McCune Fraternal Organizations Collection, 1886-1962

This collection includes forms, notes, by laws, checks, and journals related to the McCune, Kansas Ancient Order of United Workmen and the Modern Woodmen of America fraternal organizations. The Ancient Order of United Workmen (AOUW) was founded in Meadville, Pennsylvania in 1868 by John Jordan Upchurch as an organization to improve work environments and provide insurance for its members. By 1869, insurance became a main priority of the group as it was usually reserved for businessmen and manufacturers. By 1885, the AOUW was the largest fraternal group in the United States. The Modern Woodmen of America (MWoA) was named after pioneering woodmen by the founder Joseph Cullen Root. Its initial goal was to assist a family in the event the breadwinner died. The organization was created in 1883 in Lyons, Iowa and has operated from Rock Island, Illinois since 1897. The organization members volunteer to raise and donate money, labor, and resources toward their communities. The AOUW disbanded in 1952 but the MWoA is still in operation. Both organizations had/have a chapter in or around McCune, Kansas.https://digitalcommons.pittstate.edu/fa/1313/thumbnail.jp