J. D. Avery - Undertaker
What is your Persona name?
I do not portray a specific persona
What role do you portray?
I am an contracted civilian undertaker.
What unit/group do you belong to?
I am an independant
What is your real name?
John. D. Avery
What do you do in real life?
I am a retired funeral director and grief therapist.
How long have you been reenacting?
Since 1998
History behind the persona you portray?
Embalming became a neccessity at the very begining of the Civil War. Dr. Thomas Holmes, who we recognize as the father of modern embalming, very quickly realized that this was going to become very important. In fact, he embalmed Col Ellis Ellsworth who was the first military casualty of the Civil War. He was a friend of the presidents and pleaded with him to allow him to embalm Col. Ellsworth. It was such a success that it kick-started the proffession of embalming during the Civil War. With the boys being so far away from home the common carriers would not carry unembalmed bodies because of the stench. That of course helped further the proffession of embalming also.
Why did you pick this role to portray?
Being a funeral director it was kind of a natural for me. I started as military. I found this horse drawn herse that I use in 1999 and completely resored it and just kind of went from there.
What did you do to prepare for this role?
Other than my official training as a mortician, I was afforded access to most of the papers of Dr. Ed Johnson who, before his death, was the foremost athourity on Civil War embalming. So, I perused and studied his and his daughter Mellisa's writings and research. That gave me a good solid background. There is extreemly little written about the embalming surgeon during the Civil War.
He (Dr. Johnson) had collected and researched everything there was to know about the Civil War embalming surgeon. Some of it we have to use conjecture because we just don't have the information available. So we use what would have made sense for that day.
In real life I took my training in Missouri. While we did not have to become liscensed as embalmers, I did do some embalming as part of my training. So I have had the experience. While I did not enjoy doing it in my career, I do enjoy doing it this way (using a mannequine and display set up)
When children ask you "Do you really...?" what do they ask?
Do you really embalm people? I did very breifly in my career. But, here in reenactments, no I do not. I use a mannequin to show that procedure. I do not use real live people, no.
They ask about the embalming fluids, whether I like what I do, how can I do what I am doing, how did I get into doing this. Sometimes I get an especially inciteive question from a child who has experienced a death recently in the family or a intuative child.
What kind of equipment do you use?
They used a very minimal of equipment. They used a scalpel, scissors and hand pump. Basically that was it. I do have those pieces of equipment.
Where did you find your equipment?
I found some one on the internet that knew about it in Indiana and went over and looked at it. I did not purchase it though. I walked away and could not sleep for a week. I went back and bought it. Most of the other equipment I found on e-bay. The mannequin is actually a receciannie that died! I carry a wooden coffin called a toe pincher, a nicer coffin that I do not carry with me and a children's coffin that also does not travel with me.
What is your favorite reenactment and why?
Mmmm.... Mmmm... Mmmm... I have enjoyed all of the national events that I have been to, simply because in years past I have not been able to travel and visit the National Battlefields, and this has afforded me that opportunity.
I also enjoy doing presentations for children at schools. It is an area that most children do not get any education about either in real life or historically. I get a lot of good questions and a lot of interest. It takes some of the unknown away for them.
Thank you very much for your time. For the children reading this you should come to an event and see Mr. Avery if you get the chance.
