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: Very poor. Original leather cover is severely damaged and covered in brown wrapping paper. Spine remains intact but is at risk. Pages are extremely darkened, torn, and curled around the edges.
CONTENTS: There appear to be two sets of covers placed within this book. One is tucked inside the front cover and another was found in the middle of Tab B, suggesting two books were combined. Additionally, various loose papers and addendums are glued onto interior pages throughout. There are occasional references to “Retention Books #2 and #3”, which may be a similar book listing the remains “retained” within the Receiving Tomb.
Several loose pieces of paper are found inside the front cover, as well as tucked in before the title page. They include various status, billing, and change requests, several of which may be of interest to graphic design, typography, postage stamp, architectural, and vintage machinery researchers: Bay Ridge Manufacturing Co.; J.H. Breslin & Bro. Proprietors letterhead featuring a drawing of The Gilsey House, a luxury hotel on the National Register of Historic Places (1887); The Grand Central Hotel (1887); several early official US post cards (1887, 1881); letterhead from The De La Vergne Refrigerating Machine Co. featuring a detailed sketch of an early industrial refrigerator.
