Order of Scottish Clans

The Order of Scottish Clans was a fraternal and benevolent society The dual purpose of the Order was to provide life and disability insurance to Scottish immigrants and their descendants, and also to preserve the culture and traditions of Scotland among Americans of Scottish ancestry.

There were a number of Scottish organizations in the US and Canada in the 1870s, whose activities included holding games and entertainments dedicated to preserving Scotch heritage. However, none of the existing groups provided sickness of death benefits. To fill this void the Order of Scottish Clans was founded in St. Louis, Missouri, on November 30, 1878. Its founders included James McCash, Dougal Crawford, John Beattie, John Bruce, John D. Cruickshank, George Bain, Robert R. Scott, William Morrison, Peter C. Peterkin and Neil Stewart. Most of the members were Masons and "high in its councils".

The group experienced financial insolvency in the state of Missouri, where it was incorporated in the 1920s, but later rebounded. In 1971 the Order of Scottish Clans was subsumed into the Independent Order of Foresters.

Membership was open to Scotsmen, their sons or male descendents, ages 18 to 50, who were of good moral character and possessed a reputable means of support. There were 4,000 members in 1897. At the time of its merger with the Independent Order of Foresters it had 16,000 members.

The Order had a three tier structure. Local units were called "Subordinate Clans", state or provincial groups were "Grand Clans" and the biennial "Royal Clan" was the highest authority. In 1897 there were 96 Clans, 89 in the United States and 7 in Canada. Each branch, of the Order, chose a clan association, often by who was in the area. For example, Clan MacKenzie #27, was in Manchester, New Hampshire, until the amalgamation with the Foresters.

The groups headquarters was in Boston at the time of the merger with the IOF.

The Daughters of Scotia is a female auxiliary founded in New Haven, Connecticut, in 1895 and incorporated in that state the following year. Originally the membership was made up of two men and twenty three women. When the organization was firmly established, the men withdrew.

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