An Odd Fellow

The marker at the grave of William Owston (d. 1866) has a carving of three links of a chain with the letters FLT, symbols associated with the Independent Order of Odd Fellows.

WILLIAM OWSTON
DIED
Sep. 15, 1866
AGED
63 Yrs. 3 Mo.
& 16 D’s.

The Independent Order of Odd Fellows (I.O.O.F.) is also known as “The Three Link Fraternity” for the three links that contain the letters FLT, which stand for Friendship, Love, and Truth.

In place of a typical epitaph is a touching message carved in small letters: Our Father is gone to meet our Mother.

A Find A Grave contributor suggests that Mr. Owston had three wives. FamilySearch.org data, including records for two marriages, is not contradictory.

So which wife is the “Mother” he has gone to meet?

(The Find A Grave contributor is an Owston descendant who writes that Jane Spink, the first wife, is the mother of all Owston children.)

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Oak Grove Cemetery, Delaware County, Ohio