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The Scottish American History Club Newsletter
July 2011
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The Order of Scottish Clans
The Benevolent Order of Scottish Clans was founded on
November 30, 1878 in St. Louis, Missouri. A number of
Masons were involved, led by James McCash. I could find
no further information about Mr. McCash. It is described
as a mutual-aid society that provided insurance to
Scottish immigrants and their descendants. The Order
provided both life and disability insurance. It was
especially valuable to coal miners.
There was also a cultural component because they wanted
to help preserve the culture and traditions of Scotland
among Americans of Scottish ancestry. The lodges took
the form of combined clans. Each state would be called
by its own name: Grand Clans of Illinois, for instance,
and then the clans would be numbered as they joined.
Here is how they described themselves: “The Order of
Scottish Clans is an international institution, founded
at St. Louis, Missouri, on St. Andrew’s Day, November
30, 1878, by a few enthusiastic Scots-men, loyal
citizens of the land of their adoption while retaining
an ardent love of their native land, of its history,
traditions and ideals; and their loyalty and love for
the land of their adoption and their respect and
admiration for its institutions, so much in keeping with
the democratic ideals of their own native land, inspired
them to found the Order of Scottish Clans for the dual
purpose of, on the material side, providing a fund from
which on the death of a member, a sum would be paid to
his wife and bairns, or whoever his legal beneficiaries
might be, and, on the ideal side, to be leal (loyal) and
true upholders of the institutions and laws of their
adopted country, and to cultivate fond recollections of
Scotland, its history and traditions, its literature and
ideals, its minstrelsy and song, and its customs and
amusements.”
There are few records available
to help us understand how many clans were members.
We do know that Clan MacDuff #16 existed in
Chicago. Clan MacKenzie #42 was in Braidwood, Clan
MacGregor #66 was in Streator, and Clan Cameron #47 was
in Coal City. Samuel Fulton (1863-1901) was a member of
Clan Cameron #47, and at his funeral 125 members in
uniform attended his funeral in Coal City, IL.
Clan Scott in Chicago was number #265. This would
indicate that at one time 265 clans were members of the
Royal Order. Today, hundreds of Scots in Illinois have a
clan membership but I don’t know of any active clans
meeting on a regular schedule within the state.
Clan Scott #265 met in Anderson’s Hall at 69th
and Halsted on the 1st and 3rd
Monday of each month. Their Chief was Alexander Arnott
and the Financial Secretary was Stanley Oke, who lived
at 3248 W. 62nd St. (I wonder if this is the
Stanley Oke that I knew? If so, his children and
grandchildren still attend the Scottish Home picnic.)
Every two years the Order held a national
convention in a major city: Chicago, Houston, New York
and Boston. At these conventions they elected their
Royal Chief who served as the president of the
organization. William H. Steen of Braidwood, Illinois
served as the Royal Chief for a record twelve years.
Walter Scott of New York City also served in that
position.
Membership was originally open only to Scottish male
descendants but in the later years it was opened to
Scottish females.
While the history of the
Order is very difficult to piece together, we do know
that the mutual aid part of the Order finally
experienced financial difficulties. In 1971 the
insurance portion was taken over by the Independent
Order of Foresters. Before they merged, the Order had
about 16,000 members.
Marv Ronaldson, who
died some years ago, knew a lot about the Order of
Scottish Clans. The merger apparently did not end well
for everyone involved, and this may have contributed to
the end of the Order of Scottish Clans.
Daughters of Scotia
The auxiliary for the Benevolent Order of Scottish Clans
was called the Daughters of Scotia. They were organized
July 2, 1895 in New Haven, Connecticut. “Originally a
number of male members of the Order of Scottish Clans
were dual members of the Daughters of Scotia until the
organization was up and running.”
The
Daughters of Scotia still exists and they have a web
site at www.daughtersofscotia.org. Jean Brown is the
current Grand Chief Daughter. They will hold their 113th
annual convention on September 18-19, 2011 in Hanover,
NJ. On their web site they list 39 current Lodges
including Lady MacDuff #45 at Riverside, IL. Is that
Lodge still active? Over the years a number of those
ladies resided at the Scottish Home. We do have some
items in the Museum about the Daughters of Scotia. Mr.
James Patton of Downers Grove, Illinois generously
donated beautiful membership pins belonging to his
family. Fifteen or more women may still form a lodge and
apply for a charter.
The Daughters of Scotia Society of Chicago held their
initial meeting on June 12, 1907. They met in the
Athenaeum Building Hall, 26 Van Buren Street. Mrs.
Elizabeth Valentine was elected president. Other
officers were: Mrs. Annie Crowe; Mrs. Jeanette Russel
and Mrs. Catherine Fraser. “Its chief work will be to
care for needy Scottish old people in Chicago.” The
Daughters were always very active at the Scottish Home.
On November 13, 1908, this article appeared in the
Chicago Tribune:
“Inmates of the St. Andrew’s Home for aged Scottish
people will be benefitted by a bazaar to be given by the
Daughters of Scotia in the hall of the Scotch
Westminster church this afternoon and evening and
tomorrow afternoon and evening.”
This article appeared June 9, 1909: “A picnic and
automobile ride to Garfield park will be given the
sixteen inmates of the present Scotch old people’s home
at 43 Bryant avenue today by the Daughters of Scotia.
Mrs. Robert Ballantine, president of the organization
will be in charge of the outing.”
The last article that I can find in the
Chicago Tribune
on the Daughters of Scotia is dated
September 16, 1963. It announces
the 65th annual convention of the Daughters
which was being held at the Pick-Congress hotel. “The
organization has 17,000 members in the United States and
Canada.” The estimated attendance was 1,600. There are
no more reports or announcements.
The Fiery Cross
The Fiery Cross
was the name chosen for the publication of the Order of
Scottish Clans. I have two copies in my files. One dated
March 1930 and May-June 1941. It may have been a bad
choice of names because the Ku Klux Klan used the same
name. I have been unable to find any place where the old
volumes have been stored for reference. They would be
very useful for research and they also contain a lot of
pictures.
The term, Fiery Cross, goes back to the Scottish
Highlands where there was constant fear of invasions by
their enemies. When an emergency arose, the
Fiery Cross was sent around the countryside to
gather the men for war. Not to follow the summons was
looked upon as being disloyal to their Chief and the
clan. Men were required to stop whatever they were doing
and report to the indicated spot prepared for fighting.
The Fiery Cross
as the official organ of the Order of Scottish Clans was
published by the Kable Brothers Company of Mount Morris,
IL. Harry G. And Harvey J. Kable were twins born in
Lanark, IL. I don’t know if they had a Scottish heritage
but it would certainly follow the practice of Scots
working with Scots. At one time Mount Morris and the
Kable Brothers was the center of printing in our state.
My friends in Rotary will be interested to know that the
early editions of
The Rotarian
were printed by the Kable Brothers. The company
maintained a Chicago office in 1912 and Harvey J. was a
member of Rotary Club of Chicago. They printed their
first copy of
The Rotarian
in July 1912. It is unclear how long they printed the
magazine.
If anyone has copies of
The Fiery Cross
and would like to donate them to the museum, please let
us know.
The Highland Association
In addition to the Order of Scottish Clans and the
Daughters of Scotia, several other Scottish
organizations have existed in Chicago.
The
Highland Association was formed March 14, 1873. They
held their first meeting in the lecture-room of the
Scotch Church, corner of Sangamon and Adams streets.
Their stated purpose was “The promoting of social
intercourse among Highlanders; the forming of a library
consisting chiefly of works of Highland interest; the
collecting of curiosities illustrative of the customs of
the Highlands; the cultivation of the language, poetry,
and music, and the preservation of the traditions,
legends, and literature of the Highlands, and also the
extending of charitable aid where feasible.”
The Association was off to a slow start and for the
next six years never held a meeting according to a
newspaper article. In October 1880, a meeting was held
and George McPherson was elected as a new Chief. They
also planned an event to be held in Aurora, IL. and the
speaker was to be Robert Hervey who was to lecture on
Sir Walter Scott. By 1887, A. Gordon Murray was the
Chief and the membership numbered 150. In the same year
they held a Scottish concert in Farwell Hall where 1,000
people attended.
Perhaps, their great event
was the “Gatherin’ O’The Clans in Burlington Park on
August 3, 1890. The temperature reached 102 degrees.
“The clans were there, so many in number that they could
not be counted. A. Gordon Murray said that all of the
sixty-six clans were represented.” That is the highest
number of clans I have ever seen noted. It would be nice
to have that list.
Charges were later filed against A. Gordon
Murray, because more than $37 was missing in tickets
sales from the games held in Burlington Park. He must
have survived the charge because in 1888, he was elected
to represent Clan Gordon at the Royal Clan meeting in
Boston, MA.
I cannot determine when the
Highland Association ceased to exist.
Scottish Assembly
This organization has been really difficult to trace.
The first article in
the
Chicago Daily Tribune
is dated
June 29, 1892. A committee of twenty-five
representatives met at
the Grand Pacific to make arrangements
for the Scottish games and picnic at Burlington Park in
Naperville, IL on July 30. “A large amphitheater will be
erected to accommodate 4,000 people. Five hundred ladies
and girls will take part in the tableaux. One hundred
and fifty coaches of the Chicago, Burlington and Quincy
have been secured for transportation.”
This headline appeared on July 23, 1892: “War among the
Scottish lads.” It seems that the Highland Association
met and decided to hold their annual picnic at Columbia
Park the next Saturday. The Scottish Assembly
“immediately selected the same time and place for their
picnic.” The paper went on to state “The two societies
are antagonistic...” They settled their differences by
deciding to hold a parade on the night before and the
Scottish Assembly would go to Burlington Park and the
Highland Association would go to Columbia Park. (It must
be in the Scottish DNA!)
The next article in
the paper appears August 7, 1892. The Scottish Assembly
is organizing a company of Royal Scots clad in
Highland costume. “Only respectable
and well-built men will be permitted to unite with the
Scots.” The Assembly was active during the Columbian
Exposition
and opened their new headquarters
at 75 East Randolph St. “Congressman
Durborow, Dr Handford and
D. R. Goudie will deliver addresses,
followed
by a musical program and promenade.”
One
final mystery to this group is the fact that the
“International Directors of the Scottish Assembly” met
in Chicago, February 25, 1893. They were here
“confirming the action of the local directory” as it
related to the plans for the Exposition. Men came from
over the country including William McKay of Inverness,
Scotland. So, the Chicago Assembly must have been a
local chapter of a national organization. Anyone know?
The Scottish Club of Chicago
Created at the Grand Pacific on November 24, 1894. The
30 or 40 people present “were mainly of that faction of
the Scottish Assembly which opposed the election of A.
Gordon Murray to the Presidency of the Assembly and who
withdrew at the time of the election.” Major J. C. Shand
was the Chairman and J.D. McKenzie the Secretary. It
does appear they had some early success but I have not
been able to determine when they ceased to exist.
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