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Her coffin preserved her for over 148 years in almost perfect condition
2024-02-05
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She died in 1876 at the age of 2 years and 10 months. But when this unsuspecting family wanted to renovate their backyard, they did not expect to find her preserved cast iron casket and mummified body. The casket had a glass window that showed her in almost perfect condition. Who was she? Why was she in their backyard?
In 2016, this family knew their Bay Area home was on top of what once was the Odd Fellows Cemetery. Matter of fact many homes in the hills of San Francisco are on former cemetery locations.
The little girls casket found in backyard. Windows within the casket allows a visual of the girl.Photo byJweerkens, CC BY-SA 4.0 , via Wikimedia
Moving the bodies
In the early 20th century, leaders of the city banned burials within the city limits. Even the burials that existed had to be moved outside the city limits. Apart from the Presidio military cemetery, a little historic cemetery at Mission Dolores and an existing columbarium (structure that holds cremated remains urns). Those are the only places you will find dead bodies within the city limits. Or is it?
When the ban came into effect, the city and families moved the dead to the necropolis of Colma just outside of the city. Colma is basically the “City of the Dead.” A city who only has about 1,600 living residents and approximately 1.5 million dead.
WPA Workers converting Odd Fellows Cemetery into Rossi Playground, December 26, 1933. (wnp14.2425; Courtesy of a Private Collector - Open SaPhoto byPrivate Collector - Open San Francisco
Who is the little girl?
This child should have been one of the 1.5 million buried in Colma. What happened? Who is she?
The former Odd Fellows Cemetery closed in 1903. Relatives of the deceased at Odd Fellows Cemetery were given notice in 1912 to move their loved ones. All the bodies and headstones were thought to have been exhumed by the 1930’s. The columbarium remains in its original location. In the picture above you can see the columbarium in the distance. Now referred to as the San Francisco Columbarium or Neptune Society Columbarium. The assassination San Franciso politician Harvey Milk’s remains reside in this columbarium.
Do you think they should have left her in her orginal location? Let us know in the comments.
But this preserved child's remains were left behind. Still holding a cross made of flowers, wearing a pressed white lace dress, and a ribbon in her hair. Through investigations of the old cemetery maps, they determined she was in the Cook family plot. Using a lock of her preserved hair and a sample from a living relative of the Cook’s, they performed DNA analyses. Sure enough, the little girl was Edith Howard Cook and the living relative is her grandnephew.
She was the eldest daughter of Horatio Nelson Cook (1843–1891) and Edith Scooffy (1851–1919). The two were married in 1870 in San Francisco. Horatio Nelson Cook helped establish M.M. Cook & Sons. A company that specialized in hide tanning and the manufacture of industrial leather belts. Edith Scooffy was born in San Francisco. Her father's family was Greek, and Edith Scooffy served for many years in San Francisco as a consul for Greece.
An 1873 and 1874 birth announcement and baptism record were located for Edith H. Cook. Edith's death was announced in the Saturday, October 14 edition of the San Francisco Chronicle, stating "In this city, October 13, Edith Howard, daughter of Horatio N. and Edith Cook, aged 2 years and 10 months. Friends are respectfully invited to attend the funeral, at 1 o'clock p.m. tomorrow (Sunday) from the residence of the parents, 635 Sutter Street, near Taylor". A funeral record lists the cause of death for Edith as "marasmus". Marasmus is a severe undernourishment causing an infant's or child's weight to be significantly low for their age. Meaning she was very ill and could not eat at the time.
Edith H. Cook was survived by a brother, Milton H. Cook (1871–1926), sister Ethel Cook (1878–1935), and brother Clifford G. Cook (1882–1927). The grandnephew who provided a DNA sample was the grandson of Milton H. Cook. Edith’s parents were moved to Colma in the 1930’s. But somehow Edith’s metal casket was missed. Even though she was buried next to her parents in the Odd Fellows Cemetery.
Edith was buried in a child’s sized Barstow Stove Metal Casket. The casket was the design patented by Amos C. Barstow of Providence, Rhode Island.
Barstow-style caskets are identified from other metal caskets of the era by their design and shape. The design and construction of the casket resulted in an airtight seal, ensuring that its contents would be preserved for some time. At the time they advertised the casket would have a “perfect protection from water and vermin.” I think time proved this claim.
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What do you think about finding Edith? Let us know in the comments.
References
A Barstow-style casket in which Edith H. Cook was buried, Jweerkens, CC BY-SA 4.0 , via Wikimedia Commons
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