Odd Fellows
Contact Information
The Sovereign Grand Lodge of the Independent Order of Odd Fellows
Telephone800-235-8358336-725-5955
Fax336-722-7317
Postal address422 N Trade StreetWinston-Salem, North Carolina 27101 USA
Web Addresswww.ioof.org
Electronic [email protected]
Thomas Wildey...Founder of North American Odd Fellowship
Thomas Wildey,founder of OddFellowship in North America, was a man of immensevitality, humor, and warmth. He was born in London,England, in 1782. He was left an orphan five yearslater - and the Odd Fellow pledge to “Educate theOrphan” sprang from his personal childhood experi-ences. At the age of 14, Wildey went to live with anuncle. After he had 9 years of schooling, he became anapprentice to a maker of coach springs. He joined theOdd Fellows in 1804.
When restlessness brought Thomas Wildey toAmerica in 1817, the British were still unpopular inthe States because of the War of 1812. In that yearBaltimore was suffering both a yellow fever epidemicand mass unemployment. An outgoing personality,Wildey missed companionship and advertised in thenewspaper to determine if there were any other OddFellows in Baltimore; he requested them to meet himat the Seven Stars Inn.
On April 26, 1819, Wildey and the four men whoresponded to the advertisement met and began theprocess that would lead to the forming of theIndependent Order of Odd Fellows in North America,dedicating the Order to achieve philanthropic goals.Other Englishmen who were Odd Fellows had groupedin the states along the Eastern Seaboard, and Wildeygathered them all into the newly formed fraternity. Hetraveled widely to set up lodges in the most recentlysettled parts of the country.
At the time of his death in 1861, there were morethan 200,000 members of the Independent Order ofOdd Fellows across North America.
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