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The Funeral Book of John Henry Ostertag (1857–1942):
Covering the Years 1901–1903 in Columbia, Lancaster County, Pennsylvania
by Nanci Remington
Genealogical Forum of Oregon volunteers recently indexed a book used to record funeral expenses in the small town of Columbia, Lancaster County, Pennsylvania. The handwritten entries span less than two years, from April 1901 to February 1903. Yet, the 117 entries provide a window into the lives of people who lived at the turn of the century. The record includes the name of the deceased, date of death, cause of death, and cemetery. The man who filled in the pages was J. H. Ostertag. His name was written on the price list at the beginning of the book. His address was Columbia, Pennsylvania.1
John Henry Ostertag was born on 5 January 1857 in West Hempfield Township, Lancaster County, Pennsylvania. His parents were Andrew and Eva Margaret (Hettinger) Ostertag, both German immigrants. According to a biographical sketch in Lancaster County, Pennsylvania, a History, John “became an apprentice to the cabinetmaker’s trade continuing as apprentice and journeyman until 1882.”2 He then moved to Columbia, Lancaster County, and established his own business where “he followed the custom of the time which was to couple undertaking with the furniture business.”
John married Mary Anna Westerman on 19 January 1882. In 1900, the family, which now included five children, was living above the store. By 1910, the family owned a home a block from the store. New in the household was a son and John’s mother, Margaret. John and Mary lived in the same home for the rest of their lives.3
John was very involved with his community. In addition to running his business, he spent several years serving on the town council. He was on the board of directors of the local hospital. And he was a member of civic groups including the Rotary Club and the Chamber of Commerce. He was also a member of several fraternal organizations, including the Ancient Arabic Order of Nobles of the Mystic Shrine (now the Shriners), the Artisans Order of Mutual Protection, the Masonic Order, the Elks, and the Ancient Accepted Scottish Rite. He attended the First English Lutheran Church.4
John Henry Ostertag died on 2 March 1942 in Columbia. He was 85 years old. His wife Mary died two weeks later, on 19 March 1942. They are both buried in Laurel Hills Memorial Gardens cemetery in Columbia.
Interesting Items from the Funeral Book
- The average age of death was 44.7 years. The national average in 1901 was 49.1 years.
- Twenty percent of those who died were age five or younger. Twelve percent were under the age of one.
- The causes of death were varied … there did not appear to be any type of epidemic. The cause of death for young children was often left blank.
- The oldest person to die was John Yaley at 98 years and six months.
- Nine men died in railroad accidents. Two men were killed in the same accident - when the train hit a boulder on the tracks. The rest were killed in separate accidents.
1. Funeral book of John Henry Ostertag, DigitalArchive, Genealogical Forum of Oregon.
2. Williams, Edwin Melvin. Lancaster County, Pennsylvania, a History. Page 288. Lewis Historical Publishing Company, Inc., New York, 1924; Google Books.
3. Census records for John Ostertag, from 1860-1940, were viewed on Ancestry.com.
4. Obituary for John Ostertag, Intelligencer Journal (Lancaster, Pennsylvania), 20 March 1942; Newspapers.com.
