(c) Pocumtuck Valley Memorial Association, Deerfield MA. All rights reserved. Contact us for information about using this image.
label levels:
Elijah Spencer Fuller (1827-1859) of Deerfield, Massachusetts, was eighteen when he joined the Sons of Temperance. Many temperance societies encouraged participation by women, for they were thought to be a stabilizing influence in the home. Obviously the Sons of Temperance, one of several dozen societies in existence at the time, drew it membership exclusively from males, and perhaps only young males. The motto "Love, Purity and Fidelity" represents ideals frequently associated with youth. This ornate certificate verifying Fuller's membership features a variety of symbolic images, including Masonic symbols.