In Coolgardie, as late as April 1894, self-styled undertakers were making a fortune by making coffins from old jam cases and boxes and blackening them over to give a semblance of respectability. Only the destitute and friendless were packed away in plain deal coffins, and Jews whose religion demanded austerity in their last rites. By […]
The Dismal Traders:-
Undertakers, or funeral directors, have been on the Goldfields from the very first days. The occupation of making coffins was usually done by someone with a trade in carpentry and they usually produced other items such as furniture. Coach builders were also often the makers of coffins. Not all of the makers of ‘funeral furniture’ […]
Isaac Goss – A Christian Man in Every Sense – Grave tales
Issac William Goss Undertaker This is one of my favourite photographs. It is of the Goss family taken at their home in Piesse Street, Boulder in 1910. The family was well known for their Undertakers business in Piesse Street, Boulder. Many of the headstones in our local cemeteries have their maker’s name on them. This […]