Funeral Records
What Funeral Records Are
Funeral records can include:
- Funeral Home records/mortuary records
- Funeral programs
United States Funeral Records
Funeral records generally began in the United Statesin the late Nineteenth and early Twentieth Century (1900's). Embalming within the United States was not a widely accepted practice until the Civil War and the death of President Abraham Lincoln.
Most funerals prior to the early twentieth century were a family and friends event taking place at the decedent’s home with burial taking place within twenty-four to forty-eight hours of death. Funeral homes or parlors were not used and caskets were made by the local cabinet or furniture maker.
Large cities are more likely to have earlier funeral home records. Most rural areas did not have funeral homes until the early twentieth century. Funeral directors are now responsible for initiating and filing the death certificate. Since the 1950s many funeral homes have merged with other firms or gone out of business.
Information in Funeral Records
Record Reliability
The name of the decedent, death date, and death place are quite reliable. Burial information will be reliable unless the body was transported to another locality. Other information provided will only be as reliable as the informant’s knowledge or memory.