Stein Patent Burial Case Exhibited in Sandusky, Ohio

An article in the October 6, 1873 issue of the Sandusky Register reported that Christopher Ruff, who was in the undertaking business in Sandusky, recently received a Stein Patent Burial Case. The Stein Manufacturing Company manufactured burial cases in Rochester, New York in the 1870's. This new burial case was made from prepared wood, but was said to have been as sturdy as a metallic casket. It was gold and silver mounted, and lined with satin on the interior, and featured an outer lining of black broadcloth. The Stein Patent Burial Case was to be on exhibit at the Erie County Fair in the fall of 1873. The article stated that James Gordon Bennett, founder of the New York Herald, had been buried in the exact style of burial case as the one that Christopher Ruff had just received.

Samuel Stein, of Rochester, New York, was issued several patents for burial cases. The burial case pictured below is a from U.S. Patent Number 124,769, issued on March 19, 1872. The full text of this patent is accessible via Google Patents.



Christopher Ruff was in business in Sandusky from the 1870's through 1890, when his store was destroyed by fire. After losing his business in the fire, Mr. Ruff moved to St. Paul, Minnesota. He died on December 4, 1893, and his obituary appeared in the December 6, 1893 issue of the Sandusky Register.