Mutual Benefit Society of Baltimore Collection- Reginald F. Lewis Museum, Death Register

Mutual Benefit Society of Baltimore Collection

The Mutual Benefit Society insurance company operated in Baltimore from 1903 until 1977 when it merged with another insurance company. Located at 407-413 W. Franklin St., in buildings that still bear the name, it provided weekly sick benefits, death benefits, and health insurance primarily for African-Americans. The Mutual Benefit Society was founded by Harry O’Neill Wilson Sr., a successful African-American banker, real estate developer, and philanthropist. He was widely considered to be one of the wealthiest and most influential men in Maryland during the early twentieth century.

The Mutual Benefit Society ledgers from the collection of the Reginald F. Lewis Museum of Maryland African-American History & Culture include three volumes from the company. The “Death Register” documents member deaths and payouts from June of 1938 through December of 1947. The “Life Register” records life insurance payouts from March 1918 through September 1919, and the “Daily Cash Record MBS Estate Lease Hold” records payments made from September 1940 through December 1948.

Transcribing these ledgers will provide searchable access to the names and information they contain. This access will allow for multiple avenues of research, including valuable genealogical research. For more information, please see the project handout.

Collection Image: Mutual Benefit Society of Baltimore Incorporated 1903. 407 W. Franklin St. Baltimore, Maryland, Newberry Postcard Collection, Identifier nby_2BH824