New to the Collection: Order of Knights of Friendship Medals

At the Scottish Rite Masonic Museum & Library, we actively collect through gifts and purchases to improve and refine our existing holdings of more than 17,000 objects.  The Museum’s primary strength is its American Masonic and fraternal collection.   To fully understand and appreciate Freemasonry in America, the Museum collects objects and documents associated with all types of fraternal organizations.

We currently have a selection of our recent acquisitions on view in our lobby.  Among the items are these two medals from the Order of Knights of Friendship.  We were especially excited to acquire these medals since we did not have the Knights of Friendship previously represented in our collection.  The group was founded in Pennsylvania in 1859 and by 1920 numbered 20,000 members.  These medals are particularly fascinating because they both belonged to the group’s founder, Mark G. Kerr, M.D. (1815-1883).  The gold medal seems to be a membership medal for Kerr and is engraved along the edge on one side “M.G. Kerr M.D. Harmony Chamber No. 1 O.K.F. May 29th, 1859.”  The silver medal with enamel on one side was a gift to Kerr in 1875.  It is engraved on the back “Presented to Most Eminent Grand Sir KM Mark G. Kerr, M.D. by Resolution of the Most Eminent Chamber OKF in appreciation of his Services as Author and Founder of the Order of Knights of Friendship.  Done at Reading, Pa., this 19th day of October A.D. 1875.”

Kerr taught at the Female Medical College in Philadelphia and is thought to have been both a Freemason and an Odd Fellow.  He organized the Knights of Friendship to “inculcate good will among all mankind and establish peace and friendship throughout the world.”  The group conferred three degrees: Knight Junior, Knight Bachelor and Knight Errant.  It also offered funeral benefits to its members, as a type of insurance before the widespread availability of the commercial insurance industry.

The medals will be on view at the museum until early 2014, check our website for more details.

Order of Knights of Friendship Medals, 1859-1883 and 1875, unidentified makers, Pennsylvania.  Collection of the Scottish Rite Masonic Museum & Library, Museum Purchase, 2013.012.1-.2.  Photographs by David Bohl.

Comments

[Aimee Newell]

Hello Denise: Thanks so much for reading our blog and commenting. We are glad that this post was helpful. I think that lists of members would be quite fragmentary, if you could find them. You might try a local library or historical society near where your relatives lived to see if they have any information on the local chapter. I do not believe that the group is still in existence, but if anyone reading this has information, please do let us know in a comment. Thanks again for your interest! Aimee Newell, Director of Collections

[Denise Milotte]

I was so excited to find your article about the Knights of Friendship. Just this week, my husband came across a ring that my dad had given him about 25 years ago because he thought it was a Mason ring. I cannot find another ring out there, but was thrilled to see the medals. I have no idea where my dad got this and I was wondering if there are any lists of members ( in case my grandfather or relative was a member) or if they are still even in existence. Any information you can give me would be greatly appreciated.