10/11/2026
Grim as it may seem to modern tastes, death was another way to show off family wealth and social standing in early 19th century America. For a cabinetmaker like Thomas Day, wealthier customers came looking for fancier coffins. Coffins and grave markers were considered reflections of the wealth and status of those they contained, so families of the deceased often paid for more services to demonstrate their high standing.
Durable and resistant to decay, mahogany was much sought after for building coffins, and no one was better known for working with mahogany in Milton than Thomas Day. Multiple invoices from Day to wealthy clients describe the “finest” mahogany coffins to drive the point home that his goods were made from the best materials money could buy. One of Day’s most expensive coffins was made for the family of William Scott in 1837. Compared to a $3 ($104 today) pine coffin sold the same year, the mahogany coffin Day made for the Scotts cost $75, the equivalent of $2,617 in today’s money!
