Independent Order of Odd Fellows, Hopkins Lodge No. 87 (Bristol, Pa.) Records
Scope and Contents
This collection consists primarily of minute books and ledgers of I.O.O.F. Hopkins Lodge No. 87, as
well as some records from the junior branch of the lodge (the Junior 3 Link Club) and the association
that owned the hall where the Hopkins Lodge met (the Washington Hall Association of the Borough of
Bristol).
The minutes of Hopkins Lodge No. 87 date from 1854 to 1939. The ledger books date from 1844 to the early 1900s. There are also propositions and reports that appear to provide information about those applying to become members, 1843-1865; a docket book, 1843-1867; an order book, 1846-1856; and rolls of officers, 1938-1967.
This collection also includes a Junior 3 Link Club minute book, 1954-1955, that includes minutes of the
first meeting (November 2, 1954) and membership forms.
Lastly, the collection also contains a minute book from the Washington Hall Association of the Borough
of Bristol, 1846-1856.
Dates
- Majority of material found within 1843 - 1967
- 1843 - 1982
Conditions Governing Use
Copyright interests for this collection belong to the Grundy Foundation. For more information, contact the Grundy Archivist.
Biographical / Historical
An altruistic and benevolent fraternal organization, the Independent Order of Odd Fellows (I.O.O.F.) was
originally organized in England in the 18th century by "ordinary people from different trades and walks of
life" who "found it necessary to group together as brothers and sisters and contribute some of their hardearned wages to a common fund which they could use for unfortunate times such as sickness, losing a job
and even death."(I.O.O.F. "About Us")
The first I.O.O.F. branch in the United States, Washington Lodge No. 1 in Baltimore, Maryland was
started in 1819 by Thomas Wildey and four other members of the Order from England. The members,
who came to the city at a time when the city was suffering both a yellow fever epidemic and mass
unemployment, dedicated the organization to "Visit the sick, relieve the distress, bury the dead and
educate the orphans."
The Independent Order of Odd Fellows was the first national fraternity to include both men and women,
adopting the Rebekah Degree, based on biblical scripture, in 1851. As of 2013, Odd Fellows and
Rebekahs continued to exist with nearly 10,000 lodges in approximately 26 countries. (I.O.O.F. "About
Us") "Their main purpose is providing financial assistance to students beyond high school It also
recognizes individuals with an Outstanding Person Award for service to humanity." (Evans)
The Independent Order of Odd Fellows, Hopkins Lodge No. 87 is located in Bristol, Bucks County,
Pennsylvania and was organized in 1843. As of the early 2000s, their stated mission was to "improve and
celebrate the characters of mankind while striving to make the world a better place." The organization has
sponsored scholarships at Bristol High School and offered donations to the Police Department and various
charities. (Evans)
Bibliography:
Independent Order of Odd Fellows. "About Us." Accessed February 8, 2013. http://ioof.org/
Evans, T.S. "Odd Fellows Recognize Members for Years of Service." Pennsylvania Odd Fellow and
Rebekah Magazine Vol. 78, No. 6 (June 2003). Accessed February 8, 2013. http://glpaioof.org/magazine
%5C2003%5C2003June.pdf
Extent
5.25 Linear Feet (5 flat boxes and 4 record cartons)
Language of Materials
English
Abstract
An altruistic and benevolent fraternal organization, the Independent Order of Odd Fellows (I.O.O.F.), which was originally organized in England in the 18th century, was started by Thomas Wildey in the United States in 1819. Hopkins Lodge No. 87, located in Bristol, Bucks County, Pennsylvania, was organized in 1843. The Independent Order of Odd Fellows Hopkins Lodge No. 87 (Bristol, Pa.) records, 1843-1982, consist primarily of minute books and ledgers, and a Junior 3 Link Club minute book and Link Club membership forms. Also included in the collection is a Washington Hall Association of the Borough of Bristol minute book.
Accruals
No further accruals expected.
Processing Information
Summary descriptive information on this collection was compiled in 2012-2014 as part of a project
conducted by the Historical Society of Pennsylvania to make better known and more accessible the
largely hidden collections of small, primarily volunteer run repositories in the Philadelphia area. The Hidden Collections Initiative for Pennsylvania Small Archival Repositories (HCI-PSAR) was funded by a
grant from The Andrew W. Mellon Foundation.
This is a preliminary finding aid. No physical processing, rehousing, reorganizing, or folder listing was accomplished during the HCI-PSAR project.
In some cases, more detailed inventories or finding aids may be available on-site at the repository
where this collection is held; please contact the Grundy Archivist directly for more
information.
- Bristol (Pa. : Borough)
- Bristol (Pa.)
- Bucks County (Pa.)
- Fraternal organizations
- Independent Order of Odd Fellow. Junior Three Link Club (Bristol, Pa.)
- Independent Order of Odd Fellows
- Independent Order of Odd Fellows. Hopkins Lodge No. 87 (Bristol, Pa.)
- Washington Hall Association of the Borough of Bristol (Pa.)
- Title
- Independent Order of Odd Fellows, Hopkins Lodge No. 87 (Bristol, Pa.) records
- Status
- Under Revision
- Author
- Finding aid prepared by Celia Caust-Ellenbogen and Faith Charlton through the Historical Society of Pennsylvania's Hidden Collections Initiative for Pennsylvania Small Archival Repositories.
- Date
- 2014
- Description rules
- Describing Archives: A Content Standard
- Language of description
- Undetermined
- Script of description
- Code for undetermined script
- Language of description note
- English
- Sponsor
- This preliminary finding aid was created as part of the Historical Society of Pennsylvania's Hidden Collections Initiative for Pennsylvania Small Archival Repositories. The HCI-PSAR project was made possible by a grant from The Andrew W. Mellon Foundation.
Repository Details
Part of the Grundy Archive Repository