As mentioned in earlier posts, Edwin Allen Sherman (1829-1914) was the primary mover and shaker of the Valley of Oakland. An American pioneer in California and veteran of the Mexican-American War, he was a tireless promoter of the Rite throughout the West Coast and even founded his own fraternal orders. Although he was sometimes controversial and could be perceived as curmudgeonly, he was undoubtedly a doer and somebody only the nineteenth century could have produced. Indeed, California Freemasonry owes quite a bit to Sherman’s efforts.

We have been re-housing his archive within the famous trunk described in Jay Kinney’s excellent “Tales From a Trunk: Edwin A. Sherman, a Masonic Whirlwind” (Heredom Vol. 12, 2004). Sherman’s personal effects reveal much about mid-nineteenth-century California and how individuals reacted to this topsy-turvy world. We are also treated to glimpses of his personal life, giving our subject even more depth.

Sherman was an artist. As seen on this page, he contributed illustrated escutcheons for the Valley of Oakland’s Gethsemane Chapter Rose Croix and illustrated and calligraphed several of his own certificates. Nevertheless, these items, while personal, were still a part of his (personal) fraternal life. The following marriage certificate, however, displays his pride in his family while still showing his identity as a prominent Mason. It announces his union to his wife, Addie (née Dodd), and includes photographs of the couple and children as well as the witnesses to their union.

This heartfelt personal item speaks to Sherman’s devotion to his family and fraternity while displaying his contribution to the Craft’s artistic heritage.