Pioneer Mourning Rituals

Daughters of Utah Pioneers’ lesson for May was about pioneer gravesites. The lesson started off with mourning rituals of the pioneers. For our ancestors who lived in the 1800’s, their mortality rate was high. This closeness to death led to many rituals that were important to help them cope with the difficult lives they lived.

Our ancestors brought these mourning rituals with them as they immigrated to the U.S. In Europe, the tradition was to carry the body out of the house feet first so that the spirit could not look back into the house and beckon a family member to join them. The Danish brought the tradition that when a person passed away, they opened a window so that the soul could fly out.

When Queen Victoria’s husband passed away, she created many of the mourning rituals that the English brought to America. There was even a manual printed with detailed instructions for mourning etiquette. Queen Victoria introduced the wearing of black, that included clothes, hat, jewelry and many other rituals.

During this era, the corpse was kept in the parlor of the home and watched over until the burial. This “wake” would last for four to five days. Flowers and candles were brought in to mask the odors. This “wake” was done to allow time to make sure they did not bury someone who had not died and allowed time for family and friends to arrive as travel was slow. A wreath was hung on the door with black ribbons to announce a death. They drew the curtains, and clocks stopped at the time of death. Crepe-covered the mirrors. They often took photos of the deceased for a remembrance. Young couples were asked to “sit up” with the dead. The night watch was not a solemn occasion for them, but an opportunity to court.

There was a fear of being buried alive, so the families buried loved ones with a rope in their hand that was attached to a bell outside the grave. If the person awoke and found themselves in a coffin, they could ring the bell for help and brought about the expression, “saved by the bell.”

These rituals may seem strange and bizarre to us, but they brought comfort to our ancestors. As we read our family histories and come across stories like these, we can empathize with them and the challenging times they had.