Editing Ancient Order of Hibernians (section)

=== Split, reunion and auxiliary ===
In 1884 there was a split in the organisation. The order had previously been governed by the Board of Erin, which had governed the order in Ireland, [[Great Britain]] and the United States, but was composed of officers selected exclusively by the organisations in Ireland and Great Britain. The majority left in 1884 and became the Ancient Order of Hibernians of America (A.O.H. (Irish-American Alliance)), while the small earlier group called itself Ancient Order of Hibernians, Board of Erin (A.O.H (B.O.E.)). In 1897 the Ancient Order of Hibernians, Board of Erin, had approximately 40,000 members concentrated in [[New York State|New York]], [[New Jersey]], [[Ohio]], [[Illinois]] and [[Michigan]], while the Ancient Order of Hibernians of America had nearly 125,000 members scattered throughout nearly every state in the union. The two groups reunited in 1898.{{sfn|Stevens|1899|p=212}}

A [[female auxiliary]], the Daughters of Erin, was formed in 1894, and had 20,000 members in 1897. It was attached to the larger, "American" version of the order.{{sfn|Stevens|1899|p=212}}

In 1883, Bucks County Division 1 was formed in Bristol, Pennsylvania. It is the oldest continuously chartered division in Pennsylvania and one of the oldest in the United States. The Bucks County Division 1 Clubhouse, constructed in 1893, is believed to be one of the oldest, continuously operated AOH Halls. Michael Dougherty, a Division 1 Charter Member, was an Irish immigrant from Falcarragh, County Donegal, Ireland, is the Division 1 Namesake. He was awarded the Congressional Medal of Honor for his service during the Civil War, where he served in the Union Army with the Second Irish Dragons.

In 1898, the Port Richmond Division 87 was formed in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. It remains one of the oldest continuously chartered divisions within the Philadelphia County Board and Pennsylvania State Board.

The Ladies Auxiliary of the Ancient Order of Hibernians raised $50,000 to build the [[Nuns of the Battlefield]] sculpture in [[Washington, D.C.]], which the [[United States Congress]] authorised in 1918.{{sfn|Jacob|1998|pp=125–126}}<ref name="SOS">{{cite web | author=Save Outdoor Sculpture! | year=1993 | title=Nuns of the Battlefield, (sculpture) | work=SOS! | publisher=Smithsonian | url=http://siris-artinventories.si.edu/ipac20/ipac.jsp?&profile=all&source=~!siartinventories&uri=full=3100001~!16187~!0#focus | access-date=18 December 2010 | archive-date=7 August 2011 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110807133217/http://siris-artinventories.si.edu/ipac20/ipac.jsp?&profile=all&source=~!siartinventories&uri=full=3100001~!16187~!0#focus | url-status=live }}</ref> The Irish-American sculptor, [[Jerome Connor]], ended up suing the order for non-payment.<ref name="SOS" />

[[John F. Kennedy]] joined the AOH in 1947.{{sfn|Schmidt|1980|p=158}} The AOH's national chaplains have included prominent clergymen such as Archbishop [[Fulton J. Sheen]] and Cardinal [[Francis Spellman]].<ref>{{cite web | url=https://aoh.com/list-of-past-presidents-chaplains-editors-jfk-awards-and-macbride-awards/ | title=List of Past Presidents, Chaplains, Editors, Kennedy Medals, and MacBride Awards }}</ref>