A dignified and respectful atmosphere surrounds the men as they await the Watchman's return. Finally, he walks back into the room. "Consul, the Sentry is at his post, and the outer door has been secured," the Watchman announces.

If your ancestor belonged to the Modern Woodmen of America, at this point, he would need to give the Escort the appropriate "grip," or handshake, and the required passwords.

Though some fraternal orders—organizations based on common interests or ideals—shrouded their rituals in secrecy, their enigma belies their popularity during our ancestors' day. Millions of Americans joined the ranks of thousands of societies, especially in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. In 1896, for example, fraternal orders had more than 4.7 million total members—which was about one in every eight US adults. So there's a good chance that you have a Freemason, Odd Fellow or Knight of Pythias in your family tree.

And it's no mystery why fraternal orders appealed to so many men (and women). These organizations provided a significant form of fellowship for our ancestors—the societies gave them the opportunity to interact with people who shared their religion, occupation, social status, ethnicity or philosophical beliefs. The Woodmen's creed, as it appeared in the Official Ritual of Modern Woodmen of America 1939, sums up the reason our ancestors joined fraternal organizations with such fervor:

There is a destiny that makes us brothers;
None goes his way alone;
All that we send into the lives of others
Comes back into our own.

You won't need passwords or grips to discover this cryptic-but-captivating aspect of your family history. Despite any clandestine rituals and activities, fraternal societies left plenty of clues about their pasts. And your ancestors may have left evidence of their own involvement. Use the research secrets in the June 2004 Family Tree Magazine to learn which groups your forebears belonged to and what their membership can reveal about their lives.