Recently Ancestry.com put up a new set of records called “Historic Pennsylvania Church and Town Records.” The collection contains a wide variety of miscellaneous records from the Historical Society of Pennsylvania. I actually found a few items of interest in the collection. One subset of records comes from the Wackerman Funeral Home, a funeral home which still exists today but is no longer in its former location. In these records, I found information on the funeral arrangements for my great-grandmother, Marie Bergmeister, who died in 1919 at the age of 43. Marie (or more usually, Maria) left behind a husband, Joseph, and five children – including my grandmother Margaret, the youngest, who was not quite six years old.
The funeral home record for the costs of Marie Bergmeister's funeral, 1919.
I knew that my grandmother’s family was poor, but it was interesting to compare the bill for my great-grandmother’s burial to some of the others who died at the same time.
Casket
- $55 – Gray crape
- $65 – Chesnut
- $90 – Square chesnut with ext handles
- $125 – Solid maple
- $200 – Solid mahoghany
Case
- $14 – Pine
- $35 – Chesnut
Hearse
- $10.50 to $13.00
Service
- $5 – Low Mass
- $25 – Solemn Requiem
A more costly funeral found in the same records.
This is so interesting. It’s the details of life (and death) that really connect us to our ancestors and make them seem real. Your price comparison adds even greater perspective…