Richmond dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1884-1903, 1889-09-21
COFFIN PLATES IN THE PARLOR.
A Custom Likely to Surprise Strangers
to Connecticut Households.

TO Connecticut Households.
A Milford letter says: stranger calling
ut the residence of Alr. Thaddeus Smith,
| on Broad street. one of the oldest and most
respected inhabitants of Milford, t. likely
I 70 surprised while sitting in the parlor TO
see a queer oblong silver plate lying on
/ the centre table. At first the caller
may think il is door plate. On closer
| inspection he will find that Ii bears
| an inscription 10 the memory OF the
venerable Mr.. Smiths daughter, and Is
nothing less than a silver coffin plate. 1t
| lies on the stand among hymn-hooks, Pho
! tOgraph-alhums, caTd-cNscS, ana Other
| drawing-rOOm trinkets. None OF the smith
! family ever refers to u unless the subject
| is mentioned bv a caller Then they de-
scribe, in tones of aftectionate tenderness,
the many virtues of the daughter that was
! so dear to them. The colin plate occupies
! in that household much the same place OF
veneration that an urn with the ashes OF
the dead holds in the houses of the adyO-
Gates Of cremation.
SINGULAR as the custom may seem, there
are many New England homes. especially
in this part of Connecticut, where coffin
mates Of dead relatives or cherished friends
are kent ms mantelpiece ornaments or on
the centre-tablcs in the parlors. One
family i'm New Milford Is said to have
a collection Of no less than four
teen brass, silver, and plated relics
taken from the collins OF dead men,
bers OF the family. reaching down TO within
fifty years Of the founding OF the colony
two centuries and half ago. The Oldest
of This rare collection of coilin-plates bears
fine name and date of the birth and death
of one of the original settlers Of New Haven
colony. 1t is black and dlscolored by the
LAPSE of time, but the family would as soon
think of partinc with II as they would OF
losing the family Bible which contains the
genealogical records Of the entire race.
An amusing story Is told about the CONN
plates collected by "a Stratford family.
There was nine or ten of them III places OF
honor about the parlor Of the Old fashioned
farmhouse. Some years ago an irreyorent
burglar entered the house at night, and
seeing the glittering mementOs or
the dead decorating prominent pieces
OF furniture in the room dumped
them all into his booty-bag,. ana,
together with the silver knives aud forks
and what other portable household euects
he could conveniently carry, made his exit
unmolested. Great was the CONSERVATION
of the easy-gOing farmer and his family
when they awoke the next morning TO lind
that their dlning-room silverware had been
carried off. but they were shocked beyond
expression when they discovered the rape
of the coffin plates, which could not be re-
placed at any cost.
They were proportionately gratifed
day or two later 10 receive box by ex-
press. in which were packed all the miss
ing coffin plates. With it was note in
rough hand. which said:
Here is your coffin sign-boards. have
found they wasn't much but German silver
i'm them. and that amt my line. You're
welcome TO 'em, and thanks for your silver
in spoons. which I'll keep. Merry Christ
mas"