The Puritans of New England were a people very well acquainted with death and their idiosyncratic relationship with it led to a rich funeral culture that persisted for years after the collapse of the Puritan movement. A ritual that involved copious alcohol, but no sermons, the 17th Century funeral is at once very similar and completely different from the funerals of today. Historical Society board member Carl Schultz discusses the origins and impact of Puritan funeral culture.