The Ancient Order of United Workmen (AOUW) functioned as a fraternal group in the United States and Canada, providing social and financial support after the American Civil War. It introduced the idea of “fraternal benefit societies”, which included insurance for sickness, accidents, death, and burial expenses.
The order was founded by John Jordan Upchurch, a mechanic who was unhappy with the League of Friendship, Mechanical Order of the Sun. In 1868, he established a lodge in Meadville, primarily consisting of railroad workers. However, a tax disagreement resulted in the group disbanding on October 27, 1868.
The AOUW initially allowed only white members and focused on uniting capital and labor interests. It later shifted to improving working conditions and establishing an insurance fund, with new members required to contribute for a $2,000 death benefit. The system involved replenishing the fund with contributions from members. Non-paying members and lodges failing to forward money were expelled.
In 1885, the AOUW emerged as the largest fraternal benefit organization in the United States. The following year, they organized a conference involving sixteen comparable groups, paving the way for the formation of the National Fraternal Congress, which is still active today as the National Fraternal Congress of America. From August 1, 1893, the sale of alcoholic beverages for consumption would result in expulsion from the order, consequently forfeiting the $2,000 death benefit.
The Provincial Grand Lodge of Upper Canada was founded in 1792 under the Grand Lodge of England, appointing William Jarvis as the inaugural Provincial Grand Master. In contrast to the Provincial Grand Master of Lower Canada, Jarvis lacked the authority to grant warrants for new lodges. The Grand Lodge of Ontario separated from its American counterpart quite early on, holding its 20th annual session as early as 1898. Genealogist Alice Hughes, in her research, references the Rideau Recorder-Recorder News November 1, 1888 edition, revealing that the Ancient Order of United Workmen (AOUW), Smiths Falls Lodge, was commemorating its 20th Anniversary.
Initially, membership within the organization was limited to Caucasians, but this restriction was later lifted. In 1932, the religious aspects of the ceremony in the Order were removed. Upchurch, a freemason, integrated various freemasonry traditions such as local “lodges,” regalia, and initiation rituals. The Ancient Order of United Workmen in North Dakota transformed into the Pioneer Mutual Life Insurance Company, which eventually merged with the American United Life Insurance Company and is currently a part of the OneAmerica group.
Additionally, in Canada, John Milne, a banker and former mayor of Essex, Ontario, established lodges for the Ancient Order of United Workmen. The Independent Order of Foresters assumed control of the assets and activities of the Ancient Order of United Workmen in Ontario in 1926.
William Clyde.Caldwell, Member for N. Lanark, Ontario Legislative Assembly.
b. 14 May 1843 in Lanark, Upper Canada, son of Alexander Caldwell and Mary Ann Maxwell; m. first 1868 Ida Virginia Caldwell, his second cousin (d. 1869); m. secondly 1871 Katherine Smith Falconer, and they had three sons and four daughters; d. 7 Jan. 1905 in Lanark.
In 1821, William Caldwell’s grandparents relocated from Renfrewshire, Scotland, to the Lanark settlement in eastern Upper Canada. William’s father and uncle, Boyd Alexander Conyngham Caldwell, were engaged in the square-timber trade in the Ottawa Valley from a young age. After going their separate ways in the 1850s, they gradually involved their eldest son in the business. William helped manage his father’s lumber operations and later became a partner in A. Caldwell and Son. The company held timber rights on the Clyde River in Lanark County and in Pontiac County, Lower Canada. Unlike his father, who had practical experience on the river and in the wilderness, William also pursued a university education, graduating from Queen’s College, Kingston, in 1866.
In 1872, William inherited the company and various mills in Lanark village. To distinguish himself from other William Caldwells, including relatives, he adopted a middle name. He also began expanding his business ventures. Between 1870 and 1877, he collaborated with Horace Brown in a gristmill business called Brown and Caldwell in Carleton Place. A. Caldwell and Son expanded by adding another sawmill in Almonte. By 1882, Caldwell was establishing a sawmill and shingle mill at Clyde Forks in Lavant Township, near the emerging Kingston and Pembroke Railway. Shortly after the mill’s opening, a fire struck Clyde Forks, prompting him to sell his Clyde properties to Calvin and Son from Kingston.
In 1883, Caldwell moved to Kingston and reduced his business commitments to concentrate on overseeing the Clyde Roller Mills (which manufactured flour and oatmeal) and the Aberdeen Woollen Mills in Lanark village. However, his interest was piqued by prospecting, leading him to invest in iron-ore locations in the Lanark-Renfrew area, Gunflint Bay in the border region of northwestern Ontario, and north of Temagami. He supplied several mineral samples for Ontario’s exhibition at the Columbian Exposition in Chicago in 1893.
Caldwell’s lifelong dedication to politics impacted his ability to fully concentrate on his business ventures. Engaging in various political roles, such as township councillor, school trustee, and reeve of Lanark, he was actively involved in public service. In 1872, Caldwell ran as a Reformer in the provincial by-election for Lanark North and triumphed over Bennett Rosamond. He served as the riding’s representative for a total of 23 years out of 33 (1872–75, 1879–86, 1888–94, 1898–1905), mainly under Premier Oliver Mowat. Although he devoted much of his career to the Liberal party and contributed to committees like railways and as a house committee chairman, he never held a cabinet position. Described as courteous and accommodating in local newspapers, his independent thinking and direct approach may have hindered his progression to higher political roles. Due to conflicts of interest with his lumbering operations and a legal dispute involving his family’s company, B. Caldwell and Company, Caldwell refrained from voting on the Rivers and Streams Bill on multiple occasions, resulting in its rejection by the federal government three times.
Although Caldwell moved to Kingston and frequently visited Toronto as an MPP, he continued to own an estate and farm in Lanark. He actively participated in the village’s horticultural society and was a member of St. Andrew’s Church (Presbyterian). As a Freemason, he engaged in local chapters of the Sons of Scotland, the Order of United Workmen, and the Independent Order of Foresters. In 1899, while serving as an MPP, he oversaw the passing of a bill to incorporate the North Lanark Railway Company. In Kingston, he served as a trustee at Queen’s College from 1883 to 1904 and played a key role in establishing a school of mining there between 1891 and 1893, likely influenced by his involvement in mining and legislative networks in Ontario. His love for recreational canoeing stemmed from his interest in prospecting. In 1895, he journeyed with his sons to Mazinaw Lake via the Mississippi River in Lanark County and in 1901 to James Bay. He also combined business with pleasure on trips to the Temagami lakes in 1902 and 1903. During the latter outing, where he kept a diary, he was described by the Perth Courier as “one of the most cheerful and engaging hosts.” Diaries also exist for his travels in Britain and Europe in 1874 and in Manitoba in 1878.
In business, politics, and secondary manufacturing, W. C. Caldwell, a Canadian lumberman, demonstrated exceptional skill. Although he had a significant political following in his region, he never attained a cabinet position, which could be attributed to his independent character or the town’s limited importance. W. C. Caldwell passed away in Lanark in 1905.
