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Background History

In the early history of the United States, families took responsibility for their own dead. Bodies were washed and laid out in front parlors, where family, friends, and neighbors would visit. Funeral processions would then follow the body to the church and cemetery for burial.

The practice of embalming became more widespread during the Civil War, as it was used to preserve the bodies of soldiers being transported long distances home for burial. By the turn of the 20th century, the newly formed National Funeral Directors Association began encouraging its members to view themselves not as craftsmen, like traditional coffin-making carpenters, but as professionals. They promoted the routine use of embalming, claiming it served public health interests.

As Americans increasingly moved into apartments and smaller homes, many no longer had space to host mourners or coffins. As a result, funeral ceremonies shifted from the home to the funeral parlor, which began offering increasingly elaborate and expensive services.

In contrast, rural areas in the Northwest developed burial cooperatives through local granges, which provided simple, low-cost funerals. This concept eventually spread to urban areas. In 1939, the People’s Memorial Association of Seattle became the first urban group to organize affordable funeral services.

During the late 1950s and early 1960s, several writers—most notably Jessica Mitford—began advocating for reform in American death practices. Their research revealed that funerals in the United States were among the most elaborate and expensive in the world, with costs rising faster than the general cost of living.

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