The Baltimore County union. [volume] (Towsontown, Md.) 1865-1909, 1877-03-24

THE GERMAN GARDENERS AND FARMERS SoClEr,
| OF BALTIMORE CoUNTY.-A few weeks ago on
! Gardenville correspondent, "Mark A. Range
promised to give us some facts connected with TN
organization and progress OF 1.-The German dar
deners and Farmers Society" of the 18th distric
of this county, and by his kindness we are nov
able to Law before our readers brief history O.
this beneficial organization, which is not, as many
suppose q secret society. It was organized Jan
uary LIST, 1S49, and the following othcers-wht
were known as charter members-elected; Pres
ident John Jacob Kinsley; Vice President Got
leib Lemic; Secretary, Louis Frankenberger :
Treasurer, John Gontrom; Standing Committee
Adam Bachelor A. q. Erdman, Laurence Hostel
ter, George Kolmen, VIM. Lutz, August Gals, John
Rochee and Frederick Zimmerman. In addition
to those named there were fourteen members
The preamble to the constitution recites that
"whereas we Germans, by wise and kind Provi-
dence live in country where civil and religious
liberty exists and all men, by the laws OF Nature
are free and equal born, We deem 1t advisable TO
organize beneficial society in order to realize by
mutual charity and friendship the object OF our
Creator.
"The object of this Society is to promote chari-
ty, friendship, unity and harmony; to support the
members in case Of sickness; to provide forts de-
ceased members a respectable funeral, and to care
as much as possible and as much as the Society
admits, for widows and orphans of deceased MEM
bers"
as follows: Any person wishing to become "a men,
Der Of this Society must bear good reputation,
be free of defects which might give trouble to the
Society, q years of age and not above 45 years,
and must be a resident of the State of Maryland.
An admission fee of 50 is charged, and when
the applicant becomes full member he shall pay
an additional fee of 49, The dues are Is cents per
month.
The jurisdiction of the Society embraces four
districts, which are laid off by proper metos and
bounds. In each of these districts there drawn
alphabetically every six months the namos> of two
members whose duty tits to visit once each week
all sick members in their respective districts, and
should they refuse neglect this duty they shall
be fined 81 for every such neglect.
Widows of deceased members receive immedi-
atey after the death of their husbands the sum Of
$50, and every full member is required to pay,
within two months after the death of member,
the sum of 81 to defray the funeral expenses. The
sum so accumulated shall be paid over to the wild
ow, first deducting the original payment of $50,
which amount is returned to the treasury of the
Society. The relatives of unmarried members are
entitled to same benefits as widows. On the death
of the wife of full member he is paid $50 for fu-
neral expenses and this sum is made up by con-
tribution of Is cents from each member. Weekly
The duty of the standing committee is to pre-
vide homes for orphans of deceased members, if
they are without the means to gain a livelihood.
Should member be accused of visiting gam
bling houses, frequent drunkenness or misconduct,
whereby shame fall on him or the Society, he
shall be duly summoned to appear and defend him
self and if found guilty shall be fined in a sum
not less than l23 cents nor more than $40. In case
of repetition of the ofense expulsion shall follow
Tho Cocetv iS i1ad m rrrlr
capital in real estate, &C., but in shall the
funds of the Society be reduced to less than $500.
The bylaws Of the Society provide for the i'm
posing of fines on members who are dereliot in
their duties, for the introduction of spirituous IL
quors, smoking, political or religious discussions,
or the use of indecent or improper language dur
ing the holding of meetings. A fine of SIS is the
penalty for one member using slanderousl language
against another.
The first meetings of this Society were held at
Mr.. John G. Lemlies, on the Belair road, two
miles from Baltimore, the meetings being held the
first Monday in each month. After the first year
the meetings were held in the school house ad-
joining the German Lutheran church, on the same
road, where the Society continued to meet for
eighteen years, and until hall built for its
especial use. By this time the membership had
increased to TWO hundred, the limit fixed by the
constitution being two hundred and fifty members.
The new hall and lot on which it s built cost
the Society $500. The lower portion, which
contains four rooms, is occupied by John Krause
as q lager beer saloon. The upper floor is used as
a hall and has two anti-rooms and largo gallery.
These rooms have been lately painted and freseoed
at cost of $500. The hall is quite an ornament
to the thriving village of Gardenville. Garden
Lodge, No. ia, I. O. 0. f., which has now one
hundred and thirty members, holds its weekly
meetings in this hall.
Since the organization Of the Society 1t has ex
pended $4,000 in sick benefits, supporting and
educating orphan children, and burying the dead.
The annual receipts from the membership, which
now numbers one hundred and ffty-four, the rent
Of hall to Garden Lodge and the rent of the lower
to 81, 800 per year.
The surviving charter members are John Con
from, A. G.. Erdman, Laurence Hostetter, VIM.
Lutz, August Gals, Jos. Hostetter, Tobias Luts,
John Lemlie, VIM. Sauer and Frederick thinner
man.