- Thomas Wildey
Thomas Wildey (1782-1861) was the founder of the
Independent Order of Odd Fellows (IOOF) inNorth America .He was born in
London ,England , in 1782. He was left anorphan five years later - and the IOOF pledge to "Educate the Orphan" sprang from his personal childhood experiences. At the age of 14, Wildey went to live with an uncle. After he had 9 years of schooling, he became anapprentice to a maker ofcoach spring s. He joined the BritishOddfellows in 1804.When restlessness brought Wildey to America in 1817, the British were still unpopular in the States because of the
War of 1812 . In that yearBaltimore was suffering both ayellow fever epidemic and massunemployment . Anoutgoing personality, Wildey missed companionship and advertised in thenewspaper to determine if there were any other Oddfellows in Baltimore; he requested them to meet him at theSeven Stars Inn .On
April 26 ,1819 , Wildey was not allowed to join the masonic lodge so Wildey and the four men who responded to the advertisement formed the Independent Order of Odd Fellows in North America, dedicating the Order to achievephilanthropic goals. OtherEnglishmen who were Oddfellows had grouped in the states along theEastern Seaboard , and Wildey gathered them all into the newly formed fraternity. He traveled widely to set up lodges in the most recently settled parts of the country.At the time of his death in 1861, there were more than 200,000 members of the Independent Order of Odd Fellows in 42 states.
External links
* [http://mill-valley.freemasonry.biz/marin_odd_fellows.htm Thomas Wildey: Independent Order of Odd Fellows]
Wikimedia Foundation. 2010.