German Order of Harugari
Encyclopedia
The German Order of Harugari, sometimes called the Ancient Order of Harugari or by its German name, Der Deutsche Orden der Harugari, is a mutual benefit and cultural association of German American
s founded in New York City
in 1847 that was at one time the largest German secret society in the USA.
The order was established on March 9, 1847, by Philipp Merkle
, F. Germann, P. Schnatz, T. Rodrian, J. Deger, I. Germann, W. Schwartz, A. Glahn, V. Denzer, and S. Merz. The objectives were mutual protection in a time of high German
immigration and anti-German sentiment in the U.S., and preservation of German language and culture. The order forbade discussion of religion, politics, or social issues. The word harugari refers to worshippers in a sacred grove, or haruc, and demonstrates the founders' inspiration in Germanic paganism
.
Like the Sons of Hermann
, Harugari attracted more working-class members than other fraternal groups such as the Freemasons. In 1870 the head of the order described its membership as belonging to "the workers' estate."
Harugari was the largest of the German associations; by 1854 it had grown to 5,119 members, and by 1871 to over 20,000; in the 1870s there were over 300 Harugari lodges. It was hard-hit by the depression during that decade but rebounded.
There were at one time two competing national grand lodges, the Independent Order of Harugari and the Ancient German Order of Harugari. These merged in January 1869 into Der Deutsche Orden der Harugari.
Membership declined in the final decades of the nineteenth century as German immigrants became more assimilated. At the request of the New York and Pennsylvania state grand lodges, starting in 1890 the order instituted affiliates for women, known as "Hertha-lodges."
Harugari promoted German-language singing; in 1895 the New York Times mentioned 50 Maennerchors and biennial Saengerfests and Harugari singing groups still exist.
German American
German Americans are citizens of the United States of German ancestry and comprise about 51 million people, or 17% of the U.S. population, the country's largest self-reported ancestral group...
s founded in New York City
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
in 1847 that was at one time the largest German secret society in the USA.
The order was established on March 9, 1847, by Philipp Merkle
Philipp Merkle
Philipp Merkle, also known as Philip Merkle and Philip Merkel, was a prominent German-American Freethinker and preacher in New York in the nineteenth century who was active as a Masonic leader and also co-founded two influential German-American fraternal societies, one of which...
, F. Germann, P. Schnatz, T. Rodrian, J. Deger, I. Germann, W. Schwartz, A. Glahn, V. Denzer, and S. Merz. The objectives were mutual protection in a time of high German
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
immigration and anti-German sentiment in the U.S., and preservation of German language and culture. The order forbade discussion of religion, politics, or social issues. The word harugari refers to worshippers in a sacred grove, or haruc, and demonstrates the founders' inspiration in Germanic paganism
Germanic paganism
Germanic paganism refers to the theology and religious practices of the Germanic peoples of north-western Europe from the Iron Age until their Christianization during the Medieval period...
.
Like the Sons of Hermann
Sons of Hermann
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 Hermannssöhne, was formed as a mutual protection society for German immigrants in New York City on July 20, 1840....
, Harugari attracted more working-class members than other fraternal groups such as the Freemasons. In 1870 the head of the order described its membership as belonging to "the workers' estate."
Harugari was the largest of the German associations; by 1854 it had grown to 5,119 members, and by 1871 to over 20,000; in the 1870s there were over 300 Harugari lodges. It was hard-hit by the depression during that decade but rebounded.
There were at one time two competing national grand lodges, the Independent Order of Harugari and the Ancient German Order of Harugari. These merged in January 1869 into Der Deutsche Orden der Harugari.
Membership declined in the final decades of the nineteenth century as German immigrants became more assimilated. At the request of the New York and Pennsylvania state grand lodges, starting in 1890 the order instituted affiliates for women, known as "Hertha-lodges."
Harugari promoted German-language singing; in 1895 the New York Times mentioned 50 Maennerchors and biennial Saengerfests and Harugari singing groups still exist.