20 Dec 1918: AOH State Board of Montana circular to Division No. 1: letterhead printing 'JAS. J. MURPHY ... Butte, State Treasurer'

# IMG_7583 - **Type:** typed report (circular letter on printed AOHIrish societiesAncient Order of Hiberniansin America from 1836The largest Irish Catholic fraternal order in America: sick and death benefits for members, St. Patrick’s Day parades, and steady support for Irish nationalism.More in Key terms → Montana State Board letterhead; only this sheet is photographed — the letter runs off the bottom of the page and its continuation/signature sheet is not in this batch) - **Book page number(s) visible:** none (loose typescript, not a minute-book page). A modern archival note in marker on the folder flap at the top right of the frame reads "OC012 / F.F.1 - Ancien[t Order of Hibernians …]" (partly out of frame). - **Meeting date(s):** letter dated 20 Dec 1918 ("Anaconda, Montana, Dec. 20th, 1918.") - **Place / body:** Ancient Order of Hibernians, **State Board of Montana**, written from Anaconda, Montana, addressed to the Officers and Members of Division #1, A. O. H., Butte, Montana - **Officers signing:** printed letterhead officers — JOS. McDONNELL, Anaconda, State President; P. A. QUINN, Missoula, State Vice-President; M. J. RODY, Great Falls, State Secretary; **JAS. J. MURPHY, Butte, State Treasurer**; FATHER TIMOTHY MARONEY, Butte, Chairman of Irish History. (The signature block is on the second page, IMG_7584.) - **Murphy mentions:** - **"JAS. J. MURPHY ............ Butte / State Treasurer"** — printed in the right-hand column of the AOH State Board letterhead. This is the subject, James J. Murphy of Butte, holding the office of Montana State Treasurer of the A.O.H. as of December 1918. - **Other key names present:** no J. J. Lynch / Judge Lynch; no Chas H. Gallagher; no J. J. O'Meara; no James Connolly; no John Gribben; no T. J. McCarthy. Letterhead names: Jos. McDonnell (Anaconda), P. A. Quinn (Missoula), M. J. Rody (Great Falls), Jas. J. Murphy (Butte), Father Timothy Maroney (Butte). - **Topics:** year-end circular from the State Board; review of the Division's work for 1918; election of officers for the ensuing year; postwar changes to fraternal and beneficial societies; returning soldiers and men released from ship-building and war work as recruiting opportunities; forming military organizations after the war and the mistake of not associating with similar movements after the Civil War; instructing young men in the principles of the order. ## Transcription ### Printed letterhead JOS. McDONNELL....Anaconda Ancient Order of Hibernians JAS. J. MURPHY..............Butte State President State Treasurer P. A. QUINN...............Missoula FATHER State Vice-President TIMOTHY MARONEY......Butte M. J. RODY............Great Falls Chairman of Irish History State Secretary STATE BOARD ### Letter Anaconda, Montana, Dec. 20th, 1918. To the Officers and Members of Division #1, A. O. H., Butte, Montana. Dear Sir & Brother Hibernians:- The year 1918 is nearing its close, when it will pass into History as the most momentous year in the Worlds History. It behooves us as Hibernians to seview [review] the work accomplished by your Division for the past year and ask has it been satisfactory. Has your Division made any progress during the past year? If not has the failure been due to mistakes? No doubt we have all made some mistakes, It is but natural that weak human nature will make mistakes, but there is no excuse for us if we do not profit by these failures. Having discovered them let us place the necessary safe guards about them so that a sepetition [repetition] will be impossible. You have by this time elected your officers for the ensuing year. Let me urge you each and every one that you put forth your best efforts in the interest of the Ancient Order of Hibernians for the coming year. We are approaching the threshold of the greatest year Historians will ever record. Not alone in Civil, Industrial and Economical Life, but in the Fraternal Systems as well. Fraternal and Beneficial Societies will undergo some radical changes in order that they may continue to do business in the future. With the return of the soldiers and the hundreds of men released from ship-building and other war activities, which will be a very opportune time, and it will be taken advantage of by the promoters and workers of every society in your community. With the return of soldiers, military organizations will be formed that we should take cognizance of. It should be our duty to see that the soldiers of our race and faith whould [should] be the very first to enroll in these military organizations. Let us not make the mistake some of our fathers made in not associating with similar movements after the Civil War. They permitted the other fellow to steer the ship, that later on would not stop at their port. Induce young men of military experience to be the first on deck and take command, encorage [encourage] them to lead, not to wait until later shen [when] they will have to follow. Let us begin at once to prepare these young men for the new responsibilities that are in store for them. Begin the instructions in your Division's Meetings that they will be ready when the hour comes to act. Prepare them with the noble principles of our grand society, that they will be a guide to them in their new duties. (The letter ends here at the foot of the sheet; the continuation and signature block are on a further sheet not photographed in this batch. IMG_7584 is a different, earlier, handwritten letter.) ## Passages re-read from the image (Opus, 26 Sept 2026) From the dossier register, `research/docs/jjm-dossier-2026-09-26/register/`. These readings, not the whole-page text above, are the ones to quote. - **div1_1918-12-20_state-board-circular_letterhead-state-treasurer** (confirmed; div1-b.yaml): JAS. J. MURPHY ... Butte / State Treasurer > JOS. McDONNELL....Anaconda State President P. A. QUINN..............Missoula State Vice-President M. J. RODY..........Great Falls State Secretary Ancient Order of Hibernians STATE BOARD JAS. J. MURPHY..............Butte State Treasurer FATHER TIMOTHY MARONEY......Butte Chairman of Irish History Anaconda, Montana, Dec. 20th, 1918. To the Officers and Members of Division #1, A. O. H., Butte, Montana.