Notification, Transportation, and Farewell
Notification, Transportation, and Farewell
Notifying the community that a burial was to take place was challenging in communities having only a weekly newspaper. A variety of means were employed: bells, party-line phones, word of mouth, handmade funeral notices. Obituaries, often published long after the burial, contained a wealth of information not found today, including the deceased’s last words and cause of death. Coffins were carried to the cemetery, or transported there in the back of a wagon, truck or later, in funeral home hearses. Prior to closing the coffin it was customary for mourners to take a final, farewell look at the deceased. There was no societal taboo against this, the touching of remains, or viewing any that were deteriorated.
Keywords: Funeral notices, Obituaries, Last words, Cause of death, Hearses
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