Those in our St. Nicholas Cemetery who have Woodmen of the World headstone markings or the large cement tree trunks are Maggie L. Beloate, Ralph E Richards, Jefferson Davis Watson, and Flemming A. Hartley.
Woodmen of the World was
founded in Omaha, Nebraska, by Joseph Cullen Root who after hearing a sermon
about "pioneer woodsmen clearing away the forest to provide for their
families" started the financial and insurance organization on June 6,
1890.
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| Woodsmen of the World Headstones |
When he founded Woodmen of the World, one of his objectives was to
provide a decent burial for all members. He created Woodmen Memorial Day, celebrated on June
6 each year, and +"... to give honorable burial to our sacred
dead..."
Early Woodmen certificates provided for a death and
a monument benefit. Gravestones were originally furnished to members free of
charge and later were offered only to those who purchased a $100 rider to their
certificates.
However, during the 1920s
the Society stopped providing stone markers to members when the cost of
gravestones increased and cemeteries began prohibiting aboveground markers for
maintenance reasons. The monument rider was discontinued and converted to an
extra $100 of insurance protection, but for many years after that, members and
lodges arranged for markers and monuments on their own.
Markers vary
Woodmen gravestones vary
greatly in size and shape. There are elaborate hand-carved monuments. A tree
stump, part of the Society's logo, is the most common symbol used on gravestone
designs. Many stand approximately four to five feet high. Other designs are
found such as a stack of cut wood, a simple stone marker, or stake-type markers
driven into the ground.
Woodmen cemeteries
Over the years, the once popular
gravestones have become a rarity. Woodmen gravestones are still scattered in
cemeteries throughout the United States. Many lodge members across the country take time to
keep Woodmen gravestones in their area from decaying.
No unmarked graves
Although the monument
benefit is no longer included in Woodmen Life Insurance certificates, the
Society does not let graves go unmarked. The Woodmen emblem is available as a
stake of an emblem for attachment to any existing stone.
Spanning three centuries, Woodmen
of the World has evolved into a modern financial services organization,
offering life and health insurance, annuities, investments and home mortgages.
Today, Woodmen of the World is one of the largest fraternal benefit societies
with more than 810,000 members who belong to more than 2,000 lodges across the
United States and conduct volunteer projects that benefit individuals, families
and communities.