Oklahoma
Independant Order of Odd Fellows

OK Grand Lodge - Webmaster

Welcome to the Official Oklahoma Independent Order of Odd Fellows Genealogical & Historical Website! We hope you will find information to help you with your research.

Starting with Caddo #1 in the Choctaw Nation in Indian Territory on 8 May 1875, they would Institute 8 more lodges before the first Land Run of April 22, 1889. Three Lodges would be instituted in the Unassigned Lands referred to as Oklahoma Nation in Indian Territory, Norman #10 (11/21/1889), Oklahoma # 11 (12/18/1889), and Guthrie #12, (02/13/1890). In May 1890 Congress declared the unassigned lands Oklahoma Territory and the three became Norman #1, Oklahoma #2, and Guthrie #3, in the Oklahoma Territory, which set the stage for the Grand Lodge of Indian Territory, and the Grand Lodge of Oklahoma Territory, both to be instituted in 1893.

Both Indian and Oklahoma Territories would have a Home for Children and indigent Odd Fellows and widows, Indian Territory would be located in Checotah Ok. opening in 1902, and Oklahoma Territory would be in Carmen opened in 1907, after consolidation of the Grand Lodges the Carmen Home would become primarily the Children's home, and Checotah would become the Home for Odd Fellows and widows, however we had both adults and Children in both homes.

Both Grand Lodges began a discussion of consolidation before the turn of the century, however this did not take place for several years. The two Grand Lodges grew and on April 13,1911, when the consolidation took place we had over 600 Odd Fellow Lodges and almost as many Rebekah Lodges, with thousands of names.

Odd Fellowship is about many things and primary among these is the family institution. We strongly feel that research of ones ancestors cannot but help strengthen the individual's desire for family ties. For it is truly upon the lives of our ancestors that we walk today.

Each and every Man filled out an application or had a document with which he affiliated to a lodge, these will be scanned in and placed on line in hopes that this will help people to find and better understand where they came from. (Many have been lost and cannot be recovered, so not every person who had ties will be listed.)

I will be starting with the applications of persons who became residents of the Homes, and Lodge Membership prior to consolidation of the two Jurisdictions. Both homes are now closed so we will complete these listings up to closing date except for those persons still living.

I am working by myself and will make many mistakes in these papers, so please try to overlook them or e-mail me with the necessary changes. Though we do have a common spelling for names today, I have chosen to write them as they appear to be written, because that is the way they spelled it and it will be written the same way on everything they wrote.

Explanation of Data

IOOF Membership Application Requests

IOOF Cemeteries

IOOF History

IOOF Homes

IOOF Military

IOOF Necrology - Coming Soon

IOOF Obituaries

IOOF Photos

Sovereign Grand Lodge IOOF

Updated: Tuesday, 11-Sep-2018 03:09:21 MDT

      © 2002, 2003, 2004 by Oklahoma IOOF Grand Lodge

The copyright (s) on this page must appear on all
copied and/or printed material.