Rod, My guess is that the shed was on the cemetery property and cared for by the cemetery caretaker in the early days. I'm familiar with the practice of delaying burial when the ground is frozen because it is very common, even today, in Upstate New York, as I have relatives in the Syracuse area. When the death occurs in the winter, they usually have the viewing or wake, and sometimes a memorial type ceremony. Then the body is stored at the cemetery at a mausoleum type structure, until spring when the burial takes place. The immediate family may attend the burial. Obituary is always published at the time of death, not at time of burial. It would be interesting to check the weather report at the time of death of your ancestor to see just how bad that winter storm was. I have a copy of the cemetery reading for St Paul's Lutheran Cemetery in Baldwin (was done by my sister) and the listings for Bode are: BODE, Augusta K., "Mother", Plot T-4, 1844-1927 BODE, Fred C., "Father", Plot T-5, 1833-1911 Please email me direct if you need any other information from the cemetery list. Nancy Long [email protected] ----- Original Message ----- From: Rod's Account To: [email protected] Sent: Saturday, September 25, 2004 12:18 PM Subject: RE: [PITTSBURGH] Surgeon's Hall, Baldwin Township = what today? Well now that makes a lot of sense - actually, her description was about a shed - and my grandfather figured she was talking about something else and referencing the shed that was in the back yard. What I wonder is if she meant in a funeral home - a colder place to prepare the body and store it until burial. That actually would make a lot more sense. Thanks Al. Will keep looking for that obituary. Rod -----Original Message----- From: Al Lenkner [mailto:[email protected]] Sent: Friday, September 24, 2004 9:10 PM To: [email protected] Subject: RE: [PITTSBURGH] Surgeon's Hall, Baldwin Township = what today? --=======8457D51======= Content-Type: text/plain; x-avg-checked=avg-ok-2D2BCC1; charset=us-ascii; format=flowed Content-Transfer-Encoding: 8bit Rod, Burials delayed due to weather, primarily the cold, are delayed but the ceremony isn't. The coffins are usually stored on the cemetery grounds. In 1911, most people were laid out at home but I can't see them laying grandpa out in the shed until the ground warmed up or, worse yet, putting down in the root cellar to keep fresh. I suspect that the body, even then, was transported to the cemetery for safe keeping. I worked as a professional but part-time pall bearer years ago but I don't recall ever having a ceremony delayed for the cold and I've been at funerals when the temperature was as low as 4 below. Al At 11:33 PM 9/24/2004, you wrote: >Always helps me if I actually pull the documents that I have... > >A researcher, a great person who really helped me a lot, checked the >Pittsburgh Press for the days of 13-16 Jan 1911. They got the cemetery >permit to bury him on the 16th of January. But, there is an odd story in >the family about one set of ancestors that apparently were not buried right >away due to a winter storm. Well there are only two potential candidates >for this...one is Frederick Bode and I am starting to think it might be why >there was no obituary in the Pittsburgh Press. > >Post Gazette - well in theory I am in Pittsburgh for a research trip in >November...helping on another project. But, I could search that time frame >while I am there. Carnegie is on the list - Heinz Center as well. > >Rod --=======8457D51======= Content-Type: text/plain; charset=us-ascii; x-avg=cert; x-avg-checked=avg-ok-2D2BCC1 Content-Disposition: inline --- Outgoing mail is certified Virus Free. Checked by AVG anti-virus system (http://www.grisoft.com). Version: 6.0.768 / Virus Database: 515 - Release Date: 9/22/2004 --=======8457D51=======-- ______________________________ ==== PA-PITTSBURGH Mailing List ==== How to unsubscribe. Send a message to:[email protected] that contains ONLY the word, 'unsubscribe' in the text area. ============================== Gain access to over two billion names including the new Immigration Collection with an Ancestry.com free trial. Click to learn more. http://www.ancestry.com/rd/redir.asp?targetid=4930&sourceid=1237

--=======3F0C6406======= Content-Type: text/plain; x-avg-checked=avg-ok-4D246445; charset=us-ascii; format=flowed Content-Transfer-Encoding: 8bit Nancy, You opened your mouth so I have to ask. You mentioned checking the weather report at the time of death. Where would one find that? I can't see the Weather Service going back 70 some years for a damn genealogist! Al ps. Not that YOUR one! At 04:18 PM 9/25/2004, you wrote: >Rod, >My guess is that the shed was on the cemetery property and cared for by >the cemetery caretaker in the early days. I'm familiar with the practice >of delaying burial when the ground is frozen because it is very common, >even today, in Upstate New York, as I have relatives in the Syracuse area. >When the death occurs in the winter, they usually have the viewing or >wake, and sometimes a memorial type ceremony. Then the body is stored at >the cemetery at a mausoleum type structure, until spring when the burial >takes place. The immediate family may attend the burial. Obituary is >always published at the time of death, not at time of burial. >It would be interesting to check the weather report at the time of death >of your ancestor to see just how bad that winter storm was. > >I have a copy of the cemetery reading for St Paul's Lutheran Cemetery in >Baldwin (was done by my sister) and the listings for Bode are: >BODE, Augusta K., "Mother", Plot T-4, 1844-1927 >BODE, Fred C., "Father", Plot T-5, 1833-1911 > >Please email me direct if you need any other information from the cemetery >list. >Nancy Long >[email protected] --=======3F0C6406======= Content-Type: text/plain; charset=us-ascii; x-avg=cert; x-avg-checked=avg-ok-4D246445 Content-Disposition: inline --- Outgoing mail is certified Virus Free. Checked by AVG anti-virus system (http://www.grisoft.com). Version: 6.0.769 / Virus Database: 516 - Release Date: 9/24/2004 --=======3F0C6406=======--

Interesting subject - burial in winter months. Ultimately I suppose the date of physical burial depends on location. I lived in Central Alaska for 24 years. By contrast to PA, in the Fairbanks area there was a central "holding area" used by all. Nature did the preservation until about the middle of May, then the freezer units took over until the ground could be worked starting in late May to early June. Even then, special adaptations to heavy equipment was employed - "diamond teeth" (zerkon) impregnated digging edges. Once the surface "softened" it was easy enough, but the perma-frost right below the surface was the problem. Oftentimes, once this layer was exposed, you still had to wait an additional day so it could soften prior to punching through it. Outlying villages and those in the bush would start a fire on the perma-frost (mucking) to dig the hole which sometimes took a few day's. It was amazing to me how hard frozen earth could become. In the middle of winter, a D9 Cat with a ripper tooth was about as effective on surface ground as a butter knife on a concrete driveway. Tom Lassek Eufaula Alabama