Slovak Catholic Sokol, Assemblies No. 61 and No. 173 and Wreath No. 61 (Philadelphia, Pa.) records
Collection 3499
1920-1966(0.6 Linear feet ; 2 boxes)
Table of Contents
Summary Information
- Repository
- Historical Society of Pennsylvania
- Creator
- Slovak Catholic Sokol (U.S.).
- Title
- Slovak Catholic Sokol, Assemblies No. 61 and No. 173 and Wreath No. 61 (Philadelphia, Pa.) records
- ID
- 3499
- Date
- 1920-1966
- Extent
- 0.6 Linear feet ; 2 boxes
- Author
- Finding aid prepared by Sarah Leu.
- Sponsor
- This project was made possible in part by the Institute of Museum and Library Services.
- Language
- Slovak
- Language note
- Most materials in this collection are in Slovak, but some are in English.
- Abstract
- Slovak Catholic Sokol is a social, recreational, and sports association open to people of Slovak or Slavic descent, organized in 1905. Its primary purpose is to unite Catholic Slovak Americans in social and recreational activities. The organization sponsors athletic events and provides scholarships and insurance benefits. At its founding, only men were allowed to join the Slovak Catholic Sokol. Women were admitted as members in 1908. Men's branches are called assemblies and women's branches are called wreaths. Assembly number 61, Wreath number 61, and Assembly number 173 were based in Philadelphia, PA. Assembly number 61 was established in 1920 and active until at least the 1960s. As of 2017 there are two branches active in Philadelphia, Assembly 048 and Wreath 013. The collection contains minutes, membership and financial records. There are three volumes and three folders of loose materials removed from each volume. The volumes are: Assembly No. 61 minute book, 1920-1943; Wreath No. 61 minute book, 1948-1966; and Assembly 173 policy book, 1944-1962.
Preferred citation
Cite as: [Indicate cited item here], Slovak Catholic Sokol, Assemblies No. 61 and No. 173 and Wreath No. 61 (Philadelphia, Pa.) records, (Collection 3499), Historical Society of Pennsylvania.
Background note
In 1862 in the Czech region of Europe, Miroslav Tyrs and his father-in-law founded the Sokol movement. An all-age gymnastics organization based on the Ancient Greek idea "a sound mind in a sound body," Sokols used lectures and outdoor activities to train people physically, morally, and intellectually. Sokols aimed to be apolitical, but they contributed heavily to the development of Czech nationalism. When immigrants from Eastern Europe settled in the United States in the 19th century, several Czech and Slovak immigrant communities opened Sokols as places of moral, physical, and social training and as a way to build community and foster American patriotism.
A national organization for the Slovak-based Sokols, the Slovak Gymnastic Union Sokol of America (now Sokol USA), was established in 1896 as a non-sectarian fraternal benefit society that offered insurance and social and athletic programs to its members. However, there were several Slovak Catholic communities in the United States that wished to incorporate their faith-based values and traditions with the teachings and ideals of the Sokol movement. To this end, a Slovak Catholic-based Sokol was organized in July 1905 by two groups of Slovak immigrants from Passaic and Hibernia, New Jersey. At its first convention in December 1905, the organization chose to be known as the Roman and Greek Catholic Gymnastic Union Sokol, but shortened its name to Slovak Catholic Sokol in 1933. The Slovak Catholic Sokol's newsletter, Katolicky Sokol (Catholic Falcon), was first published in 1910 and is still in circulation as of 2017.
The various local branches of the Slovak Catholic Sokol are called assemblies instead of lodges, which is the name used by local Sokol USA branches. In 1908, women were admitted as members in the Slovak Catholic Sokol and instead of assemblies, women's branches are called wreaths. Assembly number 61, Wreath number 61, and Assembly number 173 were based in Philadelphia, PA. Assembly number 61 was established in 1920 and active until at least the 1960s. John S. Gajdos served as the recorder for Assembly 61 for several years in the 1930s and 1940s. As of 2017 there are two branches active in Philadelphia, Assembly 048 and Wreath 013.
Scope and content note
The Slovak Catholic Sokol, Assemblies No. 61 and No. 173 and Wreath No. 61 records, 1920-1966, consist of two minute books and a member policy book. Each volume is housed in its own box. Loose materials that were found inside of the volumes have been placed into folders and include receipts, minutes, financial materials, a membership form, and other materials.
Assembly No. 61 minute book, 1920-1943
Written in Slovak, this volume contains minutes with reports and some financial information pertaining to Assembly No. 61. Pages 454 to 461 contain a member list with addresses. Additional information is on the inside of the back cover. Several loose items were removed from this volume and placed into a folder in the same box as the volume with notes stating from which part of the volume each item was removed.
Wreath No. 61 minute book, 1948-1966
The minutes from Wreath No. 61 are only in the very beginning of this volume and date from April 1948 to January 1949. After those entries, there is a note that says the volume was adapted to be used for "sborcek 68," starting in 1957. From 1957 onward to 1966, the volume contains lists of names with numbers. It appears to be a financial record, possibly insurance policy payment records. One loose item was removed from this volume and placed into a folder in the same box as the volume with a note stating from which part of the volume it was removed.
Please note that in the folder containing the items removed from Assembly No. 173 policy book in box 3, there is a paper with financial notes on it from 1953 also referring to "sborcek 68."
Assembly 173 policy book, 1944-1962
This volume contains pre-printed categories/data fields that are in Slovak. The information available in the insurance policy records varies with each individual or family, but most records include name, address, date, and payment amount. Some records have handwritten notes in Slovak. Many of the notes refer to surrendered certificates. Three loose items were removed from this volume and placed into a folder in the same box as the volume with a note stating from which part of the volume it was removed: scrap paper with a sample of the seal for SV. Michal Archanjel and financial notes (2 papers clipped together), one of which is written on the back of a membership form. One of the financial notes removed from this volume is dated 1953 and says, "For sborcek 68," possibly referring to the same sborcek 68 that is mentioned in the Wreath No. 61 minute book.
Administrative Information
Publication Information
Historical Society of Pennsylvania ; 2017.
1300 Locust StreetPhiladelphia, PA, 19107
215-732-6200
Access restrictions
This collection is open for research.
Provenance
Gift of John S. Gaydos (or Gajdos), 1991.
Accession number M91-75.
Related Materials
Related materials
Slovak Catholic Sokol Band, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, 1919-1955, collection MSS 98
Controlled Access Headings
Corporate Name(s)
- Slovak Catholic Sokol (U.S.).
Personal Name(s)
- Gaydos, John S.
Collection Inventory
| Box | Volume | |||
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Assembly No. 61 minute book 1920-1943 |
1 | 1 | ||
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| Box | Folder | |||
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Items removed from Assembly No. 61 minute book 1935-1943, undated |
1 | 1 | ||
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| Box | Volume | |||
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Wreath No. 61 minute book 1948-1966 |
2 | 1 | ||
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| Box | Folder | |||
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Item removed from Wreath No. 61 minute book undated |
2 | 1 | ||
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| Box | Volume | |||
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Assembly No. 173 policy book 1944-1962 |
2 | 2 | ||
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| Box | Folder | |||
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Items removed from Assembly No. 173 policy book 1953, undated |
2 | 2 | ||
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