Information Sheet

 

 

R         Daughters of Rebekah.  Damaris Lodge No. 20 (Rolla, Mo.).

969                  Records, 1888-2003.

                                    Thirty-two volumes and seven folders.

 

THIS COLLECTION IS IN OFF-SITE STORAGE. AT LEAST TWO DAYS' ADVANCE NOTICE IS REQUIRED FOR ITS USE BY RESEARCHERS.

 

 

These are the records of Damaris Lodge No. 20 at Rolla in Phelps County, Missouri.  They consist of minutes of meetings, membership records, financial records, and miscellaneous papers beginning with the institution of the lodge in 1888 and continuing through 2003.

 

The  Rebekah Lodge was founded as an auxiliary to the Odd Fellows.  The records open with the by-laws and the lodge’s charter from the I.O.O.F. Grand Lodge of Missouri, 20 August 1888.  There were twenty-six charter members, nearly all residents of Rolla, who proceeded to select local Odd Fellow William Fort as the first presiding officer (i.e. “Noble Grand”).  The or­ganizations maintained a close fraternal and social relationship over the years.  Local Odd Fellows were frequent visitors to Damaris Lodge for installations of officers and lodge entertainments.  Damaris Lodge also had close ties to the Rebekah and Odd Fellow lodges at St. James, Cuba, and Salem, Missouri.  Ultimately, the Rebekah “auxiliary” outlasted the Odd Fellow lodge at Rolla.

 

The records of Damaris Lodge are mostly complete, and consist of minute books, records of membership, and financial records.  Volumes 1-13 contain the minutes of meetings, beginning with the by-laws and minutes of the organizational meeting of 20 September 1888.  Excepting a brief hiatus (there are no minutes from 18 July 1945 to February 1947), the minutes are complete through 7 February 1985.  Matters taken up at meetings included the admission and initiation of new members, work on the various degrees of the Daughters of Rebekah, and talks “for the good of the order.”  Lodge members contributed toward the relief of impoverished members, wid­owed families, and the Odd Fellows home for orphans.  Fraternal and social matters were the customary agenda, although the lodge appointed a delegate to Phelps County Develop­ment Federation on 16 March 1920.

 

Membership records in Volumes 14-20 are complete from 1888 through the 1960s.  Each member had an individual account in the membership book showing dates of admission and ini­tiation, completion of advanced degrees, and payment of dues and fees associated with the ad­vanced degrees.  In this series are also included an attendance roll of officers and visitors register.

 

Financial records in Volumes 21-32 exist only from 1916 but continue into 2003.  They consist of the treasurer’s records books, cash books, ledgers, and reports of the auditing commit­tee. 

 

Miscellaneous papers and pamphlets in Folders 1-7 include annual reports to the Rebekah As­sembly of Missouri, membership application cards, transfer request, and dismissal certificates, miscellaneous papers, and booklets on Rebekah ceremonies.  Folder 1 contains the annual reports beginning in 1922.  The reports include summaries of membership, receipts and disbursements, and payments of per capita taxes to the state assembly.  The reports are useful for estimating the health and fortune of the Damaris Lodge.  In 1922, the lodge counted 54 members and had $110 in the bank.  Membership fell to a low of 36 in 1934, with only $88.41 in assets.  By 1946, the lodge reached its greatest membership--121 members, with a balance of $348.75 in the treasury.  By 1986, the number dropped to only 54 members (the same as in 1922), but there was a balance on hand of $1197.44.

 

Included with the Damaris records are three Daughters of Rebekah badges in leatherette cases.  The badges are in the Information Folder.

 

   

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