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Wisconsin

By the Minutes: Taxes, War and the English Language

Vintage adding machine

By HOWARD WIEDENHOEFT

Ixonia Mutual Insurance Company and Watertown Mutual Insurance Company may have been small companies in rural America during the early decades of 20th century, yet events of the time—state, national and international—had a significant impact on their operations. In February 1913, Congress passed the 16th  Amendment to the U.S. Constitution the collection of taxes on income. In October 1917, six months after the United States became involved in World War I, Congress passed the War Revenue Act, which increased income taxes in order to fund the war effort. Both these events had an effect on mutual insurance companies. [Read more…] about By the Minutes: Taxes, War and the English Language

By the Minutes: Insuring Automobiles

Photo used with permission from the book Heritage of Ixonia, by Carl and Alida Jaeger.

Photo used with permission from the book Heritage of Ixonia, by Carl and Alida Jaeger.

By HOWARD WIEDENHOEFT

In 1913, Ixonia Mutual presented at its annual meeting a resolution to insure automobiles. It did not pass. Interestingly, in 1914, Watertown Mutual also brought up a resolution to insure automobiles and its voters approved. Not to be outdone by its competitor, Ixonia Mutual reconsidered the idea and in 1915 they introduced their auto coverage. [Read more…] about By the Minutes: Insuring Automobiles

By the Minutes: Our Dairy Heritage

Dairy Cattle in Wisconsin

By HOWARD WIEDENHOEFT

Our summer is drawing to a close and just like generations before us, we reminisce of the season’s county fairs and the judging of livestock. Forward Mutual participates in two fairs: the Jefferson County Fair and the Dodge County Fair. We do so because farming, particularly dairy farming, is part of our Forward Mutual heritage. Let’s look back at this history and how it affected mutual insurance.

Let’s look at our area in 1913. [Read more…] about By the Minutes: Our Dairy Heritage

By the Minutes: Changes of Bylaws, 1875-1899

Photo used with permission from the book Heritage of Ixonia, by Carl and Alida Jaeger.

By HOWARD WIEDENHOEFT

The bylaws of any mutuals are its insurance policy and throughout the years they change to meet the times. This was true in the 19th century and the early days of Ixonia Mutual Fire Insurance Company and Watertown Mutual Fire Insurance Company, when one of the more interesting items addressed was the ownership of farm steam engines. [Read more…] about By the Minutes: Changes of Bylaws, 1875-1899

By the Minutes: A Year of Neighbor Helping Neighbor: 1885

Jefferson County, WI sawmill

This photo is used with permission from the book Heritage of Ixonia, Vol 1, and is of a sawmill owned by O.H. Wills and Mr. Gulliskson. It likely is similar to the Piper Gibb & Co. mill which was lost by fire in 1885. Local sawmills were necessary providers of lumber for the construction of homes and barns.

By HOWARD WIEDENHOEFT

As much as we enjoy our Wisconsin summers, we all know the improbability of the weather. Thunderstorms, lightning, and even tornados are events we Midwesterners unfortunately must deal with. For the insurance industry, these often mean mass damage and expensive payouts. In the 1880s, neither Ixonia Mutual Fire Insurance Company or Watertown Mutual Fire Insurance Company offered coverage for storm damage. But they knew the difficulties of large payouts due to the ravages of fire. Last month, we learned how in 1879 Ixonia Mutual used an assessment to help finance a large payout. In 1885, the company was once again challenged with a series of losses, each of them beyond the capabilities of the company’s treasury. [Read more…] about By the Minutes: A Year of Neighbor Helping Neighbor: 1885

By the Minutes: Early Challenges for a Young Mutual

In the late 1800s, to become a policyholder of either Ixonia Mutual Fire Insurance Company or Watertown Mutual Fire Insurance Company, one was required to sign an undertaking. The undertaking bound them and their heirs to a pro rata share of all losses, which was a percentage based on the amount for which their policy was insured. After a loss occurred the board of directors would levee the assessment to pay for the loss. [Read more…] about By the Minutes: Early Challenges for a Young Mutual