In 1874 Lucian Judson Sheffield or L.J. as he was known was the owner/operator of the L.J. Sheffield General Store and local carpenter/cabinet maker. One day Sheffield was approached by a family friend to build a handmade walnut shoulder casket for a recently deceased family member. So, for a fee of twelve dollars Mr. Sheffield constructed his first shoulder casket. From that day forward L.J. Sheffield’s was not only a general store but also a fully “licensed” funeral establishment. The Sheffield Funeral Service was operated out of the general store and Sheffield Family home because due to local customs at the time the body was taken from the home, cleaned up, dressed and casketed and returned to the family’s home for an overnight vigil and next day burial. Up until his death in 1936 Lucian proudly ran the general store and blossoming funeral business with the help of his two children: his daughter, Miss Hattie Sheffield and son, Mr. Bennie “BB” Sheffield.
About Us
About Us
Who would have thought that what started out as a favor for a friend would turn into the longest continuously operated business in Nelson County.
The next nineteen years were both busy and rewarding for both Hattie and Bennie; but little did they know the Sheffield Funeral Home would soon forever be intertwined with the already rich history of Nelson County. On the night of August 19, 1969 Nelson County faced a disaster of epic proportions. That night the remnants of Hurricane Camille stalled over Nelson and without warning flooded the area with 25-31 inches of rain in a five hour period destroying 100 bridges, 900 buildings, miles of roads and more importantly claimed the lives of at least 114 citizens leaving another 37 missing in the initial count. The final official count was 124 dead leaving 8 to never be identified. The morning after Hurricane Camille the Sheffield family began to dig out of the mud and runoff that was left behind. Damage to the business included downed trees, large mountain rocks, washed up debris and a wall of mud 5 feet high in the general store. Once the properties were deemed usable the Sheffield’s offered their facilities to the state and a temporary disaster response center and surgical tent for autopsies was set up in the open lot behind the funeral home. Using a refrigerated tractor trailer donated by Morton Foods to store the recovered remains the Sheffield Family assisted in the identification, preservation and record keeping for the state’s disaster response. Once the cleanup was completed and Nelson counties recovery began the Sheffield family continued to dedicate themselves to the community at large. Up until her death in 1978 Miss Hattie ran not only the funeral home and general store but also ran the local ambulance service and worked as a dispatcher for the Lovingston Volunteer Fire Department.