My family joined the Order of Scottish Clans: "This society of Scotsmen and Scotswomen was organized in 1878 in St. Louis, Missouri, by James McCash and some of his Masonic friends. Its objectives were ( The ritual of the OSC was based in part on the Danes trying to capture the Castle Slanes and their defeat. The Battle of Bannockburn also played a part in the order's ritual. The emblem of the society was the Scottish thistle with the motto: Nemo Me Impune Lacessit. In the 1920s the order experienced actuarial insolvency in the state of Missouri, where it was incorporated. In 1971 the society merged with the Independent Order of Foresters ( Membership originally was open only to Scottish male descendants. During the latter years of the order's existence, Scottish females were also eligible for membership. Before the OSC merged with the IOF, it had about 16,000 members. Structurally, the order operated on three levels: local, regional, an national. Local units were known as "Subordinate Clans," and the nation: group was referred to as the "Royal Clan." The latter group met in convention every two years. Headquarters were in Boston, Massachusetts." The different branches adopted one of the various clan names (MacKenzie, Anderson, etc), and was assigned a number within the organization. It seem most of the OSC branches existed from the late 1800s to about WWII. After that, like most fraternal organizations, saw a decline. The neat thing about the OSC, was the fact that it wasn't just a social organization, but, a insurance organization, as well. Dues were collected, and dispersed to the widows and orphans of the society. When the the OSC was all but gone, The Foresters picked-up the insurance portion of the organization, and carried it, until all of the living members were gone. My Great-grandfather and two Great-uncles were all "Chiefs" of Clan MacKenzie Number 27, Manchester, NH. My Great-grandfather was, also, the Pipe Major for the Clan MacKenzie Pipe Band, which, I am told, later became the Granite State Highlanders.
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