11/22/2025
Thanks to the Natick Historical Society for thinking of us.
🍀🍀🍀 Did you know one of Natick’s longest-running family businesses began with an Irish shoemaker? 🍀🍀🍀
Parish histories from the Natick Catholic community, early town directories, and recent articles on the Everett family all tell the same story. John Everett came to America from Kilmacow, County Kilkenny, Ireland, in the 1840s. After working as a shoemaker in Cambridge, Medway, and Millis, he put down roots in Natick in 1854.
Everett became sexton of St. Patrick’s Church, helping to build up the town’s growing Catholic community and serving as sexton of the cemetery as well. By 1861, he had established a funeral undertaking business. Early Natick directories list him as an undertaker at 9 East Central Street, in the heart of Natick Center.
Over time, the business grew into John Everett & Sons Funeral Home. For four generations, the Everett family has cared for Natick families.
This photo—showing the horse-drawn hearse, attendants, and the Everett storefront—connects us directly to that long tradition of service in our town.
Want to explore more stories, images, and objects from Natick’s past?
Visit our 19th-century Natick history page to dive deeper into the people, places, and businesses that shaped the town:
👉 https://www.natickhistoricalsociety.org/19th-centurynatick
