A temperance organization advocating total abstinence. In 1850 in the USA a temperance organization for men was created, called the Knights of Jericho. From this, in 1851 came an organization called the Good Templars1 which really was just the Knights of Jericho renamed. The inevitable split occurred in 1852 when the Independent Order of Good Templars 2 separated. The argument was shortly resolved and the two sides reunited under the name Independent Order of Good Templars. It spread quickly and became very large. In 1855 the Grand Lodge of North America was organized. Dr Oronhyatekha3 of Canada presided over the Grand Lodge in 1892-93.
In 1876 there was a disagreement over the admission of Negroes, resulting in a splinter group operating under the Grand Lodge of the World which did have some lodges in Canada. The two groups rejoined in 1887.
The group spread rapidly internationally, making it unusual in benevolent societies, an international organization open to men and women of any race. Today the head organization is IOGT International4, based in Sweden. In 1979 it had 700 000 members. IOGT International does not list any organization in Canada.
The IOGT originally had three degrees: Heart, Charity, and Royal Virtue. These were removed in the 1970s. A degree book from 1855, giving the ritual for all three degrees is available online 5 (the original is at the University of Western Ontario). An 1889 constitution of the Grand Lodge of Canada is available online6 (the original is at the Toronto Reference Library). A number of other IOGT documents, mostly Canadian, can be found online7.
The local unit was called a Subordinate Lodge, occasionally a Temple. A Grand Lodge, presumably of Canada, was formed in Hamilton on 1854 Nov 21. It was identified as the Grand Lodge of Canada in 1903.
In Canada the IOGT was divided into Districts.
District 1 – Carleton, Russell, and Lanark Counties.
District 12 – Toronto
There was a District Degree Temple in Toronto <1867 to 1881>
Click for a list of IOGT Lodges in Ontario
Click for a list of IOGT Juvenile Lodges in Ontario
International Order of Good Templars
It is not clear how this related to the Independent Order. Had a Grand Lodge of Canada in Toronto
<1922 - 1935> and a District Lodge (#15 named Wentworth) in Hamilton in 1922.
Click for a list of International Lodges in Ontario
British-American Order of Good Templars
This organization8 arose from a split from the IOGT in 1857 apparently in London
Ontario, possibly on patriotic lines, the IOGT being viewed as an American organization. It seems
that they eventually amalgamated with the Order of British Templars (qv).
References:
(1) Stevens page 402
(2) Stevens page 403
(3) See Foresters for more information about him.
(4) http://www.iogt.org/
(5) https://archive.org/details/cihm_45583
(6) https://archive.org/details/cihm_89831
(7) http://archive.org/search.php?query=subject%3A%22Independent%20Order%20of%20Good%20Templars%22
(8) https://ia600208.us.archive.org/13/items/cihm_03622/cihm_03622.pdf