| Summary: | These are newspaper articles related to the black fraternal organization known as the Odd Fellows. According to Florence historian Lee Freeman: "The Grand United Order of Odd Fellows (GUOOF) was a fraternal order similar to the Freemasons founded in the 18th c. in England dedicated to relief and acts of charity. The name "Odd Fellows" comes from the fact that in 18th c. Britain it was considered odd by many people to find altruistic people organized and dedicated to acts of charity and kindness without seeking recognition. Their symbol of the order, which exists to this day, is the "Triple Links," three links of a chain symbolizing "Friendship, Love and Truth," which is the order's motto. The order had an auxiliary order for women known as the Household of Ruth.
The Independent Order of Odd Fellows was a splinter group of the GUOOF founded as a fraternal insurance order ca. 1819. An auxiliary branch of the IOOF called the Rebekahs (originally only open to women but now open to both sexes) came into existence in 1851. Florence had white lodges of both the Independent Order of Odd Fellows and Rebekahs and Florence-Lauderdale had two named black Grand United Order of Odd Fellows lodges, Era Lodge No. 3140 and Seven Points Lodge, No. 5705 however in March of 1904 one lodge hall was in construction at the Donelson place on Cheatham's Ferry (Gunwaleford Rd) while another lodge was located three miles further down that road. Are these references to the Era and Seven Points Lodges or were they totally different lodges (the Seven Points Lodge probably assembled at a hall at Seven Points)?"(3) Emancipation Day
(7, 8, 9) Colored Odd Fellows State Convention
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