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Funeral Home Register from Brandon, Manitoba 1895-1904  
 
I have a Funeral Home Register from Brandon Manitoba. I believe the first funeral home to start filling it out was W.F.A. Wilson and Rankin but later sold to G.W. Vincent and Richard Macpherson in 1901. This register covers the period 1895-1904. The first entry is dated September 15, 1895, and the last is dated November 21, 1904.  
 
This is the only register from that period and would be close to 130 years old, the register when new was purchased from Globe Casket Company and contains 200 pages with over 800 entries. There is an alphabetical index with pages and entries with the page numbers beside names to help find the person quickly. The binding is loose and the pages are also loose from the binding, the pages do show some wear and fading and color fading, with edge wear towards the back pages, the front and rear covers are loose from the pages but the pages themself are in nice readable condition. I would say the condition of the complete register is poor to fair.  
 
Each name put in the register is written in the Funeral Directors own handwriting, and there are four entries on each page which contain the following information: Place of Death, Name, Age, Debtor, Occupation, Residence, Where Buried, Date of Funeral. Other information is Religion, Doctor's Name, and cause of death. Not all the information is filled out for each entry, there is also across from the Name of the person, a listing for the cost of the funeral items for the Casket, Box, Plate, Carriages, Crape, White Gloves for pallbearers 6 sets for 1.50, Ribbon, Embalming, Grave, Digging, Trimming, Printing, Attendance, Shroud, and Chairs.  
 
The Funeral Home would have rented the “Casket Wagon” and different size Hacks with horses for the funerals from the following listed Brandon businesses, Kelly Livery Stables, McKay Livery Stables, and McMillian Livery Stables.  
 
Some of the Doctors listed are, Dr McDiarmid, Dr. Fleming, Dr. Chipperfield, Dr. Frazer, Dr. Thompson, Dr. More, Dr. Anderson, and Dr. McDonald.  
 
Some people moved to Brandon and the area at that time for employment, with several related work deaths from accidents on the Railway, farming, and other causes of death listed, along with illness, some of the deceased were returned to their hometown in another province, or the U.S.A. and were taken to the train yard in Brandon to be returned home.  
 
I will not show any of the deceased names but will attach some pictures showing some of the information, placed on one of the pages is the death of Queen Victoria Obsequies “The Good” Feb 2, 1901.  
The one name I will list is Hilda Blake on page 86 the first woman to be hung in the “Dominion of Canada” In Brandon, Manitoba at the Brandon Jail on December 27th, 1899  
 
This is an interesting register with a lot of local history and names of the early residents of Brandon.  
If you have any questions about the register please private message me.