12th July and Orange Lodges - Help offered

[SQUID978]

Hi fmni,

I'm trying to ID the man in this picture, it was in amongst my Father's photo's.
It looks like he was WM of the Lodge, I'm wondering if there would be a list of WM's held somewhere, you mentioned the Stitt name which was the name of my Father's step dad who lived at Roses Lane ends, problem is the photo doesn't match any others we have. Sorry if this seems a bit of a mess.

[fmni]

Hi Squid, I'll have a look into this for you.

He's wearing two sashes there, his Orange one which is more visible and showing the number LOL 68 which is indeed based in the Roses Lane Ends area in Ballinderry - I live just up the road from there myself and a number of my family originate in Ballinderry so should be able to have this man identified for you.

The other sash he is wearing is a Royal Black Preceptory sash, not sure which preceptory it is, but again if I manage to get a name for him, I should be able to establish which perceptory and what office he held.

Great photograph and hopefully will be able to give you some story behind it.

Will be in touch,
Mark

[fmni]

Squid, still working on this. LOL68 moved from Ballymaclose to Roses Lane Ends in 1908.

At that time the W.M. was a Bro. John Cuddy and the D.M. was a Bro. William Bell - are either of these surnames familiar to you?

[irishistory]

  Hello  fmni,please could i avail off your orange  knowledge!My great grandad,william joseph leetch came from belfast, county antrim i believe.William told his son's that he was a strong orange man and that he had to flee Northern Ireland because the IRA were after him.He has changed the spelling of Leetch,but we do not know how!conumdrum or what.William Joseph father was called Francis,and he was a timber merchant.Well that's what it said on Williams marriage cert.William came to Manchester about 1885ish.He had a son Francis William (my grandad)in 1886 but did not marry the mother till 1890.I was told that my grandad Francis William was also a strong orange man here in Manchester.Can you offer me any ideas please.
regards irishistory.

[SQUID978]

Squid, still working on this. LOL68 moved from Ballymaclose to Roses Lane Ends in 1908.

At that time the W.M. was a Bro. John Cuddy and the D.M. was a Bro. William Bell - are either of these surnames familiar to you?

Hi Mark, these names don't mean anything to me unfortunately. The other sash is a Black 357 which I think may be Ahgalee? The only name around that area that I would be linked with would be Edward Stitt who married my Grandmother Georgie Armstrong, I hail from Ballymacash.

[bugguard]

thanks for the kind offer.  I have 2 relatives who were in the order - my Grandfather Andrew Chambers, (had a shop in Sandy Row) and passed away 7/1/1959 - he also had a son Tommy Chambers - not sure of dates but about 1980.  Any info much appreciated

[fmni]

Squid, still working on this. LOL68 moved from Ballymaclose to Roses Lane Ends in 1908.

At that time the W.M. was a Bro. John Cuddy and the D.M. was a Bro. William Bell - are either of these surnames familiar to you?

Hi Mark, these names don't mean anything to me unfortunately. The other sash is a Black 357 which I think may be Ahgalee? The only name around that area that I would be linked with would be Edward Stitt who married my Grandmother Georgie Armstrong, I hail from Ballymacash.

Just an update on this, I had an opportunity recently to show the picture to a prominent member of Ballinderry District. They are of the opinion it is a relation of a 'John Armstrong' who was originally from the Ballinderry area and moved to Ballymacash, either John himself or John's father perhaps? I am still waiting on a list of Past Masters to try and tie this connection down. What relation is John to yourself?

[fmni]

thanks for the kind offer.  I have 2 relatives who were in the order - my Grandfather Andrew Chambers, (had a shop in Sandy Row) and passed away 7/1/1959 - he also had a son Tommy Chambers - not sure of dates but about 1980.  Any info much appreciated

Hi there, I've made some initial inquiries but some additional info may be helpful in making sure I've got the right family. Do you know what sort of shop the Chambers had on Sandy Row and whereabouts it was?

Also do you know any addresses the family lived at? Sandy Row District has an impressive archive of past members including trade and address but not digitised and limited access to the public.

Speaking with one of their District Officers, he remembers a Tommy Chambers in the District who would have died around 1980, do you know if your Tommy was a steeplejack?  This one apparently was very impressive at building the Arches in Sandy Row, even in his 60s and was a member of LOL 410, St. Thomas's Temperance.

[bugguard]

The shop was the Perfect Dairy in Sandy Row, his wife Margaret would help out in the shop.  I believe Tommy worked for the Corporation.  I have a pic of Tommy with his wife Mabel and kids.