A Fraternal History of Marin County California

Knights of Columbus (KOC)

There are three Knights of Columbus Councils (Lodges) in Marin County, one located in San Anselmo (San Rafael Council No. 1292), one located in Mill Valley (Mill Valley Council No. 3829) and Novato (Our Lady of Loretto Council No. 3950).

San Rafael Council No. 1292 was organized on January 2, 1908 with fifty-four charter members and the following officers being elected: Chaplain, Rev. T. Phillips; Grand Knight, Dr. Wickman; Deputy Grand Knight, Orey Short; Financial Secretary, Frank Healy; Recording Secretary, L.A. Sirard; Treasurer, F.O. Sirard; Chancellor, John Drew; Advocate, Jos. K. Hawkins; Warden, F.J. Griffin; Inside Guard, John Healy; Outside Guard, R.J. Kinsella; Lecturer, Thos. P. Boyd; Trustees, William J. Eden, Frank Goudy, Charles Stuart. The council was one of the early councils formed in California.

The Marin Journal headlined its story on the January 26, 1908 institution of San Rafael Council No. 1292, "Knights of Columbus Lodge Instituted: A Thousand Visitors Royally Entertained by Local People." Visitors arrived by train and those from San Francisco had the added pleasure of being accompanied from San Francisco by the St. Vincent's Orphans Band which entertained during the crossing. The paper reported that the event began with a parade that formed at the Union Depot and proceeded up Fourth Street to St. Raphael's Church. High Mass was celebrated by Rev. Thomas Phillips. A special choir, with Kate Kinsella, "daughter of a charter member," as organist, sang at mass. Participants then proceeded to the Masonic Temple (still in the old Armory Hall building) for a luncheon served by the Young Ladies Institute. Lunch was followed by a band concert on the courthouse lawn, and a tour of the city in hacks and buggies. Later, women were driven to the Dominican Convent for tea, while the men moved to the parish hall for the official institution ceremonies. The festivities concluded with a formal banquet at the Hotel Rafael, at which state dignitaries of the Knights of Columbus spoke.

For many years San Rafael Council No. 1292 sponsored an annual Columbus Day parade, which was followed by a banquet for members, their families, friends and leading business men. From 1969, the council sponsored a high school all-star baseball game to raise money for scholarships for Marin youth. At various times the council sponsored Little League teams. Charitable projects have included Christmas and Thanksgiving baskets and backing various civic causes. The Council has been involved in various Roman Catholic Church events, including quarterly attending communion in mass, ushering and church census-taking, to "support of the Pope's programs such as the pro-life movement by helping Birthright of Marin." Marin Independent Journal, January 31, 1983, D1. Social activities include barbecues, special gatherings on Columbus and St. Patrick's days, and New Year's Eve. Id.

San Rafael Council has met at various places during its history, including Star Hall in San Anselmo, the San Rafael Improvement Club, a building on Fifth Avenue in San Rafael adjacent to St. Raphael's Church that the Knights owned (subsequently sold and occupied by the Bank of Marin), the Portuguese American Hall on Second Street in San Rafael, and finally their present hall, the former San Anselmo Women's Club at 167 Tunstead Aveune, San Anselmo.

Mill Valley Council No. 3829 was formed in 1954. It had become extinct by at least January 1983 if not earlier.

Novato's Our Lady of Loretto Council No. 3950 was formed in 1955 and is still very active.

Knights of Columbus - Background, History, Ritual and Emblems

The Knights of Columbus is a fraternal beneficiary society of Roman Catholic men, organized under a charter granted by the state of Connecticut, March 29, 1882. The Knights of Columbus had been organized in February 1882 by a 29-year-old parish priest, Father Michael J. McGivney, in the basement of St. Mary's Church in New Haven, Connecticut. The Order has been called "the strong right arm of the Church."

The membership is divided into two classes - insurance and associate. Insurance policies are issued to members of the first class between the ages of 18 and 60. Associate class membership was created in 1893 for those who do not make use of the insurance feature, who are of advanced age, or who because of physical disability are unable to pass the physical examination. In addition to the insurance of members, the society is devoted to the promotion of charity and vocational education.

Applicants for membership must subscribe to being opposed to Socialism as an economic system. Subordinate bodies of the order are known as councils; the governing body is the supreme council. The ritualistic work leading to full membership consists of four degrees.

The K of C degrees are less initiatic than educational. Like the first two degrees in American Freemasonry, the first and second degrees of the Knights of Columbus are based on education lectures. The first degree teaches the main lesson of Charity, and also emphasizes the mortality of the body as opposed to the immortality of the soul. Here the candidate is first introduced to the concept of secrecy, and promises not to reveal the ceremonials, except to a priest when necessary. Candidates are taught that secrecy is intended to prevent an impostor from gaining aid from the Order. In the second degree, the candidates are lectured on the importance of Unity to Catholics in general and Knights in particular. The third degree begins by testing the candidates on their knowledge of the tenets of Catholicism; it is not unlike a Sunday-school catechism quiz. Their knightly virtues (Charity, Unity and Fraternity) are then put to a practical test that teaches them that it is the Catholic nature of a man that matters, not the outward trappings of his career, special needs, or ethnic background. The degree also teaches profound respect for priests and American principles of democracy, through dramatic use of role-playing. Reportedly, the third, or Fraternal, degree can be so engrossing and dramatic as occasionally) to result in near-brawls as the candidates defend the Knightly honor of themselves and their Brethren.

The Fourth, or patriotic, degree, was added on February 22, 1900. It is divided into Assemblies and a serve as the uniformed body of the Knights that is usually seen in parades. Requirements for taking the fourth degree are that a man has been a third degree member for at least one year, is in good standing, and shows a high willingness to proclaim his patriotism. The fourth degree consists primarily of lectures designed to impart an appreciation for the contribution of Catholics to American history, and to express the importance of American liberty to Catholics. This is usually followed by celebration of the Mass, and a banquet held in honor of the new Worthy Sir Knights, who wear tuxedos and a red, white and blue baldric (or sword belt) draped from right shoulder to left hip. This is the distinctive uniform of the Assembly.

In 1904 members of the Knights of Columbus formed an auxiliary (still not officially recognized), the International Order of the Alhambra, with Arabic costuming, its theme being the final expulsion of the Moors from Spain. It is considered the "fun branch" of the KofC and is noted for its charitable works. However, the Order of the Alhambra has met with opposition from the Church hierarchy and remains unrecognized as an official auxiliary of the KofC.

The officers of a Subordinate Council (i.e., Lodge) of the KofC are: Grand Knight, Chaplain (usually the Parish Priest), Past Grand Knight, Grand Chancellor, Captain of the Guard, Secretary, Treasurer, Inner Guard, and Outer Guard.

Emblems associated with the Knights of Columbus are the anchor, sword, and fasces or Mace. The Emblem of the Order dates from the Second Supreme meeting, May 12, 1883, when it was designed by James T. Mullen, who was then the first Supreme Knight. The Emblem consists of a shield mounted upon a cross similar to a Maltese cross, turned sideways. The shield is that associated with a medieval Knight. The cross of Malta is the representation, in a traditionally artistic design, of the Cross of Christ through which all graces of redemption were procured for mankind. This, then, represents the Catholic spirit of the Order.

Mounted on the shield are three objects; a mace standing vertically, and crossed behind it, an anchor and a dagger or short sword. The mace from Roman days of authority, which must exist in any tightly-bonded and efficiently operating organization. The anchor is the mariner's symbol for Columbus, patron of the Order, while the short sword or dagger was the weapon of the Knight when engaged upon an errand of mercy.

Thus the shield expresses Catholic Knighthood in organized merciful action, and with the letters K. of C., it proclaims this specific form of activity. The red, white, and blue in the background of the shield and the foreground of the Cross of Malta are the colors of the United States. As such, red is the color of stouthearted courage, of pulsing activity and a full measure of devotion. Blue is the symbol of hope, of calm tranquility under God, and of confidence in the protection of a country, established under God. White is the symbol of nobility of purpose, of purity of aim, and of crucible-tried ideals to be carried out.

There is an additional symbolism associated with the colors red, white, and blue. This is the ecclesiastical symbolism in which red becomes the reflection of the drops of Christ's redemptive blood, shed upon Calvary, and of the Martyr's blood shed in defense of the faith. Red, then, is the symbol of Faith, of belief in Christ, in the Redemption, and in the mission of every man to spread the knowledge and love of...Jesus Christ. White is the color of the Eucharistic Host, pledge of God's Eucharistic presence among men, of the infinite love God had for man, and of the overwhelming affection which the God-man had for each individual. White then is the symbol of Christ-like Charity. Blue is the color of Mary's mantle, in which she draped her beloved Son, through Whom salvation came to a sinful world. Blue is then the symbol of Hope.

On some early Knights of Columbus watch fobs, the reverse side to the shield often has on it a skull and cross bones surrounded by the letters "TFMM," which stands for the Latin motto "Tempus Fugit, Memento Mori" or "Time Flies, Remember Death." Often this is overlaid on a representation of a mariner's compass which has a red, white and blue compass rose and on which the direction West relates to the letter "T", North to "F", East to "M", and South to the final "M."

The Fourth Degree emblem consists of three overlaid objects representing the Trinity. The Globe represents God the Father, Creator of Heaven and Earth. The Crusader's Cross, similar to the cross which knights use to wear into battle during the Holy Crusades, represents God the Son, Jesus Christ. The Dove represents the God the Holy Spirit, Paraclete. The colors, Red, White, and Blue are the colors of the American Flag representative of the principle of the 4th Degree, Patriotism.

Was your California town the site of a Knights of Columbus Council? Knights of Columbus Appendix

Luso-American/Azorean Fraternal Groups, i.e., Irmandade do Divono Espirito Santo a.k.a. Brotherhood of the Divine Holy Spirit (IDES) and União Portuguesa do Estado da California a.k.a. The Portuguese Union of the State of California (U.P.E.C.)

There are three I.D.E.S. Halls in Marin, one in Sausalito, one in San Rafael, and one in Novato.

In Sausalito, the Irmandade Do Divino Espirito Santo E Da Santissima Trinidade or The Brotherhood of the Holy Ghost and Blessed Trinity, commonly called the I.D.E.S.S.T. began its Festival of the Holy Ghost in 1887. In the early years the festival lasted up to two weeks and included a procession down Filbert Avenue which included young ladies representing Queen Isabel and her attendants; cattle bedecked with flowers were driven through the streets to be blessed by the priest before becoming part of the symbolic feast. Sometime after 1900 the festival became known as the Chamarita, named for a traditional folk dance. The original Portuguese Hall was built on Filbert Street in Sausalito in 1888; today that building is the First Baptist Church of Sausalito. In 1954, the I.D.E.S.S.T. built a new hall on Caledonia Street in Sausalito, where it is still active.

There are three U.P.E.C. Councils in Marin, Sausalito Council No. 14, U.P.E.C.; San Rafael Council No. 19, U.P.E.C. and Novato Council No. 45, U.P.E.C. The Councils hold annual Holy Ghost festivals or festas.

Luso-American/Azorean Fraternal Groups, i.e., Irmandade do Divono Espirito Santo a.k.a. Brotherhood of the Divine Holy Spirit and União Portuguesa do Estado da California a.k.a. The Portuguese Union of the State of California (U.P.E.C.)- Background, Ceremonies, and History

Although the Portuguese were the first Europeans to set foot in California when João Rodrigues Cabrilho sailed into the Bay of San Diego on September 28, 1542 - few, if any, of them settled here until the middle of the nineteenth Century. It was not until the "Gold Rush" days that the Portuguese finally began settling in the Golden State in numbers. Many were faced with great difficulties due to the language barrier and to the fact that they had no family or friends. To overcome difficulties posed by the language barrier and the lack of family and friends in the new settlements, the Portuguese created organizations for mutual assistance and protection. Thus was born a unique fraternal movement among the Portuguese people in California. Most, if not all of these fraternities were Holy Ghost Societies with a religious, social, cultural and benefit side, and which organized Festas or Holy Ghost Festivals throughout California.

The Portuguese fraternal societies have been among the traditional pillars of the Portuguese communities in the United States. Run exclusively by men, these groups acted originally as crude insurance companies that resembled community treasure chests. Members of the community would donate or be expected to contribute sums of money into the pool and would receive based on the funds in return when cash was needed. Informally organized, the fraternal societies were largely religious-based and worked on the honor and implicit Christian charity of the community toward its needy members. Over the years, these fraternal societies have been consolidated into formal insurance companies operating legal contracts. Known for good management and low premiums, Portuguese fraternal organizations, were often joined by non-Portuguese. For example, in 1918, about twelve percent of the almost 19,000 members of the I.D.E.S. (Irmandade do Divino Espírito Santo, San Jose) were not of Portuguese descent. Obituaries demonstrate that membership in the Portuguese societies was not mutually exclusive: Men frequently belonged to more than one Portuguese society (i.e., the I.D.E.S. and U.P.E.C.) as well as belonging to other fraternities such as the Knights of Columbus, and non-sectarian benefit societies such as the Foresters or Woodmen.

The central legend associated with the Holy Ghost Societies is a variant of the following:

In the 13th and 14th centuries the people of Portugal had suffered several natural disasters. This had left many of them hungry and without food. The farmlands were ravaged and they knew that many would not survive this famine that was upon them. They gathered together to pray to the Divine Holy Spirit for help.

Queen Isabel began to take food from the palace and meet hungry people in the courtyard. On one of these occasions she was carrying bread for the people in her apron(in another version she is said to have been carrying her jewels in her apron). The King caught her on her way to the courtyard and stopped her. He asked her what she was carrying wrapped up in her apron. She told the King that they were roses from the garden. Now the King knew that in the middle of winter the rose garden could not be flowering. The King, certain he had caught her, pulled open the apron and a bundle of roses fell to the ground. She now knew that the Holy Spirit was guiding and protecting her.

Queen Isabel began to sell all her jewelry and sent for ships to bring food and necessities. After the ships had arrived the people held a mass in her honor. During this mass a dove flew in and landed on the altar, a sign that the Holy Spirit was present. This mass was held every year as thanksgiving for her unselfish gifts of food to the poor.

Once a year until her death she would select a poor girl and boy from the village and dress them in clean white clothes. The kids would parade through the village carrying Queen Isabel's crown to the mass. The Priest would ceremoniously crown the girl and give her and the people a special blessing. The village would then celebrate with a festa of singing and dancing. They would invite the public for a free meal of "Carne and Sopas".

The Portuguese fraternal benevolent societies appear to have been introduced into California at San Francisco when on August 6, 1868, a small group of Portuguese immigrants gathered in San Francisco to found the "Portuguese Protective and Benevolent Association of the City and County of San Francisco." The primary purposes of the Society were to provide its members with mutual protection, assistance in time of sickness and a proper burial in case of death. Beyond this, the Society was also to serve as a medium for contact between members, a center for recreation, an employment agency, and a forum where the members could express themselves. The Society was incorporated a few weeks after its founding in August 1868 and re-incorporated on January 29, 1875.

The founding members of the Portuguese Protective and Benevolent Association ("PPBA") were: Francisco Pimentel; Charles F. Fisher; Antonio de Francas; J. B. Freitas; A. P. Leal; J. G. Souto; J. A. Venancio; J. T. P. Silva; Charles Fuller; Frank Raymond; A. J. Alves; F. R. Silveira; M. J. Sousa; A. S. Martinho; H. R. Morton; Jose Barcellos; Joaquim Coelho; Jose Marcial; A. J. Toza; Jose M. Braga; and George Fisher Dr. Henry Morton (Enrique Rocha Martinho) was elected the first president of the Society. A dentist, Dr. Morton was born on the Island of Madeira. Other founder-members are reported to have represented a cross-section of people from the various islands of the Azores.

As early as 1872, the Society had taken shape and begun to grow. Its founders had already formed a "Grand Council" of the Society and had fostered five subordinate lodges, referred to as "Halls" which were active in San Francisco, San Leandro, Sacramento, Sonora and Centerville. The San Francisco lodge held its meetings every Thursday night at 610 Front Street, San Francisco. Dates and places of lodge meetings outside San Francisco were not recorded but their locations suggest that they were established to serve the needs of newly arrived immigrants in agricultural centers of the Bay region and in the mining areas of Sacramento and Sonora. The "Grand Council" met twice a year---on the first Thursdays of January and July. Meetings were held in Room No. 16 of a building situated on the southwest corner of California and Davis Streets, San Francisco. Little is known of the "Grand Council" activities, but it can be surmised that primary business dealt with administration and supervision of the five subordinate lodges. Many Grand Council officers also served as officers of the local San Francisco lodge.

The existence of subordinate lodges in San Leandro and Centerville during this early period lends credence to the oft repeated statement that the U.P.E.C. and I.D.E.S., two other fraternal organizations founded in later years in San Leandro and Mission San Jose, respectively, were formed by dissident members of the San Leandro and Centerville Halls of the Portuguese Protective and Benevolent Association. With the formation of the U.P.E.C. in San Leandro in 1880 and the I.D.E.S. in Mission San Jose in 1889 or 1891, activities of these two "halls" or subordinate lodges slowed and both gradually went out of existence. Little is known of the ultimate fate of the Sacramento and Sonora lodges, but as they were established in communities engaged primarily in mining activities, it can be presumed that they went out of existence when the mining subsided. Subsequently, the Society's activities from 1890 to 1910 were confined to San Francisco and its vicinity. During this period, the San Francisco lodge remained active---particularly in community affairs.

Under the leadership of Antonio Martinho Carvalho (who joined the PPBA in 1901 after immigrating from "Praia da Victoria," Island of Terceira, Azores) the PPBA began an expansion program after 1910: The first subordinate lodge under this new plan was established in Hayward, at that time a large center of Portuguese activity. This first lodge or "filial" (affiliate), organized December 31, 1911, was designated Number 1 and given the name "Eden." Meanwhile, Carvalho acquired a traveling agency developed by a man named Frank Silva. This he operated from a onetime Portuguese hotel, located at 65 Jackson Street, San Francisco. His business took him to many areas of the state and, while transacting agency business, he was simultaneously selling the idea of establishing subordinate lodges in the communities. The creation of Hayward's "filial" was followed by the establishing of No.2 in Crescent City, July 25, 1915 ; No. 3 in Colusa, August 6, 1916; No.4 in Scotia, August 20, 1916; No. 5 in Santa Maria in 1917; No.6 in Loleta, April 9, 1918; No.7 in Arcata, April 16,1918; No.8 in North Oakland, August 10, 1918; No.9 in Benicia, November 20, 1921.

The PPBA contributed to the social and religious life among Portuguese communities in the Bay Area. One of the many festivities initiated by the PPBA during its early years in San Francisco was the Annual Ball on December 1 (suggesting that it was held in commemoration of Portugal's Independence -December 1, 1640). Sponsors of the Ball included founders and Society members, who later became prominent leaders in the Portuguese communities of the San Francisco Bay area deserving special mention are Dr.Jose de Sousa Bettencourt and Manuel Trigueiro. In 1892, the PPBA donated the church bells for the newly built St. Joseph's Portuguese Catholic Church at 7th and Chestnut Streets in Oakland. The PPBA also sponsored an Annual Picnic, held initially at the Shellmound Park in Oakland, which became an annual reunion of the Portuguese community in the Bay Area. On August 11, 1918, this picnic celebrated the 50th anniversary of the founding of the Society with great pomp and ceremony. To raise funds for this historic celebration, the Society sponsored its first "Queen Contest." Participants included young ladies of the Portuguese community from all parts of the Bay Area. The winner of the contest was Miss Leopoldina C. Rodrigues (later known by her married name of Alves"), who later became a a leader in the S.P.R.S.I. Society, in which she held the offices of president, treasurer and secretary. After the closing of the Shellmound Park, the Annual Picnic was moved to the California Park in Marin County (California Park was located at the base of hill between Greenbrae and San Rafael near the present Jocobi Street in San Rafael and had been called Schuetzen Park prior to World War I), where it was held until discontinued in the late Twenties.

The Portuguese immigrants who arrived in California in the late 1800's were coming from farming and dairying areas in the Azores. They settled primarily in the San Joaquin Valley where they applied their skill in farming and ranching. To meet the needs of these rural settlers, other Portuguese societies began developing in the Bay Area. These later organizations were so organized as to include corporate structures that allowed them to have subordinate lodges in communities throughout the state.

Some of these groups included: União Portuguesa do Estado da California or The Portuguese Union of the State of California (U.P.E.C.) founded in 1880 at San Leandro; Irmandade do Divono Espirito Santo (I.D.E.S.) founded in 1889 at Mission San Jose; Sociedade do Espirito Santo (S.E.S.) founded in 1895; the União Portuguesa Protectora do Estado da California (U.P.P.E.C.) which is a mutual-aid society for Portuguese women, was begun in 1901 under the patronage of Our Lady of the Immaculate Conception; It was incorporated in January of 1902.

The U.P.E.C was founded in San Leandro on August 1, 1880 by founding members who were all Azorean, with the exception of one man from Coimbra, Portugal. Although it was founded to encourage Portuguese culture, anyone of any nationality could be admitted. Insurance benefits were part of the attraction in joining. Also, the peace of mind in knowing that when a member died, if there was no one to make funeral arrangements, the U.P.E.C. would see that there was a proper burial. The U.P.E.C. met in bodies styled Councils. There were ninety-two U.P.E.C. Councils.

The statutes of the Irmandade do Divino Espírito Santo (Brotherhood of the Divine Holy Ghost, I.D.E.S.) of Mission San Jose, California were written in 1889, although the brotherhood seems to have been started a few years earlier: the celebration of the Festa do Divino Espírito Santo in 1887 may have been the group's first activity. There is conflicting information that states that California's first Holy Ghost Festival was sponsored by the Hayward chapter of the Irmandade do Divino Espírito Santo, I.D.E.S. in 1899 at Hayward. The I.D.E.S. grew to be a large organization with several councils, with the supreme council being located in Oakland. The chapter had been formed the previous year. In 1917, at the society's peak, it had 11,006 members.

In 1913, in West Oakland, the social and benevolent society Associação Protectora União Madeirense do Estado da Califórnia (União Madeirense for short) was founded. The society grew to include dozens of councils not only in California, but also in Massachusetts, Rhode Island, and Hawaii.

In 1917, in Oakland, California the União Portuguesa Continental do Estado da Califórnia (Portuguese Continental Union of the State of California, U.P.C.) was formed as a benevolent society for people from continental Portugal, as the other Portuguese benevolent societies were controlled by Azoreans or Madeirans. The continental Portuguese population of California was rather small, and the U.P.C. soon branched out to include the East Coast: councils were established in Massachusetts, Rhode Island, Connecticut, New York, and New Jersey. In 1957 the U.P.C. merged with the Benevolent Society of California, thus forming the United National Life Insurance Society and in California, the Luso-American Fraternal Federation.

In 1925, the organization the United Portuguese S.E.S. (Sociedade Espírito Santo) Hall was formed in Point Loma on the San Diego Bay to honor the Holy Ghost. It was decided that Portuguese-owned fishing boats would donate 25 cents to a church fund and another 25 cents to a hall construction fund for every ton of fish they caught. The construction of the hall was completed in 1922, and a new one was finished in 1948, each in time for the Holy Ghost Festival. Manuel de Oliveira Medina served as president for several decades.

In 1932, a large festival, organized by the União Portuguesa do Estado da Califórnia (U.P.E.C.) of San Leandro and attracting 40,000 people from throughout California, was held in Oakland in April to celebrate the fifth centennial of the discovery of the Azores and the seventh centennial of the death of St. Anthony of Padua, also known as St. Anthony of Lisbon.

In 1957, the Portuguese Protective and Benevolent Association of the City and County of San Francisco (A.P.P.B.), which in 1945 first admitted women and in 1948 changed its name to "Benevolent Society of California," merged with the União Portuguesa Continental, thus forming the United National Life Insurance Society. A new division, the Luso-American Fraternal Foundation, took over its fraternal, social, and cultural activities.

In 1963, the Luso-American Educational Foundation, a division of the United National Life Insurance Society, formerly the A.P.P.B., based out of San Francisco, was formed. Its purpose, besides the education of the Portuguese people, was to promote their cultural development.

In 1971, in San Leandro, California, the U.P.E.C. Cultural Center, housing the headquarters of the União Portuguesa do Estado da Califórnia and of the organization's Council No. 1, as well as the J. A. Freitas Library, conference rooms, and an auditorium, was dedicated on March 13, 1971. In 1978, Mary Mathias, nee Costa, was the first woman to be elected Supreme President of U.P.E.C.

Was your town home of a Council? See Appendix.

International Organization of Good Templars (IOGT)

International Organization of Good Templars (IOGT) was founded in 1851. A lodge of Good Templars was organized May 1908 in the City of San Rafael. It met at the Red Men's Hall.

International Organization of Good Templars - Background, History, Ritual and Emblems

The Good Templars were a temperance group, whose name may be confused with the Masonic Knights Templar. The Independent Order of Good Templars was organized in Syracuse, N.Y. in 1851to promote worldwide prohibition of liquor and total abstinence for the individual. It spread throughout the United States and Canada and was introduced into Great Britain in 1868. It was later organized in continental Europe, India, South and West Africa, South America, and Australasia: Two other outgrowths of the organization were the Prohibition party and Woman's Christian Temperance. From its inception, the Good Templars admitted both men and women.

The name Independent Order of Good Templars was officially changed to the International Organization of Good Templars in 1905.

At the time of the institution of a IOGT Lodge in San Rafael, the organization still utilized the Lodge form of organization and conferred degrees to admit new members, re-admit members, install officers, and bury dead members. The officers of a Lodge of Good Templars were: Past Chief Templar, Chief Templar; Superintendent of Juvenile Temple; Vice-Templar; Marshal; Deputy Marshal; Chaplain; Secretary; Assistant Secretary; Financial Secretary, Guard and Sentinel.

The ceremonies made use of by the IOGT sought to elicit a pledge of total abstinence (including not just refraining from drinking but also from making, buying, selling, using, furnishing, or causing to be furnished any form of alcohol) from the candidate and to impress upon him or her that human degradation was largely on account of spirituous liquors ardent spirits, malt liquors, wine and cider. To reinforce the solemnity of the pledge, the candidate was introduced to a number of Scriptural references, including: Prov. XX, 1; Prov. XXIII, 20-21; Prov. XXIII, 29; Prov. XXIII, 30, Prov. XXIII, 31-32; Gal. VI, 7-8. The candidate was also impressed with the theological virtues of faith, hope, and charity. The Order extolled the virtue of pure water, the only drink prepared solely by the "Almighty and Allwise."

At its inception the IOGT utilized an elaborate ritual structure. The First Degree was the Initiatory Degree; The Second Degree was the Fidelity Degree, which extolled the virtues of the sons of Rechab; The Third Degree was the Charity Degree, the principal lesson of which revolved around the example of the Good Samaritan who cared for a wounded man on the way from Jerusalem to Jericho. Third Degree members were eligible for the Council Degree at the conclusion of which they were deemed "Knight Templars" by the IOGT. The Council Degree was devised by B.H. Mills, editor of the Good Templar who was also a member of both the Odd Fellows and Masons. The emblem of the Council Degree was a triangle composed of the lance, battle axe, and sword. The lance was to teach members to "fearlessly ... enter the lists against the enemy of all mankind; to wage an uncompromising warfare, and neither give nor ask quarter." The battle axe was "an emblem of truth, which, with a powerful arm we are to wield in the great context between right and wrong." The sword taught, "us to execute strict justice between man and man, and to remain faithful while we have strength to strike, or skill to parry a blow." It was ironic that this temperance organization concluded by extolling the virtues of the Templar knights of the middle ages: Apparently the IOGT was unaware that the saying, "To drink like a Templar," did not refer to the ingestion of water.

Native Sons of the Golden West (NSGW)

The Native Sons of the Golden West was founded in 1875 as a lasting monument to the men and women of the Gold Rush Days, and is dedicated to preserving the history of California. There are three Lodges, called Parlors, in Marin County: Mt. Tamalpais Parlor No. 64 in San Rafael; Sea Point Parlor No. 158 in Sausalito, and Fairfax Parlor No. 307, Fairfax.

Sea Point Parlor No. 158 in Sausalito was originally named Sausalito Parlor. After charter member William Randolph Hearst came to the Parlor's financial aid in 1897, the grateful members renamed the Parlor "Sea Point," after the Sausalito vacation home of Hearst. In 1908, Hearst bought new band uniforms for the Sea Point Parlor Drum and Bugle Corps. The Sea Point Parlor may be best remembered for its Drum and Bugle Corps, which won the state championships in the marching band competition for seven years in a row in the 1930's and 40's. The Parlor met at the Knights of Pythias Castle on Bridgeway in Sausalito.

Native Sons of the Golden West - Background, History, Ritual and Emblems

The Native Sons of the Golden West was organized by a native of Virginia, General Albert M. Winn. Gen. Winn had come to California during Gold Rush days and sought to immortalize those pioneer fathers and mothers who had so deeply impressed him with their fortitude.

Many years after the establishment of the Native Sons of the Golden West, General Winn wrote: "For Twenty years my mind has been running on some lasting style of monument to mark and perpetuate the discovery of gold. I could not think of anything that would not perish in the course of time. At last it came to my mind that an Order composed of native sons of the Pacific Coast would effect the object and be sustained by pride of parentage and place of nativity, while it would be an imperishable memento-an institution that would last through time".

General Winn had served as a member of San Francisco's Fourth of July Celebration Committee for several years and, in 1875, decided to gather a group of Native Californians who, dressed in the rough miner's garb of the Gold Rush days, would march in the 1875 Independence Day Parade on Monday, July 5. Twenty-one of those participating joined together on July 11 to form the Society of Native Sons of the Golden West, prefacing their first constitution with the following statement of aims and purposes:

"The society was organized for the mutual benefit, mutual improvement and the social intercourse of its members, to perpetuate in the minds of all Native Californians the memories of one of the most wonderful epochs in the world's history, the Days of '49; to unite them in one harmonious body throughout the State by the ties of friendship, mutually beneficial to all"

The tenants of the NSGW are Friendship, Loyalty, and Charity. The officers of a Parlor are: President, Junior Past President, 1st Vice President, 2nd Vice President, 3rd Vice President, Trustees (3), Marshal, Recording Secretary, Treasurer, Financial Secretary, Organist, and Editor.

In 1923, membership in the Native Sons of the Golden West stood at 27,560 members in 158 parlors. In 1925, membership in the Native Sons of the Golden West stood at 27,000.

Knights of the Royal Arch (KRA)

A Castle of the Knights of the Royal Arch was organized in the City of San Rafael in January 1909. No further reference to this organization's existence in this community has been found. A study of its ritual, which was less instructive than an excuse to embarrass and abuse the candidate, suggests that the Knights most likely did not outlive initial interest that likely went with the novelty of a new "secret society."

Knights of the Royal Arch - Background, History, Ritual and Emblems

The Knights of the Royal Arch appears to have been an off-shoot or cousin of the Knights of Fidelity. Despite having the phrase "Royal Arch" in its name, it had no association with the Masonic Royal Arch Chapters. The arch referred to the members forming an arch with their arms while a new candidate was obligated.

The officers of the order were augustly styled: Valiant Commander, Lieutenant Commander, Captain of the Guards, Grand Master of Ceremonies, Grand Tyler, Grand Recorder, Chief Orator, Grand Treasurer. The jewels of the order were as follows: Valiant Commander, Crown with a pendant suspended with the words "Valiant Commander;" Lieutenant Commander, crossed swords with a pendant suspended with the words "Lieutenant Commander;" Captain of the Guards, a spear with a pendant suspended with the words "Captain of the Guard;" Grand Master of Ceremonies, a sword and spear crossed with a pendant suspended with the words, "Grand Master of Ceremonies;" Grand Tyler, a key with a pendant suspended with the words "Grand Tyler;" Grand Recorder, an imitation of a quill pen with a pendant suspended with the words, "Grand Recorder;" Chief Orator, an open book with a pendant suspended with the words, "Chief Orator;" Grand Treasurer, a horn of plenty with a pendant suspended with the words, "Grand Treasurer."

The KRA conferred one degree in which the candidate went from Pilgrim to Knight. As a Pilgrim, the candidate had chains draped over his shoulders and arms. He was given a faulty password and told to sneak into the lodge and join the other men who were standing in a circle. Declared an enemy, he was put in a bag that was tied at both ends and told he would be thrown out of the window.

Spared by the Valiant Commander, the Pilgrim was informed by the same officer that he could proceed after taking a more solemn obligation and was told that his prior indiscretion had caused disturbance among the brethren and that should he be prompted by mere idle curiosity to proceed he would undermine the order and cause the "illustrious order to be buried in that horrible abyss from which no traveler e'er returns." The Pilgrim was then reminded of the fate of the first man, Adam, for disobeying the "Great and Awful Creator."

Before the candidate could take the obligation, however, he was accused of being, "[A]n habitual drunkard, also I know that he consorts with women of a bad character, and a brother tells me that he has slandered the good name of one of our prominent Knights." (The Knights of Fidelity administered a different ordeal: Before being obligated, as proof of courage, obedience, and purity of heart, the Pilgrim had to cleanse his hands in molten lead, which was really a pot of quick-silver, i.e., mercury, standing over an alcohol burner.) Tried and convicted of the named offences, the blindfolded Pilgrim was passed through the "needles eye" and given a "bump" by the brethren.

After this hazing, the Pilgrim was roughly placed at the altar for his obligation. The Pilgrim had to wash his hands in "pure water" before taking the obligation. The obligation was taken between an open column of the brethren on the north and south sides of the lodge room whose hands formed an arch over and away from the candidate. Following the obligation, the Pilgrim was anointed with oil on the point of a sword on his forehead, and divested of the chains he had born. He was told the chains were to remind him of the chains the ancient Gauls used to tie themselves together when going into battle so they would either win or die together and that if he should prove false, he would be treated as the only survivor of the battle of Thermopylae who was treated as a coward and scourged for not dying with his fellow Spartan knights.

The successful Pilgrim was informed that he should lead a life clothed in charity, humanity, and hospitality so as to help a weary pilgrim traveling from afar, feed the hungry, bind up the wounds of the afflicted and care for the sick.

"Final instruction" by the Grand Treasurer provided the penultimate opportunity to haze the new member. Introduced to the Grand Treasurer as a "Stranger with coin" the brethren were then instructed to "rob him, kill him if necessary; go into the deepest recesses of his trousers and produce his coin, it shall be ours; nevermore will he need it." After being thus robbed, the Pilgrim/Stranger was escorted over various stumbling blocks, a midst various blowing horns and confusion. At the conclusion he was told this was to impress upon him that: "Life at best is not a bed of roses." Instructed to kneel and bow three times, the Pilgrim/Stranger's ordeal was not quite over: On his second bow he was hit on the rear with a spanker. Finally he was told it was over and he was now a Knight.

E Clampus Vitus (ECV)

Yerba Buena Number 1, which was christened the "Capitulus Redivivus," or Revived Capital of E Clampus Vitus on the revival of the "Ancient and Honorable Order" meets in South San Francisco, but includes in its jurisdiction the County of Marin. Yerba Buena Lodge has placed commemorative plaques in Marin County, including in the City of Mill Valley at Old Mill Park, celebrating places of importance to California's history. There is a picture of the Lodge members in front of the Book Depot after placing the Old Mill Park plaque in the archives of the Mill Valley Historical Society.

E Clampus Vitus - Background, History, Ritual and Emblems

The Ancient and Honorable Order of E Clampus Vitus, first appeared in this state during the California gold rush in the towns and camps of the Sierra Foothills.

According to the "Official History" of the Order, "Soon after gold was discovered in the millrace at John Sutter's sawmill on January 24, 1848, tent camps blossomed, then were quickly replaced by the cabins, shanties, and brick and stone buildings that became towns. At the beginning of 1848 there were about 2,000 Americans in California, and by the end of 1849 there were over 53,000. With the great western migration of gold-seekers also came the staid and civilized fraternal lodges, such as the Masons and the Independent Order of Odd Fellows, often occupying the first permanent structures in the diggings.

"The members of these respected orders were chiefly business and professional people--bankers, lawyers, doctors, men in the mercantile and hotel trades--and some of the more gentlemanly miners. However, many of the men in the diggings were too free-spirited, boisterous, or crude to be welcomed into the established lodges. They were outside the accepted circle, destined to drink alone, undignified and unentitled. But that soon changed, for in the throngs descending upon the Mother Lode was one Joseph H. Zumwalt, whose trunk contained a document that would have momentous impact on the forty-niners. It was an eight-page tract describing the initiation ritual and rules of a peculiar secret society called E Clampus Vitus.

"It is believed that E Clampus Vitus started as an elaborate practical joke in the hills of western Virginia in the mid-1840's. Actually, the original name was E Clampusus Vitus, but along the way the extra "s" was dropped. Joe Zumwalt unpacked the ritual booklet with his other gear when he reached Hangtown (now Placerville) in 1850. E Clampus Vitus had come to California.

"Zumwalt attempted to organize the first ECV chapter in Hangtown. That lodge was short-lived, perhaps due to a half-hearted try by the frustrated Zumwalt, who was having little luck finding gold. Then he moved forty miles south to the Mokelumne Hill district, where he found richer diggings. He also found that the prank-loving, recreation-hungry miners of Mok Hill were ready to embrace his intriguingly absurd lodge. So in September 1851, Mokelumne Hill Lodge No. 1001, Ancient and Honorable Order of E Clampus Vitus was born.

"Though it would later show a benevolent side, the chief aim of E Clampus Vitus at its beginning was simply to poke good-natured fun at the serious mystical lodges, particularly the Masons and the Odd Fellows, whose complex internal structures the irreverent prankish group gleefully parodied.

"The exalted ruler of the "Clampers," as the members were called, was a mockstern official known as the Noble Grand Humbug. He was assisted by the Clamps Petrix, The Clamps Matrix, the Royal Platrix, the Grand Gyascutis, and the Grand Iscutis. In fact, every Clamper had a title of some sort, and all were held in equal indignity by their fellows. The ritual greeting between Clampers, according to E Clampus Vitus historian Carl I. Wheat, was the "raising of both hands to the ears, with thumbs against ears and fingers extended." The reply was a closed right fist, with arm raised from the beltline, striking the chest forcibly.

"Everything about E Clampus Vitus was a jest, a philosophy embodied in the Clamper motto, Credo Quia Absurdium--take nothing seriously unless it is absurd. Even the name of the order was a humbug, for E Clampus Vitus has no meaning in true Latin. The high-spirited miners loved it, for they belonged. Their mascot was a decorated billy goat, and their banner was a hoop skirt, to which they attached the words, This is the flag we fight under. In parades they carried a seven-foot-long Sword of Justice and Mercy, and they toted an equally long "Blunderbusket," with a two-inch bore.

"Pranks and practical jokes abounded, finding victims in members and non-members alike. Soon Joe Zumwalt's Mokelumne Hill lodge of parody caught on in other camps, and within a few years other ECV chapters had sprung up throughout California's gold country, from Yreka in the north to the southern outpost of Mariposa. In 1855, even Hangtown (by then called Placerville) relented.

"Clamper meetings were held in the Hall of Comparative Ovations, commonly in the back room of a saloon. They also met in hotels, dance halls, and if the attendance was too large, in barns. Some chapters even constructed their own Hall of Comparative Ovations building. But most met in, as one newspaper put it, "libation emporiums, where they reached stages of well-being, free from pain and distress."

"The brethren were called together by the tinny braying of the "hewgag," a big horn sounded in the street by the Royal Grand Musician. Strict Clamper rules required meetings to be held "at any time before or after a full moon."

"Much Clamper business involved taking in new members, called Poor Blind Candidates, and they were really 'taken in.' The only requirement for a membership was a poke of gold dust. The amount depended upon the candidate's means, and in some cases it was waived entirely.

"Whenever a new member was to be inducted, the hewgag brayed and the brothers headed for the Hall of Comparative Ovations. After all were assembled, the Noble Grand Humbug, the Clamps Petrix, and the Clamps Matrix, all masked, began the solemn ritual of initiation, complete with elaborate phony Latin phrasing. The Poor Blind Candidate--right shoe off, pants leg rolled up, and wearing a blindfold--was then led into the hall and brought before the Noble Grand Humbug. His Eminence would ask the nervous candidate a series of questions, after which the newcomer was led around the hall, stopping at different points where he was lectured on various Clamper policies and rules. Next he was placed in the Expungent's Chair, a wheelbarrow padded with a large, cold, wet sponge, and taken over the Rocky Road to Dublin, a ladder laid on the floor. As the Poor Blind Candidate bounced over the rungs, the brethren sang out repeatedly, "Ain't you glad to get out of the wilderness, get out of the wilderness, get out of the wilderness."

"Upon completion of his "soul cleansing" ride, the initiate was asked if he believed in the Elevation of Man. When he said he did, he was immediately lifted onto a saddle and hoisted by block and tackle to the ceiling. Often the "elevation" was accomplished by a blanket toss, where the candidate was bounced on a blanket that the brethren firmly held on all sides.

"Finally, sometimes after several hours of good-natured torture, the Scales of Darkness--the blindfold--was removed from the fledgling member, and he was given the sacred Staff of Relief. Meanwhile, his new comrades sang to him the revered Clamper ode, "We'll take a drink with you, Dear Brother." And was he ready for one! After surviving the ritual ceremony, the new member was immediately appointed Chairman of the Most Important Committee to instill a sense of Clamper self esteem. With his new title he equaled all his brothers in rank.

"The Noble Grand Humbug then completed the rite by explaining the importance of the Order's Clampatron, St. Vitus, and the significance of the Clamper sacred emblem, the Staff of Relief. He closed by asking the ritual question, "What say the Brethren?" to which the reply was "Satisfactory!". The initiation was over.

"There were no dues in E Clampus Vitus, and often the treasury consisted only of the initiation fee put up by the evening's inductee, which was immediately converted to liquid assets for the refreshment of the assemblage. Because the Hall of Comparative Ovations was usually a saloon, the barkeep often had the drinks dispensed before the Scales of Darkness came off the Poor Blind Candidate.

"In Mokelumne Hill, where it all started, Van Pelt's saloon served as a Hall of Comparative Ovations until George Leger became a Clamper and opened his hotel to the braying of the hewgag. In Ione, Ringer's saloon was where the Clampers met. In Amador City it was Mooney's, and in Georgetown, Clamper-saloonkeeper Pat Lynch hosted the raucous meetings. The Noble Grand Humbug E.H. Van Decor presided over the Georgetown gatherings in 1856 until a fire swept away that sacred Hall and most of the town. Stevens' Young America Saloon in Jackson was a Hall of Comparative Ovations and Al Dudley was the Noble Grand Humbug in 1861. In the booming gold rush town of Columbia there were two Clamper Halls in the 1850's: Soderer and Marshall's drinking emporium, later called the Stage Driver's Retreat, and Albert Aberdeen's saloon, where the Clampers met downstairs in Darling's Oyster Parlor.

"As the popularity of E Clampus Vitus grew, Clamper lodges formed in nearly every town in the California mining districts. Many community leaders and business owners found it to their advantage to join the Order and follow the bray of the hewgag, for Clampers were loyal and tended to vote for their brothers and trade in Clamper-owned establishments. Besides, there was refreshing if ironic honesty in the Clamper philosophy. By the mid-1850's, E Clampus Vitus numbered among its brethren such worthies as judges, senators, state assemblymen, newspapermen, sheriffs, bankers, and mayors, as well as scores of lawyers and doctors.

"When E Clampus Vitus was in full bloom, from the mid-1850's to about 1870, it was not unusual to find towns almost closing down at the call of the hewgag. Shops, banks, saloons, homes--and placer diggings--were temporarily abandoned when the summons of the sacred clarion shattered the stillness of the air. Indeed many mining towns in the Mother Lode, such as Downieville, Placerville, and Sierra City had more Clampers in residence than all the members of the serious lodges combined. Over the years, the secret Clamper grip passed between thousands of hands, even extending over the Sierras in 1859 to Nevada's Comstock Lode silver mines.

"Some of the enlightened, having the Scales of Darkness removed in the Hall of Comparative Ovations, were names not lost to history. Philip D. Armour, the Auburn and Placerville butcher who would later found on of the world's largest meat-packing firms, was a Clamper, as was John Mohler Studebaker, who made the wheelbarrows for Mother Lode miners in the 1850's. When he had saved enough money, Studebaker joined his brothers in their Indiana wagon shop and lived to manufacture the first gasoline-powered Studebaker auto in 1904. John Hume, lawyer, well-known state assemblyman, and brother of famed Wells Fargo Chief Detective James Hume, was a member of E Clampus Vitus' Placerville and Coloma lodges.

"Also a young newspaperman named Sam Clemens, who lived for a time at the Jackass Hill diggings near Angels Camp, was a brother of E Clampus Vitus. There, on a cold January day in 1865, the fun-loving journalist heard someone relate a funny anecdote about a frog-jumping contest. A few months later, Mark Twain wrote The Celebrated Jumping Frog of Calavaras County and found fame overnight.

"The Clampers also claimed Ulysses S. Grant, J. Pierpont Morgan, Horace Greeley and Horatio Alger as members. All of these historic figures visited the California gold rush country, but it is doubtful that they were ever really Clampers. Some Clamper membership claims are certainly suspect, such as Solomon, the Ceasars, Henry VIII, Sir Francis Drake, George Washington, Andrew Jackson, and even Adam himself, the alleged first Clampatriarch.

"In its lapses from buffoonery the Ancient and Honorable Order of E Clampus Vitus showed a benevolent side. Frequently, and quietly, the brethren performed charitable acts, and though they would whimsically state that the purpose of their society was to "care for widows and orphans, particularly the widows," the ECV was widely lauded for valuable services to the needy. They sponsored benefit shows and other fund-raising events for the sick and the destitute, with no hoaxes involved. And when the Mother Lode was struck with disaster, such as fires and floods that devastated whole towns, the Clampers were among the first to lend a hand with rescues and rebuilding. They were jokesters, but good citizens as well.

"The strength and spirit of E Clampus Vitus began fading by the 1890's as the miners drifted away. The last Clamper meeting in Sierra City was in 1907, and the hewgag brayed for the last time at Quincy in 1916.

"However, Carl I. Wheat, Dr. Charles Lewis Camp, and others in the California Historical Society revived the order in 1931. Today there are a number of E Clampus Vitus chapters in California, existing to have fun, recount gold rush lore, and place plaques at historic sites. Some of the crumbling, long-abandoned saloons are still there, too--former Halls of Comparative Ovations, where in the heyday of the Mother Lode the ritual question, 'What say the Brethren?' was always answered with a roaring 'Satisfactory!'" - The Gold Camp of Foolery: E Clampus Vitus by Gary Meier