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Robert H. Elliston (1852-1922), son of Hiriam and Elizabeth (Hendrix) Elliston, was born and raised on his father's farm near Elliston Station. He attended the county schools followed by one year at school in Lebanon, Ohio and two years at Kentucky University in Lexington. Intending to become a lawyer according to an 1887 biography, "..without having made a canvass or given the matter any thought, he was nominated (in 1874) by the Democratic Party for the office of County Clerk of Grant County." he was elected and in 1878 re-elected for another four years.
In 1881, he organized Robert H. Elliston & Company in which his father joined him in buying the hardware and undertaking business in Williamstown of J. W. Mount. The firm prospered and was said to become the largest dealers in hardware, lumber and undertaking between Lexington and Cincinnati. A brother, O. P. Elliston (1856-1942), also joined the firm.
At this time undertaking was primarily concerned with furnishing a wooden coffin for burial and perhaps a robe or shroud to cover the body. Visitation took place at the home of the deceased. The funeral was held at home or at church. Without embalming burial usually took place within 48 hours following death.
Additional services were made available as time went by. A horse drawn hearse to transport the body to the burial site began to be preferred to the farm wagon heretofore used. Another service sought of the undertaker was the cleaning and dressing of the deceased for viewing by the family and friends.
As embalming became more acceptable and services offered by the undertaker became more varied, the Kentucky Legislature established standards in 1901 for licensing qualified persons to provide these services. For many years now, the full service funeral home fills the needs of the community and stands on its own, no longer a side line to the furniture and hardware business.
The records of these early undertakers provide an important source of information as to the dates of death for individuals for whom no other record is now available. As reported in earlier issues Kentucky first required the public filing of information on births and deaths in 1852, a record keeping which ended along with many other services with the onset of the Civil War. After the war, several attempts were made to again maintain information on births and deaths, but were not successful until 1911.
The
assistance of the management of the Elliston & Stanley Funeral Home in
obtaining a listing of burials from 1896 to 1937 is indeed appreciated. Different
people maintained this record over the years. The dates given may be either
the date or the date of burial. Arranged in alphabetical order, the listing
will be of interest and value go genealogists and family
researchers.
Early
Elliston Funeral Home Records were printed in Footsteps of the Past,
a
Supplement to The Grant County News, in issues published December 27, 2001,
March
28, 2002, June 6, 2002, July 18, 2002, December 26, 2002.
Used
with permission of Mr. John B.
Conrad.
Surnames
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Beulah Wiley Franks - KY/ALHN
