Embalming started with President Lincoln, when his body was shipped by train all over the country for people to see.....then everyone wanted that! On Mon, Nov 15, 2010 at 3:00 AM, <[email protected]> wrote: > > > If you are having problems reading the digests please UNSUBSCRIBE then > SUBSCRIBE again so you will receive digests in plain text format. > > Additional list information is on > http://www.chartiers.com/pages-new/pawashin.html > > Today's Topics: > > 1. Claysville Funeral Director ([email protected]) > 2. Washington County - Mortuary in the 1900's? (DARWIN LOLA WEBER) > 3. Re: Washington County - Mortuary in the 1900's? (J.A. Florian) > 4. Re: Washington County - Mortuary in the 1900's? (J.A. Florian) > > > ---------------------------------------------------------------------- > > Message: 1 > Date: Sun, 14 Nov 2010 07:08:25 -0500 (EST) > From: [email protected] > Subject: [PAWASHIN] Claysville Funeral Director > To: [email protected], [email protected] > Message-ID: <[email protected]> > Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii" > > > Lists, > > I am transcribing a Certificate of Death for 1990 in Claysville, PA . The > signature of the licensee (for Ferrell Funeral Home) (or person acting as > such) is a Michael A. B (something illegible). Does anyone know who this > may be? > > Thanks, > > Lou > > > > > > > ------------------------------ > > Message: 2 > Date: Sun, 14 Nov 2010 09:52:23 -0800 > From: "DARWIN LOLA WEBER" <[email protected]> > Subject: [PAWASHIN] Washington County - Mortuary in the 1900's? > To: "[email protected]" <[email protected]> > Message-ID: <[email protected]> > Content-Type: text/plain; charset="iso-8859-1" > > Cooke's Burial Ground, South Strabane Twp, Washington County, PA > This is a very small & old burial ground and I'm wondering how it would be > determined "where" to bury the person in the 1900's?? > > Who might have been the mortuary to handle the last burials in Cooke's > Burial Ground: > > 1930 - Samuel Mull > 1939 - Sarah J White > > Appreciate any help. > > > > > > ------------------------------ > > Message: 3 > Date: Sun, 14 Nov 2010 16:17:58 -0500 > From: "J.A. Florian" <[email protected]> > Subject: Re: [PAWASHIN] Washington County - Mortuary in the 1900's? > To: DARWIN LOLA WEBER <[email protected]> > Cc: "[email protected]" <[email protected]> > Message-ID: > <[email protected]> > Content-Type: text/plain; charset=ISO-8859-1 > > Burials kind of follow this unwritten, unofficial "process": > > 1. Families first made "burial grounds" on their own properties. Maybe a > corner of unused land... maybe a quiet or beautiful spot on the acreage.... > maybe the "favorite place" of the (first) deceased....or maybe the "first" > to die picked out the exact spot before death, stating "Well, Mary, that's > where we'll be laid to rest together" as husband and wife looked over the > spot. > 2. Family members want to stay with "family". The "first" to die likely > told other close family of the wish that other close family would be buried > "with" them (with the first to die). So the first to die were maybe > grandparents or parents. The second to die were parents or children (eg. > grandchildren of the "first" died). > 3. Babies who died before or at birth with a mother during or near labor > were often buried "together" in one coffin or side by side, in the "family > plot". The family plot continues to grow/enlarge. > 4. Stillborns, babies who died shortly after death, and the very young > begin > to be added. > 5. While the "family burial ground" usually continued as "somehow related", > sometimes someone "close to" the family died but that person had no family. > Maybe the "friend" rented land (so no permanent burial space). Maybe the > friend was a boarder/laborer who worked on the "family's" farm but had no > where to "go". The "family" decided to bury this friend/worker in the > "family burial ground". That New Orleans fellow in Cooke may fit this > scenerio, as a boarder working the "family's" land. > 6. As long as history goes back, there was always transient people. They > "came from" here, moved to there and there and there, and were at whatever > place when they died. At the same time, human emotions have hardly > changed > throughout history. So whether from pity, compassion, Christian "duty", or > to look good to the neighbors/community, a family may have been asked or > outright gave permission to allow a non-family burial in the family burial > ground. That New Orleans fellow in Cooke may fit this scenerio. > 7. The original land owner may have started the "family burial ground." > Let's call that family SMITH and married-ins of GEORGE, McMICHAELS, THOMAS, > and McMURRY. But eventually the Smith's homestead with "burying ground" > is > sold to a non-relative, the TICKLE family. The "burying ground" is already > started from the SMITH's and all their burials. So when the TICKLE family > starts to die, they decide the original burying ground will expand. > 8. At different years in mostly the late 1700s-early 1800s, churches were > built. They were often built near the burying ground of the original land > owner. So "The Jesus Methodist Church" simply applied its name to "The > Chestnut Burying Ground".... and church members started to be added to that > cemetery. The "Non-Profit statue did not begin until the early 1900s so > churches were "organized" at one date but were not legally "chartered" > until the early 1900s. As a layman, the cemetery always belonged to X > church... but were only legally associated in the early 1900s---- unless an > earlier deed specifically stated the "burying ground" as part of the sale. > NOTE: Not all burying grounds were taken over by churches; Some lands > were > privately bought so the cemetery may or may not have been mentioned in the > private deed. Church plots were sold "by subscription" to church members > ONLY, usually a lower price than at city cemeteries. Exceptions were made > though by church vote to accept a burial under certain circumstances. > 9. Communities began "official" cemeteries in the mid to late 1800s. There > may OR may not have been any first burial before a City bought land and > declared it to be a cemetery. Many did include a "first burial" of the > original landowner. These cemeteries were for: > a) people whose churches had no cemetery; (b) people who did not care about > being buried in a ceme connected to their church of worship; (c) people who > weren't church members (d) poor or indigent (e) unidentified dead (f) mass > casualty (ex. miners). City cemeteries were easier to get to than rural > cemeteries; they were within the city limits; the roads were better; > equipment was kept on site; the dead could be stored in a mausoleum if the > ground was too frozen to dig the grave; etc. City cemeteries often charged > higher rates for plots though than "church affiliated" ones. Families > often > needed to pick out plots at younger ages; plots were sold "first come first > served". > 10. Anyone can request a burial, even NOW, in any cemetery that still has > an > overseer or board. You ask, pay the plot fee, and "own" a piece of land > (or > the location retains "ownership" but agree you'll be buried there for the > price you paid as a contract rather than a "deed". > > So in terms of choices, these factors also played a role, especially > before: > 1. Distance - When rural farms were the norm, burial was from the house to > the field. As cities grew, city cemeteries were more convenient. Church > affiliated cemes versus City Cemes is personal choice if the person is/was > affiliated with a certain church. When trains came, people could transport > the dead from another city or state to go "back home" if it was a (a) > personal wish (b) plot was already bought (c) or, family wishes. NOW, > planes transport bodied. Ex. A relative of mine was born in PA where she > "owns" a plot next to her parents' graves in PA; She wishes to be buried > with them; she moved to Florida; when she dies, family will tell the > mortuary to arrange transport by plane to PA and arrange a mortician to > pick > up the body at the airport; services can be anywhere... burial will be with > her parents. > 2. Available transportation - includes road conditions, weather, which > season, money, (wagon to now cars), etc. > 3. Available money for burial -- Burial is the least planned for, least > saved for, expected expenditure in life. More people need to save for > their > own burials, but few do. > 4. Family interest or involvement - No family, the person is buried > locally, often in the cheapest way. If family and money, options are > endless. > > > I'm sure other people can think of more factors. These are ones I can > think > of now. > > Judy > > > ------------------------------ > > Message: 4 > Date: Mon, 15 Nov 2010 00:46:43 -0500 > From: "J.A. Florian" <[email protected]> > Subject: Re: [PAWASHIN] Washington County - Mortuary in the 1900's? > To: DARWIN LOLA WEBER <[email protected]> > Cc: "[email protected]" <[email protected]> > Message-ID: > <[email protected]<DRO%[email protected]> > > > Content-Type: text/plain; charset=ISO-8859-1 > > On Sun, Nov 14, 2010 at 12:52 PM, DARWIN LOLA WEBER <[email protected] > >wrote: > > > Who might have been the mortuary to handle the last burials in Cooke's > > Burial Ground: > > > > > I forgot to answer this part. > > The original "coffin makers" were stores that sold furniture. Some places > made and sold. A casket was literally a "pine box". As such, it was often > the furniture maker closest to the family's house. > > The original way to handle a death was... The deceased died at home, was > washed and re-dressed by family, and "laid out" in the front parlor with > the > casket brought to the home by the furniture maker or picked up by wagon by > the family. Flower bouquets were to cover any odors. There was little > embalming used, if any, in the earliest days. > > Also, remember Washington had a Crematorium, the first. So many people did > choose that route after a few days to a week of "viewing" in the person's > former residence. > > I don't know the exact date that embalming started. But originally there > were no State laws to embalm. > > Over time, rooms in the furniture store were used as a "funeral parlor". > The furniture maker either became a mortician or was associated with a > physician or other person who acted as mortician. > > Eventually, furniture sales separated from coffin makers/sales. Morticians > also began to assume the sole duties within the community (but the > mortician > also had a second occupation). > > Then, "funeral homes" arose, just like it became more common for people to > die in hospitals vs at home. States also had enacted embalming laws, so a > one-stop-service was more logical. The mortician/funeral home became one > entity, even if there was more than 1 embalmer on staff. > > Health-wise, the 1980s marked the re-beginning of "dying at home". > Hospices > began. But there was no change in the "funeral home" aspect. > > As far as funeral homes, the norm originally was up to a 4 to 7 day viewing > to allow out-of-town people time to arrive for the funeral. Slowly, that > was reduced. For a while, a 4-day viewing became the norm. Then, some > families wanted a 2-day, or even a 1-day, with service. NOW, funeral home > directors have told me that pretty much anything can be accommodated. If a > family wants to play Jazz music...country music...no music.... No > viewing...up to however many days... No service or memorial... to funeral > home service with transport to a church for a "funeral". No flowers.... > tons of flowers... or just money donations. No "objects"... to teddy bears > that are later donated to a church. Caskets can be pine box... to lavish > with satin pillow and coverlet. Some funeral homes now cater to the > "green" > generation with no plastics, all organic flowers etc. It is now basically > a personalized "send off". All you need is to ask. > > >From wagons to wagon hearse (doubled as early ambulance), to car-hearse > like > we know today... or glass hearse... or now a glass hearse that can be towed > by motocycles... it's yours for the asking, if you have money to pay for > the > special affair. > > Not sure I covered every aspect here.... > > Judy > > > ------------------------------ > > To contact the PAWASHIN list administrator, send an email to > [email protected] > > To post a message to the PAWASHIN mailing list, send an email to > [email protected] > > __________________________________________________________ > To unsubscribe from the list, please send an email to > [email protected] > with the word "unsubscribe" without the quotes in the subject and the body > of the > email with no additional text. > > > End of PAWASHIN Digest, Vol 5, Issue 260 > **************************************** > -- Don Woodburn P *Please consider the environment before printing this e-mail. *