Democratic Sentinel, Volume 18, Number 16, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 4 May 1894 — ODD FELLOWS’ JUBILEE. [ARTICLE+ILLUSTRATION]

ODD FELLOWS’ JUBILEE.

A Great Celebration of the Seventy-fifth Anniversary of the Order. The celebration of the seventy-fifth anniversary of the founding of the Independent Order of Odd Fellows was fittingly observed throughout the country. The founder of American Odd Fellowship was Thomas Wildey, who was born in London. Jan. 15, 1782. On reaching manhood he was initiated into the order. He came to this country in 1817 and settled in Baltimore. He sought the acquaintance of a few straggling members of the order who had preceded him here and March 27, 1819, he inserted a notice in a Baltimore paper calling for the members of the

order to meet for the purpose of forming a lodge. Five responded, and on the memorable 26th of April they organized themselves into the Washington Lodge of Odd Fellows at the historic old Seven Stars tavern. The subsequent growth and spread of the order can be seen in the following table of figures made for the annual encampment of 1893: JUBISDICTION MEMBERS. Alabama 4,000 lowa 32,000 Arizona. 750 Kansas 22,000 Arkansas 4,M 0 Kentucky 9,000 British Columbia 2,G00 Louisiana 1,400 California 32,0i.0 Labrador 4,000 Colorado 8,000 Maine 22,000 Connecticutls,ooo Manitoba 2.000 Delaware 3.100 Marylandlo,ooo lAs’t ofColumbia 2.000 Massachusetts.. 49,030 Florida. I,A 0 Michigan 25,000 Georgia. 5,500 Montana.. 3,000 Idaho 1,900 Nebraska 9,100 Illinoisso,oo'j Nevada 2,000 Indiana 41,000 New Hampshire. 12,200 New Jersey2s,ooo Tennessee 6,000 New Mexico..... so' Texas 7.000 New Yorkos.ooo Utah 2,000 North Carolina 4,900 Vermont 4,109 North Dakota.... 2,300 Virginia 6,000 0hi064,0'0 Washington ... 7,6 0 Ontario 20,000 West Virginia... 8,000 Oregon 6,000 Minnesota 14,000 Pennsylvania... .112,000 Mississippi 1,700 Quebec 1,400 Missouri. 24,00> Rhode Island.... 6,500 Wisconsin 17,000 South Carolina.. 900 Wyoming 1,000 South Dakota.... 4,000 Vast as is the growth here shown, it does not do justice of percentage of increase, as only round numbers are given, and thus many lodges are not represented in the figures.

BIRTHPLACE OF ODD FELLOWSHIP.