Encyclopedia Dubuque
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ORDER OF OWLS
ORDER OF OWLS. The Order of Owls, a secret fraternal order, was founded in 1904 in South Bend, Indiana, by John W. Talbot. The purposes of the society is "to assist each other in business, to help each other in obtaining employment, to assist the widows and orphans of our brothers, to give aid to our brother in any way that they may need, and assemble for mutual pleasure and entertainment." Its "catechism" said "Owls do good, speak kindly, shake hands warmly, and respect and honor their women."
The order originated among a group of men who engaged in different businesses and periodically met for mutual assistance. This group included John W. Talbot, Joseph E. Talbot, George D. Beroth, J. Lott Losey, John J. Johnson, John D. Burke, William Weaver and Frank Dunbar. They got around to discussing the teachings and methods of different fraternal orders and decided to create a new one, named after the owl. After several months of planning by "the best constitutional lawyers in the Middle West," the constitution was adopted and the order was founded at the law offices of Talbot and Talbot on Nov. 20, 1904, in South Bend, Indiana.
The local units of the Order are called "Nests" and include officers such an "Invocator" who served as chaplain. The central organization was evidently the "Home Nest" in the early twentieth century, but it was reportedly called the "Supreme Nest" in 1979. The head of the organization was the Supreme President.
The headquarters are called the "Supreme Offices" as late as the 1920s, but had moved to Hartford, Connecticut by the 1930s. (1)
A class of twenty-six members were admitted to the order on December 28, 1909. Officers for the year included Dr. G. W. Hoag, past-president; Gus H. Somers, president; M. H. Czizek, vice-president; O.A. Knoll, invocator; J. F. Kennedy, financial secretary, J. F. Kennedy; recording secretary, John Weidenhoff; treasurer, Bert F. Geeting; warden, B. Callahan; Sentinel, Emil Leiser; picket, John Luthe; and trustees, Joseph H. KABAT, W. J. Bilderbach, and Fred Pitzen. (2)
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Source:
1. Order of Owls, Wikipedia, Online.
2. "Committee Named to Secure Home," Dubuque Telegraph-Herald, December 29, 1909, p. 5