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Independent Order of St. Luke Records

 Collection
Identifier: Ms-1988-121

Scope and Content

The bulk of the materials in the Independent Order of St. Luke Records consist of handbooks, correspondence, receipts, programs, membership records, annual reports, and assessment reports of the Order, collected primarily from members in Blacksburg, Virginia. Also includes the minutes (1920-1938) of the Blacksburg chapters of the Busy Bee and Maggie L. Walker (Secretary of the Independent Order of St. Luke) Circles.

Dates

  • 1877 - 1970

Creator

Language of Materials

The materials in the collection are in English.

Conditions Governing Access

The collection is open to research.

Conditions Governing Reproduction and Use

The copyright status of this collection is unknown. Copyright restrictions may apply. Contact Special Collections and University Archives for assistance in determining the use of these materials.

Reproduction or digitization of materials for personal or research use can be requested using our reproduction/digitization form: http://bit.ly/scuareproduction. Reproduction or digitization of materials for publication or exhibit use can be requested using our publication/exhibition form: http://bit.ly/scuapublication. Please contact Special Collections and University Archives (specref@vt.edu or 540-231-6308) if you need assistance with forms or to submit a completed form.

Administrative History

The Right Worthy Grand Council Independent Order of St. Luke was established in 1867 by Mary Prout of Baltimore, Maryland. It was organized to "promote the general welfare of society by uniting fraternally Negro persons of good moral character who are physically, morally, and socially acceptable, to educate and assist its members in thrift, to create and maintain funds out of which members...may receive benefits for themselves or their beneficiaries, [and] to provide death benefit protection to members" (Rules and Regulations handbook, 1933).

Extent

1.1 Cubic Feet (3 boxes)

Abstract

The bulk of the materials in the Independent Order of St. Luke Records, a social-welfare organization for African Americans, consist of handbooks, correspondence, receipts, programs, membership records, annual reports, and assessment reports of the Order, collected primarily from members in Blacksburg, Virginia. Also includes the minutes (1920-1938) of the Blacksburg chapters of the Busy Bee and Maggie L. Walker (Secretary of the Independent Order of St. Luke) Circles.

Arrangement

The collection is organized into two series, Records and Oversize Materials, then arranged chronologically, with undated materials at the end.

Rights Statement for Archival Description

The guide to the Independent Order of St. Luke by Special Collections and University Archives, Virginia Tech, is licensed under a CC0 (https://creativecommons.org/share-your-work/public-domain/cc0/).

Processing Information

The processing, arrangement, and description of the Independent Order of St. Luke Records was completed in April 1991. Additional work was completed in 2001.

Title
Independent Order of St. Luke Records, 1877-1970
Status
Completed
Author
Heather Switzer and Laura Katz Smith
Date
2001 (CC0 1.0)
Description rules
Describing Archives: A Content Standard
Language of description
English
Script of description
Latin

Repository Details

Part of the Special Collections and University Archives, Virginia Tech Repository

Contact:
Special Collections and University Archives, University Libraries (0434)
560 Drillfield Drive
Newman Library, Virginia Tech
Blacksburg Virginia 24061 US
540-231-6308