Object Record
Images
Additional Images [2]
Metadata
Accession number |
1994.203 |
Object Identification Number |
1994.203.185 |
Object Name |
Plaque |
Donor |
Danish Brotherhood in America |
Description |
A bronze plaque. The bronze plaque is shaped like a shield with a wreath around the edge. The DBIA emblems, including an anchor, plumb, and skeleton key, are at the center of the shield. At top center, the letters "DB" are positioned above the shield. On the back of the plaque, there is text that reads, "PRESENTED / TO / OFFICE / OF / SUPREME SECRETARY / FROM / LODGE / NO. 313 / MILWAUKEE / WIS. / 1919". |
Dimensions |
W-7.75 L-9.25 inches |
Creation Date |
ca. 1919 |
Owned By |
Danish Brotherhood in America |
Used By |
Danish Brotherhood in America |
Material |
bronze |
Associated People |
Danish Brotherhood in America |
Search Terms |
Danish Brotherhood in America DBIA DB DBS Lodge #313 Milwaukee Wisconsin supreme secretary 1919 |
Provenance |
In 1919, this plaque was presented to the Office of the Supreme Secretary of the Danish Brotherhood in America by Danish Brotherhood Lodge #313 of Milwaukee, Wisconsin. ------------------------------------------------------- The Danish Brotherhood in America (DBIA), originally Det Danske Brodersamfund, was a national fraternal insurance association for Danish immigrant males. Formed in Omaha, Nebraska in 1881 as an outgrowth of several Danish immigrant veterans organizations, the organization was initially open to "honorable men, born of Danish parents or who were of Danish extraction." The first six lodges were chartered in July of 1882, and other lodges soon arose in many communities where significant numbers of Danes had settled. The organization provided a forum for nurturing Danish culture and language as well as providing financial assistance to members in case of death or illness. Some 350 lodges were in the United States along with three in British Columbia and one in Copenhagen, Denmark. In 1916, a monthly publication titled "Det danske Brodersamfunds Blad" ("The Danish Brotherhood Magazine"), later renamed The American Dane, began to further communication among members and lodges. After 1920, as Danish immigration lessened and the number of eligible males dwindled, lodges opened their membership to include American-born daughters and later spouses and children of lodge members. The DBIA gradually evolved into a social organization for the entire family. Some lodges were disbanded after a few decades due to economic conditions or changes in the ethnic base of their communities. Remaining members were then transferred to nearby lodges or paid their insurance premiums directly to organization headquarters in Omaha (Lodge #600). In August 1995, the insurance function of the DBIA was merged into Woodmen of the World and/or Assured Life Association. A number of DBIA lodges remain active today as organizations that promote the pride of Danish culture and origin. |
Images |
222\1994203185.JPG |
Date Received by Museum |
08/22/1994 |