Search

This collection contains two letters and three pamphlets related to the Independent Order of St. Luke, an African American fraternal order founded after the Civil War to promote Black economic independence. The Order was headquartered on St. James Street in Richmond, where the two included letters dating from 1961 were postmarked. The letters were sent by Dorothy V. Turner, the recording secretary of the Order, to Alvis Pinnix of Burlington, North Carolina, a member of the Order. The February 6, 1961, letter invites Pinnix to an initiation of a new council, while the August 18, 1961, letter discusses an Order membership drive. An undated folded pamphlet titled "Juvenile Catechism" offers questions and answers about the "Juvenile Circles" within the Order of St. Luke. A 1968 "Certificateholders' Report" outlines the policyholder rating of The Right Worthy Grand Council, Independent Order of St. Luke, published by Dunne's Insurance Reports of Louisville, Kentucky. The third pamphlet is a program for a "Testimonial Dinner," celebrating Dorothy E. Turner, an Order member, on October 10, 1975.

Records, 1897-1945, of the Independent Order of St. Luke include applications, benefit certificates, and death records of members of the organization's Juvenile Department. Applications detail the name, date of birth, age, and address of the applicant, as well as name of beneficiary and their relationship to the applicant. Applications also include the amount of required monthly dues, as well as the amount of term life insurance. Benefit certificates include the number and amount of the insurance policy, the name and assigned "Juvenile Circle" of the newly insured, as well the terms and conditions of the insurance policy. Death records include the name of deceased, as well as the location and date of their death. Collection also includes death claim receipts, which detail the amount and date of payments to beneficiaries, as well as some correspondence. Correspondence includes that of beneficiaries to the Office of the Juvenile Department of the Order of St. Luke, as well as some internal correspondence between employees. Several letters are addressed to Maggie L. Walker. Collection also contains notecards that detail the name, age, council number, certificate and claim number, and cause of death of adult members of the organization.