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Fraternally Yours, Part 2

© Mark W. Swarthout

Part Two of the article on Fraternal Organizations

In working through this topic, I contacted a number of organizations about what information might be on file and whether the data is kept on a national or local level. I asked the listed below and have provided a general summary of the answers I received.

1. What historical records does your organization keep?

2. Are they kept at a local, state, regional or national level?

The records that are maintained at a national level are normally related to the charter or admission of chapters. Membership applications are also placed on file, but these are kept on local, or sometimes state, level. None of the organizations have requirements to keep records for any specific period of time. Availability varies between organizations, and even between states as to how items are stored and if they are kept for any period of time.

3. Is there a means that the general public may make inquiries or have access to these records? Or request a copy of the records?

Most of the organizations do not have policies regarding access to this information. Privacy laws prevent current information (anything from about 1900) from being easy to obtain. Few records are indexed, and looking for a specific name can be time consuming and difficult. Since most of these organizations are not staffed for this type of research, it is not likely that you will be successful at a national or state level, unless your ancestor happened to be an officer at that level. Many local chapters can provide some basic information, such as name, address, occupation and perhaps birthdate from the application, if you know what chapter to ask!

Yes, this does sound rather discouraging! But don't give up hope!

If you determine that an ancestor was a member of one of these organizations, and you know the towns or area and time frame, make contact! Many of these organizations have a 'Chapter Historian' who may have documentation and membership roles. Most of these organizations are very open about what their purpose is and what they are all about. This can really add to your understanding of your ancestors.

Many of the "vanity histories" of the late 1800's and early 1900's contain detailed information on the fraternal organizations of the area, with complete listings of the officers and even charter members. An example is Myron Angel's History of Nevada, Thompson and West, 1881. (Myron is a first cousin of my 3rd Great Grandfather!)

The copyright of the article Fraternally Yours, Part 2 in North American Genealogy is owned by Mark W. Swarthout. Permission to republish Fraternally Yours, Part 2 in print or online must be granted by the author in writing.