Postcard from St. Catharines Library: Coffin Register

 

The third in a series about discoveries made during my trip to western New York and Ontario, where I researched my Becker/Baker, Cassidy, Sheridan, Cailteux, and Schiltz families. 

 

July 14, 2025

Dear Family, 

Have you ever heard of a coffin register? I haven't. And just like you, I'm asking, "What's that?"

I discovered a coffin register at the St. Catharines Public Library in Ontario on my trip. I was quite surprised to find an ancestor's name in it.

This coffin register was a book used by the Thomas McIntyre company in St. Catharines, Ontario, Canada, to record coffin orders between 1863-1865. McIntyre had a cabinet and furniture making business and eventually branched out to build wooden coffins for his clients. 

Early funerals in America were usually conducted by family and friends of the deceased, including preparing the body, providing a homemade shroud or coffin, and even carrying the coffin to the grave site. By the mid-late 18th century, carpenters and cabinetmakers began to offer bespoke coffins. Eventually, tradesmen like McIntyre expanded their businesses by making coffins or selling ready-made ones and began to "undertake" more and more arrangements for funerals. They became the precursors of today's funeral directors.¹

My 3rd great-grand uncle Daniel Cassidy—who you might remember as the brother-in-law of my recent research subject Mary Jane Sheridan—died on 29 August 1866. His register entry gives details of the type of coffin which was ordered for Daniel.²

  

Detail of Daniel's entry, left page.

The left page of the registry gives the following information:

• No of the order: 92
• Date: 29 (August at top of page)
• Name: Daniel Cassidy
• Residence: Grantham
• Quality: Stained and box 
• Age: [blank]

 

 

Detail of Daniel's entry, right page.

Information on the right page includes:

• Sise (sic): 5ft 8
• Other details of the order: "hearse and span" and possibly "cleat trimmings"
• Cost: $20.00

These details provide some context about Daniel and his burial. 

First, he was fairly short, based on the coffin measurement of 5' 8". He was likely a bit shorter than that to allow for room at his head and feet, perhaps 5'6" or 5'7."

Second, the coffin "quality" was noted as "stained and box." Other orders were for "walnut & box," "covered and box," "outside box only," and simply, "stained," noting variations in the type of woods and stains used. The term "box" is unclear but might refer to an outer box similar to the vaults used around modern caskets.

Third, "hearse and span" likely means that the coffin was carried by a two-horse cart for the funeral. Other orders on the page note "single hearse." A"span" is defined as "a pair of animals (such as mules) usually matched in appearance and action and driven together."³ 

Daniel died in Grantham, which was about six miles from St. Catharines where his funeral and burial would have been held. His family belonged to the Cathedral of St. Catherine of Alexandria Catholic Church and the Catholic cemetery of the time was Victoria Lawn Cemetery. The larger hearse might have made the distance to be traveled from Grantham to St. Catharines easier or maybe it also conveyed family members. My guess is that the hearse and span was a substantial part of the $20 cost, among the more expensive orders on the page. 

Daniel's hearse and span may have looked similar to this but perhaps plainer. (clickr.com)

 

Fourth, "Cleat trimmings" is noted for Daniel's coffin while other orders on the page note "plate trimmings" which seemed to be more expensive. I had some difficulty coming up with the definition of a cleat used in coffin-building, but ran across a modern set of coffin plans online, which showed that the cleats hold the wood boards together from side to side.4

Perhaps the difference between the "cleat" vs. the "plate" is that the cleats were wooden while the plates were metal and probably looked a bit fancier.

Three cleats hold the individual coffin boards together.

Other orders on the page included details for linings ("plainly lined," "nicely lined," "silk lined"), handles, ("handles put on coffin") and even "engraved plate." There is no mention of any lining, handles, or plates on Daniel's coffin, so perhaps the budget for his burial did not allow for those after the cost of the hearse and span, or his family wanted a simpler coffin for him.

Incidentally, do you know the difference between a coffin and a casket? I didn't! A coffin has a hexagonal shape which follows the contours of the body - wider at the shoulders and tapering towards the feet. A casket has a rectangular shape and is more widely used today than in the past.⁵ 

The coffin register definitely ranks up there with the most unusual places I have found an ancestor recorded, and also one of the most fascinating finds on my research trip.

I plan to travel down to North Evans, where Mary Jane Sheridan and her family lived before they moved to Grantham, Ontario. What will I find there? 

Nancy

 

Until next time...

© Nancy Gilbride Casey, 2025. All rights reserved. 

 

NOTES

¹ Charles S. Mason, Jr., CG, "Before Death Certificates: Furniture Dealers and Cabinetmakers as Death Sources, OnBoard, 12 (May 2006), 14-15; Board for Certification of Genealogists (https://www.bcgcertification.org/skillbuilding-before-death-certificates-furniture-dealers-and-cabinetmakers-as-death-sources : accessed 26 July 2026). 

² Thomas McIntyre, Coffin Register, 1863-1866, np, #92 order for Daniel Cassidy, 29 August 1866; citing Hulse & English Burial Register; citing St. Catharines Public Library Special Collections, Ontario, Canada. Images used with the permission of St. Catharines Public Library.

³ Merriam-Webster Dictionary (https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/span : accessed 24 July 2025), "span." 

⁴ Jason Becker, Coffin Plans, 28 March 2016, p. 1, 3; Haunterstoolbox.com (https: haunterstoolbox.com : accessed 24 July 2025).

⁵ Stillinger Family Funeral Home, Our Blog (https://www.stillingerfamilyfuneralhome.com/resources/our-blog/ : accessed 24 July 2025), 11 March 2019, "What’s the Difference Between a Casket and a Coffin?"