/ 
VoL. LX. No. 2692 . 
NEW YORK, AUGUST .31, 1901. 
SOME EARLY HISTORY OF THE ORANGE. 
SMALL BKGINNINGS OF A POWERFUL ORDER. 
How Some of the Pioneers Worked. 
The Order of Patrons of Plusbandry was an out¬ 
come of the Civil War. President Johnson and Mr. 
Newton, the Commissioner of Agriculture, sent 0. H. 
Kelley on a trip through the South in the Winter of 
1865-66 to see what could be done to help restore the 
farmers and planters to prosperity. Mr. Kelley was 
a Minnesota farmer, who had been connected with 
the Department of Agriculture a short time. 
The depressed condition of the South suggested 
the Idea to him that a secret society of farmers 
through the whole country, both North and 
South, might not only promote a brotherly feel¬ 
ing, but help the farmers in many ways. When 
he returned to Washington he talked with sev¬ 
eral friends regarding the matter, especially 
William Saunders, Superintendent of the De¬ 
partment garden and grounds; J. R. Thompson, 
of the Treasury Department, and William M. 
Ireland, of the Post Office Depar'tment. The 
four invited the Rev. John Trimble to criticise 
their work. Later, Rev. A. B. Grosh and F. M. 
McDowell, a fruit grower of Wayne, N. Y., 
helped them , in some way. These seven men 
are generally called the “seven founders’’ of the 
Order. Mr. Kelley’s niece. Miss Caroline A. 
Hall, suggested that women be taken into the 
Order on terms of equality with men. She also 
wrote songs for the Order and helped in many 
ways. During the 12 years Mr. Kelley was Na¬ 
tional Secretary, Miss Hall was his assistant 
and cashier. Nearly half a million dollars 
passed through her hands during this time. 
Anson Bartlett, of Ohio, also helped Bro. Kelley 
a good deal in preparing the ritual, but in 
reality Bro. Kelley was the man who did the 
hard work and took all the responsibility when 
there was no money in the treasury, which was 
often the case. Bro. Trimble used to say to 
him: “Go ahead, and if you make it a success 
I will hold up iKJth hands and say, ‘diun’t I tell 
you so.’ ’’ December 4, 1867, the National 
Grange was organized with William Saunders 
for master; Anson Bartlett, overseer; J. R. 
Thompson, lecturer; William Muir, of Missouri, 
steward; A. S. Moss, of Fredonia, N. Y., assist¬ 
ant steward; William M. Ireland, treasurer; 0. 
H. Kelley, secretary; the remaining offices left 
vacant because there were no members to fill 
them. Rev. A. B. Grosh was made chaplain a 
little later. In this humble yet bold way these 
five men began this now great society. 
April 3, 1868, Kelley went to bid Saunders 
good-bye, previous to starting west to organize 
Granges. “Have you got any money?” “Yes, 
about $2.50.” “Well, you are a fool.” “Can’t 
help that. I’ll make the Order a success or 
bust.” He tried to organize at Harrisburg and 
at Penn Yan, but failed; then went, to Fre¬ 
donia, N. Y., where he organized the first work¬ 
ing Grange in the world, with N. E. Dodge as 
master, with only 10 members, all men. It is 
impossible for us of the present day, who are 
used to seeing the Granges in good working order, to 
imagine the trouble and difficulties Kelley met and 
overcame. It was a new and untried experiment, and 
required an endless amount of thinking, talking, 
planning and experimenting to ge:t the thing in work¬ 
ing order, but Kelley had so much faith in it that he 
threw up his clerkship and salary, and with a family 
to support and his Minnesota farm mortgaged worked 
his way west, trusting to the $15 fee for each Subordi¬ 
nate Grange dispensation issued by him to pay his 
expenses. 'Phese founders of the Order were mostly 
1' ree Masons, and sometimes he met a Mason who let 
him have some money, which was all returned later 
when money began to pour into the National treas¬ 
ury. It may be well to say that Fredonia Grange No. 
1 lapsed or became dormant as we say after a little 
whJile. Bro. McKinStry, its first lecturer, says it was 
because it at first attracted mostly village people, who 
cared nothing about farming; thalt mosit of them did 
not have either crops or stock. He says: “We had 
no more idea of making it practical in the farming 
line than a Free and Accepted Mason has of laying 
brick.” But to-day Fredonia is a largo and prospeioiis 
February 23, 1869, he organized the first State Grange, 
Minnesota. 
The first annual session of the 'National Grange 
was held at Washington, April 13, 1869. Those pres¬ 
ent were Bros. Saunders, Grosh, Ireland, Trimble, 
Thompson and Kelley. D. Wyatt Aiken, of South 
Carolina, General Deputy for the Southern States at 
thalt time, says: “At the third annual session 
Worthy Master Saunders with marked dignity de¬ 
livered his inaugural in the presence of Secretary 
Kelley, his entire auditory, and when he concluded 
asked leave to print in the next morning’s dally 
papers, that the two might buy a few extra 
copies each, and thus be enabled to circulate 
their proceedings. Of course leave was granted. 
The printing was done, and 200 copies of the 
morning paper were distributed at private ex¬ 
pense.” It was not until .January 8, 1873, that 
a real National Grange (a delegate body) met 
in Washington with 17 delegates from 11 states. 
More than half of the Granges were then in the 
States of Iowa and South Carolina. Then began 
the rush into the Grange; 1873 added 8,668 
Granges, and 1874 brought 11,941 more Subordi¬ 
nate Granges into the Order. Brothers Kelley 
and Trimble are the only survivors of the “im¬ 
mortal seven.” s. w. cox. 
Caledonia, N. Y. 
TELEGRAPH. WHITE SPINE. CROSSBRED. 
CROSSBRED CUCUMBER AND PARENT TYPE. Fig. 260 
See Uurallsms, Page 598. 
Grange, composed of farmers. Kelley went on to 
Minnesota to his farm, organizing a few Granges on 
his way. From there he wrote to his associate, Mc¬ 
Dowell: “My wife has a block of 20 lots in a town in 
this State, intending to keep them as an investment 
for the children, but we must have funds to set this 
Order ahead. If you can I'aise any money by mort¬ 
gaging these for 18 mouths you have full power to do 
so.” Thus closed the month of July, 1868, the darkest 
in the history of our Oixler. He then went on stai'ting 
Granges lin Minnesota, one in a living room 12x16, 
with a stove, bed and other kitchen furniture in it. 
FARMS IN THE SHENANDOAH VALLEY. 
What a Farmers’ Club Has Done. 
I read in your issue of August 3 the letter of 
S. H. McK., of Gerrardstown,W. Va., relative to 
conditions in the Shenandoah Valley. I live 
near the old town of Winchester, Va., right in 
the heart of the Valley, a spot renowned in song 
and story. Being rather inclined myself to take 
exception to the tone of S. H. McK.’s letter, as 
being likely to convey a wrong impression of 
the exact state of things here, I had the same 
read to-day before our farmers’ club. I might 
say of this Mutual Farmers’ Club of Frederick 
Co., Va., as it is styled, that it is a bo<ly com¬ 
posed exclusively of farmers; was organized 
about 30 years ago, and still counts among its 
members about a half dozen charter members. 
Although the footprints of Father Time are 
plainly visible, yet these gray-haired sires sti 1 
take a lively interest in all matters that pertain 
to farming. The club meets monthly at the 
residence of one of its members, making the 
round about once a year; has its officials elect¬ 
ed annually, holds two sessions at each meet¬ 
ing, discusses subjects and exchanges ideas rela¬ 
tive to our business, eats a good dinner pre¬ 
pared by our hostess, views the premises of our 
host, and offers timely suggestions if such are 
deemed necessary; then we return to our homes 
and feel highly benefited by our day’s outing. 
As our club has taken upon itself to see to it 
that our farming interests are fairly represent¬ 
ed, I have been appointed iii behalf of same to 
send a line in reply to the letter of our worthy 
friend. He tells you that, had your question 
been cis to the value of land now, as compared 
to 40 years ago instead of 20, he “could readily tell 
you that there has been a great slump.” To voice the 
opinion of this club, lands are really higher now than 
they have been at any time during the past 40 yeiirs. 
Of course, immediately after the Civil War prices of 
land as well as all other commodities were higher, but 
it must be borne in mind that these prices were in¬ 
flated because of cheaper money. This latter fact be¬ 
ing taken into consideration, one has but to search 
the records in the clerk’s oflice to verify the state¬ 
ment I have made as to comparative prices of land. 
The letter also states that very little land is changing 
«l PER YEAR. 
