The Funeral of Henry T Rye

Henry T Rye died on January 19 of 1960. This is a picture of him in his casket. Although it may seem disturbing, it is important to understand that for decades, photographing the person was common. Think about the people who could not attend the funeral; think about how people felt they needed a picture to remember the individual. The only time something like this spooked me was when I was watching the video of my own Mother's funeral and the camera panned and showed, for just a moment, an image of her in the casket; I wasn't expecting it.

We like to think about Henry T as a true patriarch of his large family. Although we have information about his brothers and sisters, it is Henry T who received the admiration of his family. For those who knew him, it is hard to believe it is 48 years since he died.

For those who are doing genealogy, remember that many people, such as Mr. Rye, died at home. Keep that in mind when you want to look up death certificates to order. During this era, that is, 1960, many of the New Solum residents were in the hospital in Pennington County were Thief River Falls is. Henry Rye died in Marshall County. At the Minnesota Historical Society web site, it is very rigid about the county. If you don't get a hit with one county, try another.

Another thing that was common during this time was most people who died in the winter where kept in storage at the Greenwood Cemetery vault until the ground thawed. Most likely this is what happened with Henry. The people at Greenwood assure me that with the equipment they have now, the burial happens all seasons.

When a person died in the winter, the funeral was held at the time of death and a grave side service might be held in the spring. My grand mother died in November and was buried then. But Daddy was held over until spring.

Let's hope Shirley can fill in the blanks. Shirley! We need you!

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