MOR 301 Lesson 4.1 Caskets & Hearses

What company is credited with producing the Ogee rim

Barstow company

What were the three purposes of Burial Vaults

1. Prevent grave robbers (called the burial safe) 2. People wanted the vaults to prevent the earth from crushing the casket, 3. Cemeteries started realizing the value of vaults to prevent the settling of graves

What was the first coffin company that would make coffins in advance of need and stockpile the coffins until needed

Also-rans

Describe the Fisk Metallic Burial Case

An air-tight anthropoidal shape that contained a plate glass over the face of the deceased

What old term meaning Jewel box, is used in conjunction with modern funeral services

Casket

What casket was known to be on the top of the line in the mid to late 1800

Cloth covered casket

What was the first company to distribute metal coffins

Crane and Breed

What company was known for their cloth covered caskets of the mid 1800's

Crane and breed

What was the first metal casket

Crane and breed

Who developed the first metal casket

Fisk Metallic Burial Case also known as Fisk Mummy Case - Almond Fisk

List a few items that were purchased for Colonial Burial Ceremonies that added to the cost of the funeral

Food and drink for all, rings, scarves, gloves, books, needle crafts, and spoons.

Why did people begin to use lead lining on the interior of coffins during the early 1800s

For greater preservative powers

Who developed the first gas powered funeral buggy

Fred Hulberg

What is the most modern term used to describe vehicles that transport dead human bodies in caskets

Funeral Coaches

Many of the first American Funeral Directors actually had jobs in other professions. What were some of the other professions that funeral directors worked

Funeral directing started with tradesmen undertakers, who may have been a furniture maker, cabinet maker or another craftsman that realized that profits could be made by making (crafting) items that would be used in conjunction with funeralization

What is the Latin word for Torchlight Procession

Funeralis

What is the latin word from which we get our word hearse

Hiprex latin for Rake or Harrow

What company developed the oval deck hearse

Hudson Samson

Describe what is meant by Hearse

In 1896, Fred Hulberg patented a gas powered undertaker's buggy. By 1910-1920 the gas powered hearse became more popular. Today, we refer to these cars as Funeral Coaches since the term hearse connotes a horse-drawn vehicle. The Crane and Breed company first marketed gas hearses in 1909

Describe the way colonists obtained coffins/caskets

In the early 1800s, coffins and shroud warehouses started to appear. These warehouses began to build coffins in advance of need and store them until needed. The first warehouses was the John L. Dillon, Coffin and Shroud Warehouse of New York

What company developed the square deck hearse

James Cunningham Company

What term was given to the early American Female Undertaker

Layer-out-of-the-dead

Why did some caskets of the 1800's contain life signals

Placed in caskets (coffins) that were designed to prevent the premature burial of deceased persons

What were some of the religious functions of funeralization during the early 1800s

Some of the religious functions that gained in prominence during the early 1800s were the trolling of the church bells at the time of death and funeral and the increased use of church yards as cemeteries

List and describe the municipal officers affiliated with funerals during the early 1800's

The cemetery sexton, who was in charge of the cemetery and all burials; the inviter to funerals, who had the task of making certain all family and friends knew of the death; and town undertaker, who was usually a city health officer that was responsible for acting as the coroner in the town

Why did horse-drawn hearses first appear in the United States

The distance from the church to the cemetery grew. They began by using simple ordinary wagons to transport the body. Later, the hearse (wheeled bier from the Middle Ages) was used with the aid of horses, producing the Horse-Drawn Hearse of yesterday

Describe the coffins used from the colonial period of the US until the 1800s

The earliest of coffins were not ornate and usually consisted of wood made into an octagonal shape. Most of these early coffins had no interior lining and were very simple in nature.

Distinguish between a coffin and a casket

The most important distinguishing factor separating a casket from a coffin is that caskets are ornate, rectangular containers with many containing ogee rim first started by the Barstow Casket Company instead of octagonal as the coffin. The ogee rim is the curved portion of the lid of a casket.

Describe some of the life signals used on early caskets

The signals ranged from bells, flags and spring loaded lids that would fly up if the person moved. Needless to say, some kids took great delight in setting these signals to scare other kids

Describe the materials used in the also-ran caskets of the 1800's

These caskets usually were constructed like other caskets of the time, but a few were cruciform (cross) shaped and some had end seals instead of the normal seal on the lid of the casket

Describe what is meant by a present day Livery Service relative to funeral services

Today, in some areas of the country, Livery services have been revived. A company will purchase a fleet of matching Funeral Coaches and Limousines and will rent them out to funeral homes. The Livery provides a driver and maintains the cars mechanically and for cleanliness

Who were the first category of people to assist in washing and preparing the body of an American deceased

Tradesman undertakers