Ohio Knights of the Ku Klux Klan, Wood County Chapter records

This collection of records relating to the Ku Klux Klan in Wood County is a good resource relating directly to the membership of the local organization, but much weaker when it comes to documenting the actual activities of the group.

The strength of the various membership records is the depiction of the cross-section of the population that participated. The records provide information about individual's occupations, residence, and occasionally age and description which can be helpful in understanding the demographic of the group. With the exception of the membership records and cards, the only other major document in the grouping that relates specifically to the Wood County Klan is a typed copy of an Oath of Allegiance ceremony, which closely follows a printed version also in the collection.

The small grouping of printed material with the collection is more representative of the national Klan than of the local unit. Of interest in the various series are the three different constitutions (the Kloran), pamphlets and leaflets which attempt to explain Klan philosophies, and recruit new members, especially in appeals related to the rise of fascism, communism, and the Nazi movements on the eve of World War II, and the various forms and cards related to the secret nature of meetings where introductions from established members would be expected to gain admittance. One item of interest is the form sheets for the ordering of Klan robes, with the caution in the instructions that all measurements should be taken while wearing a coat.

In Wood County, where there wasn't a large Black, Jewish, or immigrant population, the appeal of membership was directed much more toward the quasi-patriotic appeal prevalent in the post-World War I period. In this vein, the documented activities of the Klan locally included presenting flags and Bibles to schools. While the other philosophic elements were still present, they didn't have the popular appeal that would result in new recruits.