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Ask us about all the ways we can help you uniquely celebrate your loved one’s legacy: burial at sea,
scattering of cremains, interment of the ashes, viewings, and memorial services.
Each can be
done with a personal touch.
Scattering at sea combines a sense of finality with a new beginning, as it returns us to nature and
our origins.
If you are considering scattering the cremains of a loved one, we have lots of
helpful information.
Like family, we are here to help you in every way possible 24/7. Supportive, caring representatives
who are trained to answer all of your questions.
All-inclusive service and guidance through
each step of the process.
Ask us about all the ways we can help you uniquely celebrate your loved one’s legacy: burial at sea,
scattering of cremains, interment of the ashes, viewings, and memorial services.
Each can be
done with a personal touch.
Scattering at sea combines a sense of finality with a new beginning, as it returns us to nature and our
origins.
If you are considering scattering the cremains of a loved one, we have lots of helpful
information.
Like family, we are here to help you in every way possible 24/7. Supportive, caring representatives who
are trained to answer all of your questions.
All-inclusive service and guidance through each
step of the process.
Content:
In the United States, there are approximately 20,000 funeral homes, funeral parlors and mortuaries. When you go online, you will find listings spread across the country including those for Kentucky funeral homes. There are listings for Kentucky funeral services such as direct burials, cremations, traditional funerals, caskets, embalming and memorial services. These all play a role in the American funeral market. Yet, how did funerals come to become an elaborate industry?
Kentucky Pioneer and Native Funeral Services
Until the late 1800s, burial of the dead was straight forward for many, individuals as well as pioneers and Native communities. They performed what Kentucky funeral homes and other American funeral service providers would now call a "Green Burial." The body, wrapped in a sheet or placed in a simple wooden casket, was then buried in the ground.
Some native groups e.g. Chippewa, note dying individuals simply went off into the woods to die when their time was upon them. Other groups burnt the dead or left them to the elements to become part of nature. The Cherokee buried the deceased the day following death after washing the bodies in lavender and other substances to purify. They then wrapped the deceased in a burial cloth. Shamans chanted and the body made its way to the final resting place. The Shawnee Native American Natives performed elaborate funeral services with purification rites at home and even testaments to the dead. Similar services took place across Kentucky, funeral services of non-Natives and Natives bearing a striking similarity to each other.
Green or home burials were common in this pioneer region. Kentucky, after all, did not become a state until 1792. In the large farming and rural sectors, burial services tended to be home centered. Women played the central role - a factor common in many cultures and in both urban and rural communities. This remained part of Kentucky funeral services in rural areas even into the early 20th century.
In the case of many burials in this era, embalming was not generally an option. Neither the process nor the substances were available for home burials. The experts you can now find readily in all funeral homes, including Kentucky funeral services providers, were absent. Moreover, some religious groups strongly argued against it.
Victorian Funeral Customs
In England, the funeral customs associated with Queen Victoria (1819-1901) and the Queen Victoria era (1837-1901) created the cult of the funeral. This extended to funeral fashions and customs - including those surrounding memorials and death tokens (memento mori). In Victorian America, the influence was felt in certain rituals:
This became part of many different funeral rites in the United States. Kentucky was little different, although a few variations occurred. They adopted the taking of photographs of the deceased, particularly infants and newborns. Yet, Kentucky funeral services also had flower girls.
The American Civil War and Afterwards
Another strong influence on the rise of Kentucky funeral homes was the American Civil War in which 750,000 Americans died. In order to transport the deceased on their long sad voyage back home, doctors took to embalming. Dr. Thomas Holmes was in the forefront of this field. Yet, it was not until the 1880s, with the founding of two embalming schools - one in Rochester, New York, the other in Cincinnati, that embalming became an established part of funeral homes and more accepted by American society.
The war also affected the business of recording the dead. Federal Legislation in 1868 passed. It required states to keep lists (or registries) of the dead and furthered the need to co-ordinate, and regulate this aspect of death. It was not to affect Kentucky until after the Commonwealth became a state. Moreover, Kentucky funeral services and their providers did not feel the impact of the 48 or 72 hour embalming law. Kentucky has no embalming requirements at all.
Kentucky Funeral Homes and Services
Both the Victorian era and the American Civil war did have some impact on the nature of Kentucky funeral services. It is even reflected in the actions of the wife of Abraham Lincoln (1809-1865), a native of Hardin County, Kentucky, after his death from assassination. His widow, Mary Ann Todd Lincoln (1818-1862), also a Kentuckian, asked for a lock of the president's hair to place in a locket. This was a typical Victorian example of a memento mori.
Today, online Kentucky funeral homes offer you a wide range of services. The return to green burials and the increased interest in cremation has resulted in better and more adaptable funeral services. Yet, this does not affect the ability of Kentucky funeral services consultants to continue with their most important goal - to help the bereaved make this journey for themselves and the deceased as easy and painless as possible.
Greening Funeral Services
As the baby boomers age and the environmentalists among them come to grips with their mortality, the concept of a funeral changes. In , funeral homes are becoming more aware of a new trend - the green burial or the green funeral. This does not refer to cremation. Instead, it draws upon a preference for reducing the effect a death will have on the physical environment. This includes "Green Burials" occurring without embalming, in simplified caskets (often cardboard or bamboo) and in specialized cemeteries.
While, in , funeral homes are beginning to address the issues, green burials remain part of the future. Instead, a different approach will help make the entire burial process more environmentally friendly.
Funeral Services
When it comes to making your or the departed's funeral green, consider your options carefully. Research the topic of green burials and deal with a funeral services provider who is an expert on the subject and on local state legislation.
Once you have done the initial research, talk to a qualified funeral director. They can confirm or refute what you have heard, read or know about the practice in . Funeral homes are the ideal place to look. They can help you find the way to create the perfect service to meet anyone's needs. They are also aware of what can and cannot be done in the state of .
Green Burial in - Restrictions
When it comes to Green Burials, you will find several different restrictions or obstacles can affect upon your decision. These include state, personal and existent.
The Alternative - Greening Funeral Services
If it is not possible to hold a completely Green Burial, consider making many aspects as environmentally friendly as possible. Talk to several funeral homes before you decide specifically on the details. Consider the following suggestions as some of the best options possible.
A Touch of Green
These are small ways to make large or small funeral services more environmentally friendly. There are other ways - small and large, to add a touch of green. funeral homes have often suggested them as a practical measure. In fact, a very common method of remembering loved ones just happens to be green. Instead of a quarried and carved marble or limestone headstone, why not plant a living or natural memorial. Is a tree not a wonderful way to honour the deceased? If the cemetery does not permit this, ask about a bush or some type of bushy plant. However, be sure to consult with the funeral director, the cemetery officials and a nursery about what will best suit the climate and soil conditions before you make your decision.
The Benefits of Greening Funeral Services
To environmentally minded individuals having as green a burial as possible is their final wish. It is possible. Consult funeral homes. They can help make this desire a reality.
