Polish Roman Catholic Union of America
Insurance Claim Records

• About the Records
  
• List of PRCUA Society Numbers
  Use this list, which contains city and state information, to help determine if the individual on the index is likely to be your ancestor.
• How to obtain photocopies of records listed in the index
• Polish Museum Library Research

About the Records

by James J. Czuchra

The Polish Roman Catholic Union of America was organized in 1882 as a mutual benefit society. It began selling fraternal insurance in 1887. While it started in Detroit, it later moved to Chicago.

Early death claims (before about 1912) are names entered into ledger books. This is of little genealogical value. Death claims afterward are valuable since a death certificate is usually part of the claim. If the person became a PRCUA member prior to 1912, it is unlikely that an insurance application exists. It is possible to find applications in the claim packets of members who joined after 1912. The application is usually a good genealogical source, since it may shed light on the Polish place of birth and information about the number of people in the applicant's family.

Please Note: The PRCUA database displays all records entered. The following are not available

1. Early records (1887-1912) were ledger entries only - without documents.

2. Some documents were destroyed by water or other damage.

3. Later records (#50200 and over) and cash surrenders are not accessible.

- If not available, your order will be returned.