The Charlestown Historical Society is proud to announce a special lecture and exhibit, Caring for the Dead in 19th-Century Charlestown: The John Bryant Undertaking Company, presented by Dr. Timothy B. Riordan at the Bunker Hill Museum. This will premiere on Wednesday, October 8 at 6 pm at the Bunker Hill Museum Community Room
This program highlights an extraordinary new addition to the Society’s collection: eight boxes of funeral records from the Anderson-Bryant Funeral Home, generously donated by Joan Quigley of the Stoneham Historical Society. Many of the records date from the 1860s through the early 1870s and document funerals in Charlestown, Somerville, and Stoneham. They trace back to the origins of the John Bryant Undertaking Company, founded on Austin Street in Charlestown in 1852.
For ninety years, until 1942, the Bryant family cared for Charlestown residents in life’s final passage. Their ledgers reveal an unparalleled glimpse into daily life and death in 19th-century Charlestown—recording not only the names of those who passed, but also the causes of death, funeral customs, and the evolving practices of the death industry.
Dr. Riordan’s talk will explore what it meant to die—and to be buried—in 19th-century Charlestown. Attendees will learn:
• What were the most common causes of death in the 1800s?
• How did families and communities mourn?
• What role did undertakers play in shaping local traditions?
Artifacts and original family records from the Bryant collection will be available for public viewing.
Dr. Timothy B. Riordan will be the principal lecturer for Caring for the Dead in 19th-Century Charlestown: The John Bryant Undertaking Company seminar that will be held on Wednesday, October 8 at 6 pm in the Bunker Hill Museum in Community Room
“This collection is a treasure trove for historians and genealogists alike,” said CHS VP Dr. Tim Riordan. “We are deeply grateful to Joan Quigley and the Stoneham Historical Society for ensuring these records return to their Charlestown roots.”
“I knew right away these records would be of great value beyond Stoneham,” said Joan Quigley, board member of the Stoneham Historical Society. “They speak to the everyday lives of families in Charlestown and Somerville during a time of enormous change. It’s wonderful that they will now be studied and preserved in the community where the Bryant family began their work.”
The event is free and open to the public. Donations to support the efforts to preserve, protect and promote Charlestown’s history are welcome.