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Guide to the Records of H. Samson, Inc., 1859-1982

Arrangement

Repository
Heinz History Center
Title
The Records of H. Samson, Inc.
Creator
H. Samson Funeral Home
Collection Number
MSS#260
Extent
33.0 cubic feet (61 Boxes)
Date
1859-1982
Abstract
H. Samson, Inc. has administered to the funerals, burials and cremation needs of Pittsburghers for over 135 years. These records include funeral case files, correspondence, financial records, promotional literature and historical information.
Language
The material in this collection is in English.
Author
This guide to the collection was originally prepared by: Steve Doell and Jennie Benford on February 1999. Revisions occurred to the finding aid as a part of the encoding process in Fall, 1999.
Sponsor
This finding aid has been encoded as a part of the Historic Pittsburgh project a joint effort of the University of Pittsburgh and the Historical Society of Western Pennsylvania. Funding for this portion of the project has been donated by the Hillman Foundation.
Publisher
Heinz History Center
Address
1212 Smallman St.
Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania 15222
library@heinzhistorycenter.org
URL: https://www.heinzhistorycenter.org

Historical Sketch of H. Samson, Inc. Funeral Home

H. Samson, Inc. has administered to the funerals, burials and cremation needs of Pittsburghers for over 135 years. Founded in 1859 by Hudson Samson (1840-1903), the company remained in family control into the 1990s. Hudson Samson is recognized as an innovator in the field of mortuary science. He revolutionized the embalming process by inventing a fluid injecting-device, the "Samson Pump," which negated the need for ice in the embalming and making it a portable and efficient procedure. This device allowed him to embalm "on site" in the home of the deceased. Up to the late nineteenth century most funeral services were performed in the home of the deceased. Samson anticipated a change in this procedure and so he built one of the first all-in-one funeral homes in 1884 complete with chapel, another first. He also built the first crematory located within the business section of a large city. His facility was only the fifth crematory built in the country. In his services, Hudson Samson demanded a sense of style not often seen in this profession. He insisted on maintaining his own livery stable in which he kept only the finest horses. The lining for many of his caskets was from merino wool.

Harry G. (1870-1948), Hudson's son, took over as director after the death of his father in 1903. Harry also contributed the innovative nature of the Samson business by implementing the first motorized funeral vehicle, the auto hearse, in 1910. He is also credited with the coinage of the term, "mortician," according to the American Funeral Director, 1959.

Howard S. Samson ( -1974), son of Harry, assumed the leadership in 1948. He held that role until his death in 1974. Howard expanded the Samson business outside the city of Pittsburgh into suburban areas through extensive newspaper advertising and direct mailing of booklets describing Samson services. One of Howard's most unusual concepts was the institution of the Provident Fund, into which individuals could deposit funds to provide for payment of funeral services at a later time. When Howard died in 1974 his wife, Elinor, became president of H. Samson, Inc. She remained at that position until her death in 1995. After Elinor's tenure, Samson was sold to CMS West, the largest funeral home operator in Western Pennsylvania. In March 1997 the Loewen Group bought Samson from CMS West.

Scope and Content Notes

The H. Samson Inc. Records include funeral case files, correspondence, financial records, promotional literature and historical information. The largest group of records appears in the funeral case files and order books in series I. These files provide information about the daily activities of a large urban centered funeral home including: funeral ceremony procedure and cost, cremations, body transfers, and embalming techniques.

Arrangement

The Samson Records contain four series and have been designated as Case Files, Financial Records and Office Files and Ferguson Wood Funeral Home.

The H. Samson, Inc. Records are housed in sixty-one archival boxes with forty-six wrapped ledgers identified as "shelf."

Conditions Governing Access

This collection is open for research.

Immediate Source of Acquisition

These materials came in two accessions and were combined into one body of records in 1997.

Acc# 1996.0319 Bernard E. Stocklein, Jr., Chairman and CEO for CMS West, management firm of H. Samson Funeral Home.

Acc# 1997.0169 Michael Rzasa, Funeral Director, H. Samson Funeral Home.

1996-1997

Preferred Citation

Records of H. Samson, Inc., 1859-1982, MSS#260, Historical Society of Western Pennsylvania

Processing Information

This collection was processed by Steve Doell and Jennie Benford in February 1999.

Revision and rearrangement for the encoded version of the finding aid provided by Janet Begnoche on November 11, 1999.

Conditions Governing Use

Property rights reside with the Historical Society of Western Pennsylvania. Literary rights are retained by the creators of the records and their heirs. For permissions to reproduce or publish, please contact the curator of the Archives.

Separated Materials

To the Oversized Photograph Collection, two boxes of photographs have been separately arranged as MSR# 260. The photographs include Samson Funeral Home buildings, portraits of Samson family members and images used in advertising.

Subjects

    Corporate Names

    • H. Samson Funeral Home
    • Ferguson-Wood Funeral Home.

    Other Subjects

    • Funeral rites and ceremonies -- Pennsylvania -- Pittsburgh.

Container List