THE WAUPACA COUNTY POST

March 19, 1992

 

ODD FELLOWS:  WHERE DID THEY GET THEIR NAME?

 

            A sign along Waupaca’s Main Street proclaims the presence of the hall of IIOF Lodge 208, Waupaca.

            “You might recall from experience that IOOF stand for International Order of Odd Fellows,” said Walter Kolonick, public information chairman of the local chapter, “You may laugh and wonder, ‘Why the name, Odd Fellows?  What are they all about?’”

            Kolonick said the oddity of the name has prompted similar questions over the years, and so he provided the following:

            The name originated in the 18^th Century in England and was brought to America in 1817.

            In England, during the 1700s, middle class workers formed groups for mutual employment and financial support.  They were known as “common men” and would help each other, the poor, the elderly and orphans, in effect, performing the roll of the Good Samaritan.

            Until that time, only the aristocracy established philanthropic cliques and the aristocrats’ comments relative to these commoners was, “Aren’t they odd?”  They were considered odd in the sense of being extraordinary.

            The label stuck.

            Odd Fellowship, said Kolonick, signifies a belief in a Supreme Being and the brotherhood of human beings.  It is directed to broadening the mind and elevating character.

            Odd Fellows work toward common goals and the order reflects the living application of the three link:  friendship, love and truth; faith, hope and charity and the principles that create peace and harmony.