The Degree Team of 1918

The following story was published in the Lowell Sun on May 27, 1918:

"The degree team of Court Blanch de Castile, Foresters Franco-Americans, gave a delightful musical at C.M.A.C. hall Friday night. There was a large attendance including visitors from out of town and the program was carried out in a manner that reflected much credit on the participants. The program was as follows:
Opening number by Miss Alice Dallaire; address of welcome by J.H. Guillet, former supreme chief of the order; singing by the degree team, with Miss Hermine Ducharme, soloist; “Joan of Arc,” singing and declamation, with tableau by Misses Louise Herbert, Blanche Bisaillon, Anita R. Robillard, Aurore Parent, Jeanette McCarthy, Yvonne McCarthy, Jeanette d’are Alary, Irene and Dora Faucher: singing by W. Demers, accompanied by Miss Ida Grenier; singing, Miss Delia Thibault; address, Maxine Lepine; drill by the degree team commanded by Alphonse Vallerand; singing by the team with Miss Lucienne Geoffroy as soloist.
The members of the team are Misses Katie Chamberland, Yvonne Perrault, Hermine Ducharme, Maria Ducharme, Anna Topping, Laura Emond, Vitaline Martineau, Georgina Grenier, Mrs. Guerette, Misses Rose Roux, M. Damphouse, Minnie Noval, Albertine Asselin, Eva St. Gelasis and Eva Emond."

The team members included my grandmother, Laura Emond and her sister Eva. Mom and I found a professionally photographed postcard of grandma in a uniform. She is holding what looks like a French tricolor. The postcard has an imprint of the photographer as "Geo. Lemire". We think this is her uniform when she was in the Foresters' Degree Team.

I did some additional research with the library edition of Newspaper Archives online and learned that the French Order of the Foresters was founded in 1905. The first supreme forester was a prominent attorney from Lowell, MA. By 1910 the organization had over 50 chapters and 10,000 members. The Foresters was a mutual benefit society that collected dues and paid sickness and death benefits. It also was a social organization with twice a month meetings, social gatherings and performances.

The Blanche de Castille chapter my grandmother belonged to was one of the few that was made up entirely of women. It was organized in 1908. According to the Sun, "A feature with them is the many entertainments held under their auspices."