HomeMy WebLinkAboutKOTM newsletterK.O.T.M. – Knights of the Maccabees
Sue Thompson Enfield Town Historian – historian@townofenfield.org
Within the historical collection of the Enfield Town Vault are two books from the organization, Tent 391 K.O.T.M., Knights of the Maccabees. One book is the Cash Book from 1909 to 1913
and the other is their minutes 1899 to 1904. I have no record as to when it dissolved it was reported in the 1897 Biennial Review of the KOTM of the World that it was operating in 1895.
This group was a fraternal benefit association (insurance) of a type extremely popular in the United States in the late 1800s.
The group met mostly every other week, it varied from month to month. They met either at the Teeter Hotel (186 Enfield Main Road) or Wrights Hall (201 Enfield Main Road). They met
to keep track of members and money paid out to different members for disability.
Their officers were addressed as Sir Knight then their officer positions - Commander, Lieutenant Commander, Record Keeper, Finance Keeper, Chaplin, Sargent, Master at Arms, First and
Second Master of the Guard, Sentinel, Picket, Physician. In 1902 they listed 22 members voting on the different officer positions.
They were involved with the Ithaca, Elmira Jacksonville and Newfield KOTM Tents attending reunions and meetings. Larger KOTM meetings were held at Cayuga Lake State Park, Auburn, Elmira
and Bath. Enfield Doctors Knight and McDaniels were physicians for the group during the various years. They acknowledged when members were sick and voted a committee to visit and
keep track of the sick member for example: C.W. Bowyer was reported disabled because of running a spike in his foot.
For some meetings they voted to have coffee, sandwiches and cigars. An amendment was made to say that those who did not smoke could have peanuts or candy (April 1900). By December
1904 they were voting to prohibit the use of chewing gum and tobacco at any of there meetings.
In May 1900 the National KOTM asked for donations for their building for the Pan-American Exposition (May 1 – November 2, 1901 – Buffalo NY). President McKinley was assassinated September
6, 1901 at the Exposition. There was no mention of the assassination in the minutes except on October 12, 1901 J.H. Hines asked for reimbursement for his ticket to the Exposition.
The Tent also held dances, “old fashion” socials, Harvest Festival, Labor Day, and Memorial Day events through the years. It was noted that they ordered memorial KOTM ribbons for Memorial
Day. Picnics were held at the school ground in Enfield Center and at Cayuta Lake.
There was no mention of women in the minutes until September 1901 when it was reported that Miss Stevens would not be able to assist at the social but Miss Ella Tichenor helped.
A list of members from the 1912 Cash Book were James Hines, J.L. Georgia, F.S. Stevenson, J. Jones, Harry Havens, D.L. Ross, John Johnson, James Caywood, C.J. Harvey, Dewitt fowler,
Martin Wright, Clinton Chase, Willard Smith, Theo Baker, Frost Baker, Jerry Baker, G.H. Noble, John Willis, C.F. Teeter
If you would like to read the KOTM books you can find them on townofenfield.org under resources and archived documents KOTM. There are lists of officers and members within the books.