The History Of Cremation In Modern Times.

3/18/2026

December 4, 1876, The New York Times (Part 2)

Continued from Baron De Palm’s Request. His Remains To Be Cremated On Wednesday.

note: paragraph breaks added for readability.

The subject of cremation was taken up with considerable interest in many parts of Europe about the beginning of the year 1874, in consequence of the publication of a paper on that subject by Sir Henry Thompson, in London, entitled “The Treatment of the Body after Death,” in which cremation was advocated principally as a sanitary measure. The slowness of decomposition after inhumation, and the consequent emanation of deleterious gases, and the infiltration of poisonous matter into the wells and water courses were dwelt upon at considerable length, and excited the fears of a large portion of the community.

The paper was translated twice into German — once in Cologne, and once in Gratz, Austria — and in consequence of this joint publication the Communal Council of Vienna adopted, by a large majority, the proposal by a member to establish in the cemetery the necessary apparatus for cremation, its use being optional and open to all.

Following this, the Communal Council of Gratz, a city with a population of 100,000, decided to consider a like proposal. The matter was then taken up in this country, and was largely discussed by the press, the public taking great interest in the question, as was manifested by the numerous letters written to the different papers by all classes of the more intelligent citizens, the majority of the letter‑writers being in its favor. A singular feature of this discussion was that the ladies of the country took great interest in it, and seemed to approve of the idea.

On March 27 of the same year the movement had become so popular in this City that a number of prominent gentlemen held an informal meeting in the rooms of Dr. Sexton, No. 12 West Thirty‑fifth Street, and discussed the propriety of forming a regular cremation society. After further consultation, it was decided that a society should be formed, and to this end a meeting, which was largely attended, was held in the rooms of the Young Men’s Christian Association on the 3rd of the following month. The meeting was called to order by Dr. T. M. Welde, and Mr. Henry A. Stone was called to the chair, with Mr. Edward A. Caswell elected Secretary. Letters were read from Mr. D. G. Croly, Rev. O. B. Frothingham, Mr. Chas. A. Dana, Col. Henry S. Olcott and Mr. Henry Bergh, of the Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals. Committees were appointed and steps were taken to make the organization permanent, but the matter was allowed to drop, and no further meetings were held by the society.

Many of its members, however, are still in favor of disposing of the bodies of the dead by burning, and are anxiously awaiting the report of the first practical experiment in that direction in this country. This, however, will not be the first act of cremation practiced in the United States. In the year 1792 the body of Henry Laurens, the American patriot and statesman, was burned on his plantation in South Carolina, according to the express directions to his son, left by him in his will. They were very explicit and minute, and left the young man no discretion in the matter. Following is the full clause of the will:

“I solemnly enjoin it on my son as an indispensable duty, that as soon as he conveniently can after my decease, to cause my body to be wrapped in twelve yards of tow‑cloth and burned until it be entirely consumed, and then collecting my bones, deposit them wherever he may think proper.”

Very meagre accounts of the operation are now to be found. The most authentic now extant, however, which is given below, is contained in the New‑York Journal and Patriotic Register of Saturday, Jan. 23, 1793, now on file in the rooms of the New‑York Historical Society.

“The following extract of a letter, dated Charleston, S.C., Dec. 24, is taken from the Norwich Weekly Register of Jan. 14:

‘A few days since departed this life Henry Laurens, Esq., about seventy years of age, and his corpse was burned the Thursday after his decease. This was done by his son at the request of his father, who made this reserve in his will, that unless his son complied with this he should be cut short in any of his estate, which was worth £60,000. The ashes remaining from the body were taken up and put into a silver urn for that purpose.’

The reason Mr. Laurens gave for this desire was that his body was too good to be eaten by worms.”

Another account says that upon the occasion of the death of one of his children by small‑pox, and while the body was lying in the room, Mr. Laurens ordered the windows to be opened in order to admit fresh air into the apartment. The cool breeze caused the child to revive, and its narrow escape from being buried alive caused so great an impression upon Mr. Laurens’ mind as to induce him to determine that he would avoid all risk of meeting so dreadful a fate by having his body burned.

The funeral pyre was erected on a beautiful spot on the brow of a hill on his plantation, and the body, wrapped in cloth, as he had directed, was borne to the place on the shoulders of four of his favorite slaves. After being placed upon the pyre, incense and perfume were heaped upon it. The services were then performed and the torch applied. After the body had been reduced to ashes, they were carefully gathered up and placed in a beautiful silver vase that had been provided for the occasion.

The instances of cremation in modern times in Europe have been more frequent. The burning of the body of the poet Shelley, by order of the Tuscan Government, on the shores of the Mediterranean, by his friends Lord Byron, Leigh Hunt, and Mr. Trelawney, in 1822, is probably the best known. His ashes were afterward deposited in the Protestant burial ground in Rome.

In 1870 or 1871 the body of an East Indian Prince, who died in Florence, was burned by his attendants in the Eastern style, and his ashes were taken back to India. About one year ago the body of Alberto Keller, of Milan, was burned in a temple erected by his orders in a cemetery near that city. In 1875 the body of Lady Dilke, and that of the wife of an eminent German physician, were burned in compliance with the wishes of the deceased.

The crematory in which the body of the Baron de Palm is to be burned, in Washington, Penn., is of brick, one story high, with an iron roof, and is provided with three chimneys. It is divided into two compartments, the reception‑room, about twenty feet square, and the furnace‑room. The retort in which the remains are burned is seven and a half feet long, twenty inches high, and twenty‑eight inches wide. The furnace is beneath, and the whole is inclosed in brick work. While the burning is taking place, no odor will be perceptible, as all gases emanating from the body are returned to the furnace and made to pass over the fire, and are thus consumed.

In 2026, the funeral profession marks an extraordinary milestone: the 150th anniversary of the first modern cremation in North America—the sesquicentennial.

It all began in 1876, when Baron De Palm was cremated at the LeMoyne Crematory in Washington, Pennsylvania. That moment sparked a movement that has profoundly shaped today’s death‑care landscape. To honor this history, CANA is launching a year‑long series of articles, resources, and activities commemorating cremation’s sesquicentennial.

We invite you to join us.

This anniversary is more than a look back—it’s a unique moment for the profession to reflect on 150 years of change and envision what comes next. By participating, you help amplify a conversation that honors our history while advancing the future of death care.
So take a moment to reflect on where we've come, where we are, and where we're going. Then, share your story on social media and with us! Leave us a note on our Contact Us page about what this sesquicentennial means to you.

Republished from the original article published December 3, 1876 and retrieved from the archives of The New York Times:
BARON DE PALM'S REQUEST.;HIS REMAINS TO BE CREMATED ON WEDNESDAY. THE BODY TO BE CONVEYED TO WASHINGTON, PENN., THIS EVENING--DESCRIPTION OF THE FURNACE AND THE PROCESS OF CREMATION--THE ASHES TO BE PRESERVED IN AN ANTIQUE VASE--A SCIENTIFIC DISCUSSION OF THE SUBJECT TO FOLLOW THE BURNING. SCIENTIFIC ASPECTS OF THE CEREMONY. THE HISTORY OF CREMATION IN MODERN TIMES.

Baron De Palm’s Request. His Remains To Be Cremated On Wednesday.

3/4/2026

December 4, 1876, The New York Times (Part 1)

note: paragraph breaks added for readability.

The burning, or cremation, of the body of Joseph Henry Louis, Baron de Palm, Grand Cross
Commander of the Sovereign Order of the Holy Sepulchre at Jerusalem, Knight of St. John of Malta, Prince of the Roman Empire, late Chamberlain to His Majesty the King of Bavaria, Fellow of the Theosophical Society of New‑York, &c., &c., will take place as previously announced, at Washington, Penn., on Wednesday next. This gentleman, who died in this City in May last, shortly before his death requested Col. Henry S. Olcott and Mr. Henry J. Newton, whom he had named as the Executors of his will, to have his remains disposed of in this manner.

As there was at that time no furnace in this country in which the body could be properly burned, the Executors decided to await the completion of a crematory then being erected by Dr. F. Julius Le Moyne, of Washington, Penn., which it was thought would be finished within the year. The body was therefore embalmed, and after appropriate ceremonies conducted by the Theosophical Society in the Masonic Temple, Sixth Avenue and Twenty‑third Street, was deposited in a vault in the Lutheran Cemetery, near Williamsburg, where it now lies.

The crematory is now complete in all its appointments, and the Executors have made every arrangement for the proper performance of the ceremony.

The body will be forwarded to Washington this evening, by the 6 o’clock train on the Pennsylvania Railroad, in charge of the undertaker of the Roosevelt Hospital, who will deliver it to Dr. Le Moyne.

A committee of the Theosophical Society, appointed to be present at the cremation, composed of Col. Henry S. Olcott, President; Henry J. Newton, Treasurer; H. P. Blavatsky, Corresponding Secretary; and H. D. Monachesi, Recording Secretary pro tem. will go on the same train.

The remains, which are now inclosed in a rosewood coffin with silver mountings, will not be taken out, but will be conveyed to the place of cremation in the coffin, inclosed in a suitable box.

Before being burned, however, the corpse will be taken out of the coffin and wrapped in folds of white linen cloth, and will then be placed in an iron cradle, made for the purpose, which will be inserted into the furnace.

This cradle is so constructed that the ashes of the deceased will be kept separate and can be easily gathered after the furnace cools. Care has been taken to remove all offensive features from the operation. Besides the white cloth in which it will be enveloped, the body will be covered with flowers, and aromatic spices and gums, such as cinnamon, acacia, frankincense, and myrrh, will be strewn over it.

After the cremation, which it is supposed will occupy about three hours, the ashes will be collected and placed in an antique vase, procured for the purpose from the region of the upper Nile by Col. Olcott. This vase is of plain red clay, and has a short neck, with a handle on each side, and in shape is very like those recently found in the excavations at Cyprus. On one side of the vase a brass plate, bearing the name, age, and titles of the deceased, will be attached.

The ashes, which it is thought will weigh about five pounds, will be sprinkled with perfume before being inclosed in the receptacle provided for them, after the manner practiced by the ancient Greeks and Romans. There will be no services performed over the remains at the crematory, as the Executors say it will be simply and solely the act of cremation for the decent disposal of the body, which should have occurred immediately after the services in the Masonic Temple, but were delayed for the reason already given.

Col. Olcott, from whom the above information was obtained, said to a TIMES reporter last evening that, by the cremation of the body of the Baron de Palm in this country, one important point would be settled—that it would prove that there was no legal objection to the disposal of a body by burning.

All the forms of the law concerning the case had been complied with, and no difficulty had been encountered in obtaining permission to remove the body. He had not anticipated any trouble, he said, because in 1874, when the question of cremation was first agitated in this country, he and Mr. F. C. Bowman, of this City, had been appointed by the Cremation Society, formed in that year, to examine into the legal aspects of the matter. After examining the statutes, they found that there was nothing in them to prevent a man from disposing of his body by fire, and so reported to the society. Before the Baron’s body could be removed from the cemetery, however, it had been necessary to obtain separate permits from the Brooklyn Board of Health and the Health Officer of Queens County, in which county the cemetery lies. There was no concealment of the purpose for which the removal of the body had been asked, and, in Brooklyn, the undertaker was required by the Board of Health to make affidavit to the fact that the body was to be cremated.

Scientific Aspects of the Ceremony.

As the occasion was one of great interest to science in its historical, sanitary, and other aspects, Col. Olcott said that he and his fellow Executors had consented to have the ceremony performed in public. Invitations to be present had been sent to scientific men throughout the United States, and had been accepted in many instances. Among those whom he expected to be present were Prof. John C. Dalton, of the New‑York College of Physicians and Surgeons; Prof. Barker, of the University of Pennsylvania; President Orterson, of the Brooklyn Board of Health; and Health Officer Zink, of the same city. The medical department of Harvard University, the Boston Board of Health, and the Health Boards of Philadelphia, Baltimore, Washington, Cincinnati, Chicago, St. Louis, New‑Orleans, and other cities would also send representatives.

At a meeting of so many scientific men from all parts of the country, Col. Olcott said he thought it would be well to have the subjects of inhumation and cremation discussed, and with that object had suggested to Dr. Le Moyne that suitable arrangements should be made for holding a meeting. Dr. Le Moyne had heartily concurred with him in the matter, and had secured the Court‑house of the town of Washington, and the discussion would be held there on the evening of the cremation. Among the practical and scientific questions that would be brought up would be included “Premature Burial,” “The Detection of Poisons,” “The Bearing of Cremation on Life Insurance Proofs of Death,” and the “Sanitary Aspects.”

The Theosophical Society, Col. Olcott said, had nothing to do with the management of this affair — it rested solely with Dr. Le Moyne and the two Executors. The society had no creed of any kind. It was no more than a scientific body, composed of humble students, who sought no notoriety, and who had had it all thrust upon them. They had no more of a common religious faith than they had of a common liking for a particular kind of sauce. Applicants for membership were never asked anything about their religious belief, except whether they believe in the existence of a God, for the subject of theosophy could have no possible interest for anyone who did not. There was just as much variety of opinion about cremation among the members of the society as there was about any other thing.

Article continues with The History Of Cremation In Modern Times.

In 2026, the funeral profession marks an extraordinary milestone: the 150th anniversary of the first modern cremation in North America—the sesquicentennial.

We invite you to join us.

So take a moment to reflect on where we've come, where we are, and where we're going. Then, share your story on social media and with us! Leave us a note on our Contact Us page about what this sesquicentennial means to you.

The History Of Cremation In Modern Times.

December 4, 1876, The New York Times (Part 2)

Baron De Palm’s Request. His Remains To Be Cremated On Wednesday.

December 4, 1876, The New York Times (Part 1)

Scientific Aspects of the Ceremony.

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