Grave Robbers in the Victorian Era
Grave robbers were a common problem in Victorian-era cemeteries. They stole everything from rings and necklaces to the bodies themselves. “Rest in Peace” is a common epitaph on older gravestones but this wasn’t just a trite phrase in the 1800s. Family members were genuinely concerned…
Victorian Mourning Clothes
Victorian mourning clothes may have been hanging in your ancestor’s closet during the 1800s – a black dress with a high neck, black leather button-up shoes, a black top hat, and more. And when death brought those black clothes out of storage, your ancestors may…
Preparing the Victorian Home for a Funeral
Preparing the Victorian home for a funeral was an all-consuming task. Upper and middle-class families tried to memorialize their loved one’s passing like Queen Victoria herself. And that wasn’t easy. When Queen Victoria’s husband passed away, she remained in mourning for the rest of her…
10 Victorian Cemetery Traditions
Victorian cemetery traditions were very intimate. Funerals were often held in the home and mourning periods lasted for decades. Today, death is more removed from everyday life. Most people spend their final days in a hospital or nursing home. If someone does die at home,…
Undertaker Advertisements from the 1800s
Undertaker advertisements of the 1800s hold fascinating information about the days in which our ancestors lived. Would you like to know if your ancestor’s community had elaborate funerals or quiet memorials? Check the undertaker’s ads! Would you like to know how much your ancestor might…
Native American Burial Rituals
Native American burial rituals can help us to understand the values of unique groups of people. In the early 1900s, when my grandmother was about five years old, she was playing outside with her twin sister in rural Michigan when a Native American man came…
