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grades between these two. All of this was paid out on a $ 1 monthly dues for a whole certificate. Members could also opt for a 50 cents-per-month half certificate, with corresponding declines in benefits or 1.5 or double certificates with similar increases, but it would never pay more the $ 3,000 for any given life, nor more than a whole certificate on the life of a woman. Despite this men and women were supposedly admitted to membership upon terms of "absolute equality".
172:. In November 1893 they held a conference with Lew Wallace asking for his consent to form the order. Wallace consented and secured the permission from his publishers, but objected to the proposed name, "Knights of Ben-Hur", saying "there were only tribes in those days", and suggested "Tribe of Ben-Hur" instead. The Order was incorporated in the state of Indiana on January 9, 1894 and held the first meeting of its "Supreme Tribe" on January 16. Ex-governor
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The Tribe worked on a graded assessment program, whereby people who join the Order while between the ages of eighteen and twenty three were insured for a maximum of $ 3,000 and people who joined the Order between the ages of fifty four and sixty five had a maximum of $ 500. There were decreasing age
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The Tribe had a scholarship fund. By 1920, the fund paid out scholarships of $ 500 per year of college education. This practice continued into the 1970s, though the "nature of the awards has changed". The society also operated a monthly allowance program for eligible orphans from birth to eighteen.
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helped spread the order, and it gained members quickly in its early years. By
January 1, 1895 it had 1,701 members. By the same date in 1896 it had 5,050 and on January 1, 1897 it counted 12,322, 12,000 of whom had joined in December 1896 alone. In 1910 the order counted 106,216 members. However in
236:
In addition to these features, the Order kept a reserve fund, did not make assessments at death, had both southern and northern beneficiary divisions and required prospective members to take a medical exam. After the first thirty-five months of existence it paid out $ 51,250 on 31 deaths and had
199:, Iowa, Missouri, Kansas, Nebraska, Colorado, Pennsylvania, New York, New Jersey, California, Oregon and Washington state. In the 1920s it operated in thirty states. In 1979 it was licensed to sell insurance in only sixteen states and the District of Columbia.
210:
Local units were called "Courts". The first Court was chartered on March 1, 1894 as "Simonides Court #1" at
Crawfordsville, Indiana. By 1910 there were 1,309 Courts. In 1979 it was down to 217. Its headquarters remained in Crawfordsville, through the 1970s.
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and were said to be "moral, religious and patriotic". There were degrees, ceremonies and an oath of secrecy, though the Order was not rigid in requiring the latter. A "New Temple Degree", to be awarded only by the
Supreme Tribe, was created in 1920.
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413:. Greenwood Encyclopedia of American Institutions. Westport, Connecticut: Greenwood Publishing Group.
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The Ben-Hur Life
Association became a commercial company, USA Life Insurance, in 1988.
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The Tribe spread quickly in its early years, and by 1897 it had a presence in
Indiana,
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The
International Encyclopedia of Secret Societies and Fraternal Orders
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had first been broached by D. W. Gerard and F. L. Snyder, both of
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1979 it was down to 31,000 and counted only 15,000 in 1990.
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434:. New York, NY: Hamilton printing and publishing company.
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370:"Name and Status Changes of Fraternal Benefit Societies"
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The idea of starting a fraternal organization based on
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219:The organization's rituals were based on the novel
460:Financial services companies established in 1894
441:
368:American Fraternal Alliance (16 January 2013).
408:
351:
327:
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470:Life insurance companies of the United States
409:Schmidt, Alvin J.; Babchuk, Nicholas (1980).
16:American fraternal organization (1894–1990s)
375:. Indianapolis, IN: Author. Archived from
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237:surplus and reserve funds of $ 35,664.
455:American companies established in 1894
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176:was elected the first Supreme Chief.
13:
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465:Organizations established in 1894
340:American Fraternal Alliance 2013
394:. New York, NY: Facts on File.
205:
485:Organizations based in Indiana
475:1894 establishments in Indiana
431:The cyclopædia of fraternities
428:Stevens, Albert Clark (1899).
1:
490:Ben-Hur: A Tale of the Christ
360:
141:Ben-Hur: A Tale of the Christ
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352:Schmidt & Babchuk 1980
328:Schmidt & Babchuk 1980
284:Schmidt & Babchuk 1980
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150:Ben-Hur Life Association
148:. In 1930 it became the
480:Crawfordsville, Indiana
411:Fraternal organizations
37:Crawfordsville, Indiana
136:fraternal organization
47:fraternal organization
119:(First Supreme Chief)
271:, pp. 190–191.
138:based on the novel
21:
179:The popularity of
19:
420:978-0-313-21436-3
401:978-0-8160-2307-3
330:, pp. 51–52.
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450:Fraternal orders
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132:Tribe of Ben-Hur
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28:January 9, 1894
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382:on 2013-11-06.
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166:Crawfordsville
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206:Organization
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124:F. L. Snyder
122:D. W. Gerard
86:Pennsylvania
146:Lew Wallace
444:Categories
361:References
113:Key people
101:Washington
95:California
92:New Jersey
33:Founded at
245:Citations
25:Formation
390:(1997).
228:Benefits
197:Michigan
189:Illinois
89:New York
83:Colorado
80:Nebraska
74:Missouri
68:Michigan
62:Illinois
53:Location
221:Ben-Hur
215:Rituals
181:Ben-Hur
170:Indiana
162:Ben-Hur
156:History
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134:was a
98:Oregon
77:Kansas
380:(PDF)
373:(PDF)
415:ISBN
396:ISBN
193:Ohio
130:The
71:Iowa
65:Ohio
43:Type
144:by
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