Alexander Logan, born in Scotland in 1862, immigrated to Parry Sound in 1883 with his father and siblings, and soon began to work in the building trades. Other family members began working in the logging and lumber trades. Within months of their arrival in Canada, Alexander’s younger brother, James (13 years old) drowned tragically while playing on the log booms. It is speculated that Alexander Logan built his brother James’ casket.
Soon after, Alexander began constructing caskets to help others in the community deal with a death in the family, and this marked the beginning of Logan’s Funeral Home. The death of his brother likely prompted Alexander to begin the undertaking business.
While not commonly used today, the term “undertaking” originated from the custom where a person “undertook” to care for the deceased. In the early days, families would undertake to look after their own deceased, and often looked to Alexander Logan to make them a casket.
