[or-roots] Women of Woodcraft

[Sue Steward]

Neighbors of Woodcraft
PO Box 1897
Oregon City,  OR  97045-0987
email neighbors at nowfbs.com
this info was copied from the internet. 
It is my understanding that what was called Women of woodcraft is now called Neighbors of Woodcraft.  I believe that it was an organization that one belonged to and part of the benefits was death benefits and they also had insurance to cover death/burial expenses. http://ftp.rootsweb.com/pub/usgenweb/ut/grand/cemeteries/wowgrand.txt
Woodmen organizations, and the Women's organizations also, had a lot of social activities as did most 
of the fraternal organizations of the time period. They had dances, and dinners, picnics and parties. They, 
of course, had their 'secret' meetings with passwords, etc., they had drill teams that performed for their 
meetings and ceremonial occasions such as funerals and initiations, and competed against each other in 
contests and also marched in parades. The drill teams, instead of using rifles like most of the other 
organizations, used AXES. They were usually axes with aluminum heads and the initials WOW or MWA embossed into the axe heads. They had annual meetings of the head camps to do official business of the organizations.   They also did a lot of community projects 


http://www.douglascountylibraries.org/aboutUs/index.php?pageName=Chronicle033199

http://www.wowhall.org/hall.php

Sue

  ----- Original Message ----- 
  From: Nanci Axelton 
  To: or-roots at sosinet.sos.state.or.us 
  Sent: Tuesday, July 12, 2005 10:56 AM
  Subject: [or-roots] Women of Woodcraft


  Howdy Folks,

  It occurred to me that maybe one of you might know something about this:

  I have been researching the 'WOMEN of WOODCRAFT' without much luck.  I've discovered that they were anywhere in the states where timber was an industry, around the turn of the 19th to 20th century.  There seems to be a connection with the Masons, but not always.  Also an indication that they were an auxiliary group to the 'WOODSMEN'.  What I really want is what they did, at their meetings and in their communities, besides funerals and headstones.

  If at all possible, I would like to locate the group that was active in Myrtle Point, Coos Co., OR, circa 1915. I have found a notice of when & where meetings were held in an old City Directory, but nothing more.  My gr gr grandmother's grave is marked by a rather large monument from them.  I would dearly love to learn just what she did to deserve it.

  I have a picture of the monument if anyone is interested, it says, "Women of Woodcraft,  COURAGE HOPE REMEMBRANCE"  Encircling a bird (dove?) over a broken tree trunk & stump.  It is marble, around 6ft high and placed near her grave.

  Thanks 
  Happy Tree Climbing,
  Nan
  _______________________________________________ or-roots mailing list or-roots at sosinet.sos.state.or.us http://sosinet.sos.state.or.us/mailman/listinfo/or-roots 
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