The Knights of the Maccabees were a fraternal and benevolent "legal reserve society."  Families of deceased members received benefits in the form of legal-reserve insurance.  Originally it operated on an assessment basis; whenever a member died, each living member was assessed 10 cents to go into a pot to provide the widow $1000.  After reorganization, it became much more sophisticated, collecting monthly assessments based on payouts.  By the 1890s it provided not only death benefits but also sick benefits of $4 to $10/week; total and permanent disability benefits of $50, $200, or $300 annually (depending on the size of your assessment); $175-$2000 for loss of hands, eyes, feet, etc.; funeral benefits, and so on. "Coal miners" - "aeronauts" and other dangerous professions excluded.  The men’s groups were called “tents” and the women’s groups were called “hives”.  The Ladies of the Maccabees organization was entirely independent of the men’s organization, unlike other fraternal societies in which the ladies’ organizations were a branch of the men’s,  The Maccabees absorbed the Michigan Union Life Association and in 1937 it absorbed the Slavic Progressive Beneficial Union. The Maccabees converted to a life insurance company in 1962. It changed its name to The Maccabees Mutual Life Insurance Company.

The Ladies of the Macabees, Conklin Hive No. 758 began in 1899.  The charter membership was comprised of the following 16 women:

            Catherine Chittick

            Cora Benton

            Olive Groeneveld

            Julia Elizabeth Hass

            Margaret Wild

            Annie Marie Morey

            Mary E. Higley

            Amelia Kellie (Kelly)

            Adeline Lilliebridge

            Alva Harris

            Velma E. Bean

            Rosa Gillespie

            Sarah Gillespie

            Ida Boynton

            Hattie Housler

            Mary Ostella Bowser*

Most of the members of the Conklin hive held “Social” memberships, which meant they did not participate in the insurance programs.  It is unknown when the hive gave up its Charter.  The last recorded minutes that have been found were dated June 22, 1922 and indicated the hive was still accepting new members. 

There is no mention in the minutes of the location of their meeting place.  Additional recorded minutes have not been found.