Many of our burial customs in Pensacola began to change because of the Protestant revival, especially about the afterlife. Also, the art of embalming gave rise to the increase in the undertaking profession. The emergence of sculptures and statues in our cemeteries became more elaborate as did companies producing caskets and funeral regalia. Even the stationary industry changed because of our burial customs! Funeral notices were written on black bordered paper with the "depth" of the border symbolizing the age or social status of the deceased. If you accepted the invitation, then you were honor bound to attended or face social shunning.
Prior to 1900, most funerals were held at the home of the deceased. Black crepe fabric was draped over the person's door knocker or door knob to show all what was going on. The fabric was tied with a black ribbon if the deceased was an adult or with white if they were a child. The entire downstairs were also draped with the black fabric i.e. doorways, mantels, and picture frames. Mirrors were draped or turned to face the wall. If a mourner was unlucky enough to see their own image, then they were the next to die. Clocks were stopped at the time of death and restarted after burial. Rare before the Civil War, the use of flowers exploded around 1880.
Typical mourning dresses 1880
The art of mourning placed far more restrictions on women than men
In the later 18th Century photos with departed children were popular
Whole families would lay in their bed as part of the mourning process