The Danish Brotherhood
For persons researching their Danish ancestry the Danish Brotherhood (DB) membership rolls are one of the most important sources for clues to family origins in Denmark and to original name spellings.
The Danish Brotherhood (DB) , originally Det danske Brodersamfund, was a national fraternal insurance association for Danish immigrant males. Formed in Omaha, Nebraska, in 1881, as an outgrowth of several Danish immigrant veterans' organizations, the organization was initially open to “honorable men, born of Danish parents or who were of Danish extraction." The first six lodges were chartered in July, 1882, and lodges were soon started in many communities where significant numbers of Danes had settled, providing a forum for nurturing Danish culture and language as well as providing financial assistance to members in case of death or illness.
Some 350 lodges were formed in the U.S.; as well as three in British Columbia, and one in Copenhagen, Denmark. In 1916 a monthly publication, Det danske Brodersamfunds Blad/The Danish Brotherhood Magazine, later renamed The American Dane, was started to further communication among members and lodges. After 1920, as Danish immigration lessened and the number of eligible males dwindled, lodges opened their membership to include both American-born daughters, and later, spouses and children of lodge members, gradually evolving into a social organization for the entire family.
Some lodges were disbanded after a few decades due to economic conditions or changes in the ethnic base of their communities. Remaining members were then transferred to nearby lodges or paid their insurance premiums directly to organization headquarters in Omaha (Lodge #600).
In August 1995 the insurance function of the DB in America was merged into Woodmen of the World and/or Assured Life Association. A number of DB lodges remain active today as organizations promoting pride in Danish origins and culture.
The following information is included in DB membership records through 1974:
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lodge location and number
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individual member lodge and national organization numbers
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full name of each member
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place of birth
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residence and occupation
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date of membership in the DB
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age at time of membership
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date of birth
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insurance beneficiary (if insurance taken out)
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amount of insurance ($250, $500 or $1000)
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transfers to and from other lodges
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whether dropped from membership and cause
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date of death (if a DB member at time of death)
The FHGC has microfilms of DB membership rolls from 1881 through 1995. Membership registers through 1974 have been indexed and may be searched and copied. Click here for our Translation & Research Guidelines and Research Request Form for ordering a search of DB records.
Danish Brotherhood Lodges (by lodge number)
Danish Brotherhood Lodges (by location)
The Danish Sisterhood of America
The Danish Sisterhood of America (DSA) was formed in Negaunee, Michigan, in 1883, as a social and financial aid association for Danish immigrant women similar to its male counterpart, The Danish Brotherhood. Additional lodges were gradually established, first in the Midwest, and then extending throughout most of the U.S. as well as parts of Canada.
By 1910 the DSA had grown to 119 lodges, totaling 6,000 members. Today some 52 lodges are still active promoting the Danish cultural heritage in 17 states, as well as Vancouver, British Columbia and Port Huron/Sarnia, Ontario. The Danish Sisterhood News is the organization’s monthly newsletter.
Membership records for the various DSA lodges are scattered in various places. The DSA has its own archive of lodge records. Outside of this the largest known collection is located at the Danish American Archive & Library at Dana College in Blair, Nebraska.
