Gone to the Grave: Burial Customs of the Arkansas Ozarks, 1850-1950

by Abby Burnett

Before there was a death care industry where professional funeral directors offered embalming and other services, residents of the Arkansas Ozarks―and, for that matter, people throughout the South―buried their own dead. Every part of the complicated, labor-intensive process was handled within the deceased's community. This process included preparation of the body for burial, making a wooden coffin, digging the grave, and overseeing the burial ceremony, as well as observing a wide variety of customs and superstitions.

These traditions, especially in rural communities, remained the norm up through the end of World War II, after which a variety of factors, primarily the loss of manpower and the rise of the funeral industry, brought about the end of most customs.

Gone to the Grave , a meticulous autopsy of this now vanished way of life and death, documents mourning and practical rituals through interviews, diaries and reminiscences, obituaries, and a wide variety of other sources. Abby Burnett covers attempts to stave off death; passings that, for various reasons, could not be mourned according to tradition; factors contributing to high maternal and infant mortality; and the ways in which loss was expressed though obituaries and epitaphs. A concluding chapter examines early undertaking practices and the many angles funeral industry professionals worked to convince the public of the need for their services.

Genres: Nonfiction, History

352 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 2014

Reviews

[Lori · Rating 4 out of 5]

This fascinating look at death and dying in Arkansas' Ozark Region goes beyond the stated scope to provide additional context for the reader or researcher. The author used primary sources, oral history, newspapers, and regional and national periodicals in her research body, making a comprehensive study of the subject. Some readers may remember portions of these practices from their own lives. The author traced origins of many practices to places Arkansans or their ancestors previously lived. While one might expect the focus to be entirely on practices from the death of an individual until their interment, the author includes information on causes of death and procedures followed in dealing with disease, the aged, the poor, and more. While the book possesses a very academic tone, it still presents interesting information useful to genealogists and historians working both inside and outside the Ozark Region.

[Leigh Ann · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great read.

[Rachel Baack · Rating 4 out of 5]

Summary: Author Abby Burnett presents a very thoroughly researched picture of norms and customs surrounding death and burial in the Arkansas Ozarks over a 100-year period that spanned the Civil and both World Wars. These years began with the families and friends of the deceased taking care of the work that preceded and followed a death primarily in the home, and they ended with that work being typically completed by professionals in the funeral business.

The author did an excellent job of organizing and presenting the information in a logical, interesting way, including statistics and data, news reporting from the time period in question, and first-hand accounts from those who witnessed and participated in death and burial customs in the Ozarks.

[Alan Lampe · Rating 4 out of 5]

Abby provides incredible research covering all aspects of death and dying in the Arkansas Ozarks. She leaves no stone unturned on this topic from interviews with the locals and newspaper ads. If you want to know anything about how death and dying changed in a hundred years in the Ozarks, read this book.

[Susan Ferguson · Rating 5 out of 5]

Interesting look at burial customs and how they have changed and some of yhe reasons for that change. At one time many headstones stated the cause of death and obituaties were details - sometimes rather personal - of circumstances in the deceased's life and death.

[Sarah Bolin · Rating 4 out of 5]

I got this book as a gift because I saw a PBS special about it. I really liked it but took a while to get through because it is more like a text book than leisurely reading. If you want to know more about your Arkansas ancestors customs though, this is the book.

[Lee A. · Rating 5 out of 5]

A fascinating historical exploration of a very unusual subject. I couldn't put it down. The author has done her research...and then some!

[Paige · Rating 3 out of 5]

I really like the idea of this book. Being from the Ozarks, it really interested me. However, I had a difficult time reading the ENTIRE book, and ended up returning it to my library before it was finished. Maybe I'll revisit this book another time. Others might be able to read the entire thing, and have it be a real page-turner. It just wasn't like that for me.

[Nancy Fredenburgh · Rating 4 out of 5]

Excellent book on death and burial.The time period of this book is civil war to the end of WW11., in the state of Arkansas. Family history, newspapers, state historical societies, and WPA interviews were all used. I enjoyed it immensely as it a part of history that is not usually covered.

[Linda Hatcher · Rating 5 out of 5]

Interesting!