Last week I discussed the important role benefit societies played in late 19th-century American communities. One of the more obscure societies to develop during this period was the Order of Chosen Friends (OCF), which was created in 1879. Unlike some of the more well-known societies like the Freemasons, the new OCF allowed women to become members as well as men. Despite a promising beginning, the society was plagued by divisiveness and sections of the country split off into their own renditions of the original OCF. One of these offshoots was the Independent Order of Chosen Friends (IOCF), created in 1882. Thanks to a recent donation to the Historic Courthouse Museum of a chest full of documents, badges and books relating to both the OCF and the IOCF, the museum has been given a rare glimpse into these particular orders.
First, let’s look at the IOCF in Lake County.
After breaking away from the parent organization of the OCF, the newly-established IOCF held its first general conference in 1882. Before that, though, the original movers and shakers of this new society had to travel around the state to drum up support. Sometimes this canvassing included convincing current members of the OCF to break away and join the secession movement. Eventually, through the recruitment of new members and the more covert poaching of OCF members, chapters of the IOCF arose in the states of California, Nevada and Oregon and the then territories of Washington, Utah and Idaho and were divided into 75 different districts. Each district had its own “Council” (i.e. lodge) that was run semi-autonomously from the states’ “Grand Councils” and the entire IOCF’s “Supreme Council”, which acted as the head of the organization. From the very beginning citizens in Lake County were actively involved in the creation of the IOCF and in this county alone there would eventually be two separate districts: one in Lower Lake and the other in Lakeport.
That’s right, in a secret society spread over 75 districts across the west coast Lake County had two districts to itself.
The Lower Lake chapter was installed on January 7, 1882 and had 36 members. A Lower Lake resident by the name of Charles Gillett was one of the early representatives of the IOCF who toured around northern California in the winter of 1881 to gauge interest in the new benefit society. He represented the Lower Lake district at the IOCF’s first general conference in 1882. He wasn’t the only Lake County resident present at this momentous occasion. The Lakeport district council, whose paraphernalia the museum now has, was installed on April 5, 1882 and had 38 members. Like Mr. Gillett, a Dr. H.J. Crumpton of Lakeport travelled to San Francisco to represent his district at the IOCF’s general conference. He was also elected to sit on the Finance and Account Standing Committee for the entire IOCF.
Like the OCF from which it parted ways, the IOCF offered a tiered insurance system. Essentially, the more money you put in, the more you could take out under the three qualifying conditions: first if you died, second if you became permanently disabled and third if you reached the age of 75. Unlike the OCF, though, the IOCF placed far less focus on the initiation rituals for its new members, which they distilled down to a fraction of the original. If there was any doubt about this, the information leaflet that they handed out to potential members dispels it — it essentially reads like an insurance form you would get from your carrier today with no mention of secret initiation.
In addition to having a council of the IOCF, the town of Lakeport also hosted a council of the OCF. This particular council was named Bertha Council No. 110 and was given official dispensation to operate as a council of the OCF on December 1, 1882 — several months after Dr. Crumpton had already created an IOCF council in the very same town.
Periodically, the Supreme Councils of both organizations sent out official circulars to their subordinate councils to be read aloud during meetings. Most of these circulars contained rather droll information, but a few of them highlight the internal tensions present in these societies and the animosity both organizations felt towards the other.
On February 16, 1884 William F. Morrison, former Grand Recorder of California’s Grand Council of the OCF, ascended to the role of Grand Councilor and he promptly sent out a circular introducing himself. His second circular, sent on September 24th of that same year contained an impassioned plea to all councils of California to ignore the “unjust and uncalled for attacks” on his character and good name that had apparently been circulating. He was being accused of embezzling thousands of the OCF’s dollars when he was the Grand Recorder. The third circular for that year, read aloud at Bertha Council No. 110 on December 9th, introduced the new Grand Councilor C.W. Rowell, who apologized for the recent scandal and informed the membership of Mr. Morrison’s departure from the Order.
As the saying goes, misery loves company. Fortunately, there was plenty of company for the OCF in 1884. While Morrison was dealing this scandal, the Supreme Secretary of the IOCF, Isaac L. Lang, was reeling from the fallout of his own embezzlement scheme. With all these scandals and the similarity in the names of the two organizations, you can imagine that people — both within and without the organizations — were getting rather confused as to who exactly embezzled from whom. In a circular sent out to all national councils on October 1st, 1884, the Supreme Recorder of the OCF made it clear that the recent scandal involving Mr. Lang was the problem of the IOCF alone. Taking this opportunity to remind its members of the difference between the two organizations, the Recorder went on to explain “About three years ago the so-called “Independents” seceded from the parent Order … Mr. Lang was one of the principal leaders in that movement and at that time ceased to be a member of the genuine Order of Chosen Friends, and he since had no connection with it.”
No mention was made of the OCF’s own unfolding scandal involving Grand Councilor Morrison.
Such was the experience of belonging to one of the many hundreds of benefit societies that arose in the 1880s. Next week, I will relate the fate of these two local chapters and delve into some of the other types of fraternities that were present in the county.
Tony Pierucci is Curator of Lake County Museums
