00645.xml CATHOLIC WORKMAN: An Inventory of Its Records at the Minnesota Historical Society Finding aid prepared by Calla Smith-Dowling Minnesota Historical Society
St. Paul MN.

Manuscripts Collection

 Finding aid encoded by Calla Smith-Dowling, August 2, 2007 Finding aid written inEnglish August 2008 Converted from EAD Version 1.0 to Version 2002 by Monica Manny Ralston, Daniel Sher, and Joyce Chapman. OVERVIEW OF THE COLLECTION Minnesota Historical Society Catholic Workman (Organization). Catholic Workman organization records. 1882-2004. Records documenting the insurance services, activities, and membership of the Catholic Workman (Katolick� D?ln�k), a fraternal benefit society founded by Czech Americans in Minnesota in 1891. Includes articles of incorporation, minutes, membership registers, death claims, histories, and promotional material, as well as records acquired during mergers. 27.0 cu. ft. (32 boxes). See Detailed Description for box locations. HISTORY OF THE CATHOLIC WORKMAN

The Catholic Workman (Katolick� D?ln�k) traces its beginnings to the St. Joseph Society of New Prague, Minnesota and to the Catholic Czech-American Workman of St. Paul, Minnesota. In 1891, interested parties from these societies joined together and incorporated in the state of Minnesota under the name Catholic Workman. As a fraternal mutual benefit association, the Catholic Workman was structured to govern the Supreme Council, the Supreme Executive Council, State Councils and the Subordinate Branches. The main purposes of the organization were to provide for the "spiritual, moral and social education and advancement of its members; the payment of death benefits to the families, relatives and other benefeciaries of the deceased members; and such other benevolent benefits, as from time to time, may be adopted."

The Catholic Workman continued to expand and gained branches in Illinois, Iowa, Kansas, Maryland, Michigan, Missouri, Nebraska, North Dakota, Ohio, Oklahoma, Oregon, Pennsylvania, South Dakota, Tennessee, Texas, and Wisconsin. The society merged with the Western Bohemian Catholic Union (Z�padn� ?esk� Katolick� Jednota) in 1930 and with the Catholic Union of Daughters of Columbus (Katolick� Jednoty Dcer Kolumbov�ch) in 1937. In 2004, the First Catholic Slovak Ladies Association (Prv� Katol�cka Slovensk� �ensk� Jednota) acquired the assets of the Catholic Workman.

 ARRANGEMENT OF THE RECORDS

These documents are organized into the following sections:

Organizational records, 1891-2004. Memberships, 1882-1994. Newsletters, 1909-2004. Framed material, 1905. RELATED MATERIALS

Catholic Workman (Katolick� D?ln�k) history book: spanning the years from 1891-1991, a history written and researched by Diane Hrabe, is separately cataloged in the Minnesota Historical Society library collections.

 CATALOG HEADINGS

This collection is indexed under the following headings in the catalog of the Minnesota Historical Society. Researchers desiring materials about related topics, persons or places should search the catalog using these headings.

Topics: Catholics, Czech. Czech Americans -- Minnesota -- Societies, etc. Fraternal organizations -- Minnesota. Insurance, Fraternal. Organizations: Catholic Union of Daughters of Columbus. First Catholic Slovak Ladies Association. Katolick� D?ln�k (Minn.). Western Bohemian Catholic Union. Types of Documents: Insurance claims. Photographs. Video recordings. ADMINISTRATIVE INFORMATION Preferred Citation:

[Indicate the cited item and/or series here]. Catholic Workman organization records. Minnesota Historical Society.

See the Chicago Manual of Style for additional examples.

Accession Information:

Accession number: 15,626; 16,123

 Processing Information:

Processed by: Calla Smith-Dowling, July 2007

Catalog ID number: 09-00322975

 DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE COLLECTION Organizational Records, 1891-2004.

Records pertaining to the mission, organization, business practices, and traditions of the Catholic Workman. Additionally including records that were acquired during mergers.

 142.G.16.2F-2 7 Annual statements: 1920-1933. 142.G.16.3B-1 8 1934-1940. 142.G.16.3B-2 9 1941-1955. 142.G.16.4F-1 10 1956-1972. 142.G.16.4F-2 11 1973-1990. 151.I.1.2F 2 1991-2003. 13 folders. Quarterly statements, 2004. 151.I.1.1B 1 Anniverseries and events, [ca.1930]-2002. 3 folders. Articles of incorporation, constitution, laws, rules, and regulations, 1898-1988. 5 folders. 151.I.1.2F 2 Histories, 1916-[ca. 2001]. 2 folders. 151.I.1.1B 1 Mergers: Catholic Union of Daughters of Columbus (Katolick� Jednoty Dcer Kolumbov�ch): Minutes, 1905-1936. 2 folders. 142.G.16.1B-2 5 Accounts, 1906-1936. 151.I.1.1B 1 First Catholic Slovak Ladies Association (Prv� Katol�cka Slovensk� �ensk� Jednota): Asset purchase and reinsurance agreement, 2004. Western Bohemian Catholic Union (Z�padn� ?esk� Katolick� Jednota): Organizational records, 1898-1932. 8 folders. 142.G.16.2F-1 6 Membership applications and accounts, 1899-1917. 3 volumes. 142.G.16.1B-2 5 Membership applications and accounts, 1899-1929. 2 volumes. 151.I.1.3B 3 Minutes: 1891-1970. 10 folders. 151.I.1.14F 32 1920-1936. 151.I.1.2F 2 Procedural materials, 1899-2003. 9 folders.

Included are rate books, instruction manuals for branches, and handbooks for rituals.

 Promotional materials: [ca. 1961]-2003. 5 folders.

Included is a 15 minute VHS concerning the history and mission of the organization, as well as its major services and programs.

 151.I.1.13B 22 Cookbooks, [ca. 1991]. 2 folders. 151.I.1.4F 4 Resolutions, 1939-1961. 6 folders. Memberships, 1882-1994.

Pertaining to membership applications and claims, these records include information about member names, branches, dates initiated, birth and death dates, insurance rates, medical histories, causes of death, benefits, and other vital statistics.

151.I.1.4F 4 Membership applications: Indexes:

Arranged by member's last name. Some indexes list member number, branch, and year of initiation.

 Undated.

Relationship to other membership application registers has not been ascertained.

 142.G.16.5B-2 13 1891-1929. 3 volumes. 142.G.16.6F-2 15 Central:

Arranged numerically by member number.

Member numbers: 1-11974, dated 1891-1928. 3 volumes. 142.G.16.7B-1 16 Member numbers: 11975-23181, dated 1928-1946. 151.I.1.4F 4 Member numbers: 29381-43535, dated 1944-1994. 2 folders. 142.G.16.6F-1 14 Branch:

Individual registers contain membership applications that are arranged by branches in various cities.

1891-1923. 2 volumes. 142.G.16.7B-2 17 1891-1936. 2 volumes. 142.G.16.8F-1 18 1891-1939. 2 volumes. 142.G.16.5B-1 12 Juvenile:

Arrangement varies either by member number or by branch.

Member numbers: 1-14191, dated 1923-1954. 3 volumes. 151.I.1.4F 4 Member numbers: 14192-19999 and 1-3412, dated 1954-1984.

Numbering starts over after 19999.

 142.G.16.1B-2 5 Death rolls:

Arranged in the order that deaths were recorded. Death roll number corresponds to death claim number. Includes member number from the membership application registers.

 Roll numbers: 1-2465, dated 1892-1943. 2 volumes. 151.I.1.4F 4 Roll numbers: 2466-7650, dated 1943-1978. 2 folders. 142.G.16.8F-2 24 Death claims:

Arranged by death claim number, corresponding to the death roll number.

 Claim numbers: 831-983, dated 1921-1930. 142.G.17.1B-1 23 Claim numbers: 984-1162, dated 1930-1931. 142.G.17.1B-2 25 Claim numbers: 1163-1384, dated 1931-1933. 142.G.17.2F-1 26 Claim numbers: 1385-1611, dated 1933-1935. 142.G.17.2F-2 27 Claim numbers: 1612-1910, dated 1935-1938. 142.G.17.3B-1 28 Claim numbers: 1911-2106, dated 1938-1939. 142.G.17.3B-2 29 Claim numbers: 2107-2284, dated 1939-1941. 142.G.17.4F-1 30 Claim numbers: 2285-2470, dated 1941-1943. 142.G.16.6F-1 14 Ryti?y Svat� V�clava v Nove Praze, 1882-1899.

Relationship to other membership application registers has not been ascertained.

 Newsletters, 1909-2004. 151.I.1.5B 19 1909-1944. 36 folders. 151.I.1.6F 20 1945-1963. 19 folders. 151.I.1.10F 21 1964-1985. 22 folders. 151.I.1.13B 22 1986-2004. 19 folders. Framed material, 1905. 142.D.15.1 31 Certificate, 1905.

Housed in a glass frame. Significance of the certificate has not been ascertained.