Subject: Burial societies

This volume contains the Acts of the General Assembly of the State of Georgia, passed during the session held in Milledgeville in November and December of 1857. Published in Columbus, Georgia in 1858, this first edition includes various enactments on corporations, banking, internal improvements, probate, and civil and criminal procedures. Of particular interest is the incorporation of the United Hebrew Society of Macon on pages 158-159, a burial society whose incorporators are listed within. The book also includes legislation prohibiting slaves and free people of color from residing separately from their owners, employers, or guardians.

This 26-page pamphlet contains the 1833 Constitution and By-Laws of the Hebrew Society for the Visitation of the Sick and Mutual Assistance, established in Philadelphia in 1814. The Society, the first formal Jewish mutual aid society in Philadelphia, provided burial funds and other forms of mutual assistance to its members. This edition lists the officers and 33 members of the society. According to Singerman #1065, only two other complete copies are known to exist.

This pamphlet details the rules and procedures of the Mutual Benefit and Burial Society of New York City, adopted on November 23, 1864 (5625 in the Hebrew calendar). It covers guidelines for actions following the death of a member, including rituals of purification (Taharah) and mourning (Shiva), along with associated prayers. The text is primarily in English, with significant use of Hebrew terms and phrases. Published by The Jewish Messenger in 1865, this pamphlet provides a glimpse into the practices and organizational structure of a 19th-century Jewish mutual aid society in New York City.

This 33-page book contains the liturgy and customs for a special annual fast day observed by New York's Gemilath Chassadim Shel Emeth Burial Society in 1886. Published by the Jewish Gazette, the book features Hebrew text and details the society's unique liturgical practices for this day. The book shows some staining and is bound in contemporary marbled boards with original printed pink wrappers, though the gutter is split.