Daily AncestorBPOE
BPOE means Benevolent and Protective Order of Elks, a fraternal order known as the Elks, founded in New York City in 1868.
The Elks began in New York City in 1868 as a social club for minstrel show performers and grew into a nationwide fraternal and charity order. Until the late 20th century membership was limited to white men.
Some Elks lodges kept a shared burial plot for members, marked by a large statue rather than single stones, and the order sometimes used metal grave markers. BPOE on a stone or in an obituary points to lodge records.
As seen in a recordNewspaper death notice
Funeral under the auspices of B.P.O.E. Lodge No. 61
Sources
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Daily Ancestor. "BPOE." Dictionary of Old Record Words. https://dailyancestor.com/dictionary/abbreviations/bpoe. Last checked 2026-10-12.