About
Contact Information
Indiana Grand Chapter, O.E.S.
523 Archway
Franklin, IN 46131
(317) 736-4487
About the Order
The Indiana Grand Chapter, Order of the Eastern Star, Inc., is a Charitable, Educational and Fraternal Organization with beneficent purposes to provide for the welfare of the wives, daughters, legally adopted daughters, mothers, widows, sisters, half-sisters, granddaughters, stepmothers, stepdaughters, stepsisters, daughter-in-law, grandmothers, great-granddaughters, nieces, great nieces, mother-in-law, sisters-in law, aunts and daughters of sisters or brothers of Master Masons.
What It Is: The Order of the Eastern Star is the largest fraternal organization in the world to which both women and men may belong. Worldwide, there are approximately 1 million members under the General Grand Chapter.
Eastern Star is a social order comprised of persons with spiritual values, but it is not a religion. Its appeal rests in the true beauty of the refreshing and character-building lessons that are so sincerely portrayed in its ritualistic work. A deep fraternal bond exists between its members. It is the wholesome relationship of sisterly and brotherly love brought about through high principles exemplified in our lives which makes us near and dear to each other.
While this is an Order composed of people of deep spiritual convictions, it is open to all faiths, except no faith. The personal welfare of our members is vital to all of those in the Eastern Star, and it is considered a privilege to help another member whenever we can.
Purposes: The stated purposes of the organization are: Charitable, Educational, and Fraternal; but there is much more to it than that. Dr. Rob Morris, the Poet Laureate of Masonry, founded the Order using the beautiful and inspiring Biblical examples of heroic conduct and moral values. These portray the noble principles which should adorn the personal lives of Eastern Star members. Eastern Star strives to take good people and through uplifting and elevating associations of love and service, and through precept and example build an Order which is truly dedicated to charity, truth and loving kindness.
Projects: Concrete evidence of the charitable nature of the organization as it affects others is the millions of dollars which have been raised within the membership to support national, jurisdictional, and local charities. Many Grand Jurisdictions have homes for their senior members.
Genealogical Information
The Indiana Grand Chapter offices do have records of membership dating back to the late 1800’s through 1994. From 1994 to current is in our database. If you are seeking information regarding an ancestor, this is the information we would need to verify their membership:
- Full Name including maiden name and all last names. Please include any nicknames they may have been known by. (Elizabeth – Liz, Beth, Betty, etc.)
- Chapter they may have belonged to or the city they lived in.
- If deceased, the year they were deceased.
This information helps us locate the correct person. We will not be able to give you any information other than their initiation date and any changes in their membership. We cannot tell you what offices they held or awards they may have received.
Our office has limited time to spend researching and it may take us several days to weeks to find anything. There are times we cannot locate any information. If we are able to locate your ancestor, you may be able to contact the Chapter that they belonged to before their death for more information.
Thank you for your understanding and patience.