Hi, A member on another list said he ran into this in an obituary. "She was a devout member of the Fire Brand Society----------. " This was in Iowa. Nothing came up on Google. Does anyone know what it is? Thanks, Jerrian

It would help to read the context of the phrase in the obit, so this is just a guess. Although there may have been an organization by that name, I'm more inclined to think that the phrase meant that the deceased was a political instigator or agitator. I also did a google search and found this definition from the E. Cobham Brewer, Dictionary of Phrase and Fable, 1898: Fire-brand - An incendiary; one who incites to rebellion; like a blazing brand which sets on fire all it touches. I also checked about a dozen hits for 'Fire Brand Society' in the Ancestry historical newspapers and found no instances of the entire phrase, but the term 'fire-brand' was used to describe Jane Fonda in a 1970's newspaper and to one Mr. Comstock in his 1847 obituary. In all references that I found the term, it was connected to politics in some manner. Let us know what you find out. Interesting question. Sharyl Ferrall ----- Original Message ----- From: "Jerrian Barsness" <[email protected]> To: <[email protected]> Sent: Sunday, June 25, 2006 7:47 PM Subject: [IACLAYTO-L] Fire Brand Society Hi, A member on another list said he ran into this in an obituary. "She was a devout member of the Fire Brand Society----------. " This was in Iowa. Nothing came up on Google. Does anyone know what it is? Thanks, Jerrian