Book description
In Tales from Kentucky Funeral Homes, William Lynwood Montell has
collected stories and reminiscences from funeral home directors and
embalmers across the state. These accounts provide a record of the
business of death as it has been practiced in Kentucky over the past
fifty years. The collection ranges from tales of old-time burial
practices, to stories about funeral customs unique to the African
American community, to tales of premonitions, mistakes, and even
humorous occurrences. Other stories involve such unusual aspects of
the business as snake-handling funerals, mistaken identities, and
in-home embalming. Taken together, these firsthand narratives preserve
an important aspect of Kentucky social life not likely to be collected
elsewhere. Most of these funeral home stories involve the recent
history of Kentucky funeral practices, but some descriptive accounts
go back to the era when funeral directors used horse-drawn wagons to
reach secluded areas. These accounts, including stories about fainting
relatives, long-winded preachers, and pallbearers falling into graves,
provide significant insights into the pivotal role morticians have
played in local life and culture over the years.
""For years I've heard funeral directors telling tales
of their profession, and they would all eventually say, 'Someone
should write a book.' Well now we have one. This publication will be
enjoyed by funeral directors and the public alike for many years to
come."--Sidney Fogle,Executive Director, Funeral Directors
Association of Kentucky" --
William Lynwood Montell, professor emeritus of folk studies at
Western Kentucky University, is the author or editor of more than
twenty books, including Ghosts across Kentucky, Killings: Folk Justice
in the Upper South, and Tales from Kentucky Doctors.
