Odd Fellowship in Piscataquis County Sprague's Journal of Maine History Vol. I SEPTEMBER, 1913 - No. 3 Odd Fellowship in Piscataquis County By Honorable Willis E. Parsons The Independent Order of Odd Fellows is now known and recognized among men as the greatest fraternal organization on the globe. Millions are the recipients of its beneficent works and the people as well as the philanthropist would know more of that Society which labors so earnestly for the good of humanity, the alleviation of woe and the elevation of all mankind. Where did it originate? What is this remarkable Order that, not in four thousand years, but in less than a century has outgrown every other, and become the giant of them all? What is it that so appeals to the hearts of men, causing millions to worship at its shrine? As no outline of the history of Odd Fellowship in Piscataquis County, or any other part of the jurisdiction of the Sovereign Grand Lodge, would be complete without a brief sketch of the Order, it may be well to give here some account of the origin and wonderful growth of American Odd Fellowship, now known as the Independent Order of Odd Fellows. Odd Fellowship was first known in England in the eighteenth century, where it still exists, the Manchester Unity embracing more than a million members. Manchester Unity The Manchester Unity was the parent of American Odd Fellow- ship, which later became a separate organization, independent of the mother lodge in England, adopting the name, Independent Order of Odd Fellows, the latter being even now a much larger organiza- tion than the one which still flourishes in the home of our English ancestors. 86 SPRAGUE'S JOURNAL OF MAINE HISTORY The exact date of its birth in England has not been clearly established by antiquarians, but it is believed to have been in the first half of the eighteenth century. In comparatively recent histories of the Order it has been claimed that the English novelist, Daniel De Foe, referred to Odd Fellows in 1745, but this, by more recent research, has been relegated to the ranks of tradition. In 1780 the Prince of Wales, later King George the Fourth, was unceremoniously introduced into a lodge of Odd Fellows, and became a member of the Order. This appears to be the first mention of Odd Fellows, although lodges undoubtedly existed in different parts of the Kingdom many years prior to that date. The earliest ritual extant is dated 1797. The various lodges of England united in 1813, forming the Manchester Unity, which has so flourished to the present day. American Odd Fellowship American Odd Fellowship, founded in 1819, differs from the Manchester Unity both in ritual and in its beneficiary features, and although formerly connected with it, became wholly separated in 1842, becoming an independent organization. Since that date its growth has far exceeded the most sanguine expectations of its early advocates, and in 1911 numbered 1,562,- 829 male members in this country alone, while the sister Rebekahs, 450,487, made the grand total in America, 2,013,316. Those figures will be much larger in the next report as the Order has a magnificent annual increase in membership and financial strength, and is better qualified each year to fulfill its great mission among men. Encampments In 1825, but six years after the founding of American Odd Fellowship, the master minds that were guiding the young Order saw its incompletion and the necessity of additional degrees which ODD FELLOWSHIP IN PISCATAQUIS COUNTY 87 would further exemplify its grand principles, giving a broader conception of the true spirit of Odd Fellowship. Three additional degrees were adopted, but Encampments were not organized into a separate branch until 1841. Then Friendship, Love and Truth were followed by Faith, Hope and Charity, Toleration and the Golden Rule, three degrees called the Patriarchal, Golden Rule and Royal Purple, no less beautiful and fully as important as those preceding. Rebekah Lodges In 1851-2, that great Odd Fellow, Schuyler Colfax, who had long been an advocate of some degree admitting the mothers, wives, sisters and daughters of Odd Fellows to a branch of the Order, succeeded in having the Rebekah branch established, and today the Rebekahs have a membership in this country of nearly three quarters of a million. Patriarchs Militant In 1885, the sequence of degrees was completed by the addi- tion of Patriarchs Militant, a uniform or display branch, with the local unit called Canton, which is organized like the United States Army with Department Councils, all under the head of the Sovereign Grand Lodge. Chevaliers must be members in good standing of some Encampment. Its growth has been rapid and Patriarchs Militant has already become an important degree in Odd Fellowship. Early Opposition In the early days of American Odd Fellowship much opposi- tion had to be met and prejudice overcome by those great hearted men who labored untiringly for the good of the Order. But the fact is now recognized that of all the human agencies for the alleviation of woe, the uplift of humanity, and teaching the 88 SPRAGUE'S JOURNAL OF MAINE HISTORY Fatherhood of God and the great brotherhood of man, the Inde- pendent Order of Odd Fellows is second to none save the church of Christ, and is performing a work, far reaching in its effects, for which the church even, under its present organization, is not fitted. They will continue, however, each in its own way, side by side to labor for the good of all mankind. Wonderful Growth of the Order From its small beginning in 1819, a lodge of five members, organized on the 26th of April of that year by Thomas Wildey and his four associates in the city of Baltimore, at the Sign of the Seven Stars, it has grown, in 94 years, to be the greatest fraternal organization the world has ever known, blessing its millions throughout the earth and making the habitation of man more peaceful, more happy, as the principles of Toleration and the Golden Rule permeate the sons of men, recognizing among all nations, tongues and kindreds of the earth, a universal brotherhood. Its members embrace all classes, the plain people, whom Abraham Lincoln said (-rod must have loved the best because he made so many of them, and men who shape public affairs, men of the press, authors, contributors to leading periodicals, lawyers and judges, men in legislatures, in the halls of Congress and in the counsels of the nation ; and the influence of nearly two million voters in this country alone, exemplifying the principles of our Order, is well worthy the consideration of all. And yet, the general public and many members of the Order have but slight knowledge of its history or the great work being accomplished at the present time. Instead of one subordinate lodge, there were in 1911, 17,961 subordinate lodges. There is a Grand Lodge in every state and territory of the Union, with others across the sea acknowledging the authority of one supreme head, the Sovereign Grand Lodge of the Independent Order of Odd Fellows. Over 145,000 brothers annually receive its financial aid and benefits, not as mendicants but as a matter of right. In 1911 the ODD FELLOWSHIP IN PISCATAQUIS COUNTY 89 figures were 145,427. Over 7,000 widowed families are cared for every year, the last report showing 7,270. Over $5,000,000.00 are annually expended in relief and benefits, the same report, 1911, showing $5,396,174.46 so expended. Permanency of the Order The permanency of the Order is shown by its invested funds of over $63,000,000.00. Forty-seven Odd Fellows' Homes for the aged and infirm have been established in this country, valued at $4,500,000.00 and maintained at an annual expense of over $650,000.00. Funds are rapidly accumulating for other Homes, Maine's being among the rest, and in the near future on a beauti- ful site at Auburn Heights in the city of Auburn, will stand an attractive, well regulated Home, with cheerful hearth and warm welcome to all needy Odd Fellows. Lessons of Odd Fellowship The teachings of Odd Fellowship are drawn from the most beautiful lessons of Holy Writ, and as the Savior of Men came not to save the Jew more than the Gentile, so Odd Fellowship, unre- stricted by creed or nationality, reaches out toward all humanity. There is about it that which appeals to the hearts of men and the work of Thomas Wildey, James L. Ridgely, for forty-three years Grand Secretary, and others who so impressively taught the great lessons of life, will endure forever. Our Field of Labor The globe is our field of labor, and Odd Fellowship - has spread not only throughout our own country, but into Canada, traveled southward into Mexico, ascended the Andes and found lodgment in South America, crossed the Atlantic, and Indian Oceans, taken root in Australia, the Sandwich Islands and other isles of the sea, passed over into Germany and blessed its thousands 90 SPRAGUE'S JOURNAL OF MAINE HISTORY in the land of our Anglo-Saxon ancestors, lodged in Switzerland, the Netherlands, Denmark, Norway and Sweden, and even in far off Alaska, until today the sun does not set on American Odd Fellowship. The young Odd Fellow, wherever he may go, marches be- Death the banner of a vast army extending into many lands and wielding its influence and exerting its power in strange cities and distant states, where, though he travel east or west, tarries be- neath southern skies or faces the frozen north, he will find friends of the mystic tie to extend to him a brother's welcome and fraternal greetings. In no order can young and old do more good, and no prouder legacy can you leave to your sons and daughters than knowledge that father was a good Odd Fellow. An Example of Odd Fellowship A noble illustration of that great principle of our Order, tolerance and the spirit of good will toward all men, which recognizes a common brotherhood and attempts to fraternize the world, was given at the session of the Sovereign Grand Lodge held in Baltimore in September, 1865, after the close of the Civil War. At the annual sessions of the Sovereign Grand Lodge held during that four years of strife and carnage, the roll of the Southern jurisdiction was regularly called, and at the close of hostilities the Southern members were welcomed to the chairs and seats which had been held for them during the four years of separation. The roll call in '65 by the venerable Secretary, James L. Ridgely, was a notable event even in fraternal associa- tions. Every survivor answered to his name and vacancies had been filled southern jurisdictions so that the representation was ,complete. It was the first fraternization of the Blue and the Gray, and such rejoicing as was Dever before known in the Grand I Lodge followed the scene. It was a glad reunion of long separated brethren. Tears of joy filled many manly eyes. All business was suspended and the Body immediately adjourned. It was a signifi- cant and happy illustration of the principles of Odd Fellowship. ODD FELLOWSHIP IN PISCATAQUIS COUNTY 91 Odd Fellowship in Maine The first lodge in this State was organized in Portland, August 25, 1843, and for seventy years Portland has been the home of Maine Odd Fellowship. Here the Grand Lodge and Grand Encampment have their permanent headquarters, with a Grand Secretary and Grand Scribe constantly in attendance to furnish supplies, attend to necessary correspondence and render all possible assistance to other Grand Officers in the general advance- ment of the Order. The Grand bodies, Grand Lodge, Grand Encampment and Rebekah Assembly, meet annually in Portland for election of officers, general legislation and necessary business of the different branches, except that once in four years they assemble in Bangor for the better convenience of the great body of Odd Fellows resid- ing in the eastern and northern sections of the State. Maine has been fortunate in having usually at the head of the Order and all over the State those who have believed in the principles of Friendship, Love and Truth, Faith, Hope and Charity, and who have taken Toleration and the Golden Rule as the guiding stars along life's pathway, laboring for the good of their fellowmen, until today Maine contains more Odd Fellows in according to her population than any other state or principality the world. In 1911 there were in this State 25,447 male members and 14,340 sister Rebekahs, making a grand total of 39,787, with a gratifying annual increase which today gives us more than 40,000 members; and looking after their interest, and assisting the other Grand Officers of the State, in the office at Portland, are those splendid Odd Fellows, veterans of the service, W. W. Cutter, Grand Secretary, and Wm. E. Plummer, Grand Scribe. Annual Benefits Paid The Order in this State paid out in 1911, for sick benefits, funeral benefits, watching with the sick, special relief, charity, and widowed families, the grand total of $91,203.43, and that was 92 SPRAGUE'S JOURNAL OF MAINE HISTORY only an average year in Maine's work of relief among Odd Fellows and their dependent families. The Maine Lodges and Encampments own real estate, at a low valuation, worth $500,000.00, and the cash on hand and in- vested funds in 1911 was $509,676.63, making a total of $1,009,- 676.63, and today it exceeds that amount, with a steady annual increase. Maine's population males but a small part of the ninety-five millions of people in the United States, but she has no reason to apologize for her motto, Dirigo, so far as Odd Fellowship is concerned, for she still leads in the great work of the Order. The Grand Lodge, 1. 0. 0. F. of Maine, was organized at Portland, March 18th, 1844, under the supervision of George W. Churchill, District Deputy Grand Sire, assisted by Albert Guild, District Deputy Grand Sire of Massachusetts, New Hampshire and Rhode Island. The petitioners for the dispensation were David Robinson, Jr., and James N. Winslow of Maine Lodge, No. 1; George W. Churchill, George W. Warren and James Smith of Saco Lodge, No. 2; Lucius H. Chandler of Georgian Lodge, No. 3; Edward P. Banks of Anc't Bros. Lodge, No. 4; John D. Kinsman of Ligonia Lodge, No. 5. The first officers of the Grand Lodge were George %V. Churchill, Grand Master; Lucius H. Chandler, Deputy Grand Master; James Smith, Grand Warden; David Robinson, Jr., Grand Secretary; J. N. Winslow, Grand Treasurer. A Grand Encampment was organized at Portland, October 23, 1845, on petition for a charter, by Encampments, Nos. 1, 2, 3, 4, 5 and 6. A convention had been previously held at Portland, February 19th of that year for the purpose of making arrangements to ODD FELLOWSHIP IN PISCATAQUIS COUNTY 93 petition the Sovereign Grand Lodge for a charter for a Grand Encampment for the State of Maine. On call of the Scribe of the convention, the following Past Officers appeared, representing the following Encampments: Benjamin Kingsbury, Jr., P. C. P. ; Eliphalet Clark, P. C. P. ; James Pratt, P. H. P. ; Joseph T. Mitchell, P. H. P. ; Edward P. Banks, P. H. P., of Machigonne Encampment, No. 1. Theophilus C. Hersey, P. C. P. ; Edward Wheeler, Jr., P. C. P.; James N. Winslow, P. C. P. ; Nathaniel F. Deering, P. C. P. ; Solomon T. Corser, P. C. P.; David Robinson, Jr., P. H. P.; Charles F. Safford, P. H. P. ; George Sawyer, P. H. P. ; George W. Wildrage, P. H. P., of Eastern Star Encamp- ment, No. 2. Allen Haines, P. C. P.; Benjamin Plummer, Jr., P. H. P., of Katahdin Encampment, No. 4. David B, Cleaves, P. C. P. ; Joseph Hardy, P. C. P. ; David H. Butler, P. H. P., of Hobah Encampment, No. 5, and George H. Gardiner, P. C. P., of Sagadahock Encampment, No. 6. The first Grand Officers were Theophilus C. Hersey, Grand Patriarch; James Pratt, Grand High Priest; Allen Haines, Grand Senior Warden; David B. Cleaves, Grand Junior Warden; Nathaniel F. Deering, G'rand Scribe; Edward Wheeler, Jr., Grand Treasurer. Maine was thus qualified in 1844 and '45 to engage in the work of the Order which has since carried Odd Fellowship into every county of the State. I The present officers of the Grand Lodge and Grand Encamp- ment are as follows: Grand Lodge of Maine Louis E. Flanders, Grand Master, Auburn Ellery Bowden, Deputy Grand Master, Winterport Harry W. Reid, Grand Warden, Augusta William W. Cutter, Grand Secretary, Portland William E. Plummer, Grand Treasurer, Portland Leon S. Merrill, Grand Representative, Orono 94 SPRAGUE'S JOURNAL OF MAINE HISTORY Charles E. Jackson, Grand Representative, Portland Walter L. Pratt, Grand Marshal, Auburn George T. Holyoke Grand Conductor, Houlton Rev. C. S. Cummings, Grand Chaplain, Auburn Harry G. Harlow, Grand Guardian, Turner H. D. B. Ayer, Grand Herald, North Vassalboro Grand Encampment of Maine Willis E. Parsons, Grand Patriarch, Foxcroft Clarence E. Frost, Grand High Priest, Belfast Sherman L. Berry, Grand Senior Warden, Waterville Wm. E. Plummer, Grand Scribe, Portland Albro E. Chase, Grand Treasurer, Portland Charles E. Jackson, Grand Junior Warden, Portland Alfred 1. Kimball, Grand Representative, Norway Isaiah G. Elder, Grand Representative, Brunswick Walter H. Blethen, Grand Marshal, Dover Frederick W. Hinckley, Grand Sentinel, Portland Joseph T. Holbrook, Deputy Grand Sentinel, Bangor Odd Fellowship in Piscataquis County Only two years after Odd Fellowship was introduced into Maine at Portland and Bangor, it found a temporary resting place in Piscataquis, and Katahdin Lodge, No. 9.9, was insti- tuted at Dover, July 3, 1845. Its charter members were, Thomas Tash, 11. G. 0. Morison, A. L. Vaughan, C. P. Chandler, 1. M. Gerrish, Hosea Ricker and Mordecai Mitchell. The first elective officers were, Thomas Tash, Noble Grand; H. G. 0. Morison, Vice Grand; A. L. Vaughan, Secretary; Mordecai Mitchell, Treasurer. This lodge was at first prosperous, having at one time seventy-five members. The personnel of Katahdin Lodge was rather a remarkable one, as shown in later years, as it embraced in its membership many who afterwards became prominent in their different professions. ODD FELLOWSHIP IN PISCATAQUIS COUNTY 95 Among them, Thomas Tash, the noted educator of Portland; H. G. 0. Morison, Minneapolis lawyer; Charles P. Chandler, lawyer and colonel in the army; John H. Rice, Member of Congress; James S. Wiley, Member of Congress; Daniel D. Vaughan, prominent business man and postmaster of Foxcroft; Sumner Laughton, then of Foxcroft, noted Bangor physician, Alexander M. Robinson, then practicing law in Sebec, later a leading lawyer of Dover, holding many important positions; Charles A. Everett of Milo, later also a prominent lawyer of Dover; Thomas Proctor, then of Dover; Chester Chamberlain; Sherburn W. Elliott of Dover, many years the leading physician of that town; Eben P. Greenleaf of Williamsburg, and many others of prominence whose names would be familiar to the older residents of the State. This lodge was organized, however, too early for so sparsely settled a community and unlike those established in the larger centers could only be temporary. Its members were scattered, many residing in other towns who could seldom attend the meet- ings, the work thus devolving upon a few. Some moved to distant localities, taking clearance cards, and in 1857, it was thought best to close up the affairs of the lodge. A part of the members had, nevertheless, become so imbued with the higher principles of Odd Fellowship, that at a good deal of expense and inconvenience they joined other lodges in the Penobscot or Kennebec Valleys. Among them was Nathaniel Gray of Foxcroft, one of our honored citizens, who remained an Odd Fellow to the day of his death. Our Lodges and Encampments Space will not permit any but the briefest history of separate lodges, and it is not intended in this article to give anything but the most essential facts concerning the institution and growth of the several lodges and Encampments, in the chronological order in which they have taken up the work of disseminating the prin- ciples of Odd Fellowship in this section of the State; the object of the writer being to collect and preserve in compact form statistical 96 SPRAGUE'S JOURNAL OF MAINE HISTORY facts concerning the various lodges and Encampments which may be of easy access to those interested in their growth and develop- ment in our own community. If some errors have crept in, it is due to misinformation, but in the main it will be found, I believe, a correct account of the expansion Of Odd Fellowship in a section of Maine's jurisdiction which is not behind any other portion of the State in the practice and exemplification of those cardinal virtues taught by our great Order. Friendship, Love and Truth, Faith, Hope and Charity have found faithful adherents in Piscataquis, while Toleration and the Golden Rule have appealed to the hearts of her people, and no- where in Maine can be found more loyal Odd Fellows than those who dwell upon the hills and in the valley of our own County. Dirigo Lodge, No. 63 Odd Fellowship was successfully introduced into Piscataquis County, January 21, 1869, under Nehemiah H. Colson, Grand Master, when Dirigo Lodge, No. 63, was instituted in the enter- prising town of Milo. There were five charter members, Thomas A. Palmer, Charles A. Snow, David B. Tolman , Richard A. Monroe and Moses Tolman, all active members, and most of them passing through the chairs more than once. David B. Tolman, one of the charter members and three times Noble Grand, is still living, and residing in the town of Milo, where, as a prominent and respected citizen, interested in the prosperity of his town and the well-being of the community, he has seen Dirigo Lodge from its small beginning, move steadi1y forward, avoiding pitfalls and the fate of Katahdin, overcoming obstacles and sometimes dissension which for the moment threatened disaster, until it has become, through the efforts of loyal Odd Fellows, thoroughly grounded and for many years has held the proud record of being one of the strong lodges of the State. It now has a membership of 250, with a steady growth. Its name, Dirigo, was well chosen for it certainly leads in the ODD FELLOWSHIP IN PISCATAQUIS COUNTY 97 permanent Odd Fellowship of Piscataquis. It embraces in its membership those interested not alone in their own well-being but in the prosperity of the entire community, and prominent men of the town are enrolled as members. Among its list of Noble Grands are many whose reputation as men of worth and character, as valuable citizens of the State, are by no means confined to our own County. It has, enjoyed financial prosperity and has one of the best lodge homes in Eastern Maine, with other funds well invested. It was incorporated June 5, 1889, and moved into its new hall in October, 1890. Dirigo has been faithful to the injunction of Odd Fellowship, "visit the sick, bury the dead and educate the orphan," and has paid out of its treasury for the purpose of benefits and aid to worthy brothers and their families since it was instituted, $15,000. Its noble Grands have been: Thomas H. Palmer, David B. Tolman, R. A. Monroe, C. L. Mitchell, C. H. Savage, John Lindsay, J. H. Macomber, Jr., C. D. Sprague, George Gould, Thomas Stoddard, J. W. Gould, C. A. Snow, A. C. Soule, George W. Howe, Fremont French, Abner Ramsdell, C. H. Buswell, James L. Martin, C. F. Clement, George AV. Daggett, 1. G. Mayo, N. A. McNaughton, C. S. Harris, F. E. Monroe, Walter H. Snow, N. W. Brown, B. B. Kimball, L. J. Allen, H. W. Sargent, S. D. Buswell, F. A. Clark, James S. McNaughton, Harvey Fleming, M. L. Durgin, Louis C. Ford, W. A. Hobbs, J. F. Davis, Bert L. Gould, A. D. Whitney, Charles S. Horne, W. IV. Waugh, Walter Waterhouse, L. G. C. Brown, Hollis J. Hall, Everett L. Souther, 1. F. Hobbs, A. H. Chase, F. H. Gould, S. C. Gould, C. H. West, M. S. Bishop, W. M. Hamlin, B. A. Ramsdell, W. B. Hobbs. Kineo Lodge No. 64 The next year, March 23, 1870, Kineo Lodge, No. 64, I. 0. 0. F., was instituted at Dover by James E. Hazeltine, Grand Master, assisted by J. K. Merrill, Grand Representative, George H. Walden and Charles B. Nash, Past Grands, and a delegation from Milo and Bangor. 98 SPRAGUE'S JOURNAL 0F MAINE HISTORY The charter members were George G. ])owning, William D. Blethen, Benjamin C. Lowell, G. E. S. Bryant, Darius F. Ayer and J. B. Chase. Of this number George G. Downing is the only survivor and still resides in Dover. The lodge was instituted in one of the small rooms in Mayo's Hall, but on invitation of Mosaic Lodge, No. 62, F. and A. M., moved into its hall in Foxcroft, then in the upper part of the old Academy building which formed a part of the Favor block. In a few months however, Kineo Lodge purchased the upper story of the school building on School Street in Dover, known as Merrick Hall. which was occupied as a lodge room until 1887, when it moved into its present commodious quarters in the third and fourth stories of the Bank Block in Union Square. Merrick Hall, which Kineo Lodge formerly owned and occupied, was the upper portion of the schoolhouse building on School Street in Dover, permission having been given by School District No. 1, to certain parties, to build a second story for a public hall when the schoolhouse was erected. The right and ownership of Kineo Lodge in its hall was always recognized by the district. After the district moved into its new schoolhouse on High Street, it called a meeting of the school district to see if the district would vote to sell its school building under Odd Fellows hall, still recognizing the ownership of Kineo Lodge to the upper story. Parties, however, taking the deed, claimed the whole building and tried to deprive the lodge of all right and title to the same. The matter was contested in the courts in suit versus W. 1). Blethen and another lodge trustee, and is reported in the 77th Volume of Maine Reports, page 510. The hall was saved to Kineo Lodge, the Law Court fully sustaining its ownership and title. E. Flint, A. G. Lebroke and IV. E. Parsons acted as attorneys for the lodge, and the latter counsel argued the case at the Law Court which was held at Bangor, June term, 1885. Kineo Lodge, however, had outgrown its old quarters and when the Piscataquis Savings Bank erected its Bank Block, entered into a contract for ownership of the upper stories, where it has had, since 1887, commodious rooms. By recent improvements ODD FELLOWSHIP IN PISCATAQUIS COUNTY 99 it now has one of the finest lodge homes in the State. The in- vested funds of the lodge, including its real estate, amount to over $10,000. Since its institution, it has paid out, to January 1, 1912, for sick and funeral benefits, the sum of $15,071.28. From a lodge of seven members it has become one of the most prominent lodges of the State, numbering 372, making a net gain of sixty-seven last year, and winning the proud distinction of being the banner lodge of the State. Its members are good Odd Fellows, not confining their efforts to their own lodge, and when the call was issued this year for aid for an Odd Fellows Home at Auburn, Kineo Lodge surpassed all others in the amount contributed, be- coming again in that respect the banner lodge of Maine. lt is still growing in numbers and maintaining that spirit of true Odd Fellowship which bespeaks for it even greater usefulness in the years to come. Kineo's Noble Grands have been: J. B. Chase, B. C. Lowell, G. E. S. Bryant, T. P. Elliott, G. G. Downing, G. W. Pratt, Thomas Daggett, Volney A. Gray, G. G. Downing, H. N. Greeley, William F. Washburn, C. S. Ham, A. L. Ober, B. P. Hammond, N. C. Stowe, A. G. Lebroke, E. 1). Wade, D. F. Aver, A. M. Cass, W. H. Vaughan, D. E. Dinsmore, F. D. Thompson, J. C. Cross, F. D. Barrows, C. H. Mansfield, W. S. Ham, Hiram Rogers, W. H. Blethen, F. D. Folsom, J. H. Shaw, B. L. Batchelor, C. B. Chamberlain, F. E. Bailey, O. 13. Chap- man, R. E. Hoyt, W. P. Mansfield, S. T. Mansfield, C. W. Bradley, L. W. Pratt, C. C. Lee, H. A. Knowlton, C. L. Hoyt, W. L. Stoddard, Edward Washburn, D. A. Severance, C. B. Emerson, M. D. Hutchinson, W. W. Blethen, W. H. Bartlett, G. P, Burrill, F. E. Waterman, S. A. Annis, H. H. Maguire, J. H. Taylor, A. G. Brown, F. G. Adams, S. F. Atwood, J. J. Folsom, W. H. Day, C. S. Maguire, S. J. Law, G. R. Foss, W. E. Parsons, C. R. Bailey, A. A. Dinsmore, A. M. Pratt. El Dorado Encampment, No. 20 The year 1874 was an eventful one in the annals of Piscataquis Odd Fellowship, as El Dorado Encampment, No. 20, of Dover,and 100 SPRAGUE'S JOURNAL OF MAINE HISTORY Good Cheer Lodge, No. 37, of Guilford, were both instituted, El Dorado antedating Good Cheer by only a few months. It was April 14, 1874, when Grand Patriarch Warren E. Pressey, assisted by A. D. Smith, Grand Senior Warden, N. G. Cummings, Grand Scribe, J. N. Reed, Grand Representative, J. W. Sargent, Grand Representative, and Past Chief Patriarchs, instituted El Dorado Encampment, No. 20, at Odd Fellows Hall in Dover, with the following charter members: D. F. Ayer, W. 1). Blethen, N. F. Batchelor, A. H. Blood, G. G. Downing, H. S. Davis, T. P. Elliott, V. A. Gray, R. D. Gilman, C. S. Ham, C. E. Hurd, W. H. Knight, B. C. Lowell, F. D. Thompson and Edward Washburn. El Dorado has been one of the active Encampments of the State, ready at all times to assist other Encampments in advancing the principles of Faith, Hope and Charity, Toleration and the Golden Rule, and, although the other three Encampments in this district each drew charter members from El Dorado, it has steadily advanced and now numbers 205 members. It has always occupied Kineo Lodge rooms, moving from the old hall with Kineo in 1887, and sharing the expense of maintain- ing the same with the lodge. It has a good, substantial fund invested, but has paid out in benefits and aid the sum of $5,437.- 01. Since t was instituted, it has admitted, advanced and exalted 317 members. Its first Chief Patriarch was B. C. Lowell of Dover, now deceased, and the others in their older were, C. S. Ham, T. P. Elliott, G. G. Downing, V. A. Gray, D. F. Ayer, W. F. Washburn, J. W. Robinson, F. 1). Thompson, S. C. Whitcomb, W. E. Parsons, H. E. Stowe, J. H. Shaw, F. D. Barrows, Edward Washburn, C. H. Mansfield, S. T. Mansfield, W. E. Parsons, C. H. Mansfield, W. B. Knox, J. C. Cross, W. H. Blethen, S. T. Mansfield, A. M. Cass, W. F. Washburn, F. E. Bailey, G. L. Barrows, W. S. Ham, D. E. Dinsmore, R. E. Hoyt, F. B. Canney, W. L. Stoddard, H. A. Knowlton, F. D. Folsom, F. 0. Lanpher, C. W. Bradley, C. L. Hoyt, S. A. Annis, F. E. Waterman, R. S. Barber, 1). A. Severance, W. W. Blethen, J. J. Folsom, M. D. Hutchinson, L. C. Sawyer, F. H. Glover, W. P. Mansfield, H. H. Maguire, W. H. Bartlett, A. G. ODD FELLOWSHIP IN PISCATAQUIS COUNTY 101 Brown, J. H. Taylor, F. G. Adams, S. J. Law, C. S. Maguire, F. K. Rogan, H. K. Farnham, and the present incumbent, John T. Aver. Good Cheer Lodge, no. 37 Good Cheer Lodge, No. 37, of Guilford, was instituted September 24, 1874, by F. M. Laughton, Grand Master, assisted by Joshua Davis, Grand Secretary, E. A. Buck, Grand Marshal, and Past Grands of Kineo Lodge of Dover. The charter members were, George W. Pratt, Charles Foss, John F. Sprague, Edward Swanton, C. P. Cass, J. C. Bishop and T. H. Brown. Good Cheer has been a prosperous lodge although meeting with a heavy financial loss in having its hall destroyed by fire in 1902. It erected a much better one, however, of brick, with stores underneath. The lodge room is large and well furnished, with ample ante-rooms, all heated by steam and up to date, and is rented to the other fraternal societies in town. The lodge now numbers 193 members and has paid out for benefits and relief the sum of $9,098.77 prior to this year. It has paid out for expenses other than benefits and charities, $15,- 072.57, and its total receipts up to and including last year have been $30,730.64. Its books and records were destroyed in the fire, but its progress from year to year, as revealed by its annual reports on file at the Grand Lodge, shows it to be one of the substantial lodges of the State. Its Noble Grands have been: G. W. Pratt, J. H. Morgan, C. H. Loring, C. F. Wharff, C. W. True, S. J. Hale, Daniel W. Hussey, Martin H. Jackson, Henry L. Thomas, Peter Cummings, Samuel M. Gile, Isaac Small, H. L. Thomas, C. W. True, Samuel Webber, A. H. McSorleY, Henry L. Thomas, Stedman H. Stevens, Andrew H. McSorley, Samuel M. Gile, Ansel Jackson, Willard H. True, Hiram D. Crockett, Andrew H. McSorley, Ansel S. Whitney, Henry E. Curtis, Amos Beal, Andrew H. McSorley, Perez B. Beal, James E. Brawn, Frank S. Murray, Alex 102 SPRAGUE'S JOURNAL OF MAINE HISTORY J. Goldthwaite, Zebulon P. Stevens, Alex F. Edes, Willis M. Beal, Ernest W. Genthner, Sumner C. Bennett, Azro C. Hibbard, Jr., Millard Metcalf, A. W. Ellis, C. E. Lombard, John Houston, Louis A. Houston, A. C. Brockway, C. E. Higgins, Mellen S. Fogg, Fred Mellor, W. S. Small, Charles E. Higgins, Wilson E. Fish, Charles S. Jenkins, Selden D. Rice, E. A. Somers, Danville L. Wyman and Charles L. Adams. Orion Rebekah Lodge, No. 16 The year 1878 saw the first Rebekah Lodge instituted in this County, when Milo again led in introducing this branch of the Order and Orion Rebekah Lodge, No. 16, was instituted in that town, October 3, 1878, by Grand Master John Read. The charter members were, W. M. Hamlin, Marv A. Hamlin, J. W. Gould, Lucy M. Gould, A. C. Gould, Sara E. Gould, H. T. Sherburne, Avis Sherburne, C. H. Savage, Lillie Savage, IV. Scripture, Hannah W. Scripture, B. A. Ramsdell, Mary E. Ramsdell, E. E. Sturtevant, Almena Hanscome, E. C. Long and Vira M. Long. This meritorious branch of our Order has been appreciated by the Odd Fellows of Milo and their families and there are now 248 members in Orion Lodge. It has been of great assistance to Dirigo Lodge in advancing the principles of Friendship, Love and Truth, caring for the sick, maintaining a spirit of true Odd Fellowship and creating enthusiasm through the sociability of its gatherings. It is beautiful and impressive work and many an Odd Fellow who has taken his degrees in both Lodge and Encampment, does not linger until he has the Rebekah degree. If there is no Encampment in his town he shows wisdom by going from the Subordinate Lodge into the Rebekah Lodge immediately on receiv- ing his Scarlet degree. The Encampment degrees, however, are too important to be neglected by any one desiring to be a full Odd Fellow. Orion's first Noble Grand was John W. Gould, and then the sisters took the ribbons and have driven most successfully since: ODD FELLOWSHIP IN PISCATAQUIS COUNTY 103 Lillie Savage, four terms; Sarah E. Gould, Avis Sherburne, Marv A. Hamlin, Almena Hanscome, Hannah Scripture, Serena Patten, two terms, Marv F. Hobbs, two terms, Sarah Knowles, Lydia Hobbs, Carrie A. French, Nellie Spearing, two terms, Sarah J. McNaughton, two terms, Calista Templeton, Mary Church, Lucy Bishop, R. J. Hamlin, Clara West, Nellie Ford, Delia Clement, two terms, Mary Chase, Rosa Durgin, two terms, Belle Clark, Jessie McNaughton, three terms, Marv A. Ingalls, two terms, Ada Kimball, Mabel Sargent, Ella Lovejoy, Lizzie Mayo, Mary Snow, Aldie Johnson, Annie Drinkwater, Blanche Hamlin, Mary Deane, Susie Perrigo, Marion A. Crosby, Lillian B. Pooler and Margaret Waterhouse. Onaway Lodge, No. 106 The year 1884 saw another important step taken in the growth and expansion of Piscataquis Odd Fellowship, when Onaway Lodge, No. 106, of Monson was instituted by Grand Master J. Henry Crockett. The charter members were, Dana Crockett, A. J. Cushman, T. P. Elliott, IV. L. Estabrooke, E. J. Rankins and John F. Sprague. It field its meetings in Masonic Hall, and when that was burned in 1910, lost heavily in paraphernalia and equipment, but November 9, 1911, found it settled in the Dew Masonic Hall quar- ters, much larger than the first and one of the best for work in Eastern Maine. New paraphernalia has been purchased and this wide-awake lodge is increasing in membership and growing in the knowledge of true Odd Fellowship, about thirty of its members be- ing Patriarchs of El Dorado Encampment. a large class Joining the present year. It has but a small territory to draw from and yet has at the present writing 164 members, fifteen having been added this year. Harmony and Brotherly Love prevail and few lodges in the State have more nationalities on its rolls. A degree staff from Onaway recently conferred a degree in Kineo Lodge with seven nationalities represented on the team, all good workers and fully qualified to 104 SPRAGUE'S JOURNAL OF MAINE HISTORY make any man passing through their hands feel that he was hence- forth a brother of the Order. Like other lodges in the County, it has been mindful of the sick and needy and has paid out in benefits and aid, $5,866.00 since its institution. Its Noble Grands have been: Stephen Barber, A. E. Bartlett, W. C. Brown, Neil Bruce, Dana Crockett, W. H. Davis, T. P. Elliott, W. L. Estabrooke, A. W. Farrar, S. T. Flint, E. H. Flint, C. W. Folsom, L. S. Hall, C. C. Hall, E. T. Hescock, W. R. Hughes, W. H. Hughes, S. J. Hughes, D. J. Jackson, R. J. Jones, W. D. Jones, Peter E. Johnson, F. W. Kirk, C. M. Poole, 0. W. Riddle, Charles E. Sanborn, Jr., Robert Sawyer, H. E. Smith, J. F. Sprague, F. H. Sherburne, George H. Farr, Harry M. Thomas, F. J. Wilkins, R. A. Zimmerman and Arthur L. Brown, present Noble Grand. Wenonah Rebekah Lodge, No. 11 Three years later, March 23, 1887, Wenonah Rebekah Lodge, No. 11, was instituted at Dover by Grand Master Freeman T. Merrill, George L. Godfrey, D. G. M., Joshua Davis, Grand Secretary, and Past Grands of Kineo Lodge. The charter members were, Walter H. Blethen, Lizzie H. Barrows, Fred E. Bailey, Henry T. Boynton, Nettie M. Boynton, James Bush, Mary J. Bush, John F. Carleton, Mary A. Carleton, John C. Cross, David E. Dinsmore, Frances A. Dinsmore, Nellie M. Dinsmore, Annie Bryant Emerson, Charles B. Emerson, Edward L. Emery, Estelle M. Emery, Frank D. Folsom, Benjamin F. Farris, Hannah L. Farris, Ira S. Gould, Emily C. Hale, Charles S. Ham, Eliza A. Ham, Willis S. Ham, Fannie B. Howard, George E. Howard, Abbie S. Hoyt, Charles H. Mans- field, Mary E. Mansfield, Stacy T. Mansfield, Anna S. Norton, Samuel Norton, Elvira P. Oaks, Howard B. Oaks, Lizzie S. Pratt, L. W. Pratt, Emma Sanford, Angie M. Shaw, John H. Shaw, Albert D. Sherman, Nellie E. Sherman, Chester L. Swallow, Ella M. Swallow, Frances D. Washburn and William Washburn. The first officers were, William Washburn, Noble Grand; ODD FELLOWSHIP IN PISCATAQUIS COUNTY 105 Annie B. Emerson, Vice Grand; Fannie B. Howard, Recording Secretary; Anna S. Norton, Financial Secretary; Emily J. Hale, Treasurer. Wenonah has been one of the most active Rebekah lodges in Eastern Maine and last year was the banner lodge of the whole State, making a net gain of 90 members. It DOW numbers 347; 200 sisters and 147 brothers, and is still growing. There is only one larger lodge in the County, Kineo Lodge, leading with its 372 members. Wenonah is of great assistance in the Order and fully answers the purpose for which the great founder of the Rebekah degree, Schuyler Colfax, intended. The prosperity of Odd Fellowship in this County is in no small measure due to the interest in the work evinced by the wives, sisters, mothers and daughters of the members of the Order. The sociability of the Order is also an important feature in creating enthusiasm and progress and the Rebekahs have been unusually active in sustaining its social gather- ings in all parts of the County. The Noble Grands of Wenonah have been: William Washburn, Annie B. Emerson, Frances D. Washburn, Estelle M. Emery, Nellie E. Sherman, Celia M. Downing, Elvira P. Oaks, Julia Vaughan, Emma Sampson, Lizzie Pratt, Marcia Cross, Susie Hutchinson, Abbie Hoyt, Eliza J. Waterman, Mary E. Mansfield, H. Lizzie Dinsmore, Maria Mansfield, Mae Barber, Edith N. Oakes, May E. Annis, Lucy A. Towle, May E. Adams, Van Stowe, Ethel Burrill, Minnie Ray, Della McIntire, Gertrude D. Law, M. Alma Sawyer, Lenora Day, Ethel Dunning, Helen M. Rogan. The year 1.891 was another banner year for Piscataquis Odd Fellowship, two Rebekah Lodges and one Subordinate Lodge being organized in the months of May and June, Golden Link Rebekah Lodge, No. 37, of Guilford, North Star Rebekah Lodge, No. 38, of Monson, and New England Lodge, No. 125, of Greenville. (Will continue) * * * * NOTICE: Printing the files within by non-commercial individuals and libraries is encouraged, as long as all notices and submitter information is included. Any other use, including copying files to other sites requires permission from the submitters PRIOR to uploading to any other sites. We encourage links to the state and county table of contents. * * * * The USGenWeb Project makes no claims or estimates of the validity of the information submitted and reminds you that each new piece of information must be researched and proved or disproved by weight of evidence. It is always best to consult the original material for verification.