Dear pauliff,
In addition to the images of Foresters of America emblems, here is
some background information on the fraternity. Concerning the history
of the Foresters of America, please note in particular the lines
saying: 'The Foresters of America was originally founded in 1889 as
the Ancient Order of Foresters of America when it broke away from the
Ancient Order of Foresters. (...) The Ancient Order of Foresters
changed its name to Foresters of America in 1895. It no longer appears
to exist':
"Foresters (F of A, I.O.F.) - Background, History, Ritual and Emblems
The Foresters legends ascribe its beginnings to medieval times in the
royal forests of England. The Forest Charter of 1217 had set the
titles of the various officers in charge of different aspects of the
forests, all of which were royal preserves subject to oppressive laws
that burdened any peasant caught hunting in them. Id. at 17.
According to Forester history, guilds and fraternities began
organizing during the reign of Richard II (1377-1399) to care for the
sick and alleviate suffering. (Fraternally Yours: A History of the
Independent Order of Foresters, Warren Potter and Robert Oliver (Queen
Anne Press Ltd., London, 1967).) The English "poor laws" began to fill
this need until the regime of the Lord Protector Oliver Cromwell did
away with the same after coming to power in the Civil War of 1642. Id.
Purportedly, because of the lack of justice for the poor or
uninfluential, people who were refugees from justice, or the lack of
justice, took to the forest in the manner Robin Hood had taken to
Sherwood Forest. Id. at 17. The earliest documented record of a
society of foresters is the 1790 formation of the first Court of the
Royal Ancient Order of Foresters. Id. at 18. The claim to a medieval
origin seems like a exaggerated attempt to claim parity with
Freemasonry.
Initially intending members had to prove themselves by force before
gaining admittance to the society. Id. at 18. "Candidates for
membership had to battle it out with the quarterstaff in Robin Hood
manner, but by the beginning of the nineteenth century swords were
substituted [before 1834] and this, in turn, had altered again by the
1850's when cudgels were introduced." Id. at 19 and at 28. Combat
initiation was discontinued at the High Court of 1843 at St. Helens in
Lancashire. Id. at 28. Once a part of the Friendly Society of
Foresters tried to put into practice the ideals of Robin Hood and his
Merry Men, by contributing pennies to assure they and their comrades
would get medicine and attention in times of sickness and a decent
burial when they died. Id. at 18.
Disagreement exists as to when Courts of the Ancient Order of
Foresters arrived in America. According to Ballan Stead's history of
the order, Stead claims that the first court was instituted at
Philadelphia with a second Court (The General Washington Court No.
1361) coming into being in 1841 at Brooklyn. Id. at 30. Supreme Chief
Ranger and founder of the Order in Canada, Dr. Peter Martin
Oronhyatekha (Mohawk for "Burning Sky"), maintained the first court
was Court Brooklyn No. 4421 which was instituted in 1864. Id. at 24
and 30. The seeds of the American branches secession were sown as
early as 1871 when requests for the establishment of a Subsidiary High
Court were rebuffed by the High Court in England. Id. at 34.
Resentment at being denied a measure of self rule rose to such
discontent that by 1874 independence was proclaimed and the
Independent Order of Foresters was born. Id. at 35. Colonel Alonzo B.
Caldwell led this movement and his address was memorialized as
follows:
Do they forget what the Colonies did with English dictation in
revolutionary times - cut loose from British rule and declared for
self-government; do they forget what Oddfellowship did in 1819 -
separate from the Manchester Unity and build up a greater brotherhood
of men than they on American soil? So will we, the Foresters in this
country. If this district does not strike the first blow for fraternal
rights, the Past Chiefs of the United States, like the Past Grands of
the Oddfellowship, will be called into convention and a High Court,
not a 'second fiddle' subsidiary concern, will be organized like the
United States Grand Lodge of Oddfellows in 1821. Then it will not take
for months before we can get supply goods after an order has been
given, as our dealings with a self inflated shaw-cross and a pompous
English executive council will be at an end, and our dispensations
will reach new Courts sometime before the millennium!
Id. at 35-36. By 1875, the emergent Independent Order of Foresters was
well established and had forty-nine Courts in eleven States, with two
additional courts for women working the Miriam Degree and a ritual
adopted for a uniform rank which was named the Glenwood Degree. Id. at
38. Until 1879, the Independent Order of Foresters did not require a
medical examination before accepting a member. Id. at 39. A Juvenile
Order with the lower age limit set at twelve years old was established
in 1889. Id. at 69. Until 1891, all meetings of the Supreme Court were
held in Canada. Id. By 1895, there were Courts in seventeen of the
United States. Id. at 74. Although women were admitted into the
Foresters in the United States, the Canadian domain did not admit
women until 1898. Id. at 65.
Forestry became especially popular on the West Coast of the United
States, especially in California, which State played a leading part in
the affairs of Forestry during ensuing years. Id. at 74. In six years
the Order grew in California to four thousand five hundred sixty three
members, surpassed in membership only by Michigan and some Canadian
provinces. Id. In 1903, Supreme Chief Ranger, Dr. Oronhytekha,
presided at a special gathering in San Francisco at which three
hundred and eleven new members joined the Foresters. Id. at 80. In
1909, Supreme Chief Ranger Elliott Stevenson visited San Francisco and
addressed over six thousand Foresters. Id. at 87. California
Foresters set-up the Forester's second sanatorium in Lopez Canyon,
California in 1913, which was in operation until 1952; The model of
one of the Sanatorium cottages designed by Forester Frank Hand was
awarded the International Jury of Awards at the 1915 San Francisco
Exposition. Id. at 89. In addition to the Tuberculosis Sanatorium, the
Southern California Foresters maintained a suite of rooms at the
Pacific Hospital in Los Angeles for any member of the Mortuary Fund
requiring hospitalization or surgical treatment; Northern California
extended its own hospital health care plan. Id.
In 1926, the Foresters membership grew dramatically when the Foresters
amalgamated with the Ontario based Ancient Order of United Workmen.
Id. at 95. The A.O.U.W. added eight thousand three hundred members and
assets of $2,500,000 to the Foresters membership of one hundred
fifty-two thousand members and $38,000,000 in assets. Id. The same
year the Foresters absorbed another smaller fraternal group, the
Canadian Order of Home Circles, which brought in four thousand five
hundred members and $1,500,000 in assets. Id.
In 1926, California Forester Frank Hand became the Order's first
Director of Organization at the Head Office in Canada. Three years
later he became the Order's fourth Supreme Chief Ranger. Id. at 113.
In 1931, the Foresters were again merging with smaller fraternal
benefit societies. In June 1931 the Foresters merged with the Royal
Templars of Temperance, acquiring the Royal Templars seven thousand
members and assets of $1,300,000; in December 1931 the Foresters
merged with the Modern Brotherhood of America, which was headquartered
in Mason City, Iowa, and brought with it over eight hundred Courts,
thirty-five thousand members and assets over $9,000,000. Before these
two mergers, the Foresters membership stood at one hundred and
forty-five thousand and its assets at $41,000, 000. Id. at 121.
In 1932, the High Chief Ranger of California, John P. Murphy,
celebrated his silver anniversary in that position. Id. at 122. During
this time, Northern and Southern California were major strongholds of
Independent Forestry, which battled it out among themselves and with
Ontario Canada for top distinction in new membership. Id. at 124. In
1936, Southern California increased its membership by one thousand and
eighty-three to a total of seven thousand nine hundred and
twenty-eight in just four years. Id. at 126. By 1938, Northern
California had taken the lead in membership and announced in a
gathering at the Order's Temple in San Francisco that membership would
total eleven thousand by June 30, 1938. Id. at 129. In 1939, the
Foresters participated in both simultaneous World Fairs being held in
New York and San Francisco. Id. at 129. Supreme Chief Ranger Hand's
son, Frank E. Hand Jr., was High Treasurer for Southern California and
Hand Sr.'s. nephew and future Supreme Chief Ranger, Lou Probst of
Court San Francisco No. 10, was High Councilman for Northern
California. Id. at 126.
In World War II, California Foresters answered the call to arms. Court
San Francisco No. 10 alone had two hundred and sixty-seven of its
members enrolled in the armed forces. Id. at 138. The High Court of
Northern California purchased $50,000 worth of United States war
bonds. Id.
By 1945, Companion Court Golden Gate No. 765 had four thousand eight
hundred eighty-two members, which had grown from twenty-one members at
institution in 1903. By 1949, over seven thousand five hundred members
attended the forty-sixth anniversary celebrations of Companion Court
Golden Gate No. 765. Id. at 150.
Courts San Francisco No. 10 and Companion Court Golden Gate No. 765
brought wheel chairs for handicapped people in the Bay Area and helped
establish a recreation center for the handicapped in the San Francisco
district. The facility served upwards of four hundred children per
month. Id. at 188 and 193. The Forester's spirit of volunteerism
extended in some two-hundred eighty-two community projects such as the
Toys for Tots, Retarded Children's Aid, Seeing Eye Dog Foundations,
Educational Scholarships, Boy Scouts, Red Cross, YMCA and YWCA, Heart
and Cancer Foundations, etc, upon which Foresters contributed over
$500,000. Id. at 189.
In the 1950's, the Foresters adopted a policy whereby any insurance
member stricken with the disease of poliomyelitis would be granted
financial assistance up to $2,500. The first recipient of this benefit
was twelve-year-old Laureen Kenan of Santa Rosa, CA, who eventually
recovered completely from the disease. Id. at 152.
The 1950's was a time for innovation for the Foresters. The Foresters
adopted an innovative insurance sales presentation under the
leadership of Leetate Smith. The Independent Order of Foresters became
one of the first organizations to use such a sales method. Id. at 182.
California Foresters also formed and sponsored a youth band in 1956
which was initially called the West Valley Band of California, but
which later came to be known as the I.O.F. Robin Hood Band. Id. at
183. The band performed at several Tournament of Roses Parades in
Pasadena, CA wearing their forest-green and tangerine Robin Hood
costumes. Id. The band was under the directorship of Dr. David
Baskerville, who put fraternalism to music. Id. at 189.
In 1971, the I.O.F. absorbed still another fraternal benefit society,
the Order of Scottish Clans, which had been founded in St. Louis,
Missouri in 1878. The Order of Scottish Clans brought with it some
16,000 members to the I.O.F. (International Encyclopedia of Secret
Societies and Fraternal Orders at 222-223.)
The Foresters legends ascribe its beginnings to medieval times in the
royal forests of England. The Forest Charter of 1217 had set the
titles of the various officers in charge of different aspects of the
forests, all of which were royal preserves subject to oppressive laws
that burdened any peasant caught hunting in them. Id. at 17.
According to Forester history, guilds and fraternities began
organizing during the reign of Richard II (1377-1399) to care for the
sick and alleviate suffering. (Fraternally Yours: A History of the
Independent Order of Foresters, Warren Potter and Robert Oliver (Queen
Anne Press Ltd., London, 1967).) The English "poor laws" began to fill
this need until the regime of the Lord Protector Oliver Cromwell did
away with the same after coming to power in the Civil War of 1642. Id.
Purportedly, because of the lack of justice for the poor or
uninfluential, people who were refugees from justice, or the lack of
justice, took to the forest in the manner Robin Hood had taken to
Sherwood Forest. Id. at 17. The earliest documented record of a
society of foresters is the 1790 formation of the first Court of the
Royal Ancient Order of Foresters. Id. at 18. The claim to a medieval
origin seems like a exaggerated attempt to claim parity with
Freemasonry.
Initially intending members had to prove themselves by force before
gaining admittance to the society. Id. at 18. "Candidates for
membership had to battle it out with the quarterstaff in Robin Hood
manner, but by the beginning of the nineteenth century swords were
substituted [before 1834] and this, in turn, had altered again by the
1850's when cudgels were introduced." Id. at 19 and at 28. Combat
initiation was discontinued at the High Court of 1843 at St. Helens in
Lancashire. Id. at 28. Once a part of the Friendly Society of
Foresters tried to put into practice the ideals of Robin Hood and his
Merry Men, by contributing pennies to assure they and their comrades
would get medicine and attention in times of sickness and a decent
burial when they died. Id. at 18.
Disagreement exists as to when Courts of the Ancient Order of
Foresters arrived in America. According to Ballan Stead's history of
the order, Stead claims that the first court was instituted at
Philadelphia with a second Court (The General Washington Court No.
1361) coming into being in 1841 at Brooklyn. Id. at 30. Supreme Chief
Ranger and founder of the Order in Canada, Dr. Peter Martin
Oronhyatekha (Mohawk for "Burning Sky"), maintained the first court
was Court Brooklyn No. 4421 which was instituted in 1864. Id. at 24
and 30. The seeds of the American branches secession were sown as
early as 1871 when requests for the establishment of a Subsidiary High
Court were rebuffed by the High Court in England. Id. at 34.
Resentment at being denied a measure of self rule rose to such
discontent that by 1874 independence was proclaimed and the
Independent Order of Foresters was born. Id. at 35. Colonel Alonzo B.
Caldwell led this movement and his address was memorialized as
follows:
'Do they forget what the Colonies did with English dictation in
revolutionary times - cut loose from British rule and declared for
self-government; do they forget what Oddfellowship did in 1819 -
separate from the Manchester Unity and build up a greater brotherhood
of men than they on American soil? So will we, the Foresters in this
country. If this district does not strike the first blow for fraternal
rights, the Past Chiefs of the United States, like the Past Grands of
the Oddfellowship, will be called into convention and a High Court,
not a 'second fiddle' subsidiary concern, will be organized like the
United States Grand Lodge of Oddfellows in 1821. Then it will not take
for months before we can get supply goods after an order has been
given, as our dealings with a self inflated shaw-cross and a pompous
English executive council will be at an end, and our dispensations
will reach new Courts sometime before the millennium!'
Id. at 35-36. By 1875, the emergent Independent Order of Foresters was
well established and had forty-nine Courts in eleven States, with two
additional courts for women working the Miriam Degree and a ritual
adopted for a uniform rank which was named the Glenwood Degree. Id. at
38. Until 1879, the Independent Order of Foresters did not require a
medical examination before accepting a member. Id. at 39. The IOF was
one of the first societies to adopt graded assessments in 1881, under
which the lifetime annual dues for a new member gradually increased
from 40 cents per month at age eighteen to 60 cents at age forty adn
finally to $1.85 at age fifty-four. (From Mutual Aid..., Beito, p.
134. The IOF was proceeded in this by the Royal Arcanum which adopted
a similar graded assessment in 1877.) A Juvenile Order with the lower
age limit set at twelve years old was established in 1889. Fraternally
Yours, at 69. Until 1891, all meetings of the Supreme Court were held
in Canada. Id. By 1895, there were Courts in seventeen of the United
States. Id. at 74. Although women were admitted into the Foresters in
the United States, the Canadian domain did not admit women until 1898.
Id. at 65.
Forestry became especially popular on the West Coast of the United
States, especially in California, which State played a leading part in
the affairs of Forestry during ensuing years. Id. at 74. In six years
the Order grew in California to four thousand five hundred sixty three
members, surpassed in membership only by Michigan and some Canadian
provinces. Id. In 1903, Supreme Chief Ranger, Dr. Oronhytekha,
presided at a special gathering in San Francisco at which three
hundred and eleven new members joined the Foresters. Id. at 80. In
1909, Supreme Chief Ranger Elliott Stevenson visited San Francisco and
addressed over six thousand Foresters. Id. at 87. California
Foresters set-up the Forester's second sanatorium in Lopez Canyon,
California in 1913, which was in operation until 1952; The model of
one of the Sanatorium cottages designed by Forester Frank Hand was
awarded the International Jury of Awards at the 1915 San Francisco
Exposition. Id. at 89. In addition to the Tuberculosis Sanatorium, the
Southern California Foresters maintained a suite of rooms at the
Pacific Hospital in Los Angeles for any member of the Mortuary Fund
requiring hospitalization or surgical treatment; Northern California
extended its own hospital health care plan. Id. "Between 1910 and
1932, the high court of Northern California provided 4,064 major and
minor operations. Some indication of the extent of the coverge was
that although the high court had 8,727 members in 1932, there were 212
operations that year." (From Mutual Aid..., Beito, 166.)
In 1926, the Foresters membership grew dramatically when the Foresters
amalgamated with the Ontario based Ancient Order of United Workmen.
Id. at 95. The A.O.U.W. added eight thousand three hundred members and
assets of $2,500,000 to the Foresters membership of one hundred
fifty-two thousand members and $38,000,000 in assets. Id. The same
year the Foresters absorbed another smaller fraternal group, the
Canadian Order of Home Circles, which brought in four thousand five
hundred members and $1,500,000 in assets. Id.
In 1926, California Forester Frank Hand became the Order's first
Director of Organization at the Head Office in Canada. Three years
later he became the Order's fourth Supreme Chief Ranger. Id. at 113.
In 1931, the Foresters were again merging with smaller fraternal
benefit societies. In June 1931 the Foresters merged with the Royal
Templars of Temperance, acquiring the Royal Templars seven thousand
members and assets of $1,300,000; in December 1931 the Foresters
merged with the Modern Brotherhood of America, which was headquartered
in Mason City, Iowa, and brought with it over eight hundred Courts,
thirty-five thousand members and assets over $9,000,000. Before these
two mergers, the Foresters membership stood at one hundred and
forty-five thousand and its assets at $41,000, 000. Id. at 121.
In 1932, the High Chief Ranger of California, John P. Murphy,
celebrated his silver anniversary in that position. Id. at 122. During
this time, Northern and Southern California were major strongholds of
Independent Forestry, which battled it out among themselves and with
Ontario Canada for top distinction in new membership. Id. at 124. In
1936, Southern California increased its membership by one thousand and
eighty-three to a total of seven thousand nine hundred and
twenty-eight in just four years. Id. at 126. By 1938, Northern
California had taken the lead in membership and announced in a
gathering at the Order's Temple in San Francisco that membership would
total eleven thousand by June 30, 1938. Id. at 129. In 1939, the
Foresters participated in both simultaneous World Fairs being held in
New York and San Francisco. Id. at 129. Supreme Chief Ranger Hand's
son, Frank E. Hand Jr., was High Treasurer for Southern California and
Hand Sr.'s. nephew and future Supreme Chief Ranger, Lou Probst of
Court San Francisco No. 10, was High Councilman for Northern
California. Id. at 126.
In World War II, California Foresters answered the call to arms. Court
San Francisco No. 10 alone had two hundred and sixty-seven of its
members enrolled in the armed forces. Id. at 138. The High Court of
Northern California purchased $50,000 worth of United States war
bonds. Id.
By 1945, Companion Court Golden Gate No. 765 had four thousand eight
hundred eighty-two members, which had grown from twenty-one members at
institution in 1903. By 1949, over seven thousand five hundred members
attended the forty-sixth anniversary celebrations of Companion Court
Golden Gate No. 765. Id. at 150.
Courts San Francisco No. 10 and Companion Court Golden Gate No. 765
brought wheel chairs for handicapped people in the Bay Area and helped
establish a recreation center for the handicapped in the San Francisco
district. The facility served upwards of four hundred children per
month. Id. at 188 and 193. The Forester's spirit of volunteerism
extended in some two-hundred eighty-two community projects such as the
Toys for Tots, Retarded Children's Aid, Seeing Eye Dog Foundations,
Educational Scholarships, Boy Scouts, Red Cross, YMCA and YWCA, Heart
and Cancer Foundations, etc, upon which Foresters contributed over
$500,000. Id. at 189.
In the 1950's, the Foresters adopted a policy whereby any insurance
member stricken with the disease of poliomyelitis would be granted
financial assistance up to $2,500. The first recipient of this benefit
was twelve-year-old Laureen Kenan of Santa Rosa, CA, who eventually
recovered completely from the disease. Id. at 152.
The 1950's was a time for innovation for the Foresters. The Foresters
adopted an innovative insurance sales presentation under the
leadership of Leetate Smith. The Independent Order of Foresters became
one of the first organizations to use such a sales method. Id. at 182.
California Foresters also formed and sponsored a youth band in 1956
which was initially called the West Valley Band of California, but
which later came to be known as the I.O.F. Robin Hood Band. Id. at
183. The band performed at several Tournament of Roses Parades in
Pasadena, CA wearing their forest-green and tangerine Robin Hood
costumes. Id. The band was under the directorship of Dr. David
Baskerville, who put fraternalism to music. Id. at 189.
In 1971, the I.O.F. absorbed still another fraternal benefit society,
the Order of Scottish Clans, which had been founded in St. Louis,
Missouri in 1878. The Order of Scottish Clans brought with it some
16,000 members to the I.O.F. (International Encyclopedia of Secret
Societies and Fraternal Orders at 222-223.)
The Foresters have shown a particular knack for being schismatic. The
largest surviving Forester group in the United States appears to be
the Independent Order of Foresters, which was also a break away from
the Ancient Order of Foresters, but not otherwise related to the
Foresters of America. The Foresters of America was originally founded
in 1889 as the Ancient Order of Foresters of America when it broke
away from the Ancient Order of Foresters. The Knights of Sherwood
Forest was an appendant order. The Ancient Order of Foresters changed
its name to Foresters of America in 1895. It no longer appears to
exist. A break away group from the I.O.F. was the Independent Order of
Foresters of Illinois, which split off in 1881 over the groups desire
to divide the Order into separate State jurisdictions as far as
endowments were concerned. Fraternally Yours, at 44. In 1879, another
split occurred when a break away faction formed the Canadian Order of
Foresters. Id. at 48.
The Foresters foundation principal was the "Fatherhood of God,"
particularly as expressed in the Ten Commandments. In 1847, the
Foresters choose for their motto "Liberty, Benevolence, and Concord."
The officers of a Court are: Court Deputy, Physician, Chief Ranger,
Past Chief Ranger, Vice Chief Ranger, Organist, Recording Secretary,
Financial Secretary Court Treasurer, Orator, Superintendent of
Juvenile Court, Senior Woodward, Junior Woodward, Senior Beadle,
Junior Beadle, and Trustees."
Source:
Mill Valley Lodge: A Fraternal History of Marin County, California
http://www.abaris.net/freemasonry/marin-fraternities-02.htm#Foresters
Additional sources:
Cemetery Commemorative Flagholders - Foresters of America, by Joyce M. Tice
http://www.rootsweb.com/~srgp/flaghold/flag093.htm
Phoenixmasonry Masonic Museum: Foresters Group
http://www.phoenixmasonry.org/masonicmuseum/fraternalism/foresters.htm
Search terms used:
"foresters of america" "f of a"
://www.google.de/search?q=%22foresters+of+america%22+%22f+of+a%22&hl=de&lr=&ie=UTF-8&oe=UTF-8&newwindow=1&start=0&sa=N
"foresters of america" stag
://www.google.de/search?hl=de&ie=UTF-8&oe=UTF-8&newwindow=1&q=%22foresters+of+america%22+stag&meta=
"foresters of america"
://www.google.de/search?hl=de&ie=UTF-8&oe=UTF-8&newwindow=1&q=%22foresters+of+america%22&meta=
"foresters of america" fraternity
://www.google.de/search?hl=de&ie=UTF-8&oe=UTF-8&newwindow=1&q=%22foresters+of+america%22+fraternity&meta=
Hope this is what you were looking for!
Regards,
Scriptor |
,
0 Comments
)
