The Sacred Remains: American Attitudes Toward Death, 1779-1883

By Gary Laderman

The author writes a fascinating book that explores the changing attitudes toward death and the dead during the nineteenth century, illuminating the central role of the Civil War and tracing the birth of the funeral industry in the decades following the war.  The author states: ‘The dead do not simply vanish when life is extinguished; although their final physical disposition is managed by specialists, the dead must be accounted for in the imagination.’

The embalming industry was spurred by the desire of families of Northern soldiers killed while fighting in the southern states to return their loved ones for burial in the North.  The funeral industry was born as specialists advertised their services and products, such as well-sealed metal caskets.  In addition the nation-wide tour of the body of Abraham Lincoln demonstrated the importance of embalming in preserving the deceased for final viewing.  More importantly the tour focused on the spiritual need for closure and honoring the body even though, in their minds, the soul had departed for the after-life.

This should be a textbook for the Docent preparing for the ‘Beyond the Grave’ tour at the Homestead Museum.  Specifically the book covers the nineteenth century views on death and, therefore, includes the period during which the funerals for David Workman and William Workman took place.