M.M.White undertaker WashingtonDC Matthias M. White undertaker of Washington , DC Fisk and Raymond metallic coffins

Wirt, John L. (1811–1857)

A policeman and civil servant, in 1849 John L. Wirt was a member of the Capitol Police. He went on to be elected a city Alderman, in which office he served four years. He was also an assistant funeral director, working with and for Mathias M. White, who sold the Fisk coffins (in one of which DPM was buried). Wirt died in 1857, not yet 50 years old, from a “hemorrhage of the lungs,” and was buried in Congressional Cemetery. In 1837 he married Margaret Rebecca Duley Wirt, who lived only two years more than her husband.

 ~~~~

Fisk, Almond Dunbar (1818–1850)

An entrepreneur and inventor, Almond D. Fisk was the son of Catherine Worthington and Solomon Fisk. In 1848, Fisk patented an improvement in the manufacture of coffins. “What I claim therein as new,” Fisk wrote in his patent, “is the manufacturing of coffins of cast or raised metal when made... to the human form.” Molded in two equal parts, the cases “united horizontally.” From these coffins, “the air may be exhausted so completely as entirely to prevent the decay of the contained body on principles well understood.” Thus the body was sealed in a sarcophagus that would preserve the deceased’s remains and prevent the spread of disease and, theoretically, putrefaction.

Due to high demand, Fisk partnered with his brother-in-law, William Raymond, and opened a foundry in New York to manufacture the coffins shortly after receiving his patent. John Payne Todd apparently viewed one of his coffins on display in Washington City in the spring of 1849. A few weeks later, Fisk wrote DPM about the possibility of reinterring JM in one of his coffins. It is unknown what DPM thought of that idea, but when she died that summer, she was interred in one of Fisk’s new coffins.

In 1840 Fisk married Phoebe Ann Raymond, with whom he had five children. In the fall of 1849 Fisk’s foundry was leveled by fire. Shortly thereafter, Fisk fell ill and died in the fall of 1850.

First quotation is from Fisk, Almond D., inventor; “Improvement in Coffins” U.S. Patent 5,920. November 14, 1848; second quotation, Daily National Intelligencer, 18 October 1850.

 FUNERAL OF MRS. MADISON.

The most distinguished honors have been paid to the memory of Mrs. Madison. No mark of respect has been withheld. It was the first occasion on which the metallic air-tight case of Fisk & Raymond’s patent

manufacture has been used in this city for the interment of remains. It is of a different shape from a coffin, and is stripped of the painful associations which usually attend the ordinary receptacle of the dead. The case is metallic. When the lid is put on, it is strongly cemented and made air-tight, and thus the body is preserved in a great degree from the process of decomposition, and does not become disagreeable to the senses. In that part of the lid which is just over the face a small glass is put, which enables the spectator to catch the features; and when it is buried in the ground, the glass is covered with a metallic plate, on which is inscribed the name of the deceased.

To make the necessary arrangements for a public funeral, it was determined to postpone the ceremony until 4 o’clock last evening. The body had been deposited <...><...><...><...><...>in St. John’s Eposcopal<...><...> where hundreds went to see it.

The ceremonies on the occasion were conducted according to the programme, which we published on Sunday morning. The Church was crowded with officers of the government and citize

ns—with ladies and gentlemen. The President was present. Two of his cabinet were pall-bearers. Many ministers of the Gospel attended the last ceremonies that were paid to this beloved and celebrated lady. The Rev. Mr. Pyne was assisted in reading the funeral service by the Rev. Mr. French. Mr. Pyne delivered an appropriate and eloquent discourse upon the deceased.

The procession was one of the largest we have seen in this city. The remains were carried to the Congressional Burying Ground, where they were deposited in one of the vaults, there to repose until they can be conveyed to Montpelier, in Orange county, Virginia, to lie by the side of her distinguished husband, James Madison, ex-President of the United States. The whole ceremony was of the most august and touching description. It was worthy of the character of the deceased, and of the sympathies of this whole community.

Greenville Mountaineer, Greenville County, North Carolina, 27 July 1849

 

 Mrs Madison had wanted a metallic casket for the remains of President Madison who was buried in an unmarked grave in Virginia. Within a few month of receiving the letter from Mr. Fisk when she (and Todd) inquired about a Fisk casket for President Madison remains (April 1849) Mrs Dolley Madison dies in her Lafayette Square home in DC and is buried in Congressional Cemetery in a Fisk Casket.

 This is the bill for Dolley Madison's funeral sent from Almond Fisk and John Wirt to Todd Payne Mrs Madison's son.

 This letter from Almond D. Fisk to First Lady Dolley Madison (found in the Dolley Madison archives) answers lots.

This is exactly as the Capitol looked in 1847, its one of the earliest photographs. This is the original copper dome, the one we know know had not yet been constructed.

 

Her son has seen the display of the Fisk & Raymond casket in the rotunda of the US Congressional Building and asked Capitol police man , John L. Wirt ( MM White's best friend ) to have Almond Fisk contact Mrs Adams about getting a casket for President Adams remains. This is the letter Mr Fisk wrote Mrs Madison in April 1849

New York April 7, 1849

Honorable Mrs. James Madison

Madam,

Mr. J. L. Wirt, police officer of the capital, informs me that your son, Col. Todd, made some inquiries of him concerning the probable expense of a metallic case similar to the one I am exhibiting in the Rotunda. Also that Col. Todd spoke of the desire for more imperishable article, in which to preserve the

remains of our late, distinguished ex-President Madison.

Feeling the value and importance of the application of my production for such proposals, (as well also in the hearts of our countrymen, as in the comfort desired by immediate relatives), and sensible of the advantage I should derive by introducing my invention through such a channel, I have ventured to address you upon the subject and would say that if you would desire it and the expense, and the necessarily borne by yourself, we would furnish a case of such metal as you might desire and insert the remains of your late distinguished companion at the net cost to us.

A case of bronze metal would undoubtedly be more desirable, as by a combination which we can make more indestructible.

The expense for the metal and casting alone of a suitable one of this material would be about sixty dollars ($60). Of a composition principally iron, and enameled, we believe it would last several hundred years and the expense of the case alone would not probably twenty dollars ($20). With the necessary expense of transportation be added.

Col. Todd having seen the case in the Rotunda,

you would probably no other than his judgment for the certainty of its advantages. Such an undertaking would be a suitable consideration for Congress yet under different conditions.

May I expect your notice and answer on the subject?   

Very Respectfully,

Your Obedient Servant.

 

 My old web page - I now have up all of the information from that page and more on this blog! 

BROOKS, PRESTON SMITH, a Representative from South Carolina; born in Edgefield District, S.C., August 5, 1819; attended the common schools and was graduated from South Carolina College (now the University of South Carolina) at Columbia in 1839; studied law; was admitted to the bar in 1845 and commenced practice in Edgefield, S.C.; member of the State house of representatives in 1844; served in the Mexican War as captain in the Palmetto Regiment of South Carolina Volunteers; elected as a Democrat to the Thirty-third and Thirty-fourth Congresses and served until his resignation on July 14, 1856 (March 4, 1853-July 14, 1856); resigned despite failed attempt to expel him for his assault upon Senator Charles Sumner; chairman, Committee on Expenditures in the Department of State (Thirty-fourth Congress); reelected in a special election to the Thirty-fourth Congress to fill the vacancy caused by his own resignation, sworn in August 1, 1856, and served until his death (August 1, 1856-January 27, 1857); had been reelected to the Thirty-fifth Congress; died on January 27, 1857, in Washington, D.C.; interment in Willow Brook Cemetery, Edgefield, S.C. 

 * Brooks was too tall for Fiske casket 

South Carolina Representative Preston Brooks’s Attack on Senator Charles Sumner of Massachusetts LINK

 RANTOUL, ROBERT, JR., a Senator and a Representative from Massachusetts; born in Beverly, Mass., August 13, 1805; attended the common schools and Phillips Andover Academy, Andover, Mass.; graduated from Harvard University in 1826; studied law; admitted to the bar in 1829 and commenced practice in Salem; moved to South Reading in 1830, to Gloucester in 1832, and to Boston in 1838, and practiced law; member, State house of representatives 1835-1839; member of the commission to revise the laws of Massachusetts; member of the State board of education 1837-1842; United States district attorney for Massachusetts 1846-1849; elected as a Democrat to the United States Senate to fill the vacancy caused by the resignation of Daniel Webster and served from February 1 to March 3, 1851; elected as a Democrat to the Thirty-second Congress and served from March 4, 1851, until his death in Washington, D.C., on August 7, 1852; interment in Central Cemetery, Beverly, Mass. 

 

Still looking for the congressional receipts 

 The US Capitol building looked like this in the years MM White is running his unde3rtaking business from Pennsylvania Ave.

The higher dome is under constructions and this is the canal when the Mall now is - right behind where his shop would have been.

MM White is still a watchman at the patent office and his best friend John L. Wirt is a capitol police man and I think that's how they connected with Mr Fisk to sell his coffins in DC.

 Undead Debates

The Senate chamber was occupied by the Senate from 1810-1859 before relocating to the new Senate wing. While the Senate was in this chamber, Senators Daniel Webster and Henry Clay (former Speaker of the House) gave many famous addresses, particularly surrounding the countries great debate regarding slavery and the future of the Union. These men are known as two of the greatest orators of the time. While neither of these men died in the Old Senate Chamber, there have been reported sightings of the ghosts of these Congressmen standing in front of the now-empty seats, moving and gesturing as if giving a speech.

MM White buried Clay and D Webster also used a Fisk coffin.

Fisk metallic burial cases were patented in 1848 by Almond Dunbar Fisk and manufactured in Providence, Rhode Island. The cast iron coffins or burial cases were popular in the mid–1800s among wealthier families. While pine coffins in the 1850s would have cost around $2, a Fisk coffin could command a price upwards of $100. Nonetheless, the metallic coffins were highly desirable by more affluent individuals and families for their potential to deter grave robbers. The case was custom-formed to the body, resembling an Egyptian sarcophagus with sculpted arms and a glass window plate for viewing the face of the deceased, without the risk of exposure to odor or pathogens. The airtight cases were valued for their potential to preserve the remains of individuals who died far from home, until they could be shipped back for burial by the family. This type of burial in the 19th century indicated that the individual buried was someone of cultural and societal importance. In April 1850, former U.S. Vice President and Secretary of State John C. Calhoun was buried in a Fisk coffin at the Congressional Cemetery in Washington, DC. 

At this time, Jefferson Davis, Henry Clay, and Daniel Webster publicly endorsed the Fisk model, stating that in their opinion, the Fisk was "the best article known to us for transporting the dead to their final resting place"

 

 

CAMPBELL, Brookins, a Representative from Tennessee; born in Washington County, Tenn., in 1808; attended the rural schools and was graduated from Washington College (now Washington and Lee University) at Lexington; studied law; was admitted to the bar and practiced; member of the State house of representatives 1835-1839, 1841-1846, and 1851-1853, and served as speaker in 1845; during the Mexican War was appointed by President Polk in 1846 an assistant quartermaster to the Army with the rank of major; elected as a Democrat to the Thirty-third Congress and served from March 4, 1853, until his death in Washington, D.C., December 25, 1853, without having qualified; interment in Providence Presbyterian Churchyard, Greene County, Tenn. 

 

 

 

NORRIS, MOSES, JR., a Representative and a Senator from New Hampshire; born in Pittsfield, N.H., November 8, 1799; attended the public schools and the Pittsfield Academy, and graduated from Dartmouth College, Hanover, N.H., in 1828; studied law; admitted to the bar in 1832 and commenced practice in Barnstead; returned to Pittsfield in 1834; member, State house of representatives 1837-1840, 1842; member, State council 1841-1842; elected as a Democrat to the Twenty-eighth and Twenty-ninth Congresses (March 4, 1843-March 3, 1847); member, State house of representatives 1847-1848, and served as speaker; elected to the United States Senate and served from March 4, 1849, until his death; chairman, Committee on Claims (Thirty-first Congress), Committee on Patents and the Patent Office (Thirty-second Congress), Committee on the District of Columbia (Thirty-third Congress); died in Washington, D.C., January 11, 1855; interment in Floral Park Cemetery, Pittsfield, N.H.

 

was an attorney, politician and diplomat, serving as U.S. Representative from Texas. When the Republic of Texas was independent, he served in both houses of its legislature, and as Chargé d'Affaires of Texas to the United States. He served as a member of the Texas House of Representatives 1838–1843. He served in the Texas Senate 1843–1845. He was appointed Chargé d'Affaires of Texas to the United States in 1845 Upon the admission of Texas as a State into the Union, Kaufman was elected as a Democrat to the Twenty-ninth Congress. He was reelected to the Thirtieth and Thirty-first Congresses, serving from March 30, 1846, until 1851. He served as chairman of the Committee on Rules (Thirty-first Congress).Kaufman died from a heart attack in Washington, D.C., on January 31, 1851. Kaufman was originally interred in the Congressional Cemetery in Washington, DC. In 1932 his remains were moved and he was reinterred in the Texas State Cemetery at Austin.

 

  
Payment from congress for funeral of Rep. Kaufman to M.M. White

 

Born in Alexandria, Virginia, Newton commanded Beagle on her maiden voyage to the Caribbean. Newton was in command of Missouri during her historic crossing of the Atlantic, the first by a steam-power vessel. 

As commodore, he commanded the Home Squadron from March 1852 until March 1855. Newton died in Washington, D.C., aged 64.

 The schooner Margaret and the Steamer Monticello

 

 HARRIS, Sampson Willis, a Representative from Alabama; born in Elbert County, Ga., February 23, 1809; obtained his early education from his mother and was graduated from the University of Georgia at Athens in 1828; studied law; was admitted to the bar in 1830 and commenced practice in Athens, Ga.; member of the State house of representatives in 1834 and 1835; moved to Wetumpka, Ala., in 1838; elected solicitor of the eighth circuit in 1841; member of the State senate in 1844 and 1845; elected as a Democrat to the Thirtieth and to the four succeeding Congresses (March 4, 1847-March 3, 1857); declined to be a candidate for renomination in 1856; died in Washington, D.C., April 1, 1857; interment in Oconee Cemetery, Athens, Ga. There is a cenotaph in his memory at Congressional Cemetery in Washington, DC.

Congressional payment to Glossbrenner ( he was House Sergeant at Arms,  not quite sure why this was done) It may be because this was Masonic funeral and to M.M. White for funeral expenses.