Robert Curts: Early Hannibal mortician

Robert A. Curts, undertaker and embalmer, stands in front of his business at 327 Broadway, Hannibal, Mo., circa 1903. Curts, son of Charles Curts, a Mississippi River steamboat pilot who was a schoolmate of Sam Clemens, took over the morturary business following the death of his brother-in-law, Evans Fritz, in 1888. This photo was contributed by Delmus Anderson of Ogden, Utah, great-grandson of Evans Fritz.

To read the story about the heritage of what would later become Smith Funeral Home, click here.