Ancient Order Of United Workmen - Revision history

AzraelBrown at 21:23, 1 October 2007

2007-10-01T21:23:26Z

AzraelBrown: /* Origins */

2007-10-01T20:59:21Z

Origins

AzraelBrown at 16:11, 26 August 2007

2007-08-26T16:11:03Z

AzraelBrown at 16:09, 26 August 2007

2007-08-26T16:09:21Z

AzraelBrown at 15:54, 26 August 2007

2007-08-26T15:54:00Z

AzraelBrown at 17:38, 4 August 2007

2007-08-04T17:38:20Z

AzraelBrown at 17:37, 4 August 2007

2007-08-04T17:37:52Z

AzraelBrown: /* Decentralized Organization */

2007-08-04T17:30:34Z

Decentralized Organization

AzraelBrown at 17:27, 4 August 2007

2007-08-04T17:27:57Z

AzraelBrown at 17:21, 4 August 2007

2007-08-04T17:21:03Z

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 ==Origins==
-On October 27th, 1868 in Meadville, Pennsylvania, [[John Jordan Upchurch, Founder of the AOUW|John Jordan Upchurch]], a railroad worker, assembled 13 of his friends and coworkers and established the AOUW.  The group would be a fraternal organization with rites of initiation and membership, like the Freemasons, but it would take one further historic step by offering death insurance to its members.   Fraternal groups often took care of members in need, but at the discretion of other members.   Establishing an organized death-benefit insurance for all members had not been done before, and Upchurch believed it would be an additional incentive for members to join.
+[[Image:Father-John-Jordan-Upchurch.jpg|right|120px|thumb|J.J. Upchurch]]On October 27th, 1868 in Meadville, Pennsylvania, [[John Jordan Upchurch, Founder of the AOUW|John Jordan Upchurch]], a railroad worker, assembled 13 of his friends and coworkers and established the AOUW. The local lodge of The League of Friendship, a different 'workingman'-focused brotherhood, had disbanded due to a falling out with their supreme lodge, leaving a group of members without a lodge.<ref name="historylifeinsurance"><u>History of Life Insurance (In Its Formative Years)</u>, O'Donnell, Terence.  American Conservation Company, Chicago IL. 1936.</ref>   The group would be a fraternal organization with rites of initiation and membership, like the Freemasons, but it would take one further historic step by offering death insurance to its members.   Fraternal groups often took care of members in need, but at the discretion of other members.   Establishing an organized death-benefit insurance for all members had not been done before, and Upchurch believed it would be an additional incentive for members to join.
 To join the AOUW, new members paid $1 in insurance premium.  This created a fund which would pay a minimum $500 benefit to a deceased member's family, at which time all surviving AOUW members would have to contribute another $1 each to re-fund the account, called an 'assessment.'  Each separate Great Lodge managed its insurance for its local members.

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 ==Origins==
-On October 27th, 1868 in Meadville, Pennsylvania, John Jordan Upchurch, a railroad worker, assembled 13 of his friends and coworkers and established the AOUW.  The group would be a fraternal organization with rites of initiation and membership, like the Freemasons, but it would take one further historic step by offering death insurance to its members.   Fraternal groups often took care of members in need, but at the discretion of other members.   Establishing an organized death-benefit insurance for all members had not been done before, and Upchurch believed it would be an additional incentive for members to join.
+On October 27th, 1868 in Meadville, Pennsylvania, [[John Jordan Upchurch, Founder of the AOUW|John Jordan Upchurch]], a railroad worker, assembled 13 of his friends and coworkers and established the AOUW.  The group would be a fraternal organization with rites of initiation and membership, like the Freemasons, but it would take one further historic step by offering death insurance to its members.   Fraternal groups often took care of members in need, but at the discretion of other members.   Establishing an organized death-benefit insurance for all members had not been done before, and Upchurch believed it would be an additional incentive for members to join.
 ==Decentralized Organization==

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 ==Consolidations==
-As the regional groups grew, administration changed in scope and each Grand Loge began to move in a different direction.   Lodges began to merge, consolidating operations and reserves to support floundering lodges and improve selection in larger lodges.<ref>[http://www.nfcanet.org/pdf/mergers_changes.pdf|List of Mergers and Changes], National Fraternal Congress of America]; '''The Fogarty Years''', Yates, Keith L, 1972.</ref>
+As the regional groups grew, administration changed in scope and each Grand Loge began to move in a different direction.   Lodges began to merge, consolidating operations and reserves to support floundering lodges and improve selection in larger lodges.<ref>[http://www.nfcanet.org/pdf/mergers_changes.pdf List of Mergers and Changes], National Fraternal Congress of America]; '''The Fogarty Years''', Yates, Keith L, 1972.</ref>
 Lodges merging with the Grand Lodge of North Dakota:
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 Lodges merging with the Grand Lodge of Arkansas:
 * Louisiana, Alabama, Mississippi, South Carolina, North Carolina, Georgia, Florida, 1925.
 ==Dissolution==
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 ==Resurgence==
-After many consolidations and conversions, the AOUW nearly ceased to exist.  The mutualization of the Grand Lodge of the Dakotas in 1947, however, allowed the Grand Lodge of Washington to expand into states whose lodges had previously affiliated with North Dakota and now no longer existed.  In 1966, the Grand Lodge of Washington took on the title of Supreme Lodge, re-constituting the AOUW with new or revitalized lodges in Montana, Oregon, Idaho, and Alaska.  In 1976, it ceased to underwrite its own policies, turning reinsurance to Early American Life Insurance Co.<ref>[http://www.nfcanet.org/pdf/mergers_changes.pdf|List of Mergers and Changes], National Fraternal Congress of America].</ref>
+After many consolidations and conversions, the AOUW nearly ceased to exist.  The mutualization of the Grand Lodge of the Dakotas in 1947, however, allowed the Grand Lodge of Washington to expand into states whose lodges had previously affiliated with North Dakota and now no longer existed.  In 1966, the Grand Lodge of Washington took on the title of Supreme Lodge, re-constituting the AOUW with new or revitalized lodges in Montana, Oregon, Idaho, and Alaska.  In 1976, it ceased to underwrite its own policies, turning reinsurance to Early American Life Insurance Co.<ref>[http://www.nfcanet.org/pdf/mergers_changes.pdf List of Mergers and Changes], National Fraternal Congress of America].</ref>

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 The decentralized nature of the AOUW focused on each individual Lodge's immediate neighborhood, and thus did not benefit from a nationwide level of exposure.   Each Grand Lodge then managed their insurance benefits and fraternal organization independently, but within the guidelines of the AOUW's rules.   This allowed each Lodge to benefit from their own membership efforts, and avoided national impact if any Lodge saw a major impact on their reserves, and allowed higher-risk regions to charge more for benefits than safer ones.  Remember, dues were only paid when a claim was made, to replenish the reserves, so each Lodge handled its own assessments, assuming that deaths in any one lodge would be rare.  Assessments were limited in each Lodge by the Great Lodge, in the event of catastrophe, so that 8 sudden deaths would not result in a serious financial impact on surviving members. Expanding this structure would be come impractical, resulting in near-daily assessments, so the national level only intervened with an organization-wide assessment when any one Lodge could not cover their own losses.<ref>[[A.O.U.W._-_Facts_And_Figures%2C_1895|A.O.U.W "Facts and Figures"]], Reunion Program, 1895.</ref>
 ==Consolidations==
-As the regional groups grew, administration changed in scope and each Grand Loge began to move in a different direction.   Lodges began to merge, consolidating operations and reserves to support floundering lodges and improve selection in larger lodges.
+As the regional groups grew, administration changed in scope and each Grand Loge began to move in a different direction.   Lodges began to merge, consolidating operations and reserves to support floundering lodges and improve selection in larger lodges.<ref>[http://www.nfcanet.org/pdf/mergers_changes.pdf|List of Mergers and Changes], National Fraternal Congress of America]; '''The Fogarty Years''', Yates, Keith L, 1972.</ref>
 Lodges merging with the Grand Lodge of North Dakota:
@@ Line 42: / Line 44: @@
 * Louisiana, Alabama, Mississippi, South Carolina, North Carolina, Georgia, Florida, 1925.
-==Dissolusion==
+==Dissolution==
 As each merged region gained more funds and power, they became less reliant on the organization and support afforded by a nationwide AOUW.  Companies mutualized, dissolved, or sold off to other companies. In 1930, the Grand Lodge of Arkansas ceased underwriting their own policies, and eventually liquidated, passing policyholders on to other companies. The Grand Lodge of West Virginia mutualized in 1964, changing its name to Protected Home Mutual Life Insurance Company.    The Grand Lodge of North Dakota mutualized in 1948, changing its name to [[Pioneer_Mutual_Life_Insurance_Company|Pioneer Mutual Life Insurance Company]]. The Grand Lodge of Kansas changed its name to First Kansas Life Insurance Association in 1957.
@@ Line 49: / Line 51: @@
 ==Resurgence==
-After many consolidations and conversions, the AOUW nearly ceased to exist.  in 1966, the Grand Lodge of Washington took on the title of Supreme Lodge, re-constituting the AOUW with new or revitalized lodges in Montana, Idaho, and Alaska.  In 1976, it ceased to underwrite its own policies, turning reinsurance to Early American Life Insurance Co.
+After many consolidations and conversions, the AOUW nearly ceased to exist.  The mutualization of the Grand Lodge of the Dakotas in 1947, however, allowed the Grand Lodge of Washington to expand into states whose lodges had previously affiliated with North Dakota and now no longer existed.  In 1966, the Grand Lodge of Washington took on the title of Supreme Lodge, re-constituting the AOUW with new or revitalized lodges in Montana, Oregon, Idaho, and Alaska.  In 1976, it ceased to underwrite its own policies, turning reinsurance to Early American Life Insurance Co.<ref>[http://www.nfcanet.org/pdf/mergers_changes.pdf|List of Mergers and Changes], National Fraternal Congress of America].</ref>

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 The decentralized nature of the AOUW focused on each individual Lodge's immediate neighborhood, and thus did not benefit from a nationwide level of exposure.   Each Grand Lodge then managed their insurance benefits and fraternal organization independently, but within the guidelines of the AOUW's rules.   This allowed each Lodge to benefit from their own membership efforts, and avoided national impact if any Lodge saw a major impact on their reserves, and allowed higher-risk regions to charge more for benefits than safer ones.  Remember, dues were only paid when a claim was made, to replenish the reserves, so each Lodge handled its own assessments, assuming that deaths in any one lodge would be rare.  Assessments were limited in each Lodge by the Great Lodge, in the event of catastrophe, so that 8 sudden deaths would not result in a serious financial impact on surviving members. Expanding this structure would be come impractical, resulting in near-daily assessments, so the national level only intervened with an organization-wide assessment when any one Lodge could not cover their own losses.<ref>[[A.O.U.W._-_Facts_And_Figures%2C_1895|A.O.U.W "Facts and Figures"]], Reunion Program, 1895.</ref>
-As the regional groups grew, administration changed in scope and each Grand Loge began to move in a different direction.   The Minnesota, South Dakota, and North Dakota Grand Lodges joined during the late 1800s, and the Grand Lodge of the Dakotas absorbed the Grand Lodge of California in 1932.  In the early 1940s,  the Grand Lodges of Maine, Massachussets, and Rhode Island joined with another fraternal group, the New England Order of Protection.  In 1948, the AOUW of the Dakotas and California changed its name to [[Pioneer_Mutual_Life_Insurance_Company|Pioneer Mutual Life Insurance]] and ceased their fraternal operations.
+==Consolidations==
 ==Women's Auxillary==

← Older revision		Revision as of 17:38, 4 August 2007
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−	[[Image:Aouw-logo.jpg\|200px\|~~right~~]]The ''''Ancient Order Of United Workmen'''' (abbreviated AOUW or A.O.U.W.) was the first fraternal group to offer death benefit life insurance to its members. The group dwindled in the early-20th century and does not exist in any similar or related way today.	+	[[Image:Aouw-logo.jpg\|200px\|left]]The ''''Ancient Order Of United Workmen'''' (abbreviated AOUW or A.O.U.W.) was the first fraternal group to offer death benefit life insurance to its members. The group dwindled in the early-20th century and does not exist in any similar or related way today.

	==Motto==		==Motto==

← Older revision		Revision as of 17:37, 4 August 2007
Line 1:		Line 1:
−	[[Image:Aouw-logo.jpg\|200px\|right]]The ''''Ancient Order Of United Workmen'''' (abbreviated AOUW or A.O.U.W.) was the first fraternal group to offer death benefit life insurance to its members. The group dwindled ~~over~~ the ~~years~~ and ~~exists~~ in ~~extremely small pockets~~ today.	+	[[Image:Aouw-logo.jpg\|200px\|right]]The ''''Ancient Order Of United Workmen'''' (abbreviated AOUW or A.O.U.W.) was the first fraternal group to offer death benefit life insurance to its members. The group dwindled in the early-20th century and does not exist in any similar or related way today.

	==Motto==		==Motto==

← Older revision		Revision as of 17:27, 4 August 2007
Line 1:		Line 1:
−	The ''''Ancient Order Of United Workmen'''' (abbreviated AOUW or A.O.U.W.) was the first fraternal group to offer death benefit life insurance to its members. The group dwindled over the years and exists in extremely small pockets today.	+	[[Image:Aouw-logo.jpg\|200px\|right]]The ''''Ancient Order Of United Workmen'''' (abbreviated AOUW or A.O.U.W.) was the first fraternal group to offer death benefit life insurance to its members. The group dwindled over the years and exists in extremely small pockets today.

	==Motto==		==Motto==