Early American Undertaking

Early American Undertaking

Performers of Personal Service

According to Habenstein & Lamers (2001), the earlier performers of personal services included neighbors and friends who were the first to volunteer to help the bereaved, the sexton, midwives, nurses, and the proprietor of hacks and coaches. Midwives and nurses took care of the sick in small communities and helped lay out the dead body in case of death. They worked together to complete most of the tasks before laying out the dead became a specialty. The proprietor of hacks and coaches furnished the coach or hearse for funeral use and other paraphernalia. They also directed funerals in a professional capacity. The sexton tolled the bell and dug or supervised the digging of the grave, directed funeral arrangements, and provided equipment and materials required for the funeral.

The Ancient Viewpoint of Undertaking

Parsons (2018) argues that in ancient times, undertakers were carpenters with skills needed to make coffins. They were in charge of transporting the deceased to the burial site, coffining the body, and laying out the body. Making coffins was an extension of these roles and was, in most instances, optional because some families could source their coffins from other carpenters.

Evolution of the Undertaking Procedures

After 1859, there was a significant transformation in undertaking procedures. Undertakers assumed the role of funeral directors and began handling all funeral arrangements for the families of the deceased. They would also manage legal documents, prepare the body for burial, organize memorial services, arrange transport to burial sites, and coordinate pallbearers.

Why Women Were Less Likely To Become Undertakers

During the 19^th century, women were less likely to become undertakers because it was believed that they could not handle the physical and emotional demands of the job. Many men had also been trained in embalming because it was associated with medicine, thus making most women unqualified for the job because most medical schools did not offer training to women. Women were, therefore, only engaged in taking care of the bodies of children and women because it was considered indecent for men to handle the lifeless, unclothed bodies of children and women.

Do Women Have A Foothold In The Funeral Industry?

Currently, women are dominating the funeral industry by holding leadership positions in funeral homes. Cathles et al. (2010) argue that women are revolutionizing Western funeral practices to adopt 21^st-century practices by bringing mourners together and providing practical, modern alternatives to appropriate care for the dead.

The Rise of Embalming

According to Gannal (2021), embalming gained dominance during the American Civil War when it became indispensable to preserve the bodies of the fighters who had died far from their homes. The technique was embraced in different communities and became widely appreciated as an acceptable way of caring for the dead. Modern embalming gradually came into existence when undertakers started considering it their responsibility to care for the deceased. They were trained to do it, thus making it a real profession.

Evolution of the Modern Funeral Director

The funeral director’s role has transformed to being more professional and handling many responsibilities, such as arranging every aspect of funeral services in the most decent and acceptable way for the family and the deceased, providing the government with the information needed to prepare a death certificate and assisting family members of the dead in getting formalities such as insurance policies, veteran’s burial benefits and the application for a pension transfer.

Evolution of Burial Rites

Burial rites have evolved from burying the dead in cemeteries and churchyards to cremation. The rise of cremation has eliminated funeral occasions because only close family members are allowed to attend the cremation ceremony, which often lasts a short time. There is also a rise in memorial services before the day of the burial to limit the number of people attending the funeral.

The Future of Funeral Services

Funeral services are likely to become more modernized in the future, with an emphasis on giving the dead the most honorable sendoff. The involvement of family members in funeral arrangements is also likely to reduce due to the rise of professional funeral directors and undertakers.

References

Cathles, A., Harrington, D. E., & Krynski, K. (2010). The gender gap in funeral directors: Burying women with ready-to-Embalm laws? British Journal of Industrial Relations, 48(4), 688-705. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1467-8543.2010.00808.x

Gannal, J. (2021). History of embalming. Litres.

Habenstein, R. W., & Lamers, W. M. (2001). The history of American funeral directing.

Parsons, B. (2018). The evolution of the British funeral industry in the 20th century: From undertaker to funeral director. Emerald Group Publishing.

ORDER A PLAGIARISM-FREE PAPER HERE

We’ll write everything from scratch

Summary on Performers of Personal Service and 8 important points to put on bulletin board.

Early American Undertaking

All the information should come out of chapter 6 from The History Of American Funeral Directing 9th edition by Robert W. Habenstein & William M. Lamers.