Box 1

Content Description

A letter from La Fayette Division, No. 88, to Orient Lodge. Dated July 14, 1884. In this letter, La Fayette Division, No. 88, invites Orient Lodge to the “annual excursion of the Sons of Temperance of the State of Connecticut.”

Content Description

A letter from Corydon D. Rose to E. S. Hughes dated October 27, 1871. In this letter, County Chief Templar Rose reminds Hughes and the members of Utica Central Lodge, No. 240, that political discussion is prohibited within the walls of the lodge. Rose also informs the members of Utica Central Lodge that Lewis H. Babcock, the Democratic nominee for district attorney, has been disciplined for violating this obligation to the lodge.

Content Description This item contains two letters written by L. Conger and W. R. Conger, the Vice Grand and Noble Grand of Sodus Lodge, No. 338, Independent Order of Odd Fellows, to their mother describes the death and funeral of Bezaleel F. Cleveland, a revered Odd Fellow and the founding Noble Grand of Sodus Lodge, No. 338. Cleveland had died of typhoid fever, which had swept Martville, N.Y., in 1848. The two men describe conditions at Martville and make comments regarding James K. Polk’s reelection chances....

Content Description

This letter, dated 1930 May 30, calls together all members of the Quincy Lodge, No. 100, for a complimentary dinner to discuss unspecified matters of vital importance. Included is a return post card with an unfilled out RSVP for the complimentary dinner described in the letter.

Scope and Contents

A collection of material found in an Independent Order of Odd Fellows Bible that includes programs, certficiates, invitations and dues receipts. The material is related to the Rautenberg, Schutt, Morganfeld, and Westphal families, who were related through marriage, which are detailed in the Bible on pages entitled Births, Marriages, and Deaths. The Bible was presumably owned by Mary Rautenberg, as her name is written on one of the blank pages near the beginning of the Bible.