The census of 1907, read as orders: Howard's roster with its officers

1907

The table of organization: Timothy E. Howard opens the societies chapter of his 1907 county history by saying that Mishawaka's "friendly spirit" had "manifested itself also in the formation of social, benevolent and patriotic associations," and then prints the roster "of about all the other societies and clubs of the city as they now exist," each with its officers. The Private Clubs section of this history prints that roster as the frame of the club city; it is read here as what it also is — the orders' own table of organization, the fullest single document of Mishawaka's chartered secret world. Grouped by order system, it runs: the Masonic family — Mishawaka Lodge No. 130, F. & A. M. (A. H. Henwood, Worshipful Master; John W. Hutchinson, recorder), Mishawaka Chapter No. 83, Royal Arch Masons (Tabor Ham, High Priest; Hutchinson again, secretary), Mishawaka Chapter No. 26 of the Eastern Star (Amelia Henwood, Worthy Matron; Allie Michael, secretary), and the Masonic Club (H. A. Edris, president; Guy Richards, secretary). The Odd Fellows — Monitor Lodge No. 286 (its narrative stands in Howard's text and in its own entry below) and Fidelity Rebekah Lodge No. 122 (Mrs. Vona Borden, Noble Grand; Mrs. Marie Burkhart, secretary). The Grand Army — Houghton Post No. 128 (Manuel Fisher, post commander; Charles Frank, adjutant). The Pythians — Mishawaka Lodge No. 453 (William Garman, Chancellor Commander; Frank P. Christoph, Keeper of Records and Seals) with its Uniform Rank company (Walter C. Herzog, captain; William Drumhiller, recorder). The Red Men — Mishawaka Tribe No. 304 (John C. Quick, sachem; George Hitesman, secretary). The Maccabees, in both of the era's rival orders — Mishawaka Tent No. 12 of the Knights (W. J. Armstead, commander; F. A. Partridge, record keeper), Twentieth Century Tent No. 1121 of the Modern Maccabees (Elbert Robinson, commander), and the two women's hives, Mishawaka Hive No. 68 of the Ladies of the Maccabees (Mrs. Ella Middleton, commander) and Mishawaka Hive No. 907 of the Ladies of the Modern Maccabees (Carrie Diltz, commander). The Woodmen, likewise doubled — Mishawaka Camp No. 4788 of the Modern Woodmen of America (Fred Schroeder, consul), the Woodmen of the World's Enterprise Camp (E. K. Reed, Consul Commander), and the Ladies' Branch of the Woodmen of the World, Home Grove Circle No. 10 (Mrs. Lizzie Philion, guardian). The Catholic orders — St. John's Court No. 952 of the Catholic Order of Foresters (John Barry, chief ranger), its women's Sacred Heart Court (Mrs. Minnie S. Vincent, chief ranger), St. Michael's Branch No. 498 of the Catholic Knights of America (John J. Schindler, recording secretary), St. Joseph Valley Council No. 503 of the Catholic Benevolent Legion, and Mishawaka Council No. 2 of the Knights and Ladies of Columbia (C. F. Taylor, scribe). And the independents — St. John's Court No. 1490 of the Independent Order of Foresters (B. F. Pew, chief ranger) and the Mishawaka Court of Honor, District Court No. 167 (J. A. Rishel, chancellor).

The penmen: Read closely, the roster shows how thin the line of officers was in a town of Mishawaka's size, and how the orders shared it. George Hitesman keeps the records of two orders at once — secretary of the Red Men tribe and record keeper of the Modern Maccabees tent. John W. Hutchinson is recorder of the Masonic lodge and secretary of its Royal Arch chapter. Allie Michael is secretary of the Eastern Star chapter and record keeper of the Ladies of the Maccabees' hive. The Henwood name heads the lodge and the Star in the same year, A. H. Henwood in the master's chair and Amelia Henwood in the matron's. John J. Schindler, the Catholic Knights' recording secretary, is the same Mishawaka man Howard's Catholic chapter names as president of the St. Joseph County Federation of Catholic Societies. The secret world was not a separate population; it was the town's own committee class, meeting in different rooms on different nights under different passwords, and the roster's officers are the proof of it.

Sources:

1. Timothy E. Howard, A History of St. Joseph County, Indiana, Vol. I (1907), Mishawaka chapter, §11 "Societies and Clubs," pp. 344–345 — the roster with officers, and the Odd Fellows and Masonic narratives, read first-hand; the Federation of Catholic Societies presidency from Howard's Catholic chapter in the same volume.