Thursday, April 30, 2020

ANCESTORS IN THE NEWS ~ Richard Lindsay to become Grand Patriarch of the Odd Fellows organization - 1914


Another in my series of news articles about my paternal great granduncle, Richard Lindsay (1862-1927).

Here are the other blog posts written about Richard Lindsay, so far.  My blogging has taken a hit during this Covid-19 situation.  It’s been difficult to focus and do any research or writing.  Instead, I’ve been cleaning and organizing various areas in my house. Have any of you found it difficult to conduct your research as well?  Or, have you been able to do more?



This particular news article is about a meeting of the Odd Fellows organization.  The meeting took place in Sault Ste. Marie, Michigan in May 1914.

I wondered what exactly was the Odd Fellows?  Are they similar to Masons?  I know that Richard Lindsay belonged to both organizations, as mentioned in other articles about him and his obituary.

I used our friend Goggle and found this Wikipedia explanation of the Odd Fellow organization.  https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Odd_Fellows  The answer to my question about them being the same as the Masons would be, they are similar organizations.

Here is the full page of the article which includes photos.  Richard Lindsay being second from the left.



Here is a transcription of the portion of the article about Richard Lindsay.  He was slated to become the Grand Patriarch.

“Reward Detroit Man – There is but little doubt of the re-election of Richard Lindsay, of Detroit to the highest office in the state organization, that of grand patriarch, to succeed Thomas Conlin of Crystal Falls, the present incumbent.  The election of the grand high priest to grand patriarch follows in the natural order of advancement of officers, this being the system adopted by the Grand Encampment in the election of its officers.  Mr. Lindsay is the present grand high priest.  He is a member of Western Lodge of Detroit, one of the strongest in the state.  He is a past grand of that lodge and past chief patriarch of Enterprise Encampment of Detroit.”

Did you have ancestors who belonged to organizations such as these?  I have many in my family who were members of Masonic Lodges and one family involved in Canadian Order of Foresters and Companions of Foresters, among others.

Happy hunting,
Michigan Girl
Copyright ©  2010-2020   Diane Gould Hall
ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.  NO USE WITHOUT PERMISSION

2 comments:

  1. Very interesting. It is great that you were able to find articles that mention him. I always feel like learning about the organizations like this that our ancestors were part of give us a glimpse into who they were. This organizations required time and effort on their part and it seems like a lot of them were service oriented. I have found my ancestor on published lists of Masons. I tried when I was in Georgia to find out if there were any surviving records, but couldn't get anywhere with that. I've been told they didn't really record information of genealogical interest, but if they had notes from meetings, that would be fun to see if they were mentioned and what the organization was involved in.

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    1. He was in the newspaper quite often, at least by our family standards. He was a Detroit City Clerk and temporary Mayor and also a Councilmember. He died long before I was born, but my grandmother (his niece) spoke of him often. Wish I'd have taken notes. Thanks for stopping by Michelle.

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I look forward to reading your comments. If you have any connection to the people mentioned in this blog, please let me know. I write about mine and my husband's ancestors and would welcome new information or meeting a new cousin or two. Thanks for visiting and come back soon.