Closson Press

Author: Sherida K. Eddlemon
…Affiliated Groups and Other Fraternal Organizations, Vol. 1. Fraternal organizations are affiliations of persons drawn together by common interests and may be organized chiefly to provide companionship and pleasure for its members, to furnish its members with certain benefits, or to help their communities. These organizations may also take part in programs supporting charities and social work. Membership in these groups is often restricted, and usually depends on invitations extended by members of the lodge. Many societies only admit men as members while a few limit their membership to women but many have auxiliary chapters to which mothers, wives, daughters, and sisters of members can belong.

Fraternal organizations have been around for centuries. One of the most well-known fraternal societies is the Freemasons.

Union veterans joined the GAR (Grand Army of the Republic). There are numerous veteran organizations for each period in our country’s history. Fraternal groups have been active in our country since the colonial days. Surviving records can be genealogical gems. The records can place an ancestor in an area at a particular point of time. They also broaden the knowledge we gain about our ancestors as well as help to fill in the gaps left by missing census, burned records, etc. This is the first volume in a statewide index.

The main counties covered in this Pennsylvania volume are Tioga, Adams, Allegheny, Philadelphia, Butler, Blair, and Lancaster. Other counties are covered, but to a much lesser degree. Individual entries may include the name of the individual, affiliation, date, county, and type of record. In some cases an individual listing can contain birth, death, marriage date, christening date, name of spouse, birthplace, place of death, military service information, census, names of children. Each individual entry is unique.

There are over 5,000 individuals covered in this volume. All names are in alphabetical order. Applicable cross-referenced entries between the maiden name of the wife and the name associated with her husband have been created and included as necessary. It includes a bibliography and source material.