Loyal Order Lodge No. 950, Pendleton, Ontario, CANADA.

Too many people today have a distorted idea as to what the L.O.L. really was. Primarily it was a social organization for Protestants. Many lived in rural areas among a predominantly Roman Catholic population which was very well organized and openly unfriendly to most Protestants. Social activities were primarily church functions in Canada back then, and the RC social functions were not open to non-RCs. The Orange Lodge filled that void. As mass communications evolved along with transportation, the Orange Lodge became less relevant socially, and many lodges closed. All of my Johnston men were L.O.L. members up to and including my grandfather's generation. In spite of the religious differences our Johnstons were on friendly terms with their French-Canadian neighbors and often went hunting and fishing with them, and intermarried.