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Casket trimming sets, as seen in a catalog published by Hearne Bros., & Co., Whitakers, North Carolina, c. 1890. Courtesy East Carolina University.Coffin hardware was made from metal castings specificallymanufactured for coffin use. Funeral merchandise catalogueswere produced illustrating coffin and casket hardware andfuneral sundries. An example of one such catalogue comesfrom the Hearne Brothers and Company, of Whitakers, NorthCarolina which showcased an array of coffin hardwaredesigns.2 Companies, like Luke & Brother, would order piecesfrom similar catalogues for purchase through mail order orperhaps during a visit from a traveling salesperson to ensurethey had stock available as need arose. Name plates, coffinornaments, handles, cap lifts, escutcheons and coffin studscould be ordered from the catalogue in various finishes, stylesand colors to provide individuality to coffins. These finishingtouches could be ordered in a variety of designs and in manycases were ordered in complete “casket trimming sets”containing four handles, one name plate, two cap lifts, fourthumb screws, four screw plates and handle screws. Floraldesigns and depictions of animals (particularly sheep)predominate, however geometric flourishes were also popular.Most pieces of ornamentation were available in one’s choice ofsilver, gold, ebony, oxidize, brass and copper depending onpreference and budget.3Coffin nameplates were decorative adornments attached tocoffins and often placed in the center. These plates may havethe name, birth and death date of the deceased inscribed onthem and came in many different shapes and sizes.Nameplates could also be ordered with common inscriptionssuch as “At Rest”, “Father”, “Mother”, “Rest in peace” and4“Our Babe.” Nameplates were made of different metals withlead, brass or tin being most popular. Their choice wouldreflect the status and wealth of the deceased. presidentAbraham Lincoln’s nameplate from 1865 was an elaborateCoffin nameplate belonging to president Abraham Lincoln, 1865.sterling silver shield adorned with a wreath at the top andengraved with his name, birth and death dates as well as thewords “16th president of the United States.” As nameplatesbegan to increase in popularity, they were often removed by

loved ones to be kept as mementos of the deceased. Thispractice peaked in the late nineteenth century.Ornamentation could also be purchased to reflectmemberships in organizations and religious ideals.Membership in fraternal or secret organizations was popularin the nineteenth century. It is estimated that two thousandsuch organizations were in existence at one time or another inNorth America.4 It is no surprise then the Hearne Brotherscatalogue featured coffin emblems representing several of themost popular organizations including Masons, Knights ofpythias, Oddfellows, Woodmen of the World and the JuniorUnited American Mechanics. The embellishments of theseorganizations were quite ornate and cast in great detail torepresent the logos of the organizations. On occasion, portionsof these ornaments were cast separately to render the effect ofbold relief, adding to the striking nature of the pieces.For those not belonging to such organizations there wasstill plenty of ornamentation to choose from. In the nineteenthcentury, floral motifs were particularly popular. Manyand examples of foliage and fruit are suggestive of thelushness of heaven. The grapevine, a popular choice,represents Christ in the vine and followers in the branches.Ivy leaves refer to Christian constancy, laurel leaves to victoryover evil and palm leaves to peace, victory and excellence. Thedaisy symbolized purity and peace, and rosemaryremembrance. In addition religious images such as crossesand Bibles were also popular.5Archaeological excavations of historic cemeteries haverevealed just how prevalent the use of coffin hardware wasduring the nineteenth century. In Oshawa, Ontario anexcavation in 1993 at one of the earliest cemeteries uncoveredseveral examples of coffin hardware which indicated theirstyles and use changed throughout the nineteenth and earlytwentieth century.The Harmony Road (Farewell) pioneer Cemetery inOshawa, Ontario has been in use since the early 1800s.Initially the land for the cemetery was given by Acheus MoodyFarewell Sr., an early settler in the area for use as a familyCoffin ornaments for Knights of pythias, Odd Fellows, Masonic, Woodmen of the World and Junior Order U. A. M., as seen in a catalog published byHearne Bros., & Co., Whitakers, North Carolina, c. 1890. Courtesy East Carolina University.examples are to be found throughout the Hearne Brotherscatalogue. For the Victorians, each type of flower had aparticular symbolism and careful thought was put into makingjust the right choice. Today much of the meaning associatedwith various types of flowers is forgotten but for the Victoriansflowers represented another way to communicate. InChristian iconography, the lily and the rose represent puritycemetery. Farewell gave two of his sons, Acheus and William,a portion of the cemetery for their use as well as members ofthe Brown and Hinkson families. The cemetery was in useuntil 1937 and eventually came under the ownership of themunicipality and was officially closed to burials in 1968. Theold cemetery remained virtually unnoticed until 1993 when aplan to widen the north-south road adjacent to the cemetery5

Clockwise, l to r: Grape leaf ornament, “At Rest” nameplate, thumbscrew and matching escutcheon, swing bail handle. The coffin hardware was foundduring an excavation of the Farewell Cemetery in 1993. Courtesy Oshawa Museum.uncovered 38 grave shafts located in the road allowance.Subsequent investigations revealed the cemetery hadencroached 8.5 meters into the original road allowancesometime during the late nineteenth or early twentiethcentury. An archaeological firm was hired to investigate and asa result the remains of 38 individuals were removed and reinterred within the cemetery bounds.6Much of the coffin hardware uncovered at the FarewellCemetery was similar in style and variety to what wasadvertised in the Hearne Brothers catalogue and includedcoffin plates handles, different types of screws andescutcheons. Handles, used to carry the coffin, are of the swingbail or short bar types. These would be fastened to the coffinsides by lugs, which were usually decorative or by the use ofbacking plates and two or four screws. Thumbscrews had largewhite metal heads attached to an iron screw and were used tofasten the lid to the coffin. Thumbscrews were usually pairedwith escutcheons which were flat, decorative metal plates thatwere screwed to the coffin lid and used as a guide for thethumbscrews. After the lid was placed on the coffin, thethumbscrews were inserted through the escutcheons. Whitemetal coffin screws were used for coffin decoration and werebasic iron screws with ornamental white metal heads. Coffinstuds, made from tin, were four-sided, star-shaped or roundand were used to cover the screws or nails giving them a neat,6decorative finish. Before the practice of embalming becamemore established, coffin windows, formed by making a hole inthe coffin lid and covering it with a pane of glass werecommon. These windows were fixed in place and were used toview the body without having the coffin open.The coffin hardware found by the archaeologists wascompared to that uncovered at similar sites. The assembledchronology used by the archaeologists illustrates not onlywhen certain coffin styles appeared but and also when variousdecorations were popular. previous cemetery research inOntario indicated rectangular coffins gradually replacedhexagonal coffins sometime after 1850. Also, about the sametime, coffins began to include increasing numbers of hardwareitems, beginning with two forms of plaques or nameplates,followed by swing bail handles (c. 1860), white metal coffinscrews (c. 1860 onward), tin studs (c. 1870 onward), viewingwindows and short bar handles (1878 onward), and finallyescutcheons and thumbscrews (c. 1881 onward). Thischronology of the coffin hardware was used by thearchaeologists at Farewell to help date the burials.7Much like the Hearne Brothers catalogue, the coffinhardware from the Farewell Cemetery represented a greatcross section of styles and finishes. The range of variation inthe artifacts recovered from the graves at the Farewell site isremarkable for the number of burials uncovered. Of the 38

graves excavated, 28 of the burials included nineteenthThe Victorians were known for their complex behaviorscentury coffin hardware in the form of engraved coffin plaques,associated with death and mourning. Coffin decoration wasswing bail and short bar coffin handles, decorative white metaljust one part of the elaborate rituals associated with deathscrews, stamped tin studs in various shapes,practiced during the nineteenth century.viewingwindows,thumbscrewsandAlthough not as visible or as well-known asescutcheons.other aspects of death rituals like clothing,perhaps most interestingly, the Farewellmourning behaviors and gravestonesite revealed one item not seen in thecarving and sculpture, coffin decorationHearneBrotherscatalogueandwas one way mourners could personalizepreviously unknown to the archaeologistsa coffin for a loved one. Today the coffinand a unique decorative treatment for thehardware from the Farewell Cemeteryexterior of a coffin. The hardware piece isexcavation resides at the Oshawaa decorative metal strip with threeMuseum where it continues tostuds in place. The other find is anassist researchers in understandingunusual form of coffin designationhow the Victorians decoratedthat consisted of the letters “G” andcoffins and commemorated their“W” separated by a stylized heart.dead.The “G” “W” and heart were created“No. 2, White,” decorative metal handle, as seen in a catalogfrom fabric that was placed onpublished by Hearne Bros., & Co., Whitakers, North Carolina,the coffin lid and formed by brassc. 1890. Courtesy East Carolina University.studs nailed into the fabric. Theletters represent the name of thedeceased individual: George Weekes, Jr.8Melissa Cole was born and raised in Oshawa and has worked at theThe coffin hardware recovered at Farewell Cemetery isOshawa Museum for 18 years. She has a Bachelor of Arts (Honours)similar to examples found at other contemporary sites and thedegree in Anthropology from Trent university and a Museumcoffin hardware collection discovered at the hardware store ofManagement and Curatorship certificate from Sir Sandford FlemingCollege. Melissa cares for the extensive collection at the Oshawa MuseumA. L. Calhoun in Clio, South Carolina.9, 10 These similaritiesand is also responsible for the design, construction, fabrication,suggest that most coffin hardware would have come from a fewinstallation and maintenance of exhibits. She is passionate about hermanufacturers and distributors. Cost would most likely havehometown heritage and challenging the traditional story and history ofOshawa.been an important factor in deciding what items were to befixed to a coffin. Unfortunately the available catalogues do notLaura Suchan is the executive Director of the Oshawa Museum, alist prices, for it was most likely the distributors that set themuseum dedicated to the preservation of Oshawa’s history. Laura’scost for customers. Many of the decorations such as studs,passion for public history has led to presentations at provincial, nationaland international conferences including the Ontario Museum Association,were manufactured of inexpensive stamped tin. Handles wereHistory of education Society, and the Association for Gravestone Studies.made of various materials such as white metal, plated whiteIn 2005, Laura developed a classification system for nineteenth centurymetal and sometimes solid brass. The more elaborate coffinsOntario gravestones which allowed for a more systematic transcriptionwith an abundance of hardware do not necessarily indicate anand preservation of gravestones. She currently contributes her time tothe unregistered Cemeteries Committee (Ontario Historical Society), theexpensive burial since most of the hardware represented atTrent university Alumni Association and the Women’s HerstoryFarewell Cemetery was made of elaborately decorated whiteConnection of Durham region.metal or stamped tin and could be compared to inexpensivecostume jewellery.hNotes1. The funeral home business founded by the Luke brothers is still inoperation today under the name McIntosh Anderson Kellam (MAK).The Manchester of Canada: Oshawa Illustrated, The Ontarioreformer: Oshawa, Ontario, 1911, 32.2. Catalogue H-6. Illustrating Coffin and Casket Hardware and FuneralSundries, Hearne Bros. & Co., Whitakers, N.C., u.S.A. DigitalCollections, east Carolina university, digital.lib.ecu.edu/22655.3. Catalogue H-6. Illustrating Coffin and Casket Hardware and FuneralSundries, Hearne Bros. & Co., Whitakers, N.C., u.S.A. DigitalCollections, east Carolina university, digital.lib.ecu.edu/22655.Accessed July 23, 2018.4. Grave Preservation by the Old Cemeteries Society of Victoria, GravePreservation, Monuments, Obelisks, Columns, Pedestals.www.oldcem.bc.ca/gp art sy4.htm. Accessed July 23, 2018.5. Laura Suchan, Memento Mori: Classifying Nineteenth Century OntarioGravestones, Oshawa, ON: Laura Suchan, 2012, 31.6. “Archaeological Mitigation of the Farewell (Harmony road) PioneerCemetery,” City of Oshawa regional Municipality of Durham,Toronto, Ontario: Archaeological Services, 1993.7. “Archaeological Mitigation of the Farewell (Harmony road) PioneerCemetery,” City of Oshawa regional Municipality of Durham,Toronto, Ontario: Archaeological Services, 1993.8. “Archaeological Mitigation of the Farewell (Harmony road) PioneerCemetery,” City of Oshawa regional Municipality of Durham,Toronto, Ontario: Archaeological Services, 1993.9. Philip J. Woodley, The Stirrup Court Cemetery Coffin Hardware.Ontario Archaeology 53: 45-64. 1992.10. Debi Hacker-Norton and Michael Trinkley, “remember Man ThouArt Dust: Coffin Hardware of the early.” Chicora Foundationresearch Series Publications, accessed July 26, 2018.Chicora.org/pdfs/rS2-rememberMan.pdf&p Devex.LB.1,5068.1. Anin-depth analysis of a large cache of hardware found at the A. L.Calhoun merchandise store in Calhoun, N. C. and the Sumter CasketCompany, Sumter, S. C., was presented in this 1984 study.7

Elbridge H. Thompson (1839-1931).8

Funny EpitaphsA CENTURY-OLD LOOK AT SOME pOIGNANT AND AMUSING CARVINGSElbridge H. Thompson (1839-1931) Lebanon, New HampshireEditor’s note:When my grandmother, Beatrice Davis Ashworth, died in 1978, she left in my care along, typewritten manuscript for a lecture her old Uncle Elbridge gave in his home townof Lebanon, New Hampshire (and perhaps elsewhere). Until contemplating this issue ofNineteenth Century on the subject of death, I never quite knew what to do with hisremarkable piece of field research. I have resurrected it here, with some judiciousediting for readability. Wherever possible, I have corroborated his observationsthrough the remarkable website www.findagrave.com. But, even when the gravesnoted herein have been found there, more than a century after Uncle Elbridge’sobservations they are often unreadable due to the weathering.Since I was able to find enough evidence that these epitaphs are not invented, I haveconfidence that Uncle Elbridge was an accurate researcher. The date of this researchand of the delivery of his lecture is not known. Based on some reasonable conjecturenoted later, I expect this was gathered and written between 1900 and 1910.It is fair to ask why a peer-reviewed scholarly publication such as NineteenthCentury would publish an article written more than a century ago. The currentcondition of the epitaph for Mary Pemberton, in Vergennes, Vermont provides ananswer to the question. In Elbridge Thompson’s day, the grave and its poignantmessage was legible. Today it is nearly indecipherable. Thus, the first publicationanywhere of this research affords us a record of graves that may be illegible orcompletely lost today.As a last note, we at Nineteenth Century should be quite glad of any corroborationreaders might wish to furnish. These graves are all in New England (or New York). Ifan opportunity arises to visit one or more of these graveyards, please let us know if youlocate the grave that is written about here.Warren AshworthI propose to wander with you among the cemeteries of our landand trace the idiosyncrasies of the world as they crop out [sic] ontombstones. Someone has said the deaths of the world are onlyprovision for the births of the world and there would be no roomfor to-day if yesterday did not get out of the way. This is true andif death must come, there must be graveyards. Even theadvocates of cremation demand a finely laid our cemetery withits slabs and monuments on which to record the names, age and,sometimes, the peculiarities of those who have gone before.The cemetery is an educator of the living where one may getwisdom and rare instruction from the monuments and graveswhich so outnumber the abodes of the living. Some of what isinscribed there is the subject of this essay and I testify to theauthenticity of what you are about to read. Fictitious inscriptionslack the charm of authenticity which in the case of epitaphs aremore remarkable than any imagination could conjure. Almostany witty writer can produce very funny epitaphs, hence thepapers and magazines always intent on novelty often publishmost quaint and grotesque epitaphs but many of them are ofsuch absurd character that I came to the conclusion they must befiction. I was induced to give the matter careful study to ascertainif any portion of them were real. To that end, I have visited manyout-of-the-way graveyards. The result was indeed startling: thatpeople of any intelligence could allow the sculptor to work forhours, days or even weeks with the stone and chisel to inscribesuch odd, gossipy or downright inappropriate words tocommemorate the death of a friend or relative is astounding, aswith this example from the Hollis Cemetery here in NewHampshire:Here lies old Caleb Ham, By trade a Bum;When he died, the Devil cried,“Come Caleb, Come”Starting close to home, I commenced my odyssey in the oldpine Hill Cemetery on the ridge near the residence of Miss Fanny9

From a tombstone in Knaresborough, England.1Alden in Lebanon. Finding nothing particularly queer, I didcome away with this poignant inscription:In memory of Mr. John Baldwin who diedDecember 7th, 1817, in his 75th year.And then is added:Mr. Baldwin had 13 of his family die in 6 yearsA tragic bit of family history that still resounds so many yearslater.More intriguing are two tombstones I found in Hollis, NewHampshire, three if you include the above ode to Caleb Ham.Here is the epitaph of a man who evidently was not a generalfavorite in the town, yet two stood by him to the last:Here the old man liesNo one laughs and no one cries;Where he’s gone or how he faresNo one knows and no one caresBut his brother James And his wife EmalineThey were his friends all the time.And I encountered this:Here lies Cynthia, Steven’s wife,She lived six years in calm and strife;Death came at last and set her free;I was glad and so was she.In Guilford, New Hampshire, may be seen two graves; onethat of Josiah Haines and the other of his wife; and althoughgiven to good works, they evidently were not fond of ministers.Mr. Haines’ stone is thus inscribed:He was a blessing to the SaintsTo Sinners rich and poor;He was a kind and worthy manHe’s gone to be no more.He kept the faith unto the end,And left the world in Peace,He did not for a doctor sendNor for a hireling priest.On Mrs. Haines’ stone we find the following:Here beneath these marble stonesSleeps the dust and rests the bonesOf one who led a Christian Life‘Twas Haineses, Johsiah’s Wife.She was a woman full of TruthAnd feared her God from early youth;And priests and elders did her fightBecause she brought their deed to light.Quite a bit of family history in two grave stones. And inbitterness towards the clergy the Haines’ were not alone. InMilford, New Hampshire, one Doctor Cutter became very muchdisgusted with his church because of an unpleasantness which10YYPraises on a tombstone are trifl

THE MAGAZINE OF THE VICTORIAN SOCIETY IN AMERICA h 30 Reprises EATI NG HBODY SC R Allison C. Meier A TALE OF TWO GRAVES Bridget M. Marshall Contents 36 Preservation Diary MAKING A MUSEUM: EUSTIS HOUSE Karla Rosenstein About the Guest Editor Sara Durkacs is the membership secret