Our History

Our Roots Run Deep in Fayette County

Proudly serving families in West Tennessee Since 1884 and remains family owned

Peebles Funeral Home takes pride in our roots and would like to share the history of undertaking for Fayette County with you.

The first undertaker in Fayette County was Colonel Simon H. Walker. He was a cabinet maker by trade and started making coffins in Somerville in 1826. This was one year after Somerville was founded. Records show that Colonel Walker was a native of Kentucky and moved to Alabama early on before moving to Fayette County. Colonel Walker served in the office of register for 25 years. He was an honest businessman and served in the undertaking business with his stepson, Thomas E. A. Fraser. Unfortunately, Colonel Walker died in late 1862, following injuries received from being thrown from a buggy. He was buried in Somerville Cemetery. Thomas E.A. Fraser inherited Walker’s undertaking business. The funeral business experienced a big change in the 1850’s. The small cabinetmaking and woodworking shops that employed carpenters and craftsman to make wood coffins, had to adjust to accommodate an alternative kind of coffin made by cast iron stove manufacturers who made metallic cases for burials. Crane Company in Cincinnati, Ohio obtained manufacturing rights to the Fisk metallic case and later became the Crane and Breed Company. Their metallic cases were shipped by railroad to local depots. The first metallic case was used in Fayette County by Alexander Goode, who died December 12, 1858, and was buried in LaGrange. It’s an interesting fact that curious vandals dug up the metallic case following the burial. In 1857, John B. Fuller, a resident and businessman in Somerville, started erecting monuments throughout the area. Although Mr. Fuller wasn’t an undertaker, his wonderful craft is still visible today in many area cemeteries. In the 1860’s, John H. Dancy of the Dancyville area made wood coffins, ordered metallic cases, had a hearse and conducted burials. Thomas E.A. Fraser and his stepfather, Simon H. Walker, who had inherited Walker’s coffin making shop, its fixtures, the hearses and horses and all the metallic cases on hand for over a seven-year period following Colonel Walker’s death, which would have been until 1870, collaborated with another undertaker, William W. Greenway in 1870 through 1872.  William W. Greenway was listed as “undertaker” in the 1870 census. Mr. Greenway advertised as an undertaker in the Fayette Falcon newspaper on April 13, 1871. One week after the posted advertisement, James M. Culbreath entered the undertaking business. Unfortunately, Mr. Greenway died in 1878 during the Yellow Fever epidemic. He was buried in the Somerville Cemetery. It should be noted that the Greenway’s were friends and possibly related to the Colonel Simon H. Walker family. James M. Culbreath, a mechanic by trade, was sexton of the Somerville Cemetery and had opened his own undertaking shop on East Street, but also continued his mechanic business at the same location. This was made public in the Fayette Falcon on April 20, 1871. Mr. Culbreath actually built his own coffin and was buried in the Somerville Cemetery. In 1878, at the age of 59, an enterprising and interesting gentleman, Stewart Freeman Woodruff became an undertaker. His nephew and a carpenter, D. Reddick Cleaves purchased his undertaking business in Mason in 1888. Mr. Woodruff’s undertaking business and coffin shop in Somerville was located where the current Taylor’s Auto Parts is located until relocating in 1884 to the building that currently Farmer’s Hardware on the north side of the courthouse. Mr. Woodruff died and was buried in the Somerville Cemetery in 1895. Mr. Woodruff’s daughter, Mary Woodruff Wetzler, inherited his undertaking business, stock of coffins, materials, hearses and horses. Mrs. Wetzler was married to John Wetzler. This became the first funeral establishment in Fayette County. Mr. Wetzler worked with his father-in-law, S.F. Woodruff, and started learning the undertaking business. John Wetzler graduated from The Oriental School of Embalming in Boston, Massachusetts on April 16, 1892. Mr. and Mrs. Wetzler’s son, John Howard Wetzler graduated from The Gupton-Jones School of Embalming in Nashville, Tennessee on July 6, 1920. It should be noted that W.H. Leach was also in the undertaking business in the 1880’s, but did not have a funeral parlor. The last known advertisement from W.H. Leach Undertaker was in 1894. John Wetzler, who moved to Somerville in 1876, was employed by W.H. Leach, Sr., the owner of a local hardware store. From the experience gained under Mr. Leach, Mr. Wetzler opened his own furniture store that also included the undertaking business in 1884. John Wetzler was ideally suited to pursue the undertaking business. He had a full line of caskets, both wood and metallic, and operated three hearses and served all races. The first automobile hearse was purchased by Mr. Wetzler in 1918. Mr. Wetzler served as coroner and was an Alderman in Somerville for many years. John Wetzler died and was buried in Somerville Cemetery in 1942. John Howard Wetzler continued running the business until the 1950’s. 

As Fayette County continued to grow, so did the funeral business. Henry F. Bryant was the owner of Bryant Funeral Home in Moscow, TN and he operated that business from 1946-1949. John Wilson Simmons, owner of Simmons Funeral Home, was also operating in Moscow in 1947. Harry Crawford operated Crawford Funeral home in Somerville in 1951. Herbert Wright joined the business in 1959, and he also handled monuments. Crawford Funeral Home of Somerville and Simmons Funeral Home of Moscow directed until January 1972. 

Thomas Gordon Peebles bought the funeral home in 1972 from W.B. Wilkinson, John S. Wilder and T.W. Tomlin. At the direction of Tom Peebles and Herbert Wright, the Crawford Funeral Home of Somerville and Simmons Funeral Home of Moscow consolidated and became Fayette County Funeral Home in February 1973. The present Peebles Fayette County Funeral Homes and Cremation Center- Main Chapel, located at 18020 Highway 64 in Somerville, was built in 1974. It was the first and only full-service funeral home facility built specifically for a funeral home in Fayette County and is still being utilized today.

In 2000, Mr. Peebles purchased property on the west side of the county near Oakland, and established Fayette County Memorial Park Cemetery in 2001. As the county continued to grow, he built a second chapel that is still used today. Peebles Fayette County Funeral Homes and Cremation Center- West Chapel, is located at 10670 Highway 64 was built in 2005 and opened February 2006. As a foresight of changes in the funeral industry, the Peebles Cremation Center was built in 2003. The West Chapel, cremation center and cemetery are all located on the same property.

Michael and Jennifer Tilghman were blessed with an opportunity to purchase the funeral homes, cemetery, cremation center and pet business on May 30, 2014. Michael worked and learned the business from Mr. and Mrs. Peebles for 5 years before they sold him the business.  Peebles Funeral Home would like to give special recognition and dedicate this history section in memory of Joy Rosser (1926-2022), a well-known Fayette County historian who recorded most of this information.