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This photo is taken from the book\u00a0<\/em>Heritage of Ixonia,<\/p>\n By HOWARD WIEDENHOEFT<\/p>\n June is National Dairy Month<\/a>\u00a0and Forward Mutual takes great pride in supporting Wisconsin’s long-cherished industry. In fact, our dairy heritage\u00a0goes way back to the late 1800s when our founding companies insured not only the local\u00a0farmers, but also their\u00a0butter and cheese factories.<\/p>\n Here’s how that came about.<\/p>\n On March 13, 1876, the state of Wisconsin changed its legislation regulating town insurance companies. What previously was known as Chapter 103<\/a>\u00a0and\u00a0allowed the formation of mutual\u00a0companies for insuring of rural homes and farms, now became known as\u00a0Chapter 344<\/a>. This change allowed mutual companies, upon approval from their\u00a0members, to “insure country stores and their contents, school-houses, churches, town and society halls, but such risk shall not exceed fifteen hundred dollars in any one case.” There was no provision in the law to require town insurance companies to make reports to the insurance department.<\/p>\n In 1879, members of Ixonia Mutual Fire Insurance Company<\/span><\/a> voted to begin insuring churches, schoolhouses and stores. In 1880, they voted to insure cheese and butter factories. One of the first factories the company insured was Ixonia Cheese and Butter\u00a0Company. They also insured cheese factories<\/a>\u00a0that many of us never knew existed\u2014<\/span>County Line Cheese Factory; Farmer Home Cheese Factory;\u00a0<\/span>Green Valley Brick Cheese Company;\u00a0Gopher Hill Cheese Manufacturing Company;\u00a0<\/span>H. J. Roberts Cheese Factory; Ixonia Brelles Cheese Factory; and the Pipersville Cheese Factory.<\/span><\/p>\n Ixonia Mutual continued to write property solely\u00a0in the Town of Ixonia until 1886, when members voted to add the town(ships) of Concord, Lebanon, Oconomowoc and Watertown to its\u00a0writing territory.<\/p>\n In 1881, members of\u00a0Watertown Mutual Fire Insurance Company<\/a> voted at its annual meeting to add the town(ships) of Aztalan, Lake Mills and Waterloo to its writing territory. In 1892 the company added the Town of Concord, for a total of eight towns. The company also increased the size of its board of directors to seven in 1892, to nine directors in 1885, and then back to seven members in 1886.<\/p>\n Interestingly the members of Watertown Mutual would not\u00a0approve of insuring cheese or butter factories until\u00a01894.<\/p>\n Since their\u00a0first issuance in 1872, Wisconsin’s insurance regulations have\u00a0undergone many changes. We’ll follow more of those in upcoming By the Minutes<\/em> episodes. In the meantime, share\u00a0some of your dairy stories with us for June Dairy Month!<\/p>\n By the Minutes: Introduction<\/a><\/p>\n 1872 Watertown Mutual Founded<\/a><\/p>\n 1875 Ixonia Mutual Founded<\/a><\/p>\n Comparing the Capitalizing of Two Early Mutuals<\/a><\/p>\n A Mutual\u2019s First Claim<\/a><\/p>\n Supporting Dairy in the Late 1800s<\/a><\/p>\n 1879 Early Challenges for a Young Mutual<\/a><\/p>\n Ixonia Mutual\u2019s First $1000 Loss<\/a><\/p>\n 1885 A Year of Neighbor Helping Neighbor<\/a><\/p>\n Changes of Bylaws<\/a><\/p>\n Our Dairy Heritage<\/a><\/p>\n Insuring Automobiles<\/a><\/p>\n Taxes, War and the English Language<\/a><\/p>\n Supporting the Community\u2019s Fire Protection<\/a><\/p>\n Board Directors and Their Meetings<\/a><\/p>\n Standardization of Wisconsin Mutuals<\/a><\/p>\n Of Electricity, Radio and Foxes<\/a><\/p>\n Our Annual Meetings Over the Years<\/a><\/p>\n Tumultuous 1930-1940s<\/a><\/p>\n How a Major Disaster Affected Extended Coverage and Reinsurance<\/a><\/p>\n Surviving the Big Dogs in the 1960s<\/a><\/p>\n Introducing Agents to the Mutuals<\/a><\/p>\n Accounting Over the Years<\/a><\/p>\n Centennial Anniversaries<\/a><\/p>\n Mutual Offices<\/a><\/p>\n Mutual Managers and Staff<\/a><\/p>\n Establishing Confidence in Financial Strength<\/a><\/p>\n Entering the Era of Computers<\/a><\/p>\n The 1990s, Advancement and Angst<\/a><\/p>\n The Start of the 21st Century<\/a><\/p>\n Concord and Watertown Merge<\/a><\/p>\n Ixonia Mutual and Watertown Mutual Merge and a New Company is Formed<\/a><\/p>\n Setting the Stage, Moving Forward with a New 2020 Vision<\/a><\/p>\n
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