Daily AncestorIOOF
IOOF on a gravestone means the person belonged to the Independent Order of Odd Fellows, a fraternal lodge.
The Independent Order of Odd Fellows is a fraternal order whose American branch dates its founding to a Baltimore lodge in 1819. By 1889 it had lodges in every state. Its most common symbol on signs, buildings and gravestones is a chain of three links, often with the letters F, L and T for Friendship, Love and Truth.
An IOOF mark points you to lodge records and to IOOF cemeteries. The Rebekahs, added in 1851, were the women's branch.
As seen in a recordGravestone inscription
Wm. Tate, 1838 to 1901, I.O.O.F.
Sources
How to cite this page
Daily Ancestor. "IOOF." Dictionary of Old Record Words. https://dailyancestor.com/dictionary/abbreviations/ioof. Last checked 2026-10-10.