INDEPENDENCE - DILIGENCE - SERVICE

The classic and simple definition of a Yeoman is a farmer who cultivates fields that are his own rather than those of a higher lord or employer; a freeholder.

Merriam-Webster provides a more contemporary definition of Yeoman as "one that performs great and loyal service".

The term "Yeoman" comes to us from late medieval and renaissance England. It was used to describe the middle strata of commoners consisting of farmers who owned and worked land and did not rely on or serve/work for a nobleman out of economic necessity. 

Yeomen took care of themselves but also others and in times of conflict took on supervisory roles as Sergeants, the immediate leaders of Soldiers. In peacetime Yeoman were entrusted with positions of great responsibility and often served as sheriffs, bailiffs, and administrators.

Yeomen were noted for their commitment to both civil and military service, their capability to provide for themselves through agriculture, and their diligence and reliability in performance of their duties. This reputation was so strong that the term "Yeoman's work", to mean hard and honest work, has survived to the modern day.

Yeomanry, and the desire to become a yeoman, provided the inspiration for what we today would call the "American Dream". The idea that a person could escape the rigid social and economic structures of the Old World for America where they could forge a new life of plenty through their own work attracted immigrants in droves. These confident and self-reliant small farmers, many of them in the mid-Atlantic and New England, provided the backbone for the Continental Army in the Revolutionary War. 

In 1787, just four years after the conclusion of the War, Congress passed the "Northwest Ordinance" which established the plan for settlement of the area that today we call the Upper Midwest. The Ordinance's architect and greatest advocate, Thomas Jefferson, envisioned states populated and led by Yeomen who he believed would be the best guardians of our democratic republic. This Jeffersonian ideal lived through the Louisiana purchase and continued to apply to those territories, and eventually states, west of the original "Northwest territory" to a region we would now consider to be the "Great Plains". 

An image of a Yeoman is prominently featured on the seal, coat of arms, and flag of the State of Wisconsin. The Wisconsin Blue Book says, "The coat of arms is an integral part of the state seal and also appears on the state flag. It contains a sailor with a coil of rope and a “yeoman” (usually considered a miner) with a pick, who jointly represent labor on water and land."

Yeomen were the seeds from which the American middle class grew. The Midwest, with its long history of courageous pioneers on independent family-farms, is the realization of Thomas Jefferson's vision for America. Without Yeomen, the Midwest as we know it would not exist.

Robin Hood is perhaps the best known, albeit fictional, example of a classic English Yeoman. While modern versions of his story sometimes describe him as a nobleman, the original stories identify him as a Yeoman. Robin Hood, an outlaw only out of necessity, was a competent and capable commoner fighting for freedom, the rights of the lowborn, and the good of the masses against the abuses of a corrupt government; the epitome of a Yeoman.

A "Yeoman" for our purposes is any person who takes care of themselves, is invested and committed to their community, and is of good moral standing. 

Smaller and smaller segments of the population are involved in agriculture as the field continues to become more productive and efficient. Because of this we do not hold farming or even land ownership as a necessary qualification. 

If you are a responsible and conscientious member of the working or middle class,  work hard to provide for you and yours, and believe that all Americans have a duty to serve one another, then as far as we are concerned, you're a Yeoman.

Our primary objective for Q2-4 of 2022 and Q1 of 2023 is to increase local government efficacy and transparency related to Veterans issues. 

Our desired end state is that by 1 March 2023 the public is fully aware of decisions and policies implemented by the Taylor County Board of Supervisors as they relate to Veterans and that future policies are formed through inclusive and considered deliberation by elected officials acting in good will and in the interests of Taylor County residents.

We have four lines of effort in our work toward this objective.

1.  Seek transparency: Inspect public records related to Veterans issues using the Wisconsin Open Records Act.

2. Provide accountability and vetting: Identify the positions of candidates on Veterans issues. Identify those officials responsible for certain policies and actions by the Taylor County Board of Supervisors and its subcommittees. 

3.  Produce an assessment and grading: Analyze the information produced by lines of effort 1 and 2. Grade each elected official on their performance, conduct, and character.

4. Engage the public: Using social and legacy media inform the public of products of lines of effort 1-3.

Our membership roll is confidential and private. Because we value selfless service, all Yeomen use pseudonyms when conducting group business in public. This is done both to avoid personal aggrandizement and retaliation by vindictive elected officials.

Membership is by invitation and sponsorship. If you are interested in joining your fellow Yeomen please inquire through email; membership@tayloryeomen.org

We are strictly non-partisan. We believe in the value of conversation, cooperation, and compromise and expect our members, and elected officials, to always act in good will.

The fork symbolizes the agrarian roots of Yeomen by evoking the discipline and labor of the farmer.

The red hat is a Phrygian cap, a symbol of freedom, liberty, and an end to enslavement popularized during the American Revolution.

The halberd represents experience, responsibility for the welfare of others, and a willingness to defend. In pre-gunpowder warfare a halberd was typically carried by a Sergeant both as a visible symbol under which his Soldiers were to rally, and as a powerful weapon to protect his charges.

The key serves as a reminder of duty - our obligation to guard that which is valuable - responsibility for the safekeeping of our future, and the benefits and treasures of a full, earned, and meaningful citizenship obtained through service. 

The Latin scroll is a reference to Cato the elder, the prototypical Yeoman.

No, absolutely not. 

We believe in strict adherence to all laws.

We eschew and abhor violence. We believe in protecting and utilizing the powerful rights guaranteed to citizens in the United States Constitution, United States Code, and Wisconsin Statutes. We recognize that those rights are so powerful because they enable Americans to affect and participate in their governance and we consider them sufficient for those purposes. 

We welcome Yeomen from either gender, of any creed, and of every race. We forbid members to join, participate in, or support extremist groups and causes and do not admit members with criminal histories.

We believe in persistence and directness but with civility. We do not threaten, "target", or seek to "cancel" anyone. We do not defame, slander, or libel. We advocate and participate in benevolent action for positive change.