User:Wilford Nusser/Galilean Fishermen

The Grand United Order of Galilean Fishermen (or simply Galilean Fishermen) was a benevolent African American fraternal organization founded in Baltimore on 21 Feb 1857 by Hemsley Nichols. (Later sources claim a date of 4 July 1856, but this is probably apocryphal.) It was incorporated in 1869.

The Galilean Fishermen provided vital services to African Americans at a time when many banks and insurance companies served only whites. Members who were unable to work were paid a weekly allowance, and the order also provided for funeral expenses. The order also founded cemeteries, orphanages, and homes for the elderly and disabled.

National Grand Rulers of the Order

 * Hemsley Nichols, 1857 – 1877
 * Thomas I. Hall, 1877 – 1896
 * Rev. Thomas H. Short, 1896 – ?