These are results of a poll conducted by OGS (Ontario Ancestors), published in the latest eWeekly Update, It asked whether any of your ancestors belonged to fraternal or sororal organizations (for example The Orange Order, the Knights of Columbus, the Daughters of Rebekah, the Imperial Order Daughters of the Empire).Interestingly the ratio of Yes to No is 7:1 for males and 2:1 for females.
Are these ratios reflective of membership or what we know about membership?
I know my paternal grandfather was an organization member only because a medallion has been passed down. Were such artifacts also used in sororal organizations? Could that be the reason behind the much greater number of don't know responses for females than males?
I suspect the results would be different if organizations with less grandiose titles, like the Women's Institute, and church auxiliaries had been included?
If you don't think you've done justice to your female ancestry be aware that "Finding female ancestors" is a theme for next September's BIFHSGO conference. The program committee met on Sunday and had lots of proposals on the topic to choose from. Stay tuned.
As mentioned, this post referred to an item in the latest OGS (Ontario Ancestors) eWeekly Update. It continues to get better and better. Access recent issues and subscribe at no charge here.
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