| Researching your ancestor’s involvement in fraternal organizations can be a very rewarding aspect of genealogy. You may learn a great deal about the individual, or you may learn a great deal about the community they resided in, or both. The research can lead you through a variety of different elements of their life, and add color to the basic timeline of an individual’s life span. During this course, we will discuss a variety of topics including the basics of this type of research, the social impacts of these organizations, and the hazards you may encounter along the way.
Their impact on the history of the United States, and truly across the globe, cannot be overlooked. The impact fraternal organizations have had on their individual members—our ancestors—must also not be overlooked in a thorough investigation of a family history.
Course Content
Module 1
Fraternal Organizations
Introduction
• Aren’t they all just Masons?
• How many organizations are there?
• How many people were really involved?
A Part of Your Genealogy Research
• How can this benefit your genealogy?
• Was my ancestor a member?
• Ethnic & Cultural Diversity
• What makes each group unique?
• Possible Records
Important Terminology
Basic Historic Timelines
• The Core of the Organization
Basic History of Fraternal Societies
Politics & Fraternal Societies
Dispelling Common Myths
Recommended Reading & Resources
Module 2
Types Of Organizations
Society Style Differences
Fraternal
General Organization & Structure
• How do these organizations work?
Benevolent Organizations
Secret Organizations
Ethnic Organizations
Women’s Organizations
Exercise
Recommended Reading & Resources
Module 3
Types Of Organizations…Continued
Religious
Guilds
• Anti-Catholic
Political
Military
Work & Industry
• Guilds
• Craft Guilds
• Occupation Specific Fraternal/Benevolent Societies
• Pre-Cursor to Life Insurance
• Others
Symbols
• Symbols in Fraternal Societies
Module 4
Lineage Societies
What Makes Lineage Societies Different?
Specific Resources
• Resources about lineage societies
• Resources made available by lineage societies
• Daughters of the American Revolution
• Pre-Cursor to Life Insurance
Civil War Organizations
Surname Societies
Module 5
Research Planning
Clues to Fraternal Affiliation
Preparing for a Long Process
Putting the Clues Together
Identifying Resources
Ongoing Education
Module 6
Research Resources
Graveyards
Headstone Symbols
Newspapers
Museums
Local Archives
Manuscript Collections
Court Records
Current Members
Historic Research Field
• Online Resources
• Online Directories
• Historical References
• Fraternal Websites & Materials
Family Heirlooms
Regalia, Medallions, Aprons & Other Adornments
• Aprons
Recommended Reading & Resources
Module 7
Research Execution
The Fraternal Society Today
Knowing When to Pull Back
Controversial Organizations
• Ku Klux Klan
• The Mafia
Open & Receptive – The Attitude of the Genealogist
Recommended Reading & Resources
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