Where cremation began is not clear. However, The Cremation Association for North America reports that scholars “generally agree” that the practice probably started in Europe and the Middle East during the early Stone Age – around 3000 B.C.
Many societies have left behind evidence of using cremation as a burial practice. For example, India’s first recorded instances of cremation happened around 1900 B.C., and the process has remained a common practice throughout the centuries. There’s also evidence of Ancient Romans storing cremated remains in decorative pottery urns – as we do today.
While the history of worldwide cremation is complex and worthy of academic study, the beginnings of the cremation process in the United States are much more accessible.
History of Cremation in the Americas
There’s evidence that some Native American tribes cremated their dead, but the specific practice depended upon the tribe’s customs. For example, bones have been found in burial pits in the southern part of the U.S., and the Odawa thought that burning the deceased helped them enter the afterlife. However, cremation was uncommon in some parts of Central and South America because wood wasn’t as prevalent. However, cremation was available for Aztecs of noble birth.
Modern Cremation
While cremation was a part of the lives of indigenous people in some parts of the Americas, it wasn’t available commercially for European settlers until the mid-1800s – and it was met with hostility.
Dr. Francis Julius LeMoyne performed the first cremation in the U.S. in Washington, Pennsylvania in 1876. Dr. LeMoyne was interested in the process because he thought that the decomposing bodies buried in local cemeteries were contaminating the water supply, affecting the local citizens’ health. Dr. LeMoyne’s crematory was designed so flames never touched the deceased’s body, and parts of his crematory design were mimicked for years.
While some protested the idea of “burning bodies,” the cremation movement was backed by others in the medical profession who were concerned with disease and burial.
The Growth of Cremation Services
Decades passed before cremation grew in popularity. Cremation societies emerged in the late 1800s. Dr. Hugo Erichsen founded the Cremation Association of America in 1913. At that time, there were 52 crematories in North America. By 1975, there were 425 crematories in the U.S. and Canada. By 1999, the numbers grew to 1,468 crematories. Twenty years later, the number increased again as there were over 3,000 crematories registered in the countries.
Currently, cremation is the preferred method of disposition in the United States.
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