In a recent discussion with some other researchers, we came to the conclusion that there was probably not what you'd call a 'funeral home' in this county real early. Bodies were 'in state' in the homes of the deceased until the day of the funeral in the church. Friends and relatives sat-up with the body in the home. I called Shackelford's Funeral Home in Bolivar and was told that when this firm came to Bolivar in 1932, there were six other firms in the county--Grand Junction, Whiteville, Toone, etc., but some of them were still more like furniture companies than what we refer to as funeral homes today. He said the embalming was even done in the home back then. An interesting fact he also gave was that embalming is still not a law except in two cases, for someone who dies of a contagious disease and for someone who is carried across a state line in a public carrier. The family of the deceased still must sign for the embalming. I think in earlier days embalming was not always done, and thus less time lapsed between death and funeral. Bolivar Bulletin, volume one, 1866-1900---extracted by Davidson and Owens, p. 57-59, Advertisements listed in the newspaper Jan 22, 1880 include: W.H. Reynolds, all kinds of furniture, picture frames, moulding, wooden and metalic coffins, Bolivar. W.W. Pledge & W.J. Evans, Undertakers at Grand Junction. U.T. Stewart Manufacture of buggies, wagons, plows, Gen. Farm Work, Coffins. The Bolivar Bulletin is on microfilm which can probably be purchased from the Tennessee State Archives in Nashville for a reasonable price if you have access to a machine! The extracts that have been published of the newspapers do not show the business advertisements for each year. I personally have no idea if any records would still be in existence from those early firms; you'd probably have to find some of the descendants of the family who operated the businesses to find out.