OT: Sylvester A. Newberrys Masonic pin

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May 12, 2010
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OT: Sylvester A. Newberry's Masonic pin

Sorry for what may be off-topic, but I've been curious about this pin since receiving it from my grandmother's estate many years ago. If you know anything about it, please post. Item is stamped 10KT, so gold. Pin is about 3 inches long and 1.5 inches wide. Red areas near center look like cloisonne to me. Writing on the front should stand for "Pendleton (Oregon) Commandery No. 7 K.T." I believe K.T. stands for Knights Templar, but am not certain. My grandmother's sister-in-law was Sarah A. Wheeler (also my grandfather's sister) and who married Sylvester Newberry. I do genealogical research, and have not been able to find much about Sylvester. He was an Oregon lawyer, who represented the Umatilla Indian Reservation during the 1894-1946 period. Sylvester married Sarah in 1891, admitted to the Oregon Bar in 1894. My father visited them shortly after my parents married. Dad thinks it was about 1946. Sylvester was born in 1868 at Burlington, Wisconsin to Frank Newberry and Mary B. Runkle. He attended Northwestern Law School at Chicago, graduating in 1878 with an LL. B. degree. Attended Hamilton University.

Also in my grandmother's estate was another item which, unfortunately, I don't have photos of. It probably wouldn't fit in a photo anyway. It is a single long piece of leather, approximately 12-14 feet long, sewn into a loop, and perhaps 1.5-2 inches wide. It has abundant beads carefully hand-sewn onto it. No design that I can tell, but at a bare minimum several hundred beads. There are 12-15 beads across per row, and many, many rows. Each bead looks perhaps 1/8 inch in diameter.

Was told it may be a ceremonial sash, which might have allowed the wearer to speak at tribal council. Not something to be given lightly. If I can verify it, would like to return it to the Umatilla Reservation or Eastern Oregon Historical Society, whichever is more relevant. Oregon Historical Society has requested it, but I feel it has more relevance to Pendleton than Portland.
 

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Re: OT: Sylvester A. Newberry's Masonic pin

cool piece. looks like there's a good story behind it. perhaps you'd have a little more luck in the "what is it" forum, if you haven't posted it there already...
 

Re: OT: Sylvester A. Newberry's Masonic pin

MACKAY! WAKE UP OUTTA THAT PHOTO!!!!! Way to friggin go with that bio! You never cease to amaze me! I feel like the Joker in that Batman movie...."where DOES he get those toys". Bravo!
 

Re: OT: Sylvester A. Newberry's Masonic pin

Mackaydon said:
Nope, sorry. My sash is MUCH longer than any shown, easily 6-8 feet when doubled, relatively thin leather, maybe 2 inches or less wide, possibly elk leather. Leather looked rough. Sashes in photo look more ornamental. No pattern shown in beaded work: just lots of them. Neither I nor anyone in family could tell what the sash was after grandma's death. Spoke of it to a Native American who was working at The Oregonian, who suggested it might be a ceremonial sash.

Just emailed Umatilla cultural center for more information.
 

Re: OT: Sylvester A. Newberry's Masonic pin

do i see a 10k mark on it? at the bottom on the back??? congrats nice finds
 

Re: OT: Sylvester A. Newberry's Masonic pin

Kanyontreasures said:
do i see a 10k mark on it? at the bottom on the back??? congrats nice finds
Thanks, but not really a "find".

The bad thing about inheriting things is you have to lose something of great value first. Usually something irreplaceable.
 

Re: OT: Sylvester A. Newberry's Masonic pin

Mackaydon said:
Any chance of getting a pic of that sash?
Nope. Not until I've found someplace to give it to. Sometimes treasure is meant to be shared with others. I hope to give it back to the Umatillas. It is part of their history, as well as part of my history. I'm just the caretaker. For awhile.
 

Re: OT: Sylvester A. Newberry's Masonic pin

it a find as in "found" a bit of family history * that had laid "dead" --until you breathed a bit of "life" back into it.
-- sadly people do not seem to understand that "history" was just our great great great grandfathers and grandmothers living their lives, and what occured to them while living it.
 

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