Deutscher Orden der Schwarzen Ritter
From Kook Science
| Deutscher Orden der Schwarzen Ritter | |
|---|---|
| Motto | "Charity, Generosity, Justice" |
| Formation | 1867 |
| Purpose/focus | Mutual benefit fraternity |
| Headquarters | Philadelphia, PA |
Deutscher Orden der Schwarzen Ritter (English: German Order of the Black Knights) was a German-American fraternal benefit order, founded at Philadelphia in 1867,[1] and principally active through New Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania, and Washington D.C.[2] The order took their name from "an ancient German body of knights whose existence is traced back as far as the time of King Arthur."[1]
Structure
The order was made up of local bunds, governed by an Arbitrator and their officers — Arch Knight, Chief Knight, Scribe, Treasurer, Conductor, Order Knight, Swordbearer, Castle Ward, and Guard. These bunds, in turn, existed under the jurisdiction of regional state Subordinate Unions, which operated under the national Grand Union.
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 "Knights In Black", Topeka State Journal (Topeka, Kansas): 8, 4 April 1894, http://chroniclingamerica.loc.gov/lccn/sn82016014/1894-04-04/ed-1/seq-8/, "The Deutsche Orden Schwarze Ritter was organized in Philadelphia in 1867 and spread from there to all the eastern cities quite rapidly, the objects of the order being of the most unobjectionable character possible and appearing especially attractive to young men everywhere. Of the original founders but one is still living. The order is a purely benevolent one, having no other object in view than to assist its members in need by procuring suitable employment, supporting them in sickness or relieving their families in case of distress. It has numerous branches in the various large cities, each being designated as a "bund" (bond or union). The name of the order is derived from an ancient German body of knights whose existence is traced back as far as the time of King Arthur, and who, in the absence of a strict and impartial administration of justice, had banded together to help the oppressed, aid the distressed and correct wrongs done. Their device was, "Charity, Generosity, Justice.""
- ↑ Stevens, Albert C., ed. (1907), "Deutscher Orden Schwarze Ritter", The Cyclopædia of Fraternities (2 ed.), New York: E.B. Treat and Co., p. 175, https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/pt?id=mdp.39015020238435