old mortuary tag

[grimroofer]

i found this in the Detroit river last week it is stainless steel and the back is blank i think it is a key tag but i am not sure anyone have an idea ? it sure is one of the strangest things that i have found lol the dime is just to size it up

[Tony in SC]

Looks like a cremation tag. I have found them at the beach. Tony

[grimroofer]

is the tag in with the ashes and they scater them and that is how the get there? this did come from an old beach that is not in use anymore

[Havilah_Springs]

Hey grimroofer,

Have you tried to search or contact "Williamson Mortuary" to find out about the tag.

Interesting find

H_S

[grimroofer]

yes i cant find anything in the Detroit area there is one in Georgia i dont think they have used this part of the beach in 50 years so that mortuary is long gone i am sure i thought it was a key tag but i am still not sure

[High Plains Digger]

Bed and breakfast key tag.

My question: How does a tag survive the cremation process? It would have to be in with the body to be in the ashes to be dumped on the beach or at sea. I don't know for sure what iron and steel melt at (2200?) but don't they burn the body at 3500 degrees for several hours? Aluminum melts a a lot lower temp.

[grimroofer]

it is made of stainless steel but your right i dont think the tag would make it threw that prosess unless they put it in after they were done just to identify the ashes but why is there a hole in it i thought someone must have seen one of thease and would know for sure

[Tony in SC]

The ring around the hole is probably from a rivet or screw head that fastened it to a box or something. Everything esle rotted away.
One November night we were at Tybee Island Georgia. Because it was low tide and a full moon the water had been pulled all the way to the end of the peir. My wife found a small red urn with a chain and brass tag. Inside was a silk scarff and some white chaulky stuff. It was ashes!!! I chucked him back out as far as I could and we went Home!! Tony

[Bigcypresshunter]

It looks like a cremation tag. Yes stainless steel tags along with bone screws, pins and plates will survive the cremation process. I found an old silver tag and I did a lot of research on the subject. I have pictures of about 10 ss cremation tags but I have lost my files in a computer crash. Most of them say cremation. This is the first I have seen that says mortuary.

[Bigcypresshunter]

I posted a few here . The ones Ive seen say crematory, creamtory, or funeral home. http://forum.treasurenet.com/index.p...tml#msg2955386

You can also search the old forums "crematory"

[Bigcypresshunter]

Here you go they even have pet cremations. The tag is to help prevent misidentification. http://www.devotedpets.com/tag.html

The same care and identification process developed for humans is an intricate part of our private cremation services.

Every pet having a private cremation services is tagged at the place of death with a numbered stainless steel identification tag. This ID tag can withstand temperatures exceeding 2800 degrees and will remain on the pet during the entire cremation process.

The cremated remains will be returned to the pet owner or veterinary Professional with the metal ID tag attached assuring positive identification

[grimroofer]

well thanks for all the info i guess the right thing to do next time i go home to detroit is skip it back out in the river where it belongs i will just keep the pics

[AGBlex]

interesting find indeed. sure it has some story to it

[grimroofer]

the funny thing about me finding this kind of tag is i have a thing about death and it goes with some of my tattoos like this one

[High Plains Digger]

Well, friends, I have learned something new today. I worked my way through college for two years in the Adams County Coroner's office located in St. Germain's Morturary (while living upstairs over the morturary) and had no idea these existed. It wasn't a crematory, but still. I suppose they just hung the tag on the casket and then hung it on the hook outside the oven, not necessarily putting it inside the oven. But the question is, how and why would it be discarded? Surely it wouldn't need to be discarded and there is no reason it couldn't be reused at a later date. On a back shelf, we had numerous boxes of cremains that weren't claimed. And in fact, I have some locksmith materials in one of those boxes from when the family purchased an urn. The boxes were very nice and sturdy and I kept one for future use. The boxes had paper tags glued to the end and when the ashes were put in an urn, there was usually a name plate on it. Boy, this brings back some creepy memories. Too bad this wasn't posted the week before Halloween!

[grimroofer]

well that explains the hole in it it makes more sence than a key tag

[Bigcypresshunter]

The ring around the hole looks as if it was once riveted to something. I notice many of the others have the same rivet ring or whatever it is.

[grimroofer]

so far this is the only one i have seen that said mortuary on it maybe just an older type i guess

[Bigcypresshunter]

so far this is the only one i have seen that said mortuary on it maybe just an older type i guess

I think its also the first I have seen but its exactly the same shape and hole. I think its solved. They say different things. Green check?

[grimroofer]

i guess they are more common than i thought this site is so neat and what is it is my favorite category thanks everyone for helping solve the mystery