Daily AncestorMWA
MWA means Modern Woodmen of America, a fraternal life insurance society founded in Iowa in 1883.
Modern Woodmen of America was founded by Joseph Cullen Root on January 5, 1883, in Lyons, Iowa, as a fraternal benefit society selling life insurance to members. It is a separate society from WoodmenLife, though both had the same founder.
Until the mid-1900s membership was limited to white men aged 18 to 45 from twelve states in the Midwest and Plains, such as Iowa, Illinois, Nebraska and Kansas. City dwellers and men in risky trades such as railway work and underground mining were turned away.
As seen in a recordNewspaper obituary
Insured in the M.W.A., Camp No. 1488
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Daily Ancestor. "MWA." Dictionary of Old Record Words. https://dailyancestor.com/dictionary/abbreviations/mwa. Last checked 2026-10-12.