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They had to be arranged quickly -

Lack of refrigeration meant that funerals had to take place sooner rather than later. In the winter, friends and family might have had a few extra days to say their goodbyes.

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Graves were small -

In some particularly difficult times, such as during the winter of 1609-1610 in Jamestown (which became known as the “starving time”), people were buried in crammed small graves and even reportedly exhumed to be eaten.

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Puritan funerals were quiet -

Eulogies and sermons were not something Puritans would include in their funerals. There would be a procession to the graveyard, a few words would be said, and the body buried.

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Puritan funerals were quiet -

Though by the end of the 17th century, Puritan funerals changed in New England communities. Speeches and remembrances started to be held, and on some occasions the bodies were even embalmed to ensure people had enough time to mark the occasion.

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The destiny of the deceased was uncertain -

English Puritan colonists believed in God, but things got a bit more complicated at the time of death, as they believed many would just end up in hell.

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The destiny of the deceased was uncertain -

A Calvinist doctrine known as predestination held that a person already had their final destination predetermined before they were even born.

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Death anxiety was a big deal -

Funerals were the perfect setting for preachers to warn about how sinful humans were. Only God knew the person’s final destination after death, so anxiety around death was a real thing.

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Dutch funeral tradition -

The Dutch who settled in North America in the 17th century brought with them their own traditions, including one called an aanspreker.

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The aanspreker -

An aanspreker was a man dressed in a black mourning suit, whose job it was to knock on people’s doors and invite members of a household to a funeral. Only those invited by the official aanspreker would attend a funeral in New Amsterdam (in present-day New York).

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Carrying the casket -

Today, caskets are usually carried by a motorized hearse to the cemetery, and then by people to the burial site. But back in the days of the colonies, some people didn’t have access to any type of hearse, so caskets would be transported from the service site to the cemetery by hand.

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Carrying the casket -

A group of younger pallbearers would do the heavy lifting throughout the journey. Depending on the distance, sometimes two teams of pallbearers would be required.

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Headstones -

In the early colonial days, the dead would be buried under simple wooden markers. But, gradually, intricate stone markers started to be used instead.

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Headstones -

Symbols such as the winged skull (aka death's head), cherubs, and so on would be used, as well as other imagery. Words would also evolve from a name and dates to poems and everything in between.

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Native American burials were a different affair -

American Indian tribes had, of course, their own funerary rituals. The indigenous people of Roanoke, Virginia, did, however, believe that afterlife would be heavenly for the good and akin to hell for the bad.

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Native American burials were a different affair -

High-ranking members of New England tribes would have special burials. Tribe members would paint their faces black, and the burial site would be marked with wooden planks with a special cloth placed on top.

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Diverse religious landscape -

While the Puritans were in majority in colonial America, there were also the Pilgrims, the Quakers, some Catholics, Native Americans, and even enslaved Africans. New England’s religious landscape was indeed diverse, and that was reflected in funeral rituals.

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Upper-class funeral -

The funeral of New England magistrate and politician Waitstill Winthrop in 1717 was a pompous affair, costing over 600 pounds. This was more than the annual tax revenue of most colonies.

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Funerals became too loud for the Puritans -

As funerals evolved and became more elaborate and pompous affairs, the Puritans found a way to cut down the noise. They enacted new rules, including limits on bell tolling, to keep things quieter and simpler.

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Elaborate, expensive funerals became a problem -

By the mid 18th century, funerals had become big business. So much so that sumptuary laws were enacted, capping how much people could charge for funeral services and penalizing those who went overboard with spending.

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Funeral gloves were all the rage -

Those who attended upper-class funerals in the 18th century wore gloves. But this was not just a matter of style; they were actually worn as a memorial keepsake, often paid by the deceased's estate.

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Funeral gloves were all the rage -

Gloves would be distributed in hierarchical order (i.e. close family would get the first pairs). Sometimes, gloves were sent as part of the funeral invitation, and some guests who couldn’t attend the funeral still got to keep them.

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Gloves were big business -

Some (important) people did get invited to a lot of funerals, and therefore got a lot of gloves. Boston minister Andrew Eliot, for instance, is said to have received close to 3,000 pairs of funeral gloves over his three-decade career. He sold some of them.

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Rings -

Pairs of gloves were not the only gifts given to mourners. Rings were also popular at the time. For instance, 60 rings were handed out during Waitstill Winthrop's 1717 funeral.

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Bye bye rings -

Despite their popularity, rings (among other gifts) ended up being outlawed by a Massachusetts Provincial Enactment in 1741.

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Black colonial traditions -

In the early days, slave funerals were quiet affairs. So much so that they were even outlawed in some regions. Though some African funeral traditions survived.

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Black colonial traditions -

One of these traditions was to wash the deceased's body. Some of those in the African Burial Ground in New York City (then New Amsterdam) were also found to be buried with beads, coins, and shells. The African Burial Ground is the earliest known black cemetery in North America, dating back to the 1630s.

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Segregated burials -

Burial sites were not only segregated by class, but between races. Both enslaved and free Africans and their descendants were buried in separate graveyards.

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Deviant burials -

Members of the community who violated the rules risked being denied a burial. One example includes the victims of the Salem witch trials.

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A somber tone -

Black was the color of choice for mourners. From clothes to cloths draped over the pulpit, and even in homes, black was the funerary color by default.

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Division of tasks -

People often died at home, and the tasks following a person’s death were divided on the basis of the family member’s sex. Caregiving would be assigned to women, who would prepare the body, and arrange food and drinks for the service. Men would take care of the coffin and religious-related matters.

Sources: (Grunge) (University of Michigan) (Hanover College) (Omohundro Institute of Early American History and Culture) (The Massachusetts Review) 

See also: The lost colonies of North America

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