Agreements to Sell Lots, 1877 - 1889 | The Green-Wood Cemetery

By Herb Rubenstein

Collection Overview

Title: Agreements to Sell Lots, 1877 - 1889

Extent: 4.0 Boxes

Abstract

The Agreement to Sell Lots volumes contain burial lot purchase agreements between lot owners and Green-Wood Cemetery. Each lot purchase agreement identifies the burial lot selected, price, down-payment and any balance owed and financial terms, including interest rates. Additionally, the agreements identified the person or persons that could be buried in the purchased lot.

All three volumes include hand-written name indices, tipped in notes and correspondences.

Scope and Contents of the Materials

The Agreements to Sell Lots consists of contractual agreements for individuals and family members who have been interred at Green-Wood Cemetery during a time-period that ranges from 1877 to 1889.

These contracts are contained in three bound volumes with the words "Agreements to Sell Lots' printed on the spine. Each of these Agreements consist of four paragraphs. The first paragraph pertains to the deposit for the burial plot.

The second paragraph in this contract is in regard to other individuals (usually family membners who may also be buried in this lot on the condition that the balance of money that is due is paid by the agreed upon date with interest.

In paragraph three, it is stated that the time that is mentioned in the previous paragraph is the essential part of the contract. The person or persons who signed the Agreement would not be entitled to any additional rights or titles beyond that which was agreed upon.

The final paragraph mentions the date that the Agreement was signed by the parties involved and the signatures are below this.

The volumes have inserts of loose papers that contain the names of individuals who were over due in their payments for the plots. These names were crossed out indicating that the payents were made. Many of these contracts have hand-written notes on them. These notes often refer to dates that payments were made in installments toward paying off the balance of the Agreement. Often these notes were on the back of the contract. The word "Paid" is written on the face of many of these documents.

Some of these hand-written notes regarded to extentions of the deadline for the final payment that was due. The time frame for full payments for these burial plots vary. Usually, full payment with interest was due within a twelve month period after the signature. But on occasion, the time-frame for paying off the balance could be longer or shorter.

Box and Folder Listing

Browse by Box:

[Box 1: Agreements to Sell Lots, Volume 1, July 11, 1874 to April 28, 1881],
[Box 2: Agreements to Sell Lots, Volume 2, February 20, 1884 to October 13, 1886],
[Box 3: Agreements to Sell Lots, Volume 3, October 15, 1886 to July 17, 1889],
[Box 4: Tipped in notes and correspondence],
[All]

Box 1: Agreements to Sell Lots, Volume 1, July 11, 1874 to April 28, 1881

Box 2: Agreements to Sell Lots, Volume 2, February 20, 1884 to October 13, 1886

Box 3: Agreements to Sell Lots, Volume 3, October 15, 1886 to July 17, 1889

Box 4: Tipped in notes and correspondence

Folder 1: Volume 1, Page 213, letter from Green-Wood to Nachim Schenke dated November 14, 1884 re: non-payment of balance for plot.
Folder 2: Volume 1, page 217, four hand-written notes with sums of money pertaining to agreement for John Ireland.
Folder 3: Volume 1, page 240, hand-written note, Susan Burke plot agreement
Folder 4: Volume 2, two hand-written notes from E. Atwood dated March 19th 1886 and June 12, 1886
Folder 5: Volume 2, Page 6, formal notice from Green-Wood re: payment that was past due, dated January 25, 1888, one hand-written note from attorney for purchaser stating that a check is enclosed for payment
Folder 6: Volume 2, Page 112 1/2, page 11, hand-written note dated November 3, 1885 for Alonzo and Mary Plaut re: payment for plot
Folder 7: Volume 2, Page 70, six hand-written letters and 2 hand-written notes that list sums of payments re: Ellis Atwood burial plot agreement
Folder 8: Volume 2, Page 97 1/2, envelope w/ admission ticket, 2 receipts, hand-written notes in envelope, hand-written letter from Green-Wood re: removal of remains due to failure to keep up payments
Folder 9: Volume 2, Page 112 1/2, hand-written letter dated April 10, 1886 from Charles Griffen re: payment of debt, hand-written letter from Charles Griffen dated November 13, 1886 re: payment of debt.
Folder 10: Volume 2, page 115, four hand-written notes from E. Clarke re: difficulties in making payments
Folder 11: Volume 2, Page 147, hand-written ledger sheet listing payment installments for lot purchased by Isabella Kansdell
Folder 12: Volume 2, page 213, hand-written letter from George Keeler dated August 18, 1886 to Green-Wood re: enclosure of a check for payment of the balance for the lot.
Folder 13: Volume 2, miscellaneous agreement for burial lot form
Folder 14: Volume 3, hand-written note written by Edmond Seeley dated November 10, 1887, formal agreement acknowledging resale of plot back to Green-Wood and hand-written note from Mr. Seeley re: return of the sum of $258 to him.
Folder 15: Volume 3, hand-written note tipped into agreement written by Charles Cooper dated May 24, 1888
Folder 16: Volume 3, one hand-written note written by Adolfo Besosa mentioning an enclosed check for $400 and another hand-written note with several sums listed on it.l
Folder 17: Volume 3, a business card for George B. Hansey, an attorney, a hand-written note asking for an extention of the deadline for payment and another hand-written note from Green-Wood regarding the final payment
Folder 18: Vollume 3, two hand-written notes referring to the transfer of remains dated August 1, 1887
Folder 19: Volume 3, hand-written note tipped into contract stating that the deed should be in the name of Mrs. Marshall.
Folder 20: Volume 3, page 80, hand-written letter from Samuel Kennedy regarding delivery of the deed, datged September 17, 1888
Folder 21: Volume 3, Page 89, hand-written note listing payments toward the balance for a burial plot for Mrs. Alice Blanchard.
Folder 22: Volume 3, Page 115, hand-written note regarding payment of balance for the burial agreement for Charles Mitchell
Folder 23: Volume 3, hand-written letter requesting advice for leasing lot to Mr. Vasquez for the body of Mrs. Vasquez
Folder 24: Volume 3, Page 156, two hand-written letters, one dated September 11, 1888, the other letter dated October 2, 1888 regarding whose name the deed should be under
Folder 25: Volume 3, page 174 1/2, three hand-written letters from Frank Howperthall requesting extentions of deadline for payment of balance for burial plot
Folder 26: Voilume 3, page 196, business card for Andrews, Adams & Kellogs, Bankers & Brokers