| Abstract: |
Cesko-Slovanske podporujici spolky ve Spojenych Statech (Czecho-Slavonic Benevolent Society, was a mutual benefit association
founded in St. Louis, Missouri, in 1870. Its early members served in the Union army during the American Civil War. Initially,
benefits were paid to dependents of men killed in the war. The first Cleveland, Ohio, branch was the third branch of the national
organization, and by 1919, 23 branches were located in the city. The national organization was headed by a supreme lodge which
had 11 Grand Lodges beneath it. Cleveland was the seat of the Ohio Grand Lodge, which at one point had 31 individual lodges
with 3,400 members under its charge. The Czecho-Slavonic Benevolent Society minute book, 1882-1893, consists of a single
volume of the Ohio Grand Lodge. The collection is useful for understanding the activities of a late 19th century Czech benevolent
society.
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