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The Trail: Freedom, Friendship & Charity: Ceremony, Degree Progression and Fraternal Identity in the Improved Order of Red Men (1888)

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  The Trail: Freedom, Friendship & Charity Ceremony, Degree Progression, and Fraternal Identity in the Improved Order of Red Men (1888) (Image courtesy of Samoset Tribe #22, Improved Order of Red Men, Vallejo, California. Princeton University Graphic Arts Collection, GA 2008.00908 (comparative example)).   Thomas C. Fielding’s 1888 broadside The Trail: Freedom, Friendship & Charity is far more than a decorative poster. It is a carefully designed visual guide to the values, structure, and ceremonial life of the Improved Order of Red Men (I.O.R.M.). Rather than telling a single story, the image brings together multiple scenes and symbols to illustrate the journey of membership within the Order. The fraternity traces its origins back to about 1760 “… and is descended from the Sons of Liberty. These patriots concealed their identities and worked “underground” to help establish freedom and liberty in the early Colonies. They patterned themselves after the great I...
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Captain (Dr.) Thomas Andrew Berryhill, U.S. Navy (1858-1924): Naval Medical Director, Bacteriological Pioneer, and Member of Samoset Tribe #22, Improved Order of Red Men, Vallejo, CA

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  Captain (Dr.) Thomas Andrew Berryhill, U.S. Navy (1858–1924) Naval Medical Director, Bacteriological Pioneer, and Member of Samoset Tribe No. 22, Improved Order of Red Men, Vallejo, California Figure 1. Captain (Dr.) Thomas Andrew Berryhill, Medical Corps, U.S. Navy, in dress uniform. The four sleeve stripes indicate the rank of Captain. (Photograph from Find a Grave Memorial ID 32646786; originally contributed by Bonnie Shirley Amery; reproduced here from the author’s collection.)   Introduction Captain (Dr.) Thomas Andrew Berryhill, Medical Corps, United States Navy, represents a compelling example of the late nineteenth- and early twentieth-century naval physician whose career bridged battlefield medicine, emerging bacteriological science, and civic fraternal life. Born in rural Illinois in October 1858 and deceased in Vallejo, California, on June 3, 1924, Berryhill’s professional life spanned a transformative era in both naval warfare and medical science. Hi...
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