Oakland Scottish Rite founder, Major Edwin Sherman (1829–1914), was a professional organizer and fraternalist. A tireless promoter of several organizations and orders, his seemingly boundless energy was the stuff of the mid-19th century’s character of laborious expansion. In addition to his fraternal activities, Sherman was president of the Associated Veterans of the Mexican War, which championed the rights and welfare of California residents who fought in the Mexican War of 1846–1848. This war, of course, resulted in the Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo (February 2, 1848) and the ceding of vast quantities of Mexican territory to the United States, which included California. Following the Compromise of 1850, California was admitted into the Union as the 31st state.
These records chronicle the years 1906 through 1909 and are treasure-trove for historians of California and the American west. They are proof that, although non-Masonic in content, Masonic facilities of all types are a valuable resource for undiscovered, yet crucial, local histories.
Cover of the minute book for the Association of Veterans of the Mexican War 
The Association mourns the loss of a beloved member with a touching obituary. Like Masonic lodge records, these obituaries were entered into the minute books as a permanent reminder 
Sherman was offended by the mischaracterization of General Mariano Guadalupe Vallejo and vowed to erect a monument to his memory in Golden Gate Park. This project never got off the ground, but Sherman did succeed in leading the charge to erect a monument to Commodore Sloat in Monterey.