William King’s Mortality Books, Volume 2, 1833-1863 - Jane Donovan and Carlton Fletcher. This is the second part of a two-volume transcription, from the originals, of all the burials in the Georgetown section of Washington, D.C., for which William King built coffins. Volume 1 covered the years 1795 to 1832.
This volume completes King’s records, with listings from 1833 to the firm’s close in the spring of 1863. Never before available to the public, these ledgers of King’s coffin sales provide an unexpected look into the social history of eighteenth and nineteenth century Georgetown, as well as raw data for mortality and demographic studies. Coffin production was a profitable portion of King’s prosperous and highly-regarded furniture-making business, as was common for cabinetry artisans of his day. Surnames generally indicate the person who paid for King’s services, not the person being buried. Given names, nicknames, and sobriquets without surnames are sometimes used, occasionally accompanied by designation of race. All segments of society are represented. Entries are listed both chronologically and alphabetically. A brief biography of William King precedes the listings.
(2004), 2016, 5½x8½, paper, index, 140 pp.
ISBN: 9780788418532
101-D2522
