In the Mother Tongue
Explore how language, migration, and ethnicity shaped the immigrant societies connected with Queens. With German-speaking New York as its leading case, In the Mother Tongue follows singing societies, benefit orders, and cultural institutions—and explains how to trace them through newspapers, cemetery records, and archives.
Mrs. John and the Committee on Refreshments
Discover the women behind Queens’ fraternal institutions—not only as volunteers, but as officers, organizers, fundraisers, and policyholders. This article explores Eastern Star chapters, auxiliaries, and women’s benefit societies, with practical guidance for tracing their members through newspapers, family papers, and archives.
Council and Parish
Explore the Knights of Columbus and Catholic civic life in Queens through councils, parishes, charity, and financial protection. Council and Parish explains the order’s origins, distinguishes related Catholic organizations, and shows how to trace membership through parish records, newspapers, and family papers.
The Other Brotherhoods
Explore the Odd Fellows, Knights of Pythias, Royal Arcanum, Elks, Moose, and Knights of the Golden Eagle—and the questions their histories raise for Queens. The Other Brotherhoods examines mutual aid, insurance, membership boundaries, and how to identify fraternal connections in family papers and local records.
More Than a Meeting Night
Queens history includes more than bridges, railroads, and housing developments. Discover why lodges, fraternities, and service clubs belong in the borough’s story—and how halls, benefit records, funeral notices, and membership papers can reveal their roles in neighborhood life.
The Lodges That Built Queens
Explore the lodges, fraternities, benefit societies, and service clubs that helped shape Queens. This introduction to The Lodges That Built Queens explains their differences, their boundaries of belonging, and how to trace them through buildings, family papers, and local records.