Morgan County Democrat. (McConnelsville, Ohio) 1886-1943, 1939-09-21

especially Of the deaths among
| those who had helped us much with
data. We wonder if when an
other century has rolled on. folks
then will look back with as much
interest as do we Of this age, on the
| events of the past. The present gen
Grafton is leaving more evidence in
the way of pictures voices of prom
1nent men and women, on wax.
while it would be easier to gather
| lnformation-to us it would not be
nearly so interesting
Undertakers
While We have written much Of
the living, and told in our way the
life story of the dead, we haven't
had much to say about undertakers,
and undertaking, so we want to
give some space at this time to the
men who have followed this profess
sion, and to their work But first
let us tell you there has been a
great change in the business since
our first recollection. In our boy
hood when a man died in the neigh
borhood, some man who was handy
at that kind of work, was called to
Lay them out" If it was wom-
an, woman, or women were called.
After the corpse had been washed
and dressed, they We're laid out in
the best room OF the house A wide
board was procured; the ends were
placed on chairs. If it was a wom-
an, some of the neighbor women
proceeded to make the funeral
clothes. Some member of the fam
ily-or someone delegated by them
went to the home of the undertaken
and selected the coffin. About all
there was to decide was as to the
kind of wood-oak or walnut, and
give the length of the deceased The
undertaken proceeded to line the
coffin. There was some difference
in the lining; the cheaper ones were
lined with bleached muslin-the
better ones with higher priced ma
undertaken arrived al the home
with a horse-drawn hearse, bring
ing the coffin. Unless it was a near
neighbor, this was the first time hel
had seen the corpse.
His equipment at that time con-|
sisted of pair stools to set the
coffin on, and pair of straps to
lower the coffin into the grave The
body could not be kept very long
especially in the summer time. Salt
water was one of the first preserva-
tives. Often ice was placed about
the body. No one ever thought of
flowers. Many men of the township
made coffins-and they were well
made, of first class lumber.
We remember of Jimmy McGreg-
or telling of helping dig a grave in
the Bristol cemetery, when the side
caved in exposing to view a walnut
coffin which had been in the ground
40 years, which appeared as solid
as when placed there. Now with
the thousands of dollars worth of
equipment required, much of which
the old time undertaken wouldn't
know what to do with, it is no won
der it costs more to die. We rel
member when Webster Moore got a
little rubber-tired truck to place the
casket on, and to wheel it on the
floor of the residence and church,
his neighbor, and competitor to the
east asked him what he bought it'll
for, saying it would force him to
buy one. Web replied: my neigh
Dor forced me to buy mine"
We talked with George and Ib|
Roberts, and George says we were
right in thinking there has only
been four undertakers in the town
ship-McCracken Roberts, followed
by his son c. H., took over the work
following the tragic death of his
father, and continued until 1896,
when he sold to G. w. Moore, who
continued until 1921. By copy of
his record Of funerals we find
Philip Crow was the first person bel
buried; c. P. Lindimore, the last
In all we find he conducted 3O1 fu-
nerals. Our friend George Roberts
helped his father in making coffins,
and went in his. fathers place when
his father didn't want to go.
(To be continued)