Founding Era of the Beta Delta Chapter
(1879–1880)

Introduction

The Cornell chapter of Beta Theta Pi traces its origins to Alpha Sigma Chi, a small regional fraternity founded in the early 1870s and chartered at Cornell in 1874. For several years, ΑΣΧ operated independently, building a strong membership and establishing itself among Cornell’s earliest Greek‑letter organizations.

In October 1879, ΑΣΧ formally merged with Beta Theta Pi, and its entire active membership was absorbed into the Fraternity as the Beta Delta Chapter. Because roll numbers were assigned at the time of initiation, the earliest numbers in the Beta Delta roll belong to men who were originally members of ΑΣΧ.

This roster reflects that transition. It is divided into four historical groups:

  • ΑΣΧ Founders — the men present at the original founding of Alpha Sigma Chi
  • ΑΣΧ Early Members — brothers initiated after the founding but before the 1879 merger
  • First “True” Betas — the first men initiated directly into Beta Theta Pi after the merger
  • Later Betas — members initiated during the chapter’s early growth in the 1880s and beyond

Together, these groups show how ΑΣΧ evolved into Beta Theta Pi at Cornell and how the earliest generations of Beta Delta brothers were formed.

Alpha Sigma Chi Founders (Roll Nos. 1–14) 

Alpha Sigma Chi / Early Beta Delta Composite Photograph (c. 1874–1879) This historic composite features 23 active members of the Cornell chapter of Alpha Sigma Chi prior to or around the time of the October 1879 merger with Beta Theta Pi. Representing a cross-section of original founders and early initiates, it offers a rare visual record of the brothers who laid the foundation for Beta Delta. Individual identification of these 23 brothers is currently underway using the historic Beta Delta Roll Book.

These men were the original founders of Alpha Sigma Chi at Cornell, as recorded in the 1905 Cornell University history. They organized the chapter, drafted its constitution, and established the fraternity’s early identity on campus. Although the wider chapter membership is captured in the archival group photograph above, only these eleven men were present at the founding meeting and are officially recognized as the chapter’s true originators.

  • Ellis Thompson — Class of 1876; Roll No. 1
  • Mervale Makepeace — Class of 1875; Roll No. 2
  • Webster Jipson — Class of 1876; Roll No. 3
  • David Aldrich — Class of 1876; Roll No. 4
  • Jonathan Albertson — Class of 1876; Roll No. 5
  • Edgar Dunning — Class of 1876; Roll No. 7
  • Philip Welker — Class of 1878; Roll No. 9
  • Wallace Wilcox — Class of 1878; Roll No. 10
  • George Baker — Class of 1879; Roll No. 12
  • James Brown — Class of 1876; Roll No. 13
  • William Roy — Class of 1876; Roll No. 14

Alpha Sigma Chi Early Members (Roll Nos. 18–50)

These men joined shortly after the founding of Alpha Sigma Chi, but before the 1879 merger with Beta Theta Pi. They were initiated during ΑΣΧ’s formative years and were full members at the time of the merger.

Rolls 6, 8, and 11 appear here because, although they received early roll numbers, they were not part of the original founding meeting listed in the 1905 Cornell history. Their initiation occurred soon afterward, placing them among ΑΣΧ’s earliest members rather than its founders.

  • William Pattin — Class of 1878; Roll No. 6
  • Edward Schmidt — Class of 1876; Roll No. 8
  • Frank Wilcox — Class of 1878; Roll No. 11
  • Pliny Aldrich — Class of 1877; Roll No. 15
  • James Jarvis — Class of 1875; Roll No. 16
  • Marcellus Jackson — Class of 1877; Roll No. 17
  • Frank Ormsby — Class of 1881; Roll No. 19
  • Charles Davidson — Class of 1875; Roll No. 20
  • Henry Wilhelm — Class of 1880; Roll No. 21
  • Thomas Wood — Class of 1878; Roll No. 22
  • William Gartley — Class of 1877; Roll No. 23
  • George Jarvis — Class of 1878; Roll No. 24
  • Frank Bruen — Class of 1877; Roll No. 25
  • Volney Elstun — Class of 1878; Roll No. 26
  • Nicholas Ferguson — Class of 1879; Roll No. 27
  • William Smith — Class of 1879; Roll No. 28
  • Edmund Magner — Class of 1879; Roll No. 29
  • Virgil Hostettler — Class of 1879; Roll No. 30
  • Charles R. Carpenter — Class of 1880; Roll No. 31
  • Frederick Seymour — Class of 1879; Roll No. 32
  • Benjamin Reeve — Class of 1879; Roll No. 33
  • Gustav Mann — Class of 1880; Roll No. 34
  • Robert Alling — Class of 1881; Roll No. 35
  • George Beebe — Class of 1880; Roll No. 36
  • Harry Ehrman — Class of 1883; Roll No. 37
  • Fred Wilcox — Class of 1883; Roll No. 38
  • Asa Alling — Class of 1883; Roll No. 39
  • Alfred Coe — Class of 1882; Roll No. 40
  • Horace Nash — Class of 1882; Roll No. 41
  • Benjamin Cahn — Class of 1880; Roll No. 42
  • William Knap — Class of 1881; Roll No. 43
  • William Linn — Class of 1882; Roll No. 44
  • Thomas Carmody — Class of 1880; Roll No. 45

First “True” Beta Theta Pi Initiates (Rolls 46–59)

These men represent the first generation initiated directly into Beta Theta Pi at Cornell following the October 1879 merger. Their graduation years (1883–1884) place their initiation after Αlpha Sigma Chi ceased to exist, making them the first “pure” Betas in chapter history. This group forms the chapter’s earliest Beta pledge classes and marks the beginning of continuous Beta Delta lineage.

  • Charles Curtis — Class of 1883; Roll No. 46
  • Walter Hamp — Class of 1883; Roll No. 47
  • Herbert Elmer — Class of 1883; Roll No. 48
  • Patrick Casey — Class of 1882; Roll No. 49
  • Frank Ingalls — Class of 1883; Roll No. 50
  • Frank Sheldon — Class of 1883; Roll No. 51
  • John Sackett — Class of 1886; Roll No. 52
  • Artlhur Emory — Class of 1886; Roll No. 53
  • Edward Maguire — Class of 1884; Roll No. 54
  • John Southwick — Class of 1883; Roll No. 55
  • John Pratt — Class of 1883; Roll No. 56
  • Frederick Carpenter — Class of 1884; Roll No. 57
  • Francis Percival — Class of 1884; Roll No. 58
  • Harvey Shively — Class of 1884; Roll No. 59

A Multi‑Generation Elmer Legacy

One of Beta Delta’s earliest and most enduring family traditions began with Herbert Charles Elmer, Class of 1883 (Roll No. 48), one of the chapter’s First “True Betas.” Over the next four decades, three of his sons — Basil Beebe Elmer, Class of 1913; Charles Wellington Elmer, Class of 1919; and Clarence Jefferson Elmer, Class of 1928 — all followed him into the chapter. Their membership, spanning nearly half a century, stands as one of the strongest multi‑generation legacies in Beta Delta history.

Later Betas (Rolls 60+)

These men were initiated well after the 1879 merger and represent the early expansion of Beta Delta as a fully established chapter of Beta Theta Pi. Their roll numbers reflect steady growth through the mid‑1880s and beyond, forming the foundation of a chapter that has continued uninterrupted for nearly 150 years and now includes more than 2,000 initiates.

Supplemental Artifact

A poem written in 1880 by Henry Walter Wilhelm ’80 — one of the earliest cultural artifacts of the newly merged chapter — is preserved on a separate page.

Beta Delta Chapter Poem (1880)

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