The daily morning journal and courier. [volume] (New Haven, Conn.) 1894-1907, 1898-01-22

ORDER OF THE RUNNYMEDE.

New Ancestral Society Has Three Con-
,necticut Members--One Of Them Tells
of the Order--To Belong One Must be
Lineal Descendant of King Johns
Nobles-A Few Facts About tt
A new ancestral society called THE
Order of the Runnymede," has been
formed in Philadelphia, whose charter
members, or "sureties," as they are call
ed, are from the most aristocratic and
wealthiest people in the United States.
According to list just given out there
are only three Connecticut men among
the sureties. They are Ex-Governor
Morgan G. Buckley of Hartford.
Stephen Whitney of New Haven and
DR.. Charles S. Ward of Bridgeport.
Dr. Ward, who is no longer actively
engaged in the practice of medicine,
has for the past few years pursued his
favorite hobby, that of genealogy, and
has at the present writing as fine ge-
theological record as there is in the
country. He has traced his ancestry
as far back as it is possible to do, and
still hopes to go further back in the
centuries If life and health are spared
him. He is very enthusiastic over mat
tiers of this kind
DR.. Ward has been interviewed by the
Bridgeport Union upon the subject,
1.-THE Order of the Runnymede.'' He
was rather vexed at the extremely Sc
we're criticism with which the New
York press has seen fit to baptize the
new order. He said: IT seems improb-
able to many people that ones ancestry
can be traced back through the centu-
ries. Why this feeling exists is more
than I can understand. The records
back to the arrival in this country are
not hard to decipher, and certainly with
the other side Of the ocean may be Sc
| cured.
'@The Order of the Runnymede is COM
posed Of descendants, lineally, from
| the twenty-five barons who forced King
John to sign the Magma Charta. I
! have been sick for many weeks and
have not attended any Of the meetings.
| On this account am rather poor one
| to come to for information.
| fIt is ridiculous to suppose that the
| order is formed in snobbery and self
glorification. 1T is simply the formation
Of a society by number OF gentlemen
| who are descendants Of these barons.
| 1t has no political significance, nor is
there any scheme in it. 1t is similar
| to the Society Of Colonial Wars AS in
| the Society Of Colonial Wars the appli-
| cants for membership must present a
thorough record. This is examined by
committee who ascertain it's truthful
| ness.
| 1.-The Order Of Runnymede has been
| established by several American gentle
| men in honor ofthat episode in Eng
lands history, the extorting by his bar
ons from King John Of England Of the
great bulwark of liberty known as the
| Magma Charta, the final scenes of which
occurred on the plains Of Runnymede
June Is, 60. 81 1915.
1.-THE Magma Charta is quite as much
respected and revered in the United
States as in England, since it is the
foundation of all constitutional govern
ments, and the Instruction of the Eng.
fish barons in 1915, in the cause Of per.
sonal liberty. trial by jury no taxa.
ton without representation and the
limiting Of the authority of rulers has
it's counterpart in, our own declaration
of right and the revolution.
1.-The membership is divided into two
classes: First class, gentlemen descen.
ded from one Of more Of the twenty FIVE
barons who were elected by the other.
who were to act as sureties or trustees
of the Magma Charta, to see that its