Humberdale Rebekah Lodge, No. 163, Bolton

Bolton's Humberdale Rebekah Lodge, No. 163 was granted a constitution on August 11, 1916, and ceased operation in 2014. The Daughters of Rebekah, also known as the Rebekahs, or the International Association of Rebekah Assemblies, is an international service-orientated organization and a branch of the Independent Order of Oddfellows (IOOF).

IOOF is a fraternal society which provides insurance services to its members and also acts as a social organization. It originated in Great Britain, with the first Canadian Lodge opening in Montreal in 1843. In 1855 the Grand Lodge of Canada West was formed, which eventually became the Grand Lodge of Ontario. In 1868 the Grand Lodge allowed the formation of Rebekah lodges for female members of the order.

The objects and purposes of the Rebekah lodges, as of 1916, were declared to be as follows:

• First: To visit and care for the sick; to relieve the distressed; to bury the dead; and in every way to assist their own members, and to assist Subordinate and sister Rebekah Lodges in kindly ministrations to the families of Odd Fellows when in trouble, sickness or want.
• Second: To aid in the establishment and maintenance of homes for aged and indigent Odd Fellows and their wives and for the widows of deceased Odd Fellows; and homes for the care, education and support of orphans of deceased Odd Fellows and of deceased sisters of the Rebekah Degree.
• Third: To cultivate and extend the social and fraternal relations of life among Lodges and the families of Odd Fellows.

Although initially designed as a female auxiliary of the IOOF, Rebekah Lodges now allow both female and male members.

The Archives of Ontario creator authorities (IOOF), Wikipedia, and the Constitution of Rebekah Lodges under the Jurisdiction of the Rebekah Assembly, I.0.0.F. of Ontario, 1916 (available online via the Toronto Public Library here: static.torontopubliclibrary.ca/da/pdfs/1916rebekahlodgesvs.pdf )