By-Laws of Palestine Commandery No. 11, Knights Templar, Rochester New Hampshire.
Chartered: September 24, 1895
BY-LAWS
of
PALESTINE COMMANDERY
NO. 11
Knights Templar
Rochester, New Hampshire
ADOPTED SEPTEMBER 24, 1895
AMENDED 1944, 1964, 2010, 2014, 2016
Welcome to you Sir Knight
To an order of renown.
May each of us so bear the Cross
That we may wear the Crown.
May we be better citizens
By the lessons taught us here,
And remember the Christian virtues
The Commandery holds so dear.
When our allotted course is run
No matter when the day,
May we feel that we have done some good
With our life, along the way.
Ralph W. Dunlap
Past EM. Commander
(deceased)
Article I
Of Whom the Commandery Shall Consist
Section 1. Palestine Commandery of Knights Templar and the Appendant Orders shall consist of a Commander, Generalissimo, Captain General, Senior Warden, Junior Warden, Treasurer, Recorder, Prelate, Standard Bearer, Sword Bearer, Warder, Sentinel, three guards, Armorer, the petitioners for the charter, all who receive the Orders in this Commandery, and such other Knights as may be elected.
Conclaves of the Commandery
Section 2.1 The Commandery shall assemble on the first Tuesday, except in July and August, of each month at such hour as the Commander may determine unless it is a legal holiday, when it shall be moved to the second Friday of the month or such date and time as determined by the Commander. The Annual Conclave will be held on the first Tuesday of March.
Section 2.2 Special conclaves may be called at the direction of the Commander, but no business shall be transacted at any special Conclave except such as shall have been specified in the notification of said Conclave.
Election of Officers
Section 3. The Commander, Generalissimo, Captain General, Treasurer, and Recorder shall be chosen by ballot on the first Tuesday of March.
Appointment of Officers
Section 4. The Commander-elect shall, on or before the day of his installation, appoint the remaining Officers.
Installation of Officers
Section 5. The Officers thus elected and appointed shall be installed at the Annual Conclave in March, unless the Commandery shall by vote appoint some other time, and the Officers shall hold their offices until their successors are installed.
Succession of Officers
Section 6. 1. When a vacancy occurs in the office of Commander, the powers and duties devolve upon the Generalissimo, and if there be no Generalissimo, upon the Captain General.
Section 6.2. When there is a vacancy in any elective office other than that of Commander, the Commander shall, by appointment, fill such vacancy pro tem. The Commandery shall then request the Grand Commander to authorize a new election; and such request having been granted, the Commandery, at the next Stated Conclave thereafter, shall proceed to fill the vacancy; provided, however, that in the case of vacancy in both the offices of Commander and Generalissimo, the Captain General shall succeed to the duties and powers of the Commander without an election.
Section 6.3. When the vacancy occurs in one of the appointed offices, it shall be filled by appointment by the Commander.
Article II
Duties of Officers.
Commander.
Section 1. It shall be the duty of the Commander to call all Conclaves of the Commandery, and when present to preside at all such assemblies, to instruct the members generally in the mysteries of the Order, to dispense justice, reward merit, encourage truth and diffuse the sublime principles of universal benevolence
Generalissimo
Section 2. It shall be the duty of the Generalissimo to assist the Commander in his various duties, to receive his orders on all occasions and see them duly executed, and in the absence of the Commander, to assume his duties.
Captain General
Section 3. It shall be the duty of the Captain General to see the proper officers make all due preparation for the various meetings of all Commandery, and that the Asylum is in suitable array for the reception of the candidates and the dispatch of business, to proclaim the orders of the Commander, assist him in council, and in the absence of his superiors, to preside over the Commandery.
Wardens
Section 4. The Wardens shall prepare the Candidate, accompany him through the ceremonies, and introduce him to the Commandery.
Prelate
Section 5. The Prelate shall perform the various duties incumbent on Chaplains, and such others as pertain to his office.
Treasurer
Section 6. The Treasurer shall receive the revenues from the Recorder, and shall pay such demands as have been approved by the votes of the Commandery, upon the warrant of the Commander attested by the Recorder; he shall keep a just account of all monies he receives and pays, exhibit the same when required, prepare an official statement of his account with the Commandery and deliver it to the Standing Committee at least one week before the Annual Conclave in March and to deliver to his successor in office when installed, all the property of the Commandery in his possession.
Recorder
Section 7. The recorder shall issue all notifications ordered by the Commander; he shall keep a true record of all transactions of the Commandery proper to be written, collect all revenues and pay them to the Treasurer, taking his receipts therefore; he shall make returns annually under the directions of the Commander to the Grand Commandery of the State, of the roll of officers and members of the Commandery and he shall prepare an official statement of his accounts with the Commandery and deliver it to the Standing Committee at least one week before the annual conclave in March.
Appointed Officers
Section 8. The Standard Bearer, the Sword Bearer, the Warder, the Guards and the Sentinel shall faithfully perform such duties as may be assigned to them by the Commandery or Commander, or such as are traditionally appropriate to their respective stations. It shall be the further duty of the Sentinel under the direction of the Captain General, to prepare the Asylum and Armory for various meetings of the Commandery. He shall take charge and care for all the jewels, furniture and other paraphernalia necessary for the proper work of the Commandery, and shall perform all such other duties as may be required of him by the Commander. It shall be the duty of the Armorer to prepare a list of the cases in the armory, under the direction of the Commander, when there is a vacancy, in the order of their membership seniority.
Standing Committee.
Section 9. The Commander, Generalissimo, and Captain General shall constitute the Standing Committee, whose duties it shall be to manage the fiscal concerns of the Commandery, audit the accounts of the Treasurer and Recorder, and report the status of the funds of the Commandery at the annual Stated Conclave, or oftener, if required. They will examine all bills against the Commandery, and if approved, sign them for payment by the Treasurer, providing an appropriation for the same has been voted by the Commandery.
Article III
Section 1. Any Royal and Select Master, desirous of receiving the Orders of Knighthood in this Commandery, shall make application in writing, declare the Lodge, Chapter and Council in which he received the degrees and stating whether he has or has not been previously rejected by any Commandery. This application shall be signed by the applicant in person, giving his full name, age, residence, and occupation, and must be accompanied by a certificate signed by at least two members of the Commandery who must vouch for the good moral character and respectability of the applicant.
Applications
Section 2. Applications can be received and acted upon only at a Stated or Special Conclave, and every application shall be referred to a committee of three members of the Commander.The Committee to make report to the members presentfor action. No application shall be received unless accompanied by the prescribed fee.
Balloting
Section 3. No candidate shall be admitted unless by unanimous vote. Two or more petitions, whether for Orders or Membership, regularly presented, may be balloted on at one time. If such ballot is unanimous, each petitioner shall be declared elected. In the event of the appearance of a black ball in such ballot group, there must be a ballot on each petition separately. A Commander may order one additional re-ballot before the result of a ballot upon any separate petition has been announced and before any member of the Commandery has left the Asylum.
Rejection
Section 4. Ifa candidate is rejected, the Recorder shall immediately return the fee to the applicant. No member shall make known the rejection of any candidate to any person except to a Sir Knight.
Article IV
Members
Section 1. Those Sir Knights who have received the Orders of Knighthood in this Commandery become members thereof. Any other Knight Templar wishing to become a member of this Commandery, shall make application in writing at a Stated Conclave, which may be acted upon at the same Stated Conclave.
Honorary Members
Section 2. Knights Templar, who have been eminently useful to the institution and this Commandery in particular, may be admitted honorary members by being proposed and balloted for at the Annual Conclave and receiving a unanimous vote in their favor. Honorary members do not pay any annual dues.
Forfeiture of Membership
Section 3. When any member neglects to pay his dues for twoyears, he will receive a written “90 Day Notice” to pay the dues within three months or be suspended from membership for non-payment of dues. If a reply has not been received within 30 days, the Standing Committee will attempt to contact him by phone or other means determine if he should have his dues remitted. He can have his dues remitted for his specified reasons, establish a schedule to pay his dues, or pay the dues.If the Sir Knight cannot be contacted or does not pay his dues, he will be suspended after the 90 day period.
Article V
Uniforms
Section 1. The uniform of the Sir Knight when on duty, and all formal occasions, shall be that prescribed by the Grand Commandery of New Hampshire. Each Sir Knight should provide himself with a uniform within one year from the date of his membership in this Commandery.
Article VI
Assessments & Fees
Section 1.No assessment shall be laid, except at Stated Conclaves, notice thereof having been inserted in the call for the same. To be approved, they will require a two-thirds vote of the members present.
Section 2. Every candidate for the Orders shall pay the application fee voted at the annual conclave, to be effective on January first of the following year.
Section 3. Each member, except honorary members, shall pay the local dues sum voted at the annual conclave for the local dues, to be effective on January first of the following year. The sum due annually on January first shall be the sum of the local dues plus the Grand Commandery and Grand Encampment of Knights Templar International assessments and per capitafees.
Section 4. The Recorder and Sentinel shall be paid for their services such sums as the Commandery may determine.
Section 5. Fifty (50) year members and those who have attained the age of ninety (90) will have their dues remitted with no action required on their part.
Article VII
Amendments
Section 1. All amendments to these By-Laws shall be presented in writing at a Stated Conclave, be distributed to the general membership, and lie over one month, before a vote shall be taken thereon. A two-thirds vote of the members present shall be necessary for the adoption of any amendment, and the amendments mustbe approved by the Grand Commandery.
Section 2. These By-Laws shall be reviewed every five years.
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By-Laws of Palestine Commandery No. 11, Knights Templar, Rochester New Hampshire.
Chartered: September 24, 1895
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By-Laws of Palestine Commandery No. 11, Knights Templar, Rochester New Hampshire.
Chartered: September 24, 1895
Past Commanders
* Deceased & Past Grand Commander, $ Honorary Past, # Demitted
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By-Laws of Palestine Commandery No. 11, Knights Templar, Rochester New Hampshire.
Chartered: September 24, 1895
John Hanscom / 1895-96*David Pierce / 1897
*Robert V. Sweet / 1898-1901
*Charles L. Wentworth / 1902-1903
*Rudolph Kramer / 1904
*Charles E. Hussey / 1905
*Frank B. Maguire / 1906-1907
*Forrest L. Keay / 1908-1910
*Jedidiah A. Morrill / 1911-1912
*Louise M. Richardson / 1913-14
*Ralph F. Seavey / 1915-16
*Fred F. Seavey / 1917-18
*&Harry H. Meader / 1919-20
*George P. Furbush / 1921-22
*John M. Stevens / 1923-24
#*Daniel Henderson / 1923-26
*J. Stacy Tripp / 1927-28
*James C. Pringle / 1929
*Albert E. Evans / 1930
*Isaac W. Rankin / 1931-32
*J. Hervey Edgerly / 1933-34
*&Mahion V. Stevens / 1935-36
*Clarence L. Woodman / 1937-38
*Joseph P. Otis / 1939
*Arthur E. Jenkins / 1940-41
*Walter A. Seavey / 1942
*Joshua Studley / 1943
*Downing W. Osborne / 1944
*C. Wesley Lyons / 1945-46
*$Ronald McGregor
*Donald C. Weathers / 1947
*&John M. Meader / 1948-49
*Harold Hersey / 1950
*Charles F. Leach / 1951
*Allen E. Bailey / 1952
*Ralph W. Dunlap / 1953
*Henry A. Stevens / 1954
*&Melvin E. Downing / 1955
*Robert G. Varney / 1956
#*Sterling W. Hilton / 1957
Hanis L. Thurston / 1958
*$Leroy S. Redlon / 1958
*Arnold T. Clement / 1959
*$James Flood / 1959
#*Edgar K. Johnson / 1960
*Victor Cardosi / 1961
#*Albert R. Whitehouse / 1962
Ernest George Stevens / 1963
&Arnold M. Ashley / 1964
#Thomas E. Voss / 1965
*&Richard L. Smith / 1966
J. David Meader / 1967
*Alwyn B. Marble / 1968
#Natt L. Hodgdon / 1969
John D. Randall / 1970
#Roger C. Brown / 1971
*Hanis L. Thurston / 1972-73
*Forest M. Brown / 1974
&Arnold M. Ashely / 1975
*Charles E. Weed / 1976
*&Frederick H. Heuss / 1977
James S. Spence / 1978
*Henry W. Bourasso / 1979
*Raymond B. Demeritt / 1980-81
*Nicholas Servetas / 1982-84
*Ernest E. Lyman / 1987
H. Stephen Wood / 1988
Norris L. Provencher / 1989-92
H. Stephen Wood / 1993-95
Dwight V. Meader / 1996-97
J. David Meader / 1998
George A. White / 1999
Peter N. Vatistas / 2000
Raymond E. Bailey / 2001-02
Norris L. Provencher / 2003
Glen E. Eldredge / 2004
Raymond E. Bailey / 2005-06
J. David Meader / 2007-12
Glenn E. Eldridge / 2013-2015
Ronald J. Brown / 2016-
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By-Laws of Palestine Commandery No. 11, Knights Templar, Rochester New Hampshire.
Chartered: September 24, 1895
Revision History Sheet
Much revision history has been lost.
November 4, 2014 revision: Changed Annual Election of Officers from May to March.
March 2016 revision: Updated the English, increased the initiation fee from $40 to $80, dropped specific amount for dues and replaced it with sum approved at annual meeting to include all local, Grand Commandery and Grand Encampment fees and per/capita. Added 50 year members and those 90 years old or older to have their dues remitted. Returned by Grand Commandery for changes.
October 2016 revision incorporated Grand Commandery recommended changes concerning how dues are determined. This changed removed all references to the actual amount of the yearly dues, identifying how the amount would be determined at the Annual meeting in March, along with numerous wording changes.
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