The 50 Oldest Funeral Homes in the U.S.

Funeral homes pride themselves on centuries or perhaps decades (even centuries) of work and carrying a name that reflects community service. Exactly makes an establishment eligible for this title can be quite controversial, though. Changes in ownership or location, origins as cabinet or coffin makers, and stints where a facility was closed and subsequently reopened definitely complicate the matter. 

However, we’re determined to create the “definitive” list of the oldest funeral homes in the country. We’ve done our best to scour deathcare websites and historical registers, and we even crowdsourced names from our Facebook followers. With that said, we make no promises that we haven’t omitted an important institution, so if you know of a funeral home that deserves to make the list, please let us know. We’ll keep updating until we get it right.

With no further ado, we bring you (what we believe to be) the 50 Oldest Funeral Homes in the United States!

1759: Bucktrout of Williamsburg, Williamsburg, Virginia

1761: Kirk & Nice, Plymouth Meeting, Pennsylvania

1769: Bachman Snyder Funeral Home, Strasburg, Pennsylvania

1782: William F. Sellers Funeral Home, Chambersburg, Pennsylvania

1789: Demaine Funeral Home, Alexandria, Virginia

1808: McComas Funeral Home, Abingdon, Maryland

1831: Faries Funeral Home, Smyrna, Delaware

1842: Austin & Bell, Springfield, Tennessee

1842: Keller Funeral Homes, Fogelsville, Pennsylvania

1845: Brown Funeral Homes, Mifflintown, Pennsylvania

1847: Ashton Funeral Home, Easton, Pennsylvania

1847: Freeman Funeral Home, Freehold, New Jersey

1847: Muehlig Funeral Chapel, Ann Arbor, Michigan

1848: Lafferty Funeral Home, West Union, Ohio

1850: Joseph Gawler’s Sons, LLC, Washington, DC

1855: Muster Funeral Homes, Calhoun, Kentucky

1858: Millspaugh Funeral Home, Walden, New York

1863: Cheney Witt Funeral Chapel, Fort Scott, Kansas

1863: Young Family Funeral Home, Kendalville, Indiana

1865: Soller-Baker Funeral Homes, Lafayette, Indiana

1866: Wendt Funeral Home, Moline, Illinois

1868: Schaetter’s Funeral Home, Fredericksburg, Texas

1870: McElhaney – Hart Funeral Home, Huntington, Indiana

1870: Murphy Funeral Homes, Hamilton/Ewing, New Jersey

1872: E. Harper & Son, New Haven, Indiana

1872: Neidecker, Crosser & Priesman, Port Clinton, Ohio

1872: Stroud-Lawrence Funeral Home, Chagrin Falls, Ohio

1873: Thomas McInerney’s Sons Funeral Home, Chicago, Illinois

1875: Kroeger Funeral Home, Logansport, Indiana

1878: Oliver H. Bair Co. & Monaghan Funeral Home, Upper Darby, Pennsylvania

1879: Brown Owens and Brumley, Fort Worth, Texas

1880: Ferguson Funeral Home, Scottdale, Pennsylvania

1883: F.G. Guido Funeral Home, Brooklyn, New York

1883: Gaffney Funeral Home, Tacoma, Washington

1883: Harper Funeral Home, Albion, Indiana

1885: Healy Chapel Funeral & Cremation Services, Aurora, Illinois

1885: John Krtil Funeral Home, Manhattan, New York

1885: Murphy Funeral Home, Rochester, Pennsylvania

1886: Littleton & Rue Funeral Home, Springfield, Ohio

1887: T.G. McCarthy Funeral Home, Pueblo, Colorado

1886: Posten’s Funeral Home, Atlantic Highlands, New Jersey

1889: O’Neill-Hayes Funeral Home, Newport, Rhode Island

1889: Poulson & Van Hise Funeral Directors, Trenton, New Jersey

1891: Lensing Funeral Home, Iowa City, Iowa

1894: Wentz Funeral Home, Coatesville, Pennsylvania

1898: J.S. Williams Funeral Home, Shreveport, Louisiana

1900: Traunero Funeral Home, Tiffin, Ohio