In 1890 the Woodmen of the World fraternal organization was formed in Omaha, Nebraska, and soon swept the western United States. A chapter formed in Eugene, Oregon and provided health benefits, life insurance and burial costs while undertaking charitable and recreational activities for children and adults. Women participated through a sister organization, the Women of Woodcraft. Woodmen Circle was the women's auxiliary to Woodmen of the World, however, it did accept male members in areas where Woodmen of the World did not operate. On January 1, 1965, the Woodmen Circle and Woodmen of the World merged under the Woodmen of the World Life Insurance Society name. Woodmen of the World and Woodmen Circle are fraternal benefit life insurance societies today. They both (and Woodmen still does) provide life insurance protection with fraternal benefits for all members. You become a member by purchasing a life insurance or annuity product. During the early part of the century both Woodmen and the Woodmen Circle offered a "monument benefit" as a rider to all their life insurance products. Under the benefit, at death additional funds would be provided to purchase a grave stone. These stones were carved by local stone cutters and appear in a variety of shapes and sizes. They all, however, have the Woodmen or Woodmen Circle logos on them somewhere. There are about 20 such tree shaped tombstones in the Coop Prairie Cemetery in Mansfield AR which is a lumber town (sawmill). These gravestones are quite intriguing. I was told by locals that the individuals with those markers were all lumbermen. Woodmen of the World Hall (WOW Hall) in Eugene Oregon is a community center today but I don't know if the fraternity is still active. hope this helps becky At 03:19 AM 9/22/1999 EDT, BeingOf0ne@aol.com wrote: >Maybe someone out there has the answer so I'm posting to all my mail list >(only about 25 LOL). My g-grandfather Lawrence is buried in Paradise, Wise >County, Texas. His monument is in the shape of a tree trunk although it is >stone. Written on the monument it says "Woodmen of the World". Does anyone >know what Woodmen of the World is? > >Cherie Reeves Trautwein > Becky Bass Bonner Email: rbonner@imail.ouhsc.edu old:rbonner@rex.ouhsc.edu Home of the *HARRISON* Repository http://moon.ouhsc.edu/rbonner/harintro.htm My Family WWW: http://moon.ouhsc.edu/rbonner/index.htm Data Managed by me and my mom Josephine Lindsay Bass (jbass@digital.net)