Finding Roots in Ancient Rome

Have you taken steps to protect your family’s future through life insurance coverage?

Helping families after a breadwinner’s death was a key reason Joseph Cullen Root started Modern Woodmen back in the 1880s. But roots of the concept of life insurance go all the way back to 100 B.C.

Ancient Romans feared anyone who was buried improperly would become a spirit with an evil temper. (Definitely something to be avoided!) Funerals back then, like most today, were expensive. To address the problem, Roman military leader Caius Marius formed burial clubs. Club members would help cover funeral expenses when another member died. They provided what’s considered one of the earliest forms of life insurance in human history.

Fast forward to the early 1800s and we find various groups, guilds and friendly societies forming. Members of these clubs were working-class people who organized around common interests and backgrounds. They gathered primarily to meet members’ social needs. But they also offered support to lighten financial burdens when a wage-earner died.

In 1868, a master railroad mechanic named Jordan Upchurch organized the first fraternal benefit society in the U.S. – the Ancient Order of United Workmen. This “fraternity” provided members with life insurance protection for their dependents.

A mere 15 years later, Joseph Cullen Root founded his own fraternal benefit society: Modern Woodmen of America. And we continue to offer vital financial products, like life insurance, along with social and volunteer opportunities for today’s families.