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186. Pensacola Burial Customs Part IV

Updated: Mar 30, 2022


As I've said before, women carried the heaviest burden in the mourning process. During her first year of mourning plus one day she was only required to wear an outfit of "dull" black covered with crape. Her crape bonnet had a long black veil attached that nearly reached her feet. The actual widow would wear a white ruffle inside the bonnet but indoors she could wear a white cap. The buttons were dull and only dull jewelry was allowed. Flashy jewelry such as bright stones, gold or silver were forbidden by the keepers of mourning correctness. During the next nine months she could add a white collar to the ensemble. The next three months saw an addition of shiny silk and velvet trimmed with ribbons, embroidery, and jet beading. This stage was defined as "ordinary mourning." The last stage called the "half mourning" phase lasted six months and saw the introduction of colors such as gray, mauve, purple, lavender or white.


As far as leaving the house, a widow was house bound for the first month, concerts after three followed by a full return to society after two years. If a widow remarried, she was not allowed to wear white and must wait at least a year before doing so. However, if a man remarried within a year then his second wife must wear mourning wear out of respect for her predecessor. By the turn of the century, Pensacolians were demanding social changes in the mourning process. It was expensive, so the rules began to change from "obligatory" to just "being proper!" With the unspeakable carnage of World War I, most of these "mourning rules" had become obsolete even though we have a few that still linger.


A "proper" mourning dress of the 1870's. Note the white

"ruffle" around the headpiece noting that she is the widow


Since there is no "white" ruffle on the head piece then

these two young ladies are family members and not the widow


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