[1] The organization was originally called the "Seven Wise Men", and it may have been formed by graduates of the earlier Mystical Seven or Rainbow Society that were popular college fraternities in the South during this period.
Allegedly the ancient King of Persia would select six Magi who were skilled in both statecraft and occult arts and they would meet in a cavern beneath the royal palace at Ispahan.
[5] After the Civil War the group began to grow again and during the early 1870s experienced a rapid growth in membership, reaching a high point of 4,000.
A life insurance branch, named the "endowment rank" was established in 1880 and was open to members in good standing who passed a medical exam.
Finally, there was the Heptsophian Mutual Benefit fund which gave aid to the widows, heir and assignees of the members, up to $500 on a 25 cent assessment.
[6] Membership was open to white males over 18 who were of good moral character, believed in a Supreme Being, possessed a known reputable means of support, free from any mental or physical disability and were educated enough to fill out their own application.