Thank you, Suzanne! Yes, that would explain why the obituary I have mentioned the "Juniors". It seems that he was a respected member of this group and they gave the widow $500 at the time of his death on April 11, 1898. (He was 42 and died of acute nephrytis.) > Could the obit have meant this: > JOUAM Junior Order-Order of United American Mechanics > > I have seen it listed in a few obits and on a few stones. > > Suzanne > > ----- Original Message ----- > From: JEFFREY OWENS <owensj@epix.net> > To: <NJMONMOU-L@rootsweb.com> > Sent: Thursday, June 29, 2000 7:55 AM > Subject: [NJMONMOU] O.U.A.M. origins and nature > > > Patti Heyer wrote: > <snip> > > James W. Hyer married Adelaide L. Cooper. James was an officer in the > > Freeholder's Association and also a member of O.U.A.M. (Organized United > > Auto Mechanics ??) He died suddenly on April 11, 1898, at the age of 42. > > (which would have made his birth date 1856 or 1857) > <snip> > Re: O.U.A.M. > I think it extremely unlikely that this had anything to do with auto > mechanics. Before 1900 there were very few automobiles, most of which > were of an experimental nature. They would not have been any auto > repair shops to speak of, let alone organized unions. The assenbly line > had yet to be invented so they couldn't have been production workers > either. > > Jeff Owens > > > ==== NJMONMOU Mailing List ==== > FAM_TREE.LST not found. Create new genealogist? (Y/N) > > > > ==== NJMONMOU Mailing List ==== > > http://nj5.injersey.com/~kjshelly/mcgs.html > Monmouth County Genealogy Society > >