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The Odd Fellows Rest cemetery was dedicated in 1849 as a burial spot for members of the secret benevolent society, the Independent Order of the Odd Fellows.
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Photo by Eileen Loh Harrist
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Hey Blake,
Help! I've tried to locate records of the Odd Fellows membership organization and more importantly the records of burials at Odd Fellows Cemetery on Canal Boulevard in New Orleans. Curiously enough, it seems that no office is available locally. A health food store adjoins the cemetery and permits access to the cemetery but has no records. If you truly know everything -- help!
Ann F.
Dear Ann,
Take yourself down to the main branch of the New Orleans Public Library at 219 Loyola Ave., go up to the Louisiana Division on the third floor, ask one of the brilliant librarians for the burial records of the Odd Fellows Rest, and you will be rewarded.
There you will be able to view on microfilm the burial records for the Odd Fellows cemetery, as well as many other cemeteries in New Orleans. The library also has film of the tombstone inscription index and some older books on the Independent Order of Odd Fellows that might list some members. In fact, this library has so much information on New Orleans history that you couldn't get through it all before you'd be looking for a permanent resting place for yourself! Perhaps you might be eligible for a spot in Odd Fellows Rest.
Back in the days when every group imaginable formed mutual benevolent societies to provide doctors and medicine, burial insurance, and a place to be buried, the Independent Order of Odd Fellows was no different. The group was a secret benevolent society and had its New Orleans beginnings in 1831.
As membership increased, the Grand Lodge decided to buy land for a cemetery. They chose a very good spot on high ground at the intersection of Canal Street and Metairie Road. The cemetery was dedicated on Feb. 29, 1849, with a splendid ceremony and a grand procession led by two circus bandwagons, one pulled by 16 horses. There was also a funeral car carrying a sarcophagus of "quite imposing appearance." The membership had gathered the remains of 16 deceased members from other cemeteries in the city. These were carried in the funeral car and were the first burials in the group's new cemetery.
Within three years, the cemetery had erected 200 vaults and the tomb of the Teutonia Lodge No. 10. There were also walks laid out named for past grand masters of the Order. Walls on two sides enclosed the cemetery, and most of the plots were filled by 1930.
Two important memorials in the cemetery are the tomb of the Howard Association and the society tomb of Southwestern Lodge No. 40, Independent Order of Odd Fellows. This is believed to be the original Teutonia Lodge No. 10 tomb. On it you can see the German inscription Freundschaft, Liebe, und Wahrheit, which means Friendship, Love, and Truth.
The Howard Association tomb was erected by a group of 30 young men who came together for the purpose of aiding victims of yellow-fever plagues. They named themselves in honor of John Howard, an 18th-century English philanthropist and social reformer.
I guess you noticed the black cast-iron gates that are incomplete. At one time they were painted in bright colors. Forty years ago the panels were intact, but today the two panels on the left have been vandalized. You can still see, however, the symbols of the society: the mother and her children, a beehive, the Bible, the cornucopia, the world, the eye of the Deity, the five-pointed stars, the initials "I.O. of O.F."
Since you are interested in this cemetery, perhaps you are also interested in knowing about an organization founded in 1974 that is doing valuable work. Save Our Cemeteries Inc. is a "nonprofit organization dedicated to preserving, protecting and promoting the historic cemeteries of New Orleans." The group works hard taking care of New Orleans' and Louisiana's historic cemeteries with such projects as cleaning them up, maintaining the grounds, keeping the areas safe, restoring tombs, providing tours and various educational programs. They are always looking for new members. You can contact them at 525-3377 or soc@saveourcemeteries.org.
And you know, they just might help you find what you need.
