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Center for Brooklyn History Finding Aids
Guide to the Order of the Amaranth Brooklyn Court No. 4 records 2008.023

Order of the Amaranth Brooklyn Court No. 4 records

Call Number

2008.023

Date

1897-1961, inclusive

Creator

Order of the Amaranth. Brooklyn Court No. 4 (Brooklyn, New York, N.Y.)

Extent

2.42 Linear Feet
in one manuscript box and two record cartons.

Language of Materials

English .

Abstract

This collection contains the administrative, financial, and regulatory records of Brooklyn Court No. 4 of the Order of the Amaranth of the State of New York, a women's social and philanthropic society closely affiliated with the Freemasons. The Brooklyn Court's regular meetings took place in the Johnston Building at 6 Nevins Street in Brooklyn. The records date back to 1897, the year of the Order's inception, and record the activities of Brooklyn Court No. 4 through 1941. The inclusive dates of the collection are 1897 to 1961.

Historical Note

The Order of the Amaranth, an international women's social and philanthropic society closely affiliated with the Freemasons, was officially organized on June 14, 1873 in New York City by Robert Macoy, Master Mason and first Supreme Royal Patron of the Order. The name and theme of the society is taken from the Court of Queen Christina of Sweden (1632-1654), though there is no direct connection between the two entities. Originally part of the Order of the Eastern Star, a fraternal organization open to both men and women, the Order of the Amaranth became an independent organization in 1921. Membership in the Order of the Amaranth was limited to Master Masons and their female familial relations.

Brooklyn Court No. 4 of the Order of the Amaranth, one of many courts in Brooklyn and New York at the turn of the 20th century, was established in 1897. Regular meetings for Brooklyn Court No. 4 were held at the Johnston Building at 6 Nevins Street in Brooklyn. The court held regular fund raisers to benefit both the Order of the Amaranth and selected charities.

Sources:

  1. Order of the Amaranth. "The Order of the Amaranth." Accessed October 25, 2011. http://www.amaranth.org/NewHistory.asp

Scope and Contents

The records of the Order of the Amaranth Brooklyn Court No. 4 contain administrative, financial, and regulatory documents, ledgers, and reports, as well as ephemera, relating primarily to the functional operations of Brooklyn Court No. 4. The collection is comprised of four series:

Missing Title

  1. Administrative and financial records, 1897 – 1961
  2. Constitutions, bylaws, rules and regulations, 1898-1935
  3. Minutes, 1897-1941
  4. Annual session transactions of the Grand Court, 1908-1940

Subjects

Organizations

Genres

Topics

Places

Conditions Governing Access

Open to users without restriction.

Preferred Citation

Identification of item, date (if known); Order of the Amaranth Brooklyn Court No. 4 records, 2008.023, Box and Folder number; Brooklyn Historical Society.

Immediate Source of Acquisition

Source and date of acquisition unknown. Formally accessioned in 2008.

Separated Materials

39 artifacts separated to the Museum collection. Please see PastPerfect records for M1991.205 for more information.

Other Finding Aids

An earlier version of this finding aid, containing a complete container list, is available in paper form at the Brooklyn Historical Society. Please consult library staff for more information.

Collection processed by

Diana Garcia

About this Guide

This finding aid was produced using ArchivesSpace on 2023-08-21 11:19:46 +0000.
Using Describing Archives: A Content Standard
Language: English

Processing Information

Minimally processed to the series level.

Note Statement

change to complete_series_level

Repository

Brooklyn Historical Society

Container

carton: 2008.023 2 of 3 (Material Type: Text)
carton: 2008.023 1 of 3 (Material Type: Text)
Box: 2008.023 3 of 3 (Material Type: Text)

Series 1: Administrative and financial records, 1897-1961, inclusive

Language of Materials

English.

Scope and Contents

This series consists primarily of Brooklyn Court No. 4's annual reports, official certificates of petition for initiation and membership as well as dimits (written certifications of honorable resignation and sometimes transfer from one court to another), notices, invitations and summonses to regular meetings, and financial records and transactions.

In addition, the series contains a register of Brooklyn Court No. 4 with membership entries and status spanning the full timeline of the collection. A one-time commissioned "Historian's Scrapbook," containing loosely collected ephemera related to Brooklyn Court No. 4, documents the period from December 15, 1920 to November 20, 1922.

Of special interest is an edict from Mrs. Marvel M. Hicks, Supreme Royal Matron (Cleveland, OH), and Alfred D. Schorr, Supreme Royal Patron, on Bill of Rights Day (December 15th) in 1941, documenting the Order's response to the United States' entrance into the Second World War.

Series 2: Constitutions, bylaws, rules and regulations, 1898-1935, inclusive

Scope and Contents

This series consists of official constitutions, bylaws and regulations published by either the Grand Court of New York and/or the Supreme Council of the Order of the Amaranth, with some rules and regulations published directly by Brooklyn Court No. 4. One set of the bylaws by Brooklyn Court No. 4 dates back to 1898.

Series 3: Minutes, 1897-1941, inclusive

Scope and Contents

This series contains the officially recorded minutes of the regularly held meetings of Brooklyn Court No. 4 as compiled by the Court officers over the period spanning 1897 to 1941. The minutes have either been recorded in bound volumes or on loose-leaf sheets of paper.

Series 4: Annual session transactions of the Grand Court, 1908-1940, inclusive

Scope and Contents

This series contains the published annual session transactions of the Grand Court, State of New York, from the period 1908 to 1940. Session transactions from 1909 are not included.

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