Today these thoughts reminded me to let you all know that I have a category on Cyndi's List for just this topic.
- Cyndi's List - Societies & Groups - Fraternal Organizations
http://www.CyndisList.com/societies/fraternal/
- Family Chronicle - Fraternal and Benevolent Societies, by Kyle Betit
http://familychronicle.com/FraternalSocieties.html - Fraternalism in America
http://www.phoenixmasonry.org/masonicmuseum/fraternalism/table_of_contents.htm
You might find that learning about your ancestors' memberships in fraternal organizations is a wonderful new source of information for your research. There are a number of different types of organizations, all founded for a variety of reasons. Many of them have their roots in community fellowship, benevolence, and charity. Some were founded for veterans of military service to continue their sense of brotherhood years after their service ended. The list is too long to post here, but you'll find several examples through links on Cyndi's List. There are several different names for these societies, which include words and phrases such as the following examples:
- benefit society
- immigrant society
- brotherhood
- fraternal
- the order of
- ancient order
Do you have photos of ancestors wearing pins or jewelry with special symbols or artwork that you don't recognize? Have you seen a tombstone at a cemetery with such symbols and always wondered about them? Or have you run across acronyms in documents and on tombstones that you aren't familiar with? Check out the various resources online to help you identify those symbols and acronyms in order to determine in which organizations your ancestors may have had membership. I have a sub-category on Cyndi's List for just that: http://www.CyndisList.com/societies/fraternal/acronyms/
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