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FRATERNAL ORGANIZATIONS

Woodmen of the World

Many men in NC and other southern states belonged to the fraternal organization which also provided life insurance called Woodmen of the World. It was founded in 1890

Visit their website Woodmen of the World/Omaha Woodmen Life Insurance Society to learn about the present day organization.

In previous years, they would provide original applications which had been microfilmed. The present policy is:

Due to federal and state privacy laws, Woodmen will not disclose the personal information of deceased individuals unless it is in relation to a claim or a potential claim.

Bertie County Masonic Lodges

A Masonic Lodge was formed in Windsor in 1772, chartered as Royal Edwin Lodge #4, later renamed in 1822 Charity Lodge. An attempt was made to erect a lodge building in 1883, but insufficient funds ended the endeavor. In 1843, the Lodge was meeting over the W.S. Pruden store. Finally, the Old Brick House, said to be the oldest brick building in Windsor, was purchased in 1848 and after several remodelings has been used continuously by the town's oldest organization.

David Stone's son, David Williamson Stone, was the Grand Mason of the State of NC for a while. He's buried in City Cemetery in Raleigh with a great above ground fenced setup with masonic symbols on top.

Charity Lodge in Windsor still functions downtown and possibly has records back to its formation and purchase of their downtown building in 1848.

LAUNCHING THE CRAFT (The First Half-Century of Freemasonry in NC) by Thomas C. Parramore.

According to the author the early records for the Bertie Lodge are lost. Royal Windsor was the only chapter. This lodge was "warranted" in or before 1775. This is established by members attending the Unanimity Lodge (Edenton) Nov 11, 1775. The attendees John Johnson, Master of Royal Edwin, along with Andrew Oliver and Silas White.

A curious bit of evidence bearing upon the first years of the existence of Royal Edwin is the Masonic apron that turned up in TN in 1888. This venerable relic of Masonry had been handed down among the descendants of Henry Belote of Bertie Co NC. It was said to have been made by a Miss Spivey of Bertie prior to her marriage in July 1776 to James Bate. It seems that Miss Spivey and her mother were the only local seamstresses who could be induced to make Masonic regalia, there having been a "great prejudice" against the Craft in Bertie at that time, perhaps because of the association with the lodge of several prominent Tories or owing to the influence of dissenting clergy in the region. Belote later moved to TN and was for many years a member of Gallatin Lodge #6 in that state, which he joined in 1808. 

Member's Name & Year In Which They Became Members
ROYAL EDWIN #5 WINDSOR  

Edward Acree 1798                       
                        
Silas White Arnett 1787
Blake Baker 1798
Henry Belote 1775
Hardy Boyce 1798
Willie Brodie 1798
Stephen Buck 1798
William Johnston Dawson 1787
James Granbury 1798
Langley Granbury 1798
Samuel Granbury 1798
William Granbury 1798
Joseph Gurley 1798
Lemuel Hall 1798
Willis Hare 1788
William Higgs 1798
Thomas Hunter 1788
John Johnston 1777
Samuel W. Johnston 1787
Drury Moore 1798
Josiah Moore 1798
James Norfleet 1798
Andrew Oliver 1787
Archibald Parker 1798
Francis Pugh 1795
William Pugh, Jr. 1798
P. R. Rose 1798
Thomas Scholar 1798
D. Taylor 1798
John D. Whyte 1798
John Wolfenden 1795
Contributed by: Dixie  Dixchas@aol.com
Bertie County Page last updated by CW: Saturday, 26-Sep-2009 13:47:52 MDT


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