Lot Deeds: Returned, 1844-1956 | The Green-Wood Cemetery

This series contains deeds to cemetery lots that were returned to Green-Wood rather than being retained by the lot owners or their heirs. The collection consists of legal documents granting cemetery land, the original envelopes in which the deeds were contained, and, in many cases, explanatory correspondence, clarifying why the deed has been sent back to the cemetery.

The condition of the documents varies, and much of the material is brittle and fragile. Sometimes the information associated with a particular deed is missing or incomplete, and in certain instances only the envelope that once contained the deed still exists. Other deeds include additional documentation, such as personal correspondence, sketches of burial plans, and genealogical information.

The collection is ordered by lot number, though deeds and other documents that were contained in a single envelope have been kept together, even if they do not pertain to the same lot. At the time they were found, the deeds had not been stored in any order; the miscellaneous folder at the end of the collection contains documents that were not kept with a particular deed, and lack the information to identify which item they may be associated with.