The crown with the initials V. M C. is a symbol representing the Supreme Council of the Royal Arcanum, a membership organization founded by John A. Cummings and Dr. Darius Wilson in Boston on June 23, 1877. The State of Massachusetts granted the society a charter on November 5th of that year.
The Royal Arcanum is a fraternal benefit society founded to deliver insurance to its members. Their mission from the start was to provide benefits to its members that would improve the lives of the membership and those of their families. The society was founded on their expressed values found on their insignia—V for Virtue, M for Mercy, and C for Charity.
According to their official Website, the objectives of the society are to:
- Unite all eligible male and female persons of sound bodily health and good moral standing, who are socially acceptable.
- Give moral and material aid in its power to its members and those dependent on them.
- Teach morality without religious distinction, patriotism without partisanship, and brotherhood without creed or class.
- Educate the members socially, morally and intellectually.
- Assist the families of deceased members.
- Establish funds for the payment of Death Benefits, Educational Loans and Annuities.
The society is alive and well today still delivering benefits long after many other organizations of the same kind have long since ceased to operate.
Greenwood Hills Cemetery, Portland, Oregon
Gravely Speaking 