Odd Fellows Independant Order Of

It is unfortunate that the origins of Odd Fellowship have been lost in time. The question of when and where our Order first originated, and how the name was first chosen can never be answered with absolute certainty. It has been speculated that the order originated during the reign of Nero in the year 55 AD, but there is no documented evidence. The first recorded meeting of an Odd Fellow Lodge was in the year 1745, at the Oakley Arms in England. In those days it was common for working men to meet at local taverns for evenings of social recreation. But as time passed, a particular group of men found a common purpose in aiding each other. They began to establish funds through regular collections to assist members out of work or in distress. It is believed that this is when and how the name Odd Fellows was attained. In those days, it was customary for the aristocracy to form philanthropic societies, but it was unthinkable for the common labourer to do so, and to meet in a tavern was very odd indeed. Another theory comes from the custom of skilled labourers banding together for mutual assistance. Feeling left out, a group of odd labourers formed their own union. Regardless of how or when our Order actually originated, it was most likely considered odd then, as it is now, for men to dedicate themselves to the relief of distress, to educating the orphan, and to compassionately caring for under-privileged and less fortunate members of our society. It is still regarded as odd that men would freely give of their time, in aid of the less fortunate. No matter how we began, the Independent Order of Odd Fellows proudly accepts our name, which has survived more than two centuries and is honoured and respected in Canadian communities and around the world.