Thomas Wildey
Thomas Wildey (born January 15, 1782 in London , † October 19, 1861 ) was an English craftsman and founder of the Odd Fellow Order (IOOF) .
Life
Thomas Wildey was born in 1782 in London and at the age of five years for orphans . At the age of 14 he moved in with an uncle and trained as a coach builder. 1817 Wildey emigrated to America and founded under the influence of a just survived yellow fever epidemic and its consequences, a simultaneous high unemployment and an immense pressure on the settlers on April 26, 1819 in Baltimore , the Washington Lodge No.1 . In contrast to the English Odd Fellows, he created an order in which friendship, love and truth are the highest commandments and brotherhood, mutual help and support are among the principles. The new order made no distinction between race, religion, and political affiliation. Just two years after the Washington Lodge was founded, the Grand Lodge of Maryland was founded. In 1826 Wildey traveled back to England and obtained a charter there, which detached him from the English Odd Fellows and gave him permission to establish lodges and grand lodges outside England. Due to his own childhood, it was a concern of Wildey to help the needy, to care for widows and orphans and to bury the dead. This motto has held up to this day.
By the time Wildey died in 1861, more than 200,000 men in America had already joined the IOOF. In 1870 the first Odd Fellow Lodge was founded in Germany, the Württemberg Lodge No. 1 in Stuttgart .
literature
- James L. Ridgely: History of American Odd Fellowship the First Decade. ISBN 0-7661-3429-6
- Grunow, Heinz: The Odd Fellow - Order. 3 volumes (antiquarian)
Web links
| personal data | |
|---|---|
| SURNAME | Wildey, Thomas |
| BRIEF DESCRIPTION | English craftsman and founder of the Odd Fellow Order (IOOF) |
| DATE OF BIRTH | January 15, 1782 |
| PLACE OF BIRTH | London |
| DATE OF DEATH | October 19, 1861 |