Kassidean Knights

The Kassidean Knights was an American fraternal society, formed by Edward A. Guilbert at Dubuque, Iowa in 1880, which claimed to be a revival of the Chasidim, or "Knights of the Temple at Jerusalem", also known as the Essenes. The organisation does not appear to have been long-lived, and Guilbert's second-in-command, Charles J. Weatherby, eventually broke away to form his own Knights of the Ancient Essenic Order by 1892.

Structure
The Kassidean Knights were organised as Priories at the local level, presided over by the elected officers &mdash; Excellent Prior, Senior Seneschal, Junior Seneschal, Sacerdos, Keeper of Finance, Registrar, Senior Vigilante, and Junior Vigilante. In turn, these local Priories were under the jurisdiction of the Grand Chapiter A.E.R., led by the Grand Hierophant and his officers.

The order had three grades of initiation, conferred by Priories: Neophyte Kassidean, Associate Kassidean, and Knight Companion. Further, there were three honourary grades: Knights of the East, Knights of the Sword and Trowel, and Harodim (or Ruler).

Index of Priories
(This list does not represent a complete index of all A.E.R. Priories, only the beginnings of one. Please do contact us if you have further information or corrections.)