I.O.O.F. Among his many achievements, S.J. Staples rose to prominence in the Independent Order of Odd Fellows. The I.O.O.F. was formed in 18th Century England as a mutual self-help society with the motto “Friendship, Love and Truth”. The origin of the unusual name “Odd fellows” is uncertain but is believed to come from the fact that members devoted their time to helping others. This was unusual for fraternities of the time so they were known as “those odd fellows.”
The I.O.O.F. also differed from many other societies of the day in being “non-partisan, non-sectarian, and welcoming of all people without regard to religion, race, gender, sexual orientation, and national origin”, based on their belief in the “universal brotherhood of Man and the fatherhood of God”. As evidence that they didn’t just pay lip-service to these principles, the I.O.O.F. were the first fraternal order to admit women to their companion order, the Rebekahs, who also were active in the local community.