By Vanessa Carney, Archival Intern
Title: Receiving Tomb Records 1853-1965
Extent: 3.0 Boxes
Arrangement:
1. Primary: Index Tabs - Alphabetical by first letter of last name
2. Secondary: Rows - Chronological by year
Entries are presented in rows with column headers as follows: DATE, NAME, NO. OF LOT, NO. OF COFFIN, ADULT, CHILD, WHEN REMOVED, TO WHAT LOT AND GRAVE, REMARKS
The “REMARKS” column usually contains one of the following: a set of initials (“Do”), a name followed by an “undertaker” title, the term “Permanent”, or a name and address. At times, the person listed shares the surname of the interred; thus it can be surmised that this column indicates the person who either requested or gave permission to execute the move.
Subjects: Cemeteries--United States--History--19th Century, Receiving Tomb
The collection includes three books of Receiving Tomb records for The Green-Wood Cemetery spanning roughly 1853-1965, with gaps from 1864-1873 and 1890-1904. Each record indicates when the interred person was transported to and from the Receiving Tomb, and where they were subsequently interred.
Found among the pages of each book are various Green-Wood financial notices and customer inquiries written on letterheads, which may be of interest to design, typography, postage, architectural, linguistic, and vintage machinery researchers. Click each box for more detail.
The overall condition of the collection is poor. The books appear to bound in leather originally; two books sport a cloth cover and one has a brown paper cover. Covers are largely stained, torn, and rotted, particularly around the spine. In some cases, the spine is not longer intact. Page corners and edges are badly stained and curled, and some pages are stuck together. Use caution when handling.
CONDITION: Extremely poor. Cloth cover is largely stained and torn, particularly around the spine. The spine itself is severely damaged and no longer intact. Corners and edges of pages are badly stained and curled. The final pages are stuck together.
CONTENTS: This book appears to be missing several pages of B names. Tab B terminates at 1861 with a note saying “See Letter C"; however, the end of Tab C does not appear to contain any further B names as this note suggests; instead, Tab C contains a two-page insert of L names spanning 1855-1858. Unlike the other boxes in this collection, this book doesn't contain many additional inserts. One small addendum dated March 7, 1859 was included inside the front cover, listing several alphabetized names, dates, lot numbers, and grave numbers.
