Home » History » North American Genealogy » Fraternally Yours, Part 1

Fraternally Yours, Part 1

© Mark W. Swarthout

One of the primary needs of human beings is to 'belong'. This need to belong is met through a wide variety of groups including the family, churches, hobby clubs, sports teams, and many other organizations.

In the late 1800's, fraternal organizations became extremely popular. Their histories and archives can provide information on your ancestors and the communities they lived in. Over the next couple of weeks I will present a wide variety of information on these organizations, where you can get background and data on them, and tips on how to identify the organizations your ancestors may have belonged to.

At the turn of the century (1900, not 2000!) almost five million men and women belonged to fraternal organizations. Chances are pretty good, about one in seven, that if your ancestors were in North America that they were among them. Since you have eight Great Grandparents, it would be difficult to imagine that at least one of them was not a member of these organizations. An excellent article, Fraternalism in America (1860 - 1920) by Bart P. Snarf can be found at this URL: http://www.phoenixmasonry.org/masonicmus...

In addition to understanding some of the influencing factors in your ancestor's life, you may also discover migration factors you didn't know. A person who was a member of a nationwide organization would transfer their membership to the new chapter or lodge, quickly giving them a link into their new community. Perhaps they were instrumental in founding a chapter in a newly established community. One of my ancestors moved from New York to California and then into Nevada. There he participated in obtaining the charter for a new Masonic Lodge.

Membership information may help you discover many other things about your ancestor. Their religious beliefs can be determined. After all, Protestants didn't joint the Knights of Columbus! This could lead you to other records. (Yes, that is a future topic! Church, religious records and archives.)

So, how do you determine whether your ancestor was a member of any of these organizations? Time to play detective and look for those clues! Rings, watch fobs, medals and pins handed down through the family can be a key. Those old pictures often show insignia that can be identified. Here are some sites to help you with the identification:

Abbreviations found on medals and badges http://www.gwgantiques.com/ffaq.htm

Pictures and identfication of badges and medals http://www.phoenixmasonry.org/masonicmus...

The International Electronic Phaleristic Encyclopedia seeks to provide identification of medals from all over the world. While mostly focused on military awards, there are a superb number of links and fraternal organizations are mentioned http://haynese.winthrop.edu/iepe.html

The copyright of the article Fraternally Yours, Part 1 in North American Genealogy is owned by Mark W. Swarthout. Permission to republish Fraternally Yours, Part 1 in print or online must be granted by the author in writing.