One of my part time jobs while in semi-retirement from cows is with a funeral home, a profession I once considered and I've had an interest in its history.
Furniture stores in many places were the precursors of the modern mortuary. Up through the 19th century family members or individuals who did "laying out of the dead" would care for the deceased at the house, a casket would be purchased from the local furniture store, and a hearse rented from the livery stable. The wake would be at the house and the service either at one's church or the house parlor. Over time enterprising furniture shops added dressing and embalming services, funeral cars, and would "undertake" all these details for the family, hence the term "undertaker". Later they would add visitation parlors and a chapel for families who didn't have a church or lived in small apartments.
I've thought this would be an interesting philatelic topic for my collection but I've not found much material.
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Posted 04/01/2019 10:18 pm
