Slovak Catholic Sokol, Assemblies No. 61 and No. 173 and Wreath No. 61 (Philadelphia, Pa.) records

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...

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Bibliographic Details
Corporate Author: Slovak Catholic Sokol (U.S.) (Creator)
Collection:Slovak Catholic Sokol, Assemblies No. 61 and No. 173 and Wreath No. 61 (Philadelphia, Pa.) Records
Collection Number:3499
Format: Manuscript
Language:Slovak
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Online Access:Link to finding aid
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001 ead-3499
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040 |e dacs 
041 0 |a slo 
099 |a 3499 
110 2 |a Slovak Catholic Sokol (U.S.)  |e creator 
245 1 |a Slovak Catholic Sokol, Assemblies No. 61 and No. 173 and Wreath No. 61 (Philadelphia, Pa.) records  |f 1920-1966 
300 |a 0.6 Linear feet  |f ; 2 boxes 
506 |a This collection is open for research. 
520 |a 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. 
520 |a 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.  
524 8 |a 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. 
541 1 |a Gift of John S. Gaydos (or Gajdos), 1991. Accession number M91-75. 
544 |a Slovak Catholic Sokol Band, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, 1919-1955, collection MSS 98 
545 |a 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. 
555 |a Finding Aid Available Online:  
546 |a Most materials in this collection are in Slovak, but some are in English. 
610 2 7 |a Slovak Catholic Sokol (U.S.)  |2 MANX_db 
700 1 |a Gaydos, John S.  |e donor 
852 |a The Historical Society of Pennsylvania  |b Slovak Catholic Sokol, Assemblies No. 61 and No. 173 and Wreath No. 61 (Philadelphia, Pa.) Records  |l 3499 
856 4 2 |y Link to finding aid  |u http://www2.hsp.org/collections/manuscripts/s/SlovakCatholic3499.html