A hundred years ago, it was bad news if you received a letter with black on the edges…join us on Appalachian Moments and we’ll discover why!
Families back when experienced death more often. What do you think that means and why? Several reasons, first, families were much bigger and childhood diseases such as the measles or even chicken pox could be fatal. Also it was common to have three generations under one roof. The reality of aging and death could not be sequestered away from view in some remote nursing home or hospital.
In the days before embalming it was imperative that far flung family members were notified quickly if there was a death. And thus, the original version of priority mail was born. If a postmaster received a letter with black marked edges, they forwarded it to its destination with utmost haste, even personally delivering it if necessary.
Most families tried to keep the body for three days before burial to follow the ritual of Jesus’ death, burial and resurrection, and to allow family members to come home, but hot and humid summer weather didn’t always cooperate!
In the winter months it was just the opposite. If the ground was frozen and there was no dynamite available, the corpse was placed in a protected place, most often a barn, until the Spring thaw. In one of our many interviews, one person recounted that dynamite charges were still being set off during the funeral service!
The six-foot depth of the graves can be traced back to an original decree from the Mayor of London, England during an outbreak of the plague in the 1660s. He deemed that six feet was deep enough to avoid further infections (there was no guidance from the CDC).
A colorful local legend around the mountains was that when a specific small tree came into bloom it was a sign that the ground had softened enough for those circuit riding preachers to resume conducting delayed burial services. The name of that small tree: The Serviceberry, Coincidence? You decide!
During graveside services, the family and friends would stay until the grave had been completely filled in, one shovel-full at a time. The preaching was finished but what to do during that possibly awkward time? Why, sing of course!
You’ve heard of wedding singers, but there were also funeral singers. These folks stopped whatever they were doing at anytime, anywhere to sing at a funeral.
Occasionally the undertaker might give them a few dollars and that was just a bonus, as most funeral singers back then never asked for compensation. It wasn’t about the money. If a pastor could preach the deceased to Glory, then the singers could do their part too.
Oft repeated songs included Going Down the Valley One by One, In the Garden, We’ll Never Grow Old, Heaven Holds onto Me, Nearer My God to Thee, Each Step I Take, Will the Circle be Unbroken and of course, Precious Memories.
… how they linger
How they ever flood my soul
In the stillness of the midnight
Precious, sacred scenes unfold
