that we often discover only via their obituary, is their membership or attachment to a fraternal, ethnic, religious, or service organization or society. The Qlist below contains 25 of the more common ones in the United States.

Why is this important? – 20% of men in 1900 belonged to a lodge or club; their membership was often cited in Obituaries. Knowing their membership in a society, lodge, or club helps complete their family “story” and possibly understand them better. Here are some examples of the more well-known, with links to more information about them.

• B’nai B’rith: a Jewish service organization.
• Benevolent and Protective Order of Elks: A fraternal order focused on charity, justice, brotherly love, and fidelity with an emphasis on patriotism and belief in God.
• Colonial Dames of America: an American organization composed of women who are descended from an ancestor who lived in British America from 1607–1775.
• Daughters of Norway: A sisterhood aimed at preserving Nordic heritage.
• Daughters of the American Revolution (DAR): a lineage-based membership service organization for women who are directly descended from a person involved in the United States’ efforts toward independence.
• Fraternal Order of Eagles: “People Helping People” in the spirit of liberty, truth, justice, and equality. Local units are called “Aeries.”
• Freemasons: The Masonic Fraternity claims to be the oldest fraternity in the world and seeks men (Masons) wishing to become better men through service and self-improvement. 
• Grange: A community-based, fraternal organization with an interest in representing rural residents and the agriculture community.
• Independent Order of Odd Fellows: To improve and elevate the character of mankind by promoting the principles of friendship, love, truth, faith, hope, charity, and universal justice.
• International Concatenated Order of Hoo-Hoo, Incorporated is a fraternal and service organization whose members are involved in the forest products industry. {My personal favorite name!)
• Job’s Daughters International: a Masonic-affiliated youth organization for girls and young women aged 10 to 20.
• Kiwanis: an international service club founded in 1915 in Detroit, Michigan.
• Knight of Pythias: a fraternal organization and secret society founded in Washington, D.C., on 19 February 1864
• Knights of Columbus: A Catholic fraternal benefit society.
• Lions Club: an international non-political service organization established originally in 1917 in Chicago, Illinois.
• Loyal Order of Moose: a fraternal and service organization founded in 1888 and headquartered in Mooseheart, Illinois.
• Optimist International: an international service club organization with almost 3,000 clubs and over 80,000 members in more than 20 countries. The international headquarters is located in St. Louis, Missouri
• Order of the Eastern Star: The members of the Order of the Eastern Star are dedicated women and men who sincerely reflect the spirit of fraternal love and the desire to work together for good.
• Rebekahs: This is the female organization of the Independent Order of Odd Fellows
• Rotary International: an international service organization whose stated purpose is to bring together business and professional leaders to provide humanitarian service and to advance goodwill and peace around the world.
• Shriners: Fraternity based on fun, fellowship, and the Masonic principles of brotherly love, relief, and truth.
• Sons of Italy: A fraternal group focused on preserving Italian heritage.
• Sons of Norway: A fraternal group focused on preserving Norwegian heritage. Founded in 1895.
• Soroptimist International (SI): a worldwide volunteer service organization for women who work for peace, and in particular to improve the lives of women and girls, in local communities and throughout the world.
• The American Legion: commonly known as the Legion, is a nonprofit organization of U.S. war veterans.

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