Sons of Hermann (Paperback)

High Quality Content by WIKIPEDIA articles The Order of the Sons of Hermann, also known as Hermann Sons and by its German name as Der Orden der Hermann's Soehne or Hermannssohne, was formed as a mutual protection society for German immigrants in New York City on July 20, 1840. The order provides low-cost insurance and mutual aid and has historically promoted the preservation of German language and traditions. The Sons of Hermann was formed by Dr. Philip Merkel, George Heiner, John Blatz, A. Auer, R. Schwendel, W. Kohler, and Philipp Germann on the Lower East Side, in response to anti-German prejudice during a period of heavy German immigration to the United States. It was an offshoot of the Odd Fellows. By 1848 the organization had grown to six groups with 800 members, and on December 25, 1848, a national grand lodge was formed in Milwaukee. Hundreds of lodges were organized during the nineteenth century; by 1895 there were about 30,000 members. A German-language account ten years after that mentions affiliates in Canada and in Germany itself. However, like all things German, the order declined sharply in popularity with the outbreak of World War I.