✅ SOLVED Help with mid 1800s farm house Pendant or Pin

[deadbird.81]

Help with mid 1800's farm house Pendant or Pin

I found this Sunday at a mid to late 1800s farm house. My buddy also found one but it was bent in half. Theres a clean spot in it where I rubber it with a cloth and soap. That spot looks to be silver or maybe pewter. There is a crook and key crossed over a bundle of hay theres also a sickle. Any help would be appreciated.
Before cleaning

After cleaning

 

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[Bigcypresshunter]

Re: Help with mid 1800's farm house Pendant or Pin

Could we all be right? I do alot of cemetery work with our Town Cemetery as well as one we have full conservator ship over. What if this person passed away and was part of the Grange? I find Mason symbols, Odd Fellow, Woodsman of the World symbols on graves all the time..perhaps this was their way of honoring this person? The items always look just like the groups symbols. Many are just small plaques.

Why would it have a pin on the back?

 

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[SODABOTTLEBOB]

Re: Help with mid 1800's farm house Pendant or Pin

I'm sure that many of you have done your own research regarding Grange/H-of-P. Thus, my so called mini-history is primarily for those of you who are curious, but just don't have the time.

Hopefully the following snippets will shed some light on the question of why early day Grange organizations were involved with symbolism and secrecy.

1. Grange Definition/Origin:

Middle English (in the sense 'granary, barn'): from Old French, from medieval Latin granica (villa) 'grain house or farm', based on Latin granum 'grain'

2. The Granger Movement was begun in the late 1860s by farmers who called for government regulation of railroads and other industries whose prices and practices, they claimed, were monopolistic and unfair. Their efforts contributed to a growing public sentiment against monopolies, which culminated in the passage of the Sherman Act (or Sherman Anti-Trust Act) of 1890, 15 U.S.C.A. §§ 1–7. In 1867, the American farmer was in desperate straits. Needing better educational opportunities and protection from exorbitant prices charged by middlemen. So the farmers decided to form an independent group to achieve their goals.

3. Definitions of a couple of key words used above and below:

A. Monopolistic = Monopoly
B. Hoodwinked = To cover the eyes with a hood or blindfold. To deceive or trick.


4. Rituals and Ceremonies:

When the Grange first began in 1867, it borrowed some of its rituals and symbols from Freemasonry, including secret meetings, oaths and special passwords. Small, ceremonial farm tools are often displayed at Grange meetings. Elected officers are in charge of opening and closing each meeting. There are seven degrees of Grange membership; the ceremony of each degree relates to the seasons and various symbols and principles. During the last few decades, the Grange has moved towards public meetings and no longer meets in secret. Though the secret meetings do not occur, the Grange still acknowledges its rich history and practices some traditions.

5. Related:

Known as "the Farmer's Masonry," the order uses a seven-degree ritual system, with signs, passwords, grips, and regalia. Both men and women are admitted, 14 years of age or older as equal members, since Kelley was persuaded by his niece, Caroline Hall, to admit women into the order when it was first founded. The first lodge was Fredonia Grange No. 1 in Fredonia, NY. It was instrumental in passing the "Granger Laws" which put an end to various abuses by the railroad industry in the late 1800’s. The order uses the Holy Bible in its ritual, which is placed on an altar in The Grange, and 43 passages from the Holy Bible are quoted in the Subordinate Grange's four degrees. The Grange Master administers vows to the candidates in each of the four degrees, and the candidate is hoodwinked in the first degree, showing Masonic influences.

Link for advanced research involving various aspects, including levels of ritual "degrees."
http://www.phoenixmasonry.org/masonicmuseum/fraternalism/grange.htm



[ Assortment of Grange Emblems/Tools/Books ]

 

[SODABOTTLEBOB]

Re: Help with mid 1800's farm house Pendant or Pin

Based on some extensive research, I would like to slightly revise what I call ...

"Guess # 2"

Item is Grange related - But opposed to an everyday pin/badge/brooch which would have been worn at a typical meeting, it was worn primarily in connection to when someone passed away ...

"Grange Memoriam Pin"

(Which originally may or may not have had a ribbon attached to it).

Date/Guess - Circa late 1800s/early 1900s



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Note * This will pretty much conclude my contributions to this topic, as I have exhausted all of my resources and time. Hopefully someone will find an exact matching picture w/ identification and resolve this "What Is It?" once and for all. Thanks for allowing me to tag along, and ...

Good luck to all!

 

[SODABOTTLEBOB]

Re: Help with mid 1800's farm house Pendant or Pin

Final Note: (Seriously)

The main clue that led me to my aforementioned guess/conclusion is the fact that the image on the item is shown "sideways." The majority of items I have seen are shown "upright." Thus ...

Upright image = Everyday use.
Sideways image = Death/Memoriam.

(But at present I have nothing to fully substaniate this).

SBB

 

[deadbird.81]

Re: Help with mid 1800's farm house Pendant or Pin

Absolutley hands down thanks you Soda for the research. I have a strong feeling its grange related but for what I'm not sure.

 

[Breezie]

Re: Help with mid 1800's farm house Pendant or Pin

Fantastic work y'all! I'm throwing my same hat into the ring, and sticking with my original thought: 'coffin' tag, of which we now feel strongly was related to a Grange member. As TexasTee said, it could have gone inside the coffin or attached to some type of memorial plaque. I think it was attached with the 4 holes, and the bar on the back held some type of ribbon. I've enjoyed this discussion! Breezie

 

[Bigcypresshunter]

Re: Help with mid 1800's farm house Pendant or Pin

I think we forgot to give credit to Mojjax, who posted the matching image ribbon..

It appears that nothing short of an exact matching complete item will green check this but I believe we are close. I havent tried to search but Im sure I wont do any better. Sometimes the exact item cannot be found.

Do you think there is any clue on the other bent one?

 

[SODABOTTLEBOB]

Re: Help with mid 1800's farm house Pendant or Pin

~ Outside of the box or out of my mind? ~

I was just in the process of wrapping up my research on this topic when I stumbled onto the following ...

Which raises some new questions for me that I have been unable to answer after about an hour's search ...

Q. What do Ulysses S. Grant and the Grange have in common? If anything?

Please note that Grant campaigned for President in 1868, and the first Grange organization was established in 1867. (Potomac Grange #1 - Washington, D.C.)

Here's why I ask the above questions ...

 

[Bigcypresshunter]

Re: Help with mid 1800's farm house Pendant or Pin

Once again, the majority of the "Patrons of Husbandry" items I have been seeing all have the "Shaking Hands" image and/or a "P.H."

SBB

Apparently not all of them. Is the Ulysses Grant item Grange related?

 

[SODABOTTLEBOB]

Re: Help with mid 1800's farm house Pendant or Pin

That's my question. I'm not sure the ribbons are Grange related. Nor am I sure exactly when the Grange started using that type of symbolism. Maybe the Grange got the idea from Grant.

(Which came first - the egg or the chicken - Grant or the Grange?)

What I am suggesting is maybe, just maybe db81's item is related to Grant's campaign. Which would explain the absence of the P.H.

 

[Bigcypresshunter]

Re: Help with mid 1800's farm house Pendant or Pin

That's my question. I'm not sure the ribbons are Grange related. Nor am I sure exactly when the Grange started using that type of symbolism. Maybe the Grange got it from Grant.

(Which came first - the egg or the chicken - Grant or the Grange?)

What I am suggesting is maybe, just maybe db81's item is related to Grant's campaign. Which would explain the absence of the P.H.

Do you have the link? Does it say anything?

My guess Grant wanted the Grange vote but its just a guess.

 

[Bigcypresshunter]

Re: Help with mid 1800's farm house Pendant or Pin

Maybe it just represents farmers. http://www.liveauctioneers.com/item/355137

1868 Ulysses S. Grant Campaign Ribbon, Choice Mint condition.
2.5" x 1.25," printed in red and brown on white linen. Grant appears in an oval with the words: "LET US HAVE PEACE" above and "US GRANT" below. The bottom of the ribbon features a sheaf of wheat and agricultural implements. These ribbons were meant to be pinned onto clothing during campaign activities.

The Memorium image found by Mojjax is still the closest match. The missing Grange lettering could have been on the hanging ribbon. Whether the ribbon/medal was for a gathering, a fraternity status or a coffin is just conjecture at this point IMO.

Its great of you to keep searching.

 

[High Plains Digger]

Re: Help with mid 1800's farm house Pendant or Pin

And I thought a grange was a simple gathering place out in the middle of nowhere (at least here in Colorado) where the farmers got together once in a while and you could rent the hall for wedding receptions. I will have to looks for symbols next time I go by one and see if they are related.

My thought---If these are coffin tags, and you found two of them within a few yards of each other, then you must be in the middle of a Grange cemetary. But no one mentioned pieces of wood, coffin handles, or bonage. For me, this would dismiss anything coffin related, just from common sense; no special knowledge is held. Now, if the two pieces were both the same, then one has to wonder how two old guys' ribbons got lost in the same immediate area. If they are different, then I would say it was one ribbon with multiple vanity plates, or perhaps two ribbons from different conventions from one guy. I am still convinced that these were linked together, perhaps with the ribbon on the top, to show attendance at the Grange Conventions. Coffin tags boggle the mind. But hey, I am from the West and don't know about these kind of things! Ya'll out that direction are more gregarious than we were, I suppose. Although every old mining camp had oddfellows and masons, and elks in the larger towns. In Grass Valley, California, the Elks hall in that relatively small town went on for ever--I think it had more square footage than the capital. Probably could have held, at the time, the city's population twice.

 

[Bigcypresshunter]

Re: Help with mid 1800's farm house Pendant or Pin

I would agree with HighPlainsDigger. The ribbon may have been pinned to a coffin but this is not a cemetary. I think its more likely to be a Grange gathering place then a burial site. Or two members of the family returned from a Grange gathering with ribbons.

 

[SODABOTTLEBOB]

Re: Help with mid 1800's farm house Pendant or Pin

In a brief attempt to connect a few dots regarding the origin of the Grange symbols, I came up with the following. I was thinking maybe the symbols on the item, as well as those on the Ulysess S. Grant ribbon, might have predated the time period we are researching. But this doesn't appear to be the case. However, it may be of interest to note ...

When the Grange first began in 1867, it borrowed some of its rituals and symbols from Freemasonry, including secret meetings, oaths and special passwords. Freemasonry was exported to the British Colonies in North America by the 1730s. Two of the principal symbolic tools always found in a Freemason Lodge are the square and compasses. Some Lodges and rituals explain these tools as lessons in conduct. For example, that Masons should "square their actions by the square of virtue" and to learn to "circumscribe their desires and keep their passions within due bounds toward all mankind."

Weird stuff!

Anyhoo, I'm back to present day reality again and still lean toward my earlier claim of a "sideways" wheat sheave possibly representing death/memoriam. As for Grant? It's probably like Cy said, and he was just campaigning for the farmer's vote. Which was about 3/4 of the population back in 1868. According to old census records I've seen, the remaing 1/3 of the population were merchants.

SBB

 

[Breezie]

Re: Help with mid 1800's farm house Pendant or Pin

And I thought a grange was a simple gathering place out in the middle of nowhere (at least here in Colorado) where the farmers got together once in a while and you could rent the hall for wedding receptions. I will have to looks for symbols next time I go by one and see if they are related.

My thought---If these are coffin tags, and you found two of them within a few yards of each other, then you must be in the middle of a Grange cemetary. Not necessarily; both of them could have been on the same coffin or coffin memorial. They could have been in a storage box or drawer to be used in the event of a death of a member. I feel sure tags like this were already available, and were not 'just' made whenever someone passed away. But no one mentioned pieces of wood, coffin handles, or bonage. For me, this would dismiss anything coffin related, just from common sense; no special knowledge is held. Is that sorta like, if the cat has kittens in the oven, it doesn't make them biscuits? Now, if the two pieces were both the same, then one has to wonder how two old guys' ribbons got lost in the same immediate area. If they are different, then I would say it was one ribbon with multiple vanity plates, or perhaps two ribbons from different conventions from one guy. I am still convinced that these were linked together, perhaps with the ribbon on the top, to show attendance at the Grange Conventions. Coffin tags boggle the mind. But hey, I am from the West and don't know about these kind of things! Ya'll out that direction are more gregarious than we were, I suppose. Although every old mining camp had oddfellows and masons, and elks in the larger towns. In Grass Valley, California, the Elks hall in that relatively small town went on for ever--I think it had more square footage than the capital. Probably could have held, at the time, the city's population twice.

 

[Bigcypresshunter]

Re: Help with mid 1800's farm house Pendant or Pin

Fantastic work y'all! I'm throwing my same hat into the ring, and sticking with my original thought: 'coffin' tag, of which we now feel strongly was related to a Grange member. As TexasTee said, it could have gone inside the coffin or attached to some type of memorial plaque. I think it was attached with the 4 holes, and the bar on the back held some type of ribbon. I've enjoyed this discussion! Breezie

Breezie Im a bit confused by your evaluation. Are you thinking its a coffin tag with 4 nails? I could follow you if it didnt have the pin remains soldered to the backside.

If the ribbon was pinned to a coffin or flowers, its still a ribbon.

 

[Bigcypresshunter]

Re: Help with mid 1800's farm house Pendant or Pin

Here's one of those Husbandry ribbons I pulled out of one of my junk drawers . Front & back -

Does anybody know what these ribbons were for exactly. Were they pinned to the chest or were they pinned somehow to a coffin?


Mojjax can you read the manufacturers name? We could google the company to see what else they made.

 

[SODABOTTLEBOB]

Re: Help with mid 1800's farm house Pendant or Pin

This pertains to what I was saying earlier about connecting dots. But it really has very little to do with an actual identification of the item. Rather, it is just another one of the many whimsical tangents I am known for. But hopefully it will still be an interesting read.

Remember the Ulysses S. Grant campaign ribbon I posted earlier? Well, it turns out that Grant was nominated during the Republican National convention held in Chicago, Illinois on May 20/21, 1868.

The Patrons of Husbandry held their first official meeting on December 4, 1867. And in January of 1868 met and formed the first local Grange, which was Potomac Grange #1.

So this means that Ulysses S. Grant had from sometime in January to to sometime in May to come up with and produce his campaign button. A period of four months. Of course, he could have anticipated a win at the convention and had the ribbons made beforehand. Or even later in his campaign for that matter. It's hard to say when they were made.

But still, I am seriously questioning whether the wheat bussel on Grant's campaign ribbons and the wheat symbol of a brand new, extremely small farm organization have any connection whatsoever? I doubt very many people even knew about the Patrons of Husbandry at that time. How many members could they possibly have had? Maybe a hundred or so?

I realize this is all conjecture on my part. But I just can't help but wonder why such a similar image would show up on Grant's ribbon when the Grange was only about four months old and still wet behind the ears? So if there is a possibility that the wheat image on Grant's ribbon wasn't aimed at the Grange, then where did it come from, and why? Or was it just a generic farm image? Heck, maybe the Grange stole the idea from Grant? So many questions, so few answers!

Anyway, I just wanted to share this with everyone. I thought it was kind of interesting.

SBB

 

[mojjax]

Re: Help with mid 1800's farm house Pendant or Pin

It says WHITEHEAD & HOAG Co
NEWARK NJ



I'm getting this from back of the circular thing on the front of the ribbon - the pinback says the same except the word THE is at the top , in the curved area .

http://www.google.com/url?sa=t&sour...f7BWmC09Q&sig2=5P_pO5eGE4itQ5w8Jg_UKw&cad=rja