Keep Looking

This past weekend, my Aunt from Alabama traveled to Colorado for a visit. My parents, my sister and her family, myself and my family, and our Aunt, all gathered in Leadville, Colorado to create some fall memories. While there, I wanted to get back to the Evergreen Cemetery to correct a mistake I made a few years ago: insufficient headstone photos. 

Thomas Perkins was born in England, and I first discovered his headstone about five years ago. The story is a bit long, so bear with me. 

Thomas Perkins was the first husband of Mary Isabelle Daniel. Mary was born in 1868 in Cornwall, England, and is the mother of three children. She arrived in America and appears to have traveled almost directly to Colorado. Although still unclear where the marriage between them took place, they ended up in Leadville, which is the highest incorporated town in the United States, sitting just above 12,000 feet in elevation. In the late 1800s, it was a booming city, and was even considered for the Colorado state capitol at one point. The town was the epicenter of the various mineral rushes in Colorado through the late 1800s and through the 1900s. 

After Thomas died in 1900, Mary continued on in Leadville for a few years. She ran a boarding house on East 5th Street, just three blocks from where my sister lives today. For whatever reason, in 1910, she and her children traveled to Springview, Keya Paha County, Nebraska, where she married my great grand uncle, Dick Heerten. Technically, she responded to his ad in "Lonely Hearts" magazine, or so the family story goes, and they were married within minutes of her stepping off the train. They then headed out to his farm, where they raised her three children, and life appears to have progressed fairly smoothly for the couple. 

What does all this have to do with Evergreen Cemetery? 

The thing is, our family never knew about Mary and her first husband until just a couple of years ago when I managed to dig it up from the black hole of history where family stories go to die. I put the pieces together and when I finally realized the truth of the story, my family was a little more than surprised. Not only has this particular line (the Heerten's) never before had any connection with Colorado, it was absolutely crazy to us that Mary and Thomas lived in Leadville. The town where my sister and her family had moved to about twelve years ago. A town that none of us had ever heard of before that point, and a town that has since captivated us a bit with its history. 

As this story started to unravel, I went to Evergreen Cemetery in Leadville and found the headstone of Thomas Perkins. I was unsure of his birth date, and his actual death date, and was really hoping there would be more information there. With no images available online that I could identify (at the time, at least; after I found the memorial, I created a place for him on FindAGrave.com), I really felt I needed to see the headstone. And I'm glad I did. 

Headstone of Thomas Perkins, Evergreen Cemetery.
Leadville, Lake County, Colorado
Copyright Jen Baldwin, 2014.

I was excited to find his marker, and several other's with the surname Perkins. I took the time to document all of the stones in the plot, and got the close up of course of the iinscriptionon Thomas' stone. 

Headstone of Thomas Perkins, Evergreen Cemetery.
Leadville, Lake County, Colorado
Copyright Jen Baldwin, 2014.

My mistake came when I walked away without a clear image of the two symbols on his marker. Although relatively common, they are significant enough that I knew I needed to confirm them, leaving no doubt as to their meaning. If you are familiar, you may immediately recognize them. This is what I was determined to correct this past weekend, and I did just that when I visited the site again, accompanied by my husband and my Dad. (Great experience, to walk a cemetery with the two men in this world I love the most.)

Copyright Jen Baldwin, 2014

Copyright Jen Baldwin, 2014

You may know them, you may not. The top one is a bit harder to see, but it is the anchor and shield of the Association of United Workmen. The initials, A.O.U.W. are often inscribed across the symbol, as seen here.  The lower symbol is an Elk inside a shield, representing the Benevolent and Protective Order of the Elks. Both were prominent organizations in Leadville history. 

The Elks is a great one for me, as I already know the lodge is still active, and my sister has friends who are members. I have an "in" for any future research I may want to do. The A.O.U.W. may be a little more challenging, however, as the Leadville lodge has since gone defunct, and in fact, the organization as a whole has evolved into a life insurance company. The great part for me was as we walked over to the next plot, and I found this: 

A.O.U.W. Headstone, Evergreen Cemetery
Leadville, Lake County, Colorado
Copyright Jen Baldwin, 2014

I do not know if this person is affiliated in my research of Thomas Perkins in any way, but I'm grateful for them, nonetheless. Why? Because the Lodge for the A.O.U.W. is identified on their marker! "Excelsior Lodge No. 5" is inscribed along the top edge, with the A.O.U.W. symbol on the front angle. Although more ornate than the version on the Perkins stone, there is no doubt that this is the same organization. YES, there could have been more than one lodge in Leadville. NO, there is no guarantee that this was also Thomas Perkins' lodge, but it is a place to start. I almost missed it; I almost just walked on by. But for whatever reason, I didn't. I looked down and paused. I took a second look. 

And that is why I say, keep looking.  You never know what is going to be right under your feet. 

The Lodges of Central City

Two weeks ago, my family and I explored Central City, Blackhawk and surrounding areas in Gilpin County, Colorado. We had a great day, which included several cemeteries (you can read about the Masonic Cemetery here). As promised, this is a second post from that same trip, this time highlighting the many Lodge buildings still standing in Central City.


One thing I have definitely learned when exploring these communities and looking for signs of fraternal life is to look UP. So many of the buildings are now used as store fronts, restaurants and art galleries, often the only sign left is the markings on the side of the building. In this case, it was also important to look down, as the town had set signs around explaining the various buildings.


All photos ©Jen Baldwin, 2014.

B.P.O. Elks, Lodge NO. 557

B.P.O. Elks Lodge No. 557

Front door to the B.P.O.E. The building appears to currently be vacant.

Historic marker sign for the Masonic Lodge

Masonic Lodge

Masonic Lodge - the tallest building, tan.

Look up! The information I want is right there in the window.
Masonic Hall est. 1864.

A.O.U.W. painted advertisement on the side.
I missed this the first time from street level, it wasn't until I crossed the street that I saw it.

A.O.U.W. building in its entirety.

Front of the A.O.U.W. building.

Insignia built into the front of the A.O.U.W. building.

Historical marker on street level.

I.O.O.F. Building. Again, look up! I missed this from one side of the street,
identified it when we crossed to the other side.

I.O.O.F. full facade.

Brick Knights of Pythias building is the left structure.

Seemingly empty, the KofP building in Central City, Colorado. 

Central City and It's Cemeteries

The final of three posts focused on our day long family adventure in Central City, Gilpin County, Colorado and the surrounding area. We explored the Masonic Cemetery, the downtown area featuring multiple fraternal lodges, and finally the historic cemeteries of Central City. There are six cemeteries within walking distance of each other, including the Knights of Pythias, the Catholic Cemetery and the I.O.O.F.

A few select images from that afternoon of exploring to share.

All images ©Jen Baldwin, 2014. 

Knights of Pythias Cemetery

Turn around from the gate, and this is what you see.

The view of the Catholic Cemetery from the gate of the Knights
of Pythias Cemetery.

We found these wooden markers in the Central City Cemetery, one was more readable than the others. 

The Central City Catholic Cemetery

What appears to be the main gate is chained and locked. 

The human entrance is to the left of the main gate seen above.
Up and over the fence! 

My family going over the stairs. They did also have a memorial
plaque on one side, recognizing a local couple. 

The original main gate is still intact, about 20 yards inside the current
fence. The wooden frame, sign and the actual gate is all that's left. 

These are three sisters, all very young at time of death, and all had a
peeled onion in front of the headstone. 

This round brick structure is in a far back corner of the cemetery, which
covers a fairly large piece of property. There was once a cross on the top according
to one source I was able to locate. 

The original use of this structure appears to be unknown, even by the
local historical society, though there are a few theories floating around. 

We have these metal pipes with wooden stake in the Valley Brook Cemetery
in Breckenridge, also. In Breck, they are used to mark the borders of the various sections
of the cemetery, but there didn't appear to be any obvious reason for them
here in Central City. We only found them around a handful of family plots. 

Although this wooden marker is not in the pipe, it was very obvious
that's where it was intended to be. This was the only other pipe we found
with the wooden stake still in it or nearby.

Haymakers

Now that the excitement of RootsTech has died down a bit, and my life is slowly getting back to normal, I wanted to take some time to get back to my ongoing effort to understand fraternal societies and their role in genealogical research. In late 2013 and January of 2014, I focused more on the process of investigating my own family members and their involvement in these organizations. I did make some progress, but I also want to understand the scope and variety of the numerous other societies that existed (or exist, as some are still alive today).


My interest is focused primarily on those that were created and flourished in the United States, but I certainly am not intending to limit myself to just one country. In the coming posts, I hope to simply expose some of the more unheard of groups and do a bit of digging to see what I can come up with.

Today, I start with the Haymakers. 

This name has actually been associated with two organizations: the National Haymakers' Association and the Ancient and Honorable Order of Haymakers. 


According to Axelrod (1), the first was organized in 1879 as the friendship society of the Improved Order of Red Men. Although most likely defunct now, as late as 1980, they had 10,000 registered members, and was headquartered in Pennsylvania. It consisted of traditional fraternal icons, such as meeting places called Haylofts, and various officers. The titles these roles held are somewhat creative, with the secretary referred to as the Collector of Straws, and the treasurer known as the Keeper of Bundles.


The second organization was actually completely fictitious! Apparently stemming from a made-up example used in a speech by President Warren G. Harding, it was mistaken by some historians to be a reference to an actual organization. Now that is a piece of history to enjoy, and one for your next trivia game!


I made an attempt to locate a transcript of that speech, but was unable to do so. It was given on 5 June 1923, just two months before President Harding passed away. As a side note, during this effort, I did come across this website that includes the more significant speeches from all the U.S. Presidents, the Miller Center at the University of Virginia. This excerpt from the speech was located at: http://www.fbaptistc.org/warrengamalielharding.html:

"I wish somehow we could have fraternity among nations, as it is taught in America among men....the ideals of brotherhood recited in the Golden Rule, and the righteous fellow-relationship which every man knows his God approves."

There seems to be little online for further investigation into the National Hamakers' Association:

• Wikipedia
• Haymakers entry on the Phoenix Masonry Site (which is a great resource for numerous organizations)

Note that the Phoenix Masonry page has a "call to action," if you know more about this organization, there is an individual listed there who would like to talk to you. 

1) Alan Axelrod. The International Encyclopedia of Secret Societies and Fraternal Orders. Checkmark Books, New York, New York, 1997.

Elsie the Rebekah

Recently I received a few more pieces of my own family history. As the designated family archivist, my collection of photographs, ephemera and other heirlooms is already quite large, but these pieces I found especially interesting.


Out of the envelope came two certificates relating to my Grandmother, Elsie (Tober) Brown; her religious life, two certificates relating to her fraternal life, and two published texts from her organization, the Rainbow Rebekah Lodge No. 31, I.O.O.F., in Orting, Washington. The texts are small, pocket size pieces, and I am sure that I will blog about them soon. The certificates, however, were the prizes in this collection.


Rainbow Rebekah Lodge No. 31, I.O.O.F.


I have known for years that my great-grandfather, William Warner Brown, was a member of the Odd Fellow’s lodge in Orting. However, it has just been recently that I learned that his son, Harley (my grandfather), and my own father were both involved in fraternal societies as well. (How dare he keep that secret from me!??!? Humph.)  In conversation with family, it was a treat to learn that these documents existed.


The first piece is dated 21 Dec 1938, and it is the letter indicating that she had been elected to membership in the organization. Presented on letterhead, it simply asks that Elsie attend a specific meeting to receive the Rebekah Degree. One of the pieces I like about this document is the letterhead itself; it provides the information of when the meetings occur and where. Using this, I can pinpoint with minimal doubt how my Grandmother spent her evening on 27 Dec 1938, and where. This is quite early in her married life, and approximately 18 months before her eldest child – my father – was born. It also provides the names of the current Noble Grand and the Secretary.

Letter of invitation to Elise Brown, "Mrs. Harley Brown"
Personal collection of author.

The second carries the official seal, but is a duplicate, as indicated on the form itself. It is perforated along the top edge, and is pre-printed, “DUPLICATE – To be retained by the Past Noble Grand.” I feel it is safe to guess that the original was the top half of the page, broken by the perforation.

Certificate of Past Noble Grand, Elsie Brown
Personal collection of author.

“Certificate of Past Noble Grand
Hall of Rainbow Rebekah Lodge No. 31 I.O.O.F. Jan. 20, 1941
To the Rebekah Assembly I.O.O.F. of Washington:
You are hereby respectfully informed that our worth SisterElsie Brown has performed the services requiredto constitute her a Past Noble Grand in Rainbow
Rebekah Lodge No. 31 I.O.O.F., her term of service as Noble Grand havingexpired on the 31 day of December 1941
Yours in F., L. and T.,
(Signed) Esther L. Whitley, Secretary”

Initiate to Past Noble Grand in Four Years


These two documents together create an interesting timeline, do they not? She was initiated as a member on 27 Dec 1938. Her service as a Noble Grand ended on 31 Dec 1941, almost four years to the day!


Now I want to know… what requirements are there of a Noble Grand? What is that job, exactly?


There is still much to learn, and I am grateful to my family for entrusting me with these documents. I have a feeling I will be learning a great deal about the Rebekah organization very soon!

Fact, Fiction or Malarkey?

Conspiracy theories run rampant in fraternal societies and similar organizations. Hollywood loves them, fictional authors expand them, and there are certainly those that believe them to be 100% true. I am not here to say they are or they aren't, but I do want to follow the correct path of research, and for me, its important to weed out the ludicrous.

Cloister Conspiracy by Philip Jackson
Image: WikiMedia.org

I am way too much of a “common sense” type person to fall for the very outlandish. At some point over time, I guess much of the more radical stories and ideas that have been presented about fraternal organizations could have been truth, but I have a hard time believing that all individuals in a particular group participated and practiced every ritual and ceremony in exactly the same way. We are human, after all, and have a tendency to change things up a bit. (You’ll note I’m being fairly vague about the specifics. I will leave the process of finding these theories of conspiracy up to you, but you've probably heard them once or twice. A simple internet search will give you a very good idea of what I’m referring to here.)


It does seem appropriate in this endeavor to go straight to the source, and that is what I will continue to do as a researcher when investigating these organizations. They are, by nature, secret societies; some of the information they hold within their ranks, and is not to be shared. That is actually ok with me. I guess if I wanted to know every detail, I would have to join (but then I’d be sworn to secrecy too, and wouldn't be able to work on the organizations in the manner I have been…)  Admittedly, knowing it all would mean that some of the appeal would be lost.


Finding the information you need as a genealogy focused researcher is not difficult, but can be a bit time consuming (some of you have asked, and yes, I’m still waiting to hear back from the Shriner’s in Denver regarding my ancestor I inquired on). The social history aspect of the research can be done fairly efficiently, depending on how much you want to know. I have found a few sites that have proven to be very helpful, and have included a few of them here for you. Depending on which society you are investigating, you may or may not find similar resources.

• Three Minute Mason; Grand Lodge Free & Accepted Masons of Wisconsin, 2006 (http://www.wisc-freemasonry.org/wp-content/uploads/2010/07/Three-Minute-Mason.pdf)
• Henry W. Coil Library & Museum of Freemasonry (http://www.masonicheritage.org/)
• Encyclopedia of Freemasonry and its Kindred Sciences; Albert C. Mackey, M.D.. Made available on the Phoenix Masonry site: http://www.phoenixmasonry.org/mackeys_encyclopedia/s.htm

The Masonic Lodge, especially, as a whole seems to have recognized the need to “educate the masses,” and although some of the above list is really designed for current members, they can be helpful to the outsider as well. Other organizations may not have the operating expenses, personnel, volunteer base or other needed tools to share to this extent. When that is the case, consider turning to your local library for more.


I am lucky in that I am very close to the Denver Public Library and its Western History and Genealogy department. A quick search in that repository provides me with material from the Elks, the Slavic Fraternal Lodges of Crested Butte, I.O.O.F., Knights of Pythias, Templars, Masons, and more.


If you do not have a collection of this nature in your neighborhood, try reaching out to other facilities through WorldCat to see what might be available via inter-library loan. You just never know.



On the flip side, I do think it is also important to be aware of the fluff. You need to be able to readily identify the fiction from the facts, and that is why I make a point to read some of the more mainstream publications, over the academic ones. I recently picked up a copy of a book on Freemasons, even though I knew that the reviews of the text were essentially all negative. I need to be able to see the ridiculous - the malarkey - and this seems to be an easy way to keep on top of the latest theories and angles.

Way out in the middle of nowhere...

Way out in the middle of nowhere is where my 2x great grandfather, Eilert Heerten, decided to settle. 

Homesteading in Keya Paha County, Nebraska, the property is nearly in South Dakota. The last time I was there... well, let's just say I couldn't yet read, write or cross the street by myself.

The red point on the map represents Springview, Nebraska; the
closest town.
Google Maps

A recent discovery on this particular family (and an exciting one!) started me thinking... was Eilert involved in any fraternal societies? If so, how? Where?

One benefit I have as the researcher is the surname I'm working with: Heerten. Find a Heerten in the U.S., and I'm related. Pretty much guaranteed. Not "I just met them online because we're researching a mutual 6th great grandfather" related; but the "oh, yes, I talked to her last week and her daughter just got a trophy for gymnastics" related. Eilert came to the U.S. with his brother, Sweeney, and as far as we know, they were the only two of their generation to do so. Everyone else stayed home in Germany. And so, if you find a Heerten in the U.S., I'm related.

The second benefit I have is that I know exactly where Eilert and his family settled. I can say this with such certainty because their direct descendants are still working that land. He became a naturalized citizen in Menard County, Illinois, and finalized his homestead in June, 1890.

These two points allow me to be fairly easily intimately familiar with the family tree once more, at just a glance. It's been a while since I actively searched on this line, but a quick refresh was all I needed to get going again. I started by taking a second look at the family headstones, nearly all located in the Ainsworth Cemetery in Brown County, Nebraska. With a new focus on fraternal organizations, I was specifically looking for any symbols or markings that may indicate involvement in any organization. A quick run through the images, and... nothing. Not a single standard symbol from any member of the family, in the Heerten line or a collateral line.

I have looked before for city directories or even state directories that might include this area. It is so remote, though, and has such a low population, I have never been able to locate any. I did a quick search, and once again came up empty.

My next move was to try the Grand Lodge of Nebraska (Masonic). Simply because they are the largest of the fraternal societies, I felt it more likely that there would be a Masonic lodge in the area than any of the others. I found this list, which made me realize that the Masonic mission is still very much alive in the State of Nebraska. From this list, however, I was not able to determine those that might be closest to the Heerten's.

Stop and Evaluate: What do I need? 

As I try to find an answer, I realize that I am more likely to find useful information if I reach out to a couple of folks first:

• A good state map of Nebraska would be very helpful. I have requested one via the Nebraska Tourism Commission. 
• I have reviewed the History section of the Springview, Nebraska website. It would be unlikely for them to mention anything specifically about fraternal societies, but I read it to be sure anyway. I followed up with an email, asking about the general history of societies in the area. 
• Knowing that Eilert and Sweeney immigrated from Germany, it would be beneficial to look at the general populous, to determine if they were in a community that was heavily influenced one way or another. Were their neighbors also German? Or did they originate from another country? Finding a general sense of the heritage of the community may help me narrow down exactly what it is I am searching for; which organizations would have formed naturally in this area? 

The current population of Springview is less than 300 people. I guess if I exhaust all online resources, I'll just have to drive out there and start asking around! 

What am I left with? 

Essentially, just another course of research that is in "pending" status. I am still waiting to hear back from organizations in the Denver area on another family member, and now I am waiting for resources from northern Nebraska. (Not to leave out the very southern edge of South Dakota, certainly!) Hopefully I will have an update on at least one - if not both! - soon after the start of the new year.