Scope and Contents: This collection consists of manuscript documents recording the chain of custody of land acquired by the Green-Wood Cemetery in the mid-1800s. The land in question is comprised of three familial estates: the Catin Farm, the Clarkson Farm, and the Martense Farm; these make up a large portion of the southeastern border of the Cemetery as it is defined today. These series include deeds, titles, searches, affidavits, receipts, maps, and other legal documents describing the boundaries and ownership of the farms before and during their sale to Green-Wood.
This series documents the process of acquiring land on behalf of the Green-Wood Cemetery; it also documents the history of the surrounding area, during Brooklyn's transition from a rural city to an increasingly urban city.