Welcome to the official website of the Funeral History Group. A full website is in the works and will be live soon. In the meantime, please read a little bit about us:
The Funeral History Group was established with the purpose of elevating knowledge of funeral service and its professionals and the impact these men and women have had on American History.
To accomplish these goals, the founders have written two first-of-their-kind books — the history of Washington, D.C.’s “Funeral Home of the Presidents,” Joseph Gawler’s Sons, and an overview of funeral service in Texas, from early undertakers to modern funeral homes and the men and women who have served their communities. Other books relating to funeral history are now in the planning stages.
The first two books will be available for pre-order on this site.
Founders of The Funeral Group include:
E. Duane Hills, President of Joseph Gawler’s Sons, in Washington, D.C., the archivist of Gawler’s museum, an expert of all things Lincoln and a life-long historian. As a Civil War re-enactor, he has studied the War Between the States and has provided memorials to remind future generations of the forgotten history of this country.
James O. “Jim” Kurtz, a 50-year veteran of funeral service, a documentarian of funeral service for the past half-century, an expert on the assassination of President John Kennedy and an avid collector and archivist of funeral ephemera, photographs and information about the funeral profession. He also has photographed the final resting places of the famous, infamous and others significant in the tapestry of American history.
Alice A. Adams, an award-winning journalist for 40 years, is the author or co-author of two dozen books on various areas of business, including “Safety 24/7,now in six additional languages and is the workplace “bible” for major corporations on five continents. She has written articles for almost all of the national funeral magazines and journals and has been a columnist for The Houston Chronicle, The Jewish Herald-Voice and is editor of The Texas Director.