Clarke courier. [volume] (Berryville, Va.) 1869-1997, 1900-06-13
WAITING FOR DEATH.
THESE FOLKS ALWAYS KEEP NsesR
BURIAL CLOTHES READY
Some OF the Odd Customs That Are
Adhered to Among the Old Ger
man Farmer Families In the East
ern Part of Pennsylvania.


Adhered to Among the Old Ger
man Farmer Families In the East
ern Part of Pennsylvania.
The burial OF an old lady at Klein:
feitersville. not long ago, with her d.
yeax-old black wedding gown for "a
shroud, brings to notice a queer east
Pennsylvania custom which prevails
among German farmers Nearly all
the people, old and young. have their
shrouds and graveclothes all ready
when death comes. The old people
especially have all arrangements for
their funerals made and written out ia
all details.
Indeed 1t is n common thing to find
a special bureau drawer set apart for
the graveclothes. One custom is 70
keep every vestige OF the wedding out
fit for the interment apparel Gown
and undergarments are in many cases
worn but once by the bride. and then
laid away TO wait for her death. Gray
silk is much in vogue for wedding
gowns, as the color Is preferred for
burial robes to white or black
Where wedding gowns ore not saved
the women folks make their own
shrouds, cutting them out, sewing and
trimming them. To borrow a shroud
pattern is nothing unusual. It passes
from farmhouse to farmhouse. Long
winter evenings are taken up with get
ting graveclOthes ready, so that when
n person dies all the friends need to do
is TO open the death drawer and there
find written instructions as TO the place
Of burial, the kind of grave and coffin,
the same of the minister who Is to Of
ficiate. the text Of the sermon, the
three hymns TO be sung, the pallbear-
ers, the gravestone and It's inscr1p-
ton and sill about the graveclothes.
This fashion makes II very easy for
the friends to decide on the funeral
arrangements. Some old farmers 90
so far as TO state exactly what calf
and how many chickens shall be killed
for the funeral dinner and who is to
be hired TO take care Of teams and feed
the horses of the visitors.
Not only do the elderly women pro-
vide n grave or death drawer, but
young wives and young girls do the
same thing. They begin early In life
TO accumulate their death trousseau.
Sometimes deliberately trimmed gar
ments, stocks and slippers are careful
" wrapped in oil paper and slowed
away. At times some OF the white
garments have become yellow with
age. SILK wedding gowns. II they lie
in folds, are very apt to go to pieces,
and for this reason such gowns are
placed in bags and hung up on the
wall.
ON rainy Sunday afternoons many q
housewife on the Pennsylvania Ger
man farm spends an hour or so look
ing through her death drawer to see
that nothing has been left unproyided
for II she attends n funeral and sees
something new In the shape Of n col
lar, piece OF lace, handkerchief, elder
down blanket, embroidery or anything
else that may strike her fancy, she'll
buy it on her first visit to town and
put il in her death drawer. Where a
young wife is specially fond Of GER
tain perfume, she'll buy a small bottle,
when she is buried.
The old folks Will frequently make
out a list Of small articles they want
placed In their coffin, such as an old
prayer book or Testament, spectaoles
or n thimble. One most unusual re-
quest was that a plate, cup and saucer,
knife, fork and spoon should be placed
in an old woman's coffin. She had
used them for 20 years and did not
wish any one else TO use them when
she was gone. This, like all other re-
quests found in the death drawers, was
faithfully carried out.
Some old people invariably direct that
their old house dog shall be shot and
buried after the funeral 1t is nothing
unusual TO find n written request that
a certain person shall sing a special
solo at the funeral, either at the grave
or during the taking of the final leave
OF the remains. Some request that
their face shall be well covered before
the coffin lid is screwed on for the last
time. Others do not want this.
The death drawers are always kept
locked, but the family know where the
key is found. Each drawer is regarded
as sacred, and no one save the owner,
for any consideration, would venture
to open 1t. The men folks occasionally
have death repositories, but they are
not so careful as the women are. The
old men have their wills and final IN
structons very carefully written out,
so that no mistake can be made-Cor
Pittsburg Chronicle-Telegr