This study examines the personal composition of one of the early Knights Templar organizations in the United States—Winchester Grand Encampment—as of 1821, when its membership consisted of 31 individuals. The source base of the research includes materials from the commercial genealogical database Ancestry.com as well as published documentary collections. In the conclusion, the author notes that the analysis of the membership of Winchester Grand Encampment in 1821 allows for several important observations regarding the social, age-related, and geographical characteristics of its members. First and foremost, a significant proportion of the members were veterans of the American Revolutionary War. At least eight members of the Encampment had military experience from the Revolutionary War; most of them served as privates, while two held the non-commissioned officer rank of sergeant. This indicates that Winchester Grand Encampment relied heavily on the authority and life experience of men who had participated in key events of early American history. Additional evidence of the military character of this milieu is provided by the service of Presley Marmaduke, who held the rank of captain during the War of 1812. The age composition of the Encampment demonstrates a combination of generations. Alongside elderly members, such as William Kelley, who was 70 years old in 1821, the organization also included relatively young men, including Samuel H. Lauck and Norman Nash, both aged 31. The average age of 51 years indicates the predominance of mature and socially established men, a characteristic feature of leadership-oriented and fraternal organizations of the period. The geographical distribution of the members shows that the influence of the Encampment extended beyond a single city and even beyond one state, encompassing Virginia, Pennsylvania, and Mississippi. Finally, the identified family continuity—illustrated by the Lauck family—highlights the role of Winchester Grand Encampment not only as a social institution but also as an intergenerational structure that reinforced traditions and values within individual families.
Source: Cherkas, Airin (2026). Personnel of Winchester Grand Encampment No. 1, Knights Templar (Winchester, Virginia) in 1821: A Historical and Genealogical Study. Recorder. 2026. 2(1): 16-25.
Source web-site: https://easteuropeanhistory.org/journals_n/1770249319.pdf
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