Brief History Of Funeral Caskets

Early Beginnings: Several thousand years before Christ the early Egyptians buried their dead in simple graves. A thousand years later a large proportion of the energies of their elaborate civilization was taken up in the care, preservation and disposal of the dead. We still see this today with the remnants of the Pyramids in present day Egypt.

Coffined Burial In America: The early colonist in America, beset by sickness, and starvation, buried their dead in the bare earth. With the growth and increasing prosperity of the settlements, the custom of burying in a coffin soon made its appearance. Dutch colonist of the 17th century used coffins in their burials, primarily amongst the upper middle classes. The growing use of coffins is indicated in the fact that, as early as the mid-18th century, slaves were given coffined burial.

The great exodus from England to the American Colonies contained a large proportion of skilled craftsmen. The master craftsman not only trained journeymen, but was a businessman as well. The master dealt with the consumer and producing goods either on order or on the belief that he could find a customer for them. Colonial craftsman more than likely knew coffin making as a sideline and primarily focused on cabinet making as their primary source of income during the 17th century.

Funeral Casket Industry In The 21st Century: The Casket Supplier Association estimates that a dozen or so companies manufacture 89% of the caskets sold today. Total casket manufacturing is estimated at 1,000,000 units per year. Changes in product demand and companies with national distribution systems in the late 1970's significantly affected what had been a regional industry. Massive consolidations made it difficult for small manufacturers to compete effectively.