Thomas Jefferson Souder and his wife, Mary Ellen Souder, resting side by side in a custom-built double casket after passing away days apart in July 1921...
Thomas Jefferson Souder, known as Jeff, was born in Kentucky in 1840. During the Civil War, he served in the Union Army with the 50th Indiana Infantry from 1861 to 1865.
Just weeks after leaving the army, he married Mary Ellen East in Lawrence County, Indiana, in March 1865.
The couple eventually moved to Texas and settled near Hurst, in Tarrant County, where they became known as local pioneers. Together they raised eight children and lived to see 24 grandchildren and 19 great-grandchildren.
In July 1921, both became seriously ill. Some accounts say they had dysentery, while the local newspaper at the time described their deaths as caused by the infirmities of old age.
Mary died on July 13. Jeff died two days later, on July 15. Instead of separate burials, they were laid to rest side by side in a single double casket at Arwine Cemetery in Hurst.
It isn’t known whether the couple asked to be buried together or their family made the decision.
Double caskets were extremely rare. Most cemeteries and funeral homes weren’t set up for them, which is part of why this photo still fascinates people more than a century later.
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