The Boyne Heritage Center welcomes you to our first ever blog post! We are excited to bring you the first post in a series – our Items of the Month! For our first post, we’re highlighting one of our most unique items – our Independent Order of Odd Fellows (IOOF) ceremonial sword. The sword is a favorite of kids who come through – the second graders this spring were fascinated! While our artifact description packet in the exhibit introduces the IOOF and the owner of the sword, Alonzo J Stroud, there is so much more to the story.
As the introduction in the packet goes, the Independent Order of Odd Fellows is a social and charity group founded in the US in 1819. After the Civil War, the group saw a massive spike in membership. The sword’s owner, Alonzo Stroud, was a prominent citizen of Horton Bay and the broader Boyne area. It’s time to dig a little deeper into why a such an organization would have a ceremonial sword, and who exactly the man who owned it was.
The Odd Fellows are one of the oldest modern social fraternity organizations in the world. The first known group dates to 1730 in South Yorkshire, England. As the group grew, it split into local units called lodges. While we know the group dates to at least 1730, the earliest confirmed Odd Fellows lodge was found in London in 1748. Its name, Loyal Aristarcus Lodge No. 9, suggests at least eight other prior lodges, although we have no firm evidence of them. The first Odd Fellows lodge in the United States was founded in 1819 in Baltimore. It and other American lodges formed the Independent Order of Odd Fellows in 1842, separating from the English Order.
The American IOOF was torn apart just like the rest of the country during the American Civil War. After the war, conditions in industrial areas led to increased interest and membership in social and charitable groups. This led to the founding of lodges across the United States, including here in Boyne City. The owner of our ceremonial sword, Alonzo J Stroud, was a Civil War veteran and community member who helped bring the IOOF to the Boyne area.
Mr. Stroud’s Civil War service was short. He served briefly in the Quartermaster Department in Tennessee. In 1865, he enlisted as a private in the 188th Ohio Infantry and served until the regiment was mustered out in Nashville at the end of the war. The 188th Ohio saw no combat action. Instead, it guarded the City of Nashville to allow combat ready regiments to fight elsewhere. Nevertheless, Mr. Stroud appears to have served well, because he was promoted to sergeant on August 1st, 1865. After the war, he returned home to Middleburg, Ohio before moving to Horton Bay.
Stroud and business partner William H. Ohle were the owners of a sawmill in Horton Bay, built in 1876. As early settlers in the region, Stroud and Ohle were instrumental in building up the town of Horton Bay. While Stroud ran the sawmill and employed as many as 30 workers, Ohle would involve himself in real estate and construction in the newly growing town. Stroud also owned the Horton Bay General Store from 1890-1894. Mr. Stroud also served in several public positions. He was the township supervisor of Bay Township, served as a sheriff, and was twice elected to be a judge. Community members considered him a conscientious and hard-working man worthy of public service.
Stroud served two terms in the Michigan House of Representatives from 1905 to 1908. He did not seek the nomination for the seat, but rather was nominated by supporters within his community. While there, he served in many roles, including the Soldiers’ Home, Lumber and Salt, and Religious and Benevolent Societies committees. These committees tie back to his life experience, so it is little surprise he was interested in and chosen for them. Alonzo Stroud eventually passed in 1912, four years after his last term in the state House.
As for the sword itself, inscriptions on the scabbard show Alonzo Stroud was a member of the Patriarchs Militant (PM). Formed towards the end of Reconstruction, the PM is the highest branch of the IOOF. As a uniformed, non-military organization, members of the PM march in parades in uniform and perform honor guard duties. For example, the image from 1890 Deadwood, South Dakota below shows members of the Dakotas lodge resting after a parade. Many of the early members of the Patriarchs Militant were Civil War veterans such as Mr. Stroud.
The inscription "Pax aut Bellum" on the logo on the sheath is Latin for Peace or War. This is the motto of the PM, implying readiness to lead and assist in matters of peace or war. Likewise, the lion and lamb imagery are intended to show the PM and the Odd Fellows in general mean to pursue peace and will defend that peace if necessary. The maker's mark just below the hilt shows the sword was made by Columbus, Ohio-based The M.C. Lilley and Co., a major manufacturer of ceremonial swords in the era after the Civil War.
Even within this prestigious and public branch of the Odd Fellows, Mr. Stroud was well regarded. He served as the Grand Master of the Order in Michigan, a position elected by his fellow members. He also served as the Colonel of his PM regiment. By reaching this level of the organization, Alonzo Stroud proved strong adherence to the IOOF’s stated principles of friendship, love, truth, faith, hope, charity, and universal justice. It’s no wonder he was so respected within his community.
Further Reading
An article on Alonzo Stroud's history of public service and views on a hot-button issue of the day, from the 1904 Charlevoix
Courier and reprinted in the Charlevoix County Herald. It can be found on newspapers.com or at
https://northernmichmashpreserve.weebly.com/horton-bay.html under the 1894 heading.
Theodore A. Ross's book The History and Manual of Odd Fellowship, published in 1900. The book is found at the following link:
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