The daily chieftain. [volume] (Vinita, Ind. Ter. [Okla.]) 1898-1902, 1900-04-17
FOR WEDDING AND FUNERAL.
Queer Custom of East Pennsylvania
Folks Who Arrange for Their
own BuriaIs.

A queer east Pennsylvania custom
prevails among German farmers
Nearly all the people, old and young
have their shrouds and grave clothes
all ready when death comes. The old
people especially have all arrange
ments for their funeral made, and writ.
ten outinall details. Indeed, il is com
mon thing to find special bureau
drawer set apart for the grave clothes.
One custom is to keep every vestige of
the wedding outfit 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
much preferred for burial robes to
white or black.
Where wedding gowns are not saved
the women folks make their own
shrohds, cutting them out, sewing and
trimming them. To borrow shroud
pattern is nothing unusual. 1t passes
from farmhouse to farmhouse. Long
winter evenings are taken up with get
ting grave clothes ready; SO that when
person dies, all the friends need 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 name Of the minister who is
to officiate, the text of the sermon,
the three hymns to be sung, the pal1-
bearers, the gravestone and its inscrip-
tion and all about the grave clothes.
This fashion makes it very easy for the
friends to decide on the funeral ar
rangements. Some old farmers go so
far as to state exactly which calf and 4
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 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 elaborately trimmed gar
ments, stockings and slippers are care
fully wrapped in oil paper and slowed
away. At times some of the white gar
ments have become yellow with age.
Silk wedding gowns, if 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
housewife on the Pennsylvania German
farms spends an hour or so looking
through her death drawer to. see that
has been left unprovided for.
If she attends funeral and sees some
thing new in the shape Of collar,
piece of lace, handkerchief. eiderdown
blanket, embroidery or anything else
that may strike her fancy. she'll buy It
on her first visit to town and put it in
her death drawer. Where young wi1e
S especially fond OF certain perfume
she'll buy small bottle the contents
il which viii be used when she is bur
ed
The old folks will frequently make
,ut list of small articles they want
,laced in their coffin, such as an old
,rayer-book, or Testament, spectacles
II a thimble. One most unusual re-
Iuest was that a plate, cup and saucer.
,nife, fork and spoon should be placed
"a an old woman's coffin. She had used
hem for 10 years, and did not wish any ,
ne else 10 use them when she was gone.
his, like all other requests found in
he death drawers, was faithfully car
led out. Some OLD people invariably
irect that sheir old house dog shall be
not and buried after the funeral. II \
nothing Unusual 10 find a written re- {
uest that certain person shah sing :
special solo at the funeral. either at :
he grave OF during the taking Of the :
nal leave of the remains. Some re-
uest that their face shall be well COW
red before the coffin lid is screwed on
IT the LAST time. Others do not want !.
lis. =
The death drawers are always kept I
cked. but the family knows where the Z
sy is kept. Each drawer is regarded -
sacred. and no one save the owner,
" any consideration. would venture ~
open Il. The men folks occasionally -
I'VE death repositories. but they are
,J SO careful as the women are. The
Z men hare their wills and final in a,
fucti0ns very carefully written out. z