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Society of the Claw Records, 1912-1940: Finding Aid

AC036

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Seeley G. Mudd Manuscript Library
65 Olden Street
Princeton, New Jersey 08540 USA
Phone: 609-258-6345
Fax: 609-258-3385
mudd@princeton.edu
http://www.princeton.edu/~mudd

Published in 1998

©2006 Princeton University Library

Summary Information

Creator:
Princeton University Society of the Claw.
Title and dates:
Society of the Claw Records, 1912-1940
Abstract:
The Society of the Claw Records describe the brief history of an organization created by the Class of 1894. Society members pledged to attend Princeton reunions annually, either for five-year periods or during their lifetimes. Members received a charm for their watch chains which included a genuine tiger claw to remind them of their pledge. The Society's principal long-term accomplishment was the proposal and subscription of the bronze stars placed on university dormitories in memory of World War I war dead.
Size:
0.16 linear feet (1 2-inch archival box)
Call number:
AC036
Location:
Princeton University Library. Department of Rare Books and Special Collections.
Seeley G. Mudd Manuscript Library.
Princeton University Archives.
Princeton, New Jersey 08540 USA
Language(s) of material:
English.
Storage note:
This collection is stored onsite at the Mudd Manuscript Library.

History of the Society of the Claw

The Society of the Claw resulted from a meeting of the Class of 1894 held on January 13, 1912. The class claimed to be the first to establish the practice of holding an annual reunion which for many years occurred at 19 University Place. In order to join the Society as an active member, men of the class had to make a lifetime or a five-year, renewable pledge to attend reunions on an annual basis. No dues or assessments were required of Society members and most funds for its support came from a few wealthy members of the class. The Society's rules also provided for the election of honorary members. Soon there were 164 active and 26 honorary members of the Society. The Society met annually in the Faculty Room of Nassau Hall, and all members of the class, including those not members of the Society, could attend. This was not designed to be a secret society.

Each member received a handsome numbered certificate with a seal. In addition, the Society provided each member with a charm for his watch chain to serve as a reminder of the pledge he had made. These charms consisted of a genuine tiger claw (the Society obtained one thousand with the help of Princeton missionaries in India) which was attached to a gold (for honorary members) or silver (for active members) mount topped by the number 94 (for the class) engraved with the Society's name and the member's name and number. The Philadelphia jeweler Van Deusen and Stokes produced these charms.

The class planned that the Society would continue in perpetuity, providing that members of other classes could be elected upon a two-thirds vote of the active members. By the early 1920s, however, the Society seems to have become moribund.

The most significant contribution of the Society to Princeton tradition was its proposal and funding of the bronze stars place on the stone windowsills of university dormitories in 1920 in memory of war dead from World War I. Society member L. Irving Reichner suggested the idea, and in the space of several months the Society raised $460 to make, engrave and mount the stars.

Description

Consists of records that describe the brief history of the Society of the Claw. Included are minutes, correspondence, annual reports, financial records, membership lists, rules and regulations, certificates and a variety of printed materials. The tiger claws owned by the Archives have been removed to the ephemera collection.

Arrangement

Organized into the following series:

This small collection consists of 17 folders arranged in alphabetical order by form or subject.

Access and Use

Access

Collection is open for research use.

Restrictions on Use and Copyright Information

Single photocopies may be made for research purposes. Permission to publish material from the collection must be requested from the University Archivist. Copyright is held by the Trustees of Princeton University.

Acquisition and Appraisal

Provenance and Acquisition

The estate of Ulrich Dahlgren, secretary-treasurer of the Society from 1915 to 1920, donated the bulk of these records in 1947 (AM13413). Other records came from L. Irving Reichner (AM10895-AM10920 in 1935 and AM12839 in 1944), Edward M. Burton (AM 9249 in 1926), and Horace Nixon (AM13037 in 1945). Two group photographs listed in the Dahlgren accession could not be located, nor could accessions AM10896, AM10917, and AM 10919 (although a copy of this letter is located in the West Papers in the Graduate College records).

Processing and Other Information

Processing Information

This collection was processed by Ben Primer in 1995. Finding aid written by Ben Primer in 1995.

Descriptive Rules Used

Finding aid content adheres to that prescribed by Describing Archives: A Content Standard.

Encoding

Machine-readable finding aid encoded in EAD 2002 by Techbooks and Cristela García-Spitz on October 20, 2006.

Finding aid written in English.

Preferred Citation

Identification of specific item; Date (if known); Society of the Claw Records, Box and Folder Number; University Archives, Department of Rare Books and Special Collections, Princeton University Library.

Subject Headings

These materials have been indexed in the Princeton University Library online catalog using the following terms. Those seeking related materials should search under these terms.

Browse other finding aids related to the following terms:

Contents List

  1. Active Members, Certificate Stubs, Nos. 1-164

    		Folder 1-2

  2. Annual Reports, 1912,1916

    		Folder 3

  3. Bronze Stars - Correspondence, 1918-1920

    		Folder 4

  4. Bronze Stars - Financial Records, 1919-1920

    		Folder 5

  5. Certificates, 1912-1913

    		Folder 6

  6. Claws

    		Folder 7

  7. Correspondence, 1913-1920

    		Folder 8

  8. Financial Records, 1913-1915

    		Folder 9

  9. Honorary Members, Certificate Stubs, Nos. 1-24

    		Folder 10

  10. List of Active Members (Bound Volume), undated

    		Folder 11

  11. Membership Records, 1912-1914

    		Folder 12

  12. Minute Book, 1916

    		Folder 13

  13. Printed Articles, 1912-1940

    		Folder 14

  14. Printed Matter, 1912-1914

    		Folder 15

  15. Provenance

    		Folder 16

  16. Rules and Regulations, undated

    		Folder 17

Permanent URL: http://arks.princeton.edu/ark:/88435/000000010

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