Test 2- Dev. of Coffins, Burial Cases, and Caskets.

Question 1

“Winding Sheet”

Answer 1

Early burial methods

-wrapping remains in blanket of cerecloth and placing remains uncoffined in a grave

Question 2

Colonists and coffins

Answer 2

• did not stockpile coffins; rather made them “at need”

- hardwood (fancy for wealthy) and softwood available

Question 3

Octagon shape

Answer 3

-1650 to 1820- eight sided shape of coffins

Question 4

Embargo Acts of Rev. War and War of 1812

Answer 4

Am. craftsman forced to enter industrial revolution in northeast.
-1820 coffin furniture as well as coffins were produced entirely in America

Question 5

John L. Dillon Coffin and Shroud Warehouse of NY

Answer 5

after War of 1812 coffin shop mass produced at wholesale level

Question 6

Coffin after 1812

Answer 6

primary expense of funeral bill

Question 7

Industrial revolution-furnishing undertaker

Answer 7

brought about the furnishing undertaker who turned simple coffin shop into coffin warehouse. Mass production

• Rise in furnishing undertaker- middle class would spend money = concept of supplier
• sexton, liveryman had to rely completely on furnishing undertaker for supply

Question 8

Billing

Answer 8

prior to 1929 the Colonial period was itemization;since stock market crash billing moved to package deals

Question 9

Casket

Answer 9

end of 19th century

-4 sided casket replaced 6 sided wooden coffin

Question 10

goals of furnishing undertaker to sell product to middle class through retail undertaker

Answer 10

• their product should have increased utility-usefulness
• should reflect a persons station in life
• have preservation capability long enough to have a wake and funeral service (ice tray caskets)
• should provide protection against grave robbers and body snatchers, and protect remains from forces of nature
• should have eye appeal, be beautiful and artistic

Question 11

James A. Gray

Answer 11

1st American patent on a metallic coffin

Question 12

John White

Answer 12

credited for cement burial vault development

Question 13

Unsuccessful material for coffins

Answer 13

rubber, celluloid, papier mache, aluminum, glass, zinc, iron, baked clay

Question 14

Fisk Metallic Coffin

Answer 14

• heavy
• burial case
• anthropoid shape
• falsely claimed bc it was airtight it would prevent putrefaction. it deterred decay but encouraged putrefaction.
• airtight

Question 15

Claims of manufacturer about FISK

Answer 15

• lighter in weight bc of form fitting design
• glass porthole to view deceased face
• airtight design to protect body (false claim)

Question 16

W.M. Raymond Company of Long Island

Answer 16

initially with Fisk in partnership manufactured the case

Question 17

Crane Breed & Co.

Answer 17

acquired manufacturing rights from Fisk and Raymond and by 1854 were in control
-falsely claimed the mummy case would preserve dead bodies

Question 18

Promotion and success of Fisk Style cases

Answer 18

• Civil War- mass numbers of dead needing a mass produced coffin
• Good Transportation by steamboat and railway made the cases accessible to all parts of country
• Good promotion by undertakers in the newspapers
• Notable leaders were interred in these cases ex John Calhoun

Question 19

Designs used in manufacturing Fisk

Answer 19

-Bronzed case line- cast iron with bronze finish in either ornamental or cloth covered (high end and most popular)

Question 20

Ogee Design

Answer 20

front hinged perimeter drop down design by A.C. Barstow. Simplified Fisk style and used less space.

Question 21

William Cooley

Answer 21

Claims to be the 1st to dev. straight sided coffin and to use term “casket” (chest or coffer)

Question 22

Zinc Shoulder casket

Answer 22

crane and Breed streamlined coffin

Question 23

Casket

Answer 23

by 1890 the term coffin was replaced by the term casket

Question 24

Samuel Stein

Answer 24

cabinet maker, produced glass and wood caskets.

• He was allowed to display his cloth covered caskets at the Philadelphia Centennial
• style E state casket- buried U.S. Grant
• success of style E state casket brought about a merger in 1890 with National CAsket Company

Question 25

Life Signal Coffin

Answer 25

• aka Fraud Coffin
• based on premature burial
• spring loading lids, signal bell, electric alarm systems eta
• -arterial embalming at the end of the nineteenth century ended life signal caskets

Question 26

Christian Eisenbrandt

Answer 26

-Baltimorian

1843 earliest patent of life signal casket

Question 27

Resurrectionist

Answer 27

-one who stole bodies from graves to sell to anatomist
caused the dev. of…..
-Clover Coffin Torpedo- casket with device with an explosive that would go off if tampered with

Question 28

Materials used for vaults

Answer 28

1-sectional- concrete slabs of various lengths sealed together to form oblong box.
2-brick and slab- concrete slab with brick and mortar sides and a top slab of concrete
3-slate vault- large squares or slabs of slate with tongue and groove end fittings bolted together
4-brick and slate- popular in eastern cities; slate bottom, brick and mortar sides and slate top slab

Question 29

Andrew Van Bibber

Answer 29

-invented burial safe- protected against resurrectionists

Question 30

George W. Boyd

Answer 30

-concerned with number of grave robberies developed a design that would dominate metallic vault styles up to the present

Question 31

End seal metallic vault

Answer 31

made like a safe deposit box with a hinged end panel (mailbox)

Question 32

1945

Answer 32

cemeteries demanded the minimum outside box to ba at least a concrete grave liner

Question 33

1972

Answer 33

Up until 1972 Funeral Homes sold vaults exclusively since 1972 many cemeteries now sell concrete vaults

Question 34

concrete grave liner

Answer 34

cement box that has a top but does not seal. 2 large holes in the bottom for water drainage and supports the earth above it

Question 35

Top selling caskets

Answer 35

ornate wooden caskets have dominated up until WWII. Since then metal casket has taken the lead