Founding Documents, 1837-1899 | The Green-Wood Cemetery

By Alex Vastola, Intern, Pratt Institute, School of Information

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Collection Overview

Abstract

Scope and Contents of the Materials

Subject/Index Terms

Administrative Information

Box and Folder Listing

Series 1: Legal Documents

The Legal Documents series contains various documents, acts, and correspondence; including the original Act of Incorporation (passed April 18, 1838) and its amendments from the years 1838-1846, 1850-1853, and 1862-1878. The original Act of Incorporation has nine parts, which include the establishment of the Green-Wood Cemetery as a public burial ground, as well as boundary and stock provisions. The various amendments to this act, as well as the NY State Senate hearing of 1889, appeal for the protection and non-taxation of the Green-Wood Cemetery and its shareholders, as well as the adjustments to the land-boundaries of the cemetery. Also included within this series are correspondence and reports from the 1885 Senate investigation of the Green-Wood Cemetery on charges extravagance and wastefulness, due to the accusation of funds not being properly used for efficient caretaking.

Box 1

Folder 1: Act of Incorporation (April 18, 1838)

“An Act to incorporate the Greenwood Cemetery.  Passed April 18, 1838.”

            This is the original 1838 charter of incorporation for Green-Wood Cemetery, passed by the New York State Government, authorizing the creation of Green-Wood Cemetery.  The document is divided into 9 sections.  Section 1 establishes the identity of the cemetery as a stockholding corporation in order to create a burial ground in the City of Brooklyn.  Section 2 states that the capital stock of this corporation will be $300,000 divided into $100 shares, and makes these shares personal property transferrable under the authority of the corporation.  Section 3 states that the cemetery can both buy and hold land with the consent of both the Mayor and City Council of Brooklyn, and that they cannot acquire more than 200 acres, and that this land be used for the burial of the dead.  In addition, that money generated from the capital stock should first be used to pay for the land obtained, and that half of the money obtained from the sale of land should be used to embellish and improve the land for the purpose of being used as a cemetery.  Section 4 establishes the original boundaries of the cemetery, by authorizing its commissioners the right to designate the boundaries of the burial ground on a map and close off all streets and avenues at these designated boundaries.  Section 5 states that the plots of land owned by the corporation are exempt from assessment, execution (from a will), and to be used for the payment of debts.  Section 6 appointed the following individuals as Commissioners of the Green-Wood Cemetery Corporation to receive subscriptions: Samuel Ward, John P. Stagg, Charles King, D.B. Douglass, Russell Stebbins, Joseph A. Perry, Henry E. Pierrepont, and Pliny Freeman.  Also, these commissioners can receive subscriptions until $30,000 of stock is taken and they have the right create the rules for the subscriptions and to call a meeting to elect 15 directors of the corporation from the stockholders.  In addition, each stockholder has the right to cast one vote, and elections for new directors will be held annually.  Section 7 gives the directors the right to determine payments for the holding of the stock and to notify stockholders and the Cites of New York and Brooklyn of their decisions and to hold meetings.  Section 8 states that the Green-Wood Corporation has the powers and must follow the provisions of Chapter 18 of the first section of the Revised Statutes.  Finally, Section 9 simply states that this act of incorporation will take effect immediately.

            This document is important for several reasons.  First, it establishes the identity of Green-Wood Cemetery: as a stockholding corporation.  This made Green-Wood Cemetery Company a “join-stock company” for the single mission of creating in the City of Brooklyn a public cemetery for burials (Richman, ed., 2013, page 20).  The Act established the quantity of common stock that the Company could issue, gave the Company tax-exempt status, and created a system to govern the Company (Richman, ed., 2013, page 20).  Second, this charter gives it several rights crucial to the running of a cemetery: such as to establish itself as a burial ground, to buy and hold land, to use money to maintain itself, appoints commissioners to run the cemetery and offer subscriptions to the stock, and to hold meetings of the stockholders and elect directors.  Third, it establishes an official relationship with the local government: for example, the cemetery cannot buy new land without the consent of the Mayor and City Council of Brooklyn.  Furthermore, among the first commissioners to serve the cemetery when this Act was passed was the notable New York banker Samuel Ward (died November 27, 1839) and the notable New York Merchant John P. Stagg (died October 4, 1839) (Cleaveland, 1866, page 9).

Folder 2: Amendments to Act of Incorporation (1838-1846)

Item # 1 “Amendments to the Charter, Passed April 11, 1839.”

            This document describes the first amendments made by the New York State Government to the original charter of Greenwood Cemetery.  Section 1 states that all the stockholders of the corporation can turn in their stock under the Board of Directors, in order to become proprietors of the lots they own and gain membership in the corporation.  Section 2 changes the identity of the people running the cemetery corporation from a Board of Directors to a Board of Trustees, establishes how the Trustees are to be elected, term limits, and who is eligible to be elected one, that the Trustees will be chosen from the proprietors of the corporation, and each proprietor with at least a plot of land of at least 300 square feet has one vote to elect Trustees.  In addition, the Trustees need to publicize their elections in New York and Brooklyn, and that a majority of Trustees will have a quorum to conduct business.  Section 3 mandates that there should be an annual meeting where the corporation must present a report on the business of the corporation.  Section 4 states that the lots of land are “indivisible” and that half of sales by the corporation must be used to pay for the land and half for its maintenance and preservation, and money from future sale to be designated for the same purpose.  Also, these future profits from sales should be applied only to the cemetery and for no other purpose.  Section 5 establishes punishments for vandalizing structures, gravestones, markers, and fences on cemetery property and lots: that this vandalism constitutes a misdemeanor and trespass, and the violator could be fined between $5 and $50, depending on the damages inflicted.  Section 6 enables the Board of Trustees to hold a bequest, grant, or donation of land in trust for the improvement and maintenance of the cemetery.  Section 7 exempts the corporation from taxes, as long as it remains a cemetery.  Finally, Section 8 states that any provision of the former version of this charter that is not consistent with the amendments is repealed.

            This document is significant for many reasons.  It is not only the first time the charter of Green-Wood Cemetery was officially amended, but it changed the character of how the cemetery was run.  It transformed the cemetery from being run as a stockholding corporation to a public trust: changing its managers from a Board of Directors to a Board of Trustees.  A year after the cemetery was first incorporated, there was an increasing opposition to the join-stock structure of the cemetery company, since it meant that there was an inherent incentive for profit in this structure, and, therefore, the philanthropic mission of the cemetery was compromised (Richman, ed., 2013, page 20).  This revised charter liquidated the stock holdings of the members of the company and made each owner of a lot in the cemetery a “proprietor” who possessed equal ownership to other lot owners, which removed any motives for profit or an impression of “financial gain” from the identity of the Green-Wood Cemetery (Richman, ed., 2013, page 20).

Item #2: “Amendments to the Charter, Passed April 11, 1839.”

            This document describes the first amendments made by the New York State Government to the original charter of Greenwood Cemetery.  Section 1 states that all the stockholders of the corporation can turn in their stock under the Board of Directors, in order to become proprietors of the lots they own and gain membership in the corporation.  Section 2 changes the identity of the people running the cemetery corporation from a Board of Directors to a Board of Trustees, establishes how the Trustees are to be elected, term limits, and who is eligible to be elected one, that the Trustees will be chosen from the proprietors of the corporation, and each proprietor with at least a plot of land of at least 300 square feet has one vote to elect Trustees.  In addition, the Trustees need to publicize their elections in New York and Brooklyn, and that a majority of Trustees will have a quorum to conduct business.  Section 3 mandates that there should be an annual meeting where the corporation must present a report on the business of the corporation.  Section 4 states that the lots of land are “indivisible” and that half of sales by the corporation must be used to pay for the land and half for its maintenance and preservation, and money from future sale to be designated for the same purpose.  Also, these future profits from sales should be applied only to the cemetery and for no other purpose.  Section 5 establishes punishments for vandalizing structures, gravestones, markers, and fences on cemetery property and lots: that this vandalism constitutes a misdemeanor and trespass, and the violator could be fined between $5 and $50, depending on the damages inflicted.  Section 6 enables the Board of Trustees to hold a bequest, grant, or donation of land in trust for the improvement and maintenance of the cemetery.  Section 7 exempts the corporation from taxes, as long as it remains a cemetery.  Finally, Section 8 states that any provision of the former version of this charter that is not consistent with the amendments is repealed.

            This document is significant for many reasons.  It is not only the first time the charter of Green-Wood Cemetery was officially amended, but it changed the character of how the cemetery was run.  It transformed the cemetery from being run as a stockholding corporation to a public trust: changing its managers from a Board of Directors to a Board of Trustees.  A year after the cemetery was first incorporated, there was an increasing opposition to the join-stock structure of the cemetery company, since it meant that there was an inherent incentive for profit in this structure, and, therefore, the philanthropic mission of the cemetery was compromised (Richman, ed., 2013, page 20).  This revised charter liquidated the stock holdings of the members of the company and made each owner of a lot in the cemetery a “proprietor” who possessed equal ownership to other lot owners, which removed any motives for profit or an impression of “financial gain” from the identity of the Green-Wood Cemetery (Richman, ed., 2013, page 20).

Item #3: “Handwritten Copy of a Notice from the Commissioners of the Green-Wood Cemetery Corporation published on the 18th, 22nd, and 25th of October 1838 by Edwin B. Spooner, printer and proprietor of the Long Island Star”

            This notice states that on October 18, 1838, the Commissioners of the Green-Wood Cemetery Corporation announced that the books for subscriptions to stock in the corporation will be opened on Saturday, November 3, 1838 for subscribers.

            This document is important since it documents the first time it was announced that Green-Wood Cemetery was opening its books for subscribers to buy stock in the corporation to purchase burial lots.  At this meeting, 3,000 shares of cemetery company stock were apportioned by the commissioners of the Green-Wood Cemetery Company (Cleaveland, 1866, page 16).

Item #4: “Handwritten Copy of a Notice (same as Item #3, but missing receipt from newspaper printer and proprietor) from the Commissioners of the Green-Wood Cemetery Corporation published on the 18th, 19th, 26nd, and 27th of October 1838 by “Lee”, printer and proprietor of the N. Y. American”

            This notice states that on October 18, 1838, the Commissioners of the Green-Wood Cemetery Corporation announced that the books for subscriptions to stock in the corporation will be opened on Saturday, November 3, 1838 for subscribers.

            This document is important since it documents the first time it was announced that Green-Wood Cemetery was opening its books for subscribers to buy stock in the corporation to purchase burial lots.

Item #5: “Handwritten Copy of a Notice from the Commissioners of the Green-Wood Cemetery Corporation published on the 8th, 12th, 15th, 19th, and 22nd of November 1838 by Edwin B. Spooner, printer and proprietor of the Long Island Star”

            This notice states that on November 8, 1838, the Commissioners of the Green-Wood Cemetery Corporation announced to its stockholders that there will be an election on Saturday, November 24, 1838.

            This document is important since it documents the first time it was announced that the Commissioners of Green-Wood Cemetery was conducting an election.  In addition, this was the first meeting of the stockholders of the cemetery company (Cleaveland, 1866, page 16).  This November, 24, 1838 meeting, was held at the office on Hanover Street of Messrs. Le Roy and Perry, and the list of Directors elected at this meeting is as follows: Jonathan Goodhue, Stephen Whitney, Robert Ray, Thomas Ludlow Ogden, Charles King, Peter Schermerhorn, Jacob R. LeRoy, Russell Stebbins, Pliny Freeman, David B. Douglass, A. G. Hammond, Daniel Embury, George S. Howland, Henry E. Pierrepont, and Joseph A. Perry (Messrs. Goodhue, Whitney, Schermerhorn, Douglass, Hammond, and Embury are all buried in Green-Wood Cemetery) (Cleaveland, 1866, page 16). 

Item # 6: “Handwritten Copy of a Notice from the Commissioners of the Green-Wood Cemetery Corporation published on the 7th and 17th of November 1838 by “Lee”, printer and proprietor of the N.Y. American”

            This notice states that on November 8, 1838, the Commissioners of the Green-Wood Cemetery Corporation announced to its stockholders that there will be an election on Saturday, November 24, 1838 for the election of 15 directors.

            This document is important since it documents the first time it was announced that the Commissioners of Green-Wood Cemetery was conducting an election to elect the Board of Directors that would help to run the Cemetery.

Item #7: “An Act further to amend an act entitled ‘an act to incorporate the Greenwood Cemetery’ passed April 18, 1838.  Passed May 11, 1846 by a two third vote.”

            This amendment to the original charter of Green-Wood Cemetery by the New York State Government changes the landowning privileges of the cemetery.  Section 1 gives the cemetery permission to buy and own more land in the City of Brooklyn and the Town of Flatbush in Kings County, but limits the total land the cemetery could acquire and hold to 125 acres.  In addition, all other landowning privileges of the cemetery from the previous incorporation act will remain in effect.  Section 2 states that this amendment will take effect immediately.

            This item is important because it documents a significant increase in the amount of additional land that the New York State Government officially allowed the Green-Wood Cemetery could both acquire and hold, but imposed limits on this additional land to 125 acres in order to better control the cemetery’s growth.  This amendment was passed in order to enable the cemetery corporation to own more land (Cleaveland, 1866, page 53).

*Six letters which are copies of correspondence between Mr. Pierrepont and Mr. Bergen of the legislature concerning the 1839 Act of Incorporation:

Item #8: Henry E. Pierrepont to the Hon. Cornelius Bergen, New York, January 9, 1839

            This letter involves Mr. Pierrepont asking Senator Bergen to amend the previous Act of Incorporation of Green-Wood Cemetery, which he thanks Bergen for helping to pass.  He is sending him a memorial and a draft of the amendments requested for the Act, and hopes Bergen will introduce and help to pass these amendments soon, suggesting that Senators Furman and Verplank will be supportive of its passage.  He also makes clear that the Cemetery’s requested amendments are based on the charter of the Mount Auburn Cemetery, and that the Cemetery is aiming to be a “purely benevolent” institution, and not created for “gain or speculation.”

            This letter is important for various reasons.  First, it shows how the charter of the Mount Auburn Cemetery influenced the amendment of Green-Wood’s Act of Incorporation, since Mr. Pierrepont used it as a reference.  Also, it shows how Mr. Pierrepont both lobbied for amendments to the Act, and wanted to change the character of the cemetery from a for-profit to a non-profit institution.

Item #9: Henry E. Pierrepont to the Hon. Cornelius Bergen, New York, January 25, 1839

            This letter was written by Mr. Pierrepont to Senator Bergen repeating his request for support to pass the proposed amendments to the Act of Incorporation.  He thanks Senator Bergen for paying attention to the memorial he sent to him with the previous letter, and makes it clear that Green-Wood Cemetery wants to be “disconnected” from objectives toward financial gain.  He describes meeting with Judge Story of the Mount Auburn Cemetery, other Directors have went to Philadelphia and Baltimore with a similar aim of acquiring information, and he went to the Pere la Chaise in Paris to observe it.  In addition, he cites local support from the lower districts of New York City for Green-Wood’s success, and the positive resolutions passed by Brooklyn’s Common Council when the cemetery applied for boundaries that were laid on the Map of the City.  Mr. Pierrepont says he will come to Albany himself to lobby for the amendments if necessary, claiming that the intentions of the cemetery previously were misunderstood: even though the cemetery started off with the for-profit joint-stock model, it wanted now to become a non-profit institution.  He even notes how Mr. George Wood and Gerrit G. Van Wagenen have prepared a draft of the amendment bill, which he hopes will be presented for passage soon.

            This letter is important because it shows how those involved with Green-Wood lobbied for it to become a non-profit institution.  Mr. Pierrepont stresses the cemetery’s commitment to become a non-profit entity, even offering to come to Albany to lobby for it.

Item #10: Henry E. Pierrepont to the Hon. Cornelius Bergen, New York, February 11, 1839

            In this letter, Mr. Pierrepont thanks Senator Bergen for considering the amendments to the Act of Incorporation.  He also states that Mr. Silliman will visit Albany to present the resolution of the Common Council of Brooklyn and that the Mayor of Brooklyn said he will write to Senator Bergen to express his support for the Act amendments.

            This letter is important because it shows that Mr. Pierrepont was able to get strong local support, mainly from the Brooklyn Common Council and the Mayor of Brooklyn, for the passage of the proposed amendments to the Act.

Item #11: Henry E. Pierrepont to the Hon. Cornelius Bergen, Wall Street, March 8, 1839

            In this letter, Mr. Pierrepont writes to Senator Bergen to express his concern that “Mr. Lott” might oppose the bill to amend the Act of Incorporation.  He states that after consultant with others involved with running the cemetery, that he is supportive of Senator Bergen’s suggestion to modify the clause about taxation to state that all plots of land in the cemetery that are unused and owned by the cemetery will be taxed, but not plots of land that have been used or are owned by other entities, such as churches.  Mr. Pierrepont indicates that he is supportive of this change if it passes the bill, but finds that “It is unusual and repulsive to the natural feelings, to raise a tax from a grave yard.”  Mr. Pierrepont is okay with the changed clause for now, since he says the Corporation of Brooklyn will support their tax-exempt status at a later date, and wants Senator Bergen to keep him informed on the progress of the bill.

            This letter is important because it documents Green-Wood Cemetery’s concern about achieving tax-exempt status, and the opinion of its founders about taxing a cemetery.  Even though Mr. Prierrepont and others stated they favored the change to the taxation clause if it helps to pass the bill, Mr. Pierrepont makes it clear that he and those involved with Green-Wood’s operation are disgusted that the State Government of New York would endorse obtaining tax revenue from a burial ground.

Item #12: Henry E. Pierrepont to the Hon. Cornelius Bergen, New York, March 9, 1839

            In this letter, Mr. Pierrepont states that at the time, it would not be beneficial to bring up the subject of amending the Act of Incorporation before the Brooklyn Corporation, and that if Mr. Lott opposes the bill, that the clause on taxation should be disposed of, unless it is changed to release all land sold for cemetery purposes from taxation, as Senator Bergen suggested.  In addition, Mr. Pierrepont states that he contacted the Mayor of Brooklyn but has not met with him, and thinks he is not interested in supporting the amendment effort.  Mr. Pierrepont and his company also state that they want the bill to be passed, even if the tax clause must be altered.

            This letter is significant because it shows both that Green-Wood was not able to immediately get the local endorsement from the Brooklyn Corporation and the Mayor of Brooklyn that it initially thought it would be able to obtain.  In addition, it also reveals how Mr. Pierrepont and those than ran the cemetery really wanted to pass this amendment bill, even if the clause on taxation needed to be changed for passage.

Item #13: Henry E. Pierrepont to the Hon. Cornelius Bergen, Brooklyn, March 11, 1839

            In this letter, Mr. Pierrepont tells Senator Bergen that Mr. Perry just arrived from the meeting the Brooklyn common council that “unanimously” passed a resolution that recommended that the New York State Legislature “free the Greenwood Cemetery from Taxation” and that the Mayor was commanded to inform Mr. Lott about this.  Mr. Pierrepont says to Senator Bergen that the bill should be passed only with the clause exempting it from taxation.  If it is opposed by Mr. Lott because of the clause, Mr. Pierrepont states that he wants the bill amended in the Senate and returned to the House, but he hopes that the resolution from the Common Council of Brooklyn will influence Mr. Lott to stop opposing the bill’s passage.

            This letter is significant because it provides evidence that Greenwood Cemetery obtain support for their request for tax-exempt status.  This reveals that their appeals for local support toward this end were eventually successful.

Item #14: Letter from J. A. Perry to Mrs. Bergen, Office of the Green-Wood Cemetery, February 9, 1847

            J. A. Perry states in this letter to the widow of Senator Bergen that the Board of Trustees of the Green-Wood Cemetery approved a burial lot to be given to Senator Cornelius Bergen (deceased) and his family in honor of his services to the Green-Wood Cemetery.

            This letter is important because it shows that those that ran the Green-Wood Cemetery wanted to honor Senator Bergen for helping to pass the cemetery’s Act of Incorporation and subsequent amendments by giving his family a free burial lot in the cemetery to use for family burials.

Folder 3: Amendments to Act of Incorporation (1850-1853)

Item #15: “An Act further to amend an act entitled “An Act to incorporate the Greenwood Cemetery” passed April 18th, 1838. Passed April 5th, 1850.”

            This Act to amend the original Act of Incorporation of Green-Wood Cemetery is divided into four sections.  Section 1 states that all burial plots conveyed by the cemetery Corporation that are used for burials become “inalienable” and when holder or proprietor dies it transfer to the ownership of their heirs by law, who have the right to convey ownership of the lots to others, after releasing their plans and having them agreed upon.  Section 2 affirms the rights mentioned in Section 1, so long as they are documented in writing, or in the last will or testament of the holder or proprietor.  Section 3 gives the cemetery Corporation the right to restrict the internments of people or classes of people as the conveyance and holding of lots prescribes.  Finally, Section 4 states that the cemetery Corporation has the authority to “sell and dispose” all or part of the land parcels in Brooklyn bought by them that lies to the north of the southern line of Twenty-Fourth Street (if the line was extended eastward through the cemetery, or within two hundred feet of the southern border line) if the cemetery Corporation decides that this land is not needed by the cemetery for burials, and this selling and disposal releases these land parcels from the restrictions and privileges put on them by being own by the cemetery corporation.

            This document is important because it first establishes the character of used burial lots as “inalienable,” or the right to exist as lots that could not be divided up and used for other purposes.  This document also gives the proprietors of the lots the right to transfer ownership to their heirs, and for these heirs to transfer ownership to other people.  This document also gives Green-Wood the right to restrict internments to certain people or classes, which reveals that Green-Wood was trying to cultivate an image as a cemetery that would not allow burials of less desirable individuals, such as criminals.  This document also gives Greenwood the right to sell and de-accession excess land that it does not need for burials, which indicates that Greenwood was obtaining more authority to handle the property it acquires at this time.  This Act, which was passed in response to a memorial from the Trustees of the cemetery, basically empowered the cemetery corporation to convey and devise burial lots in the cemetery, and to sell off lands located outside the cemetery’s boundaries (Cleaveland, 1866, page 65).

Item #16: “An Act to amend an act entitled “An Act to incorporate the Greenwood Cemetery” passed April 18^th, 1838. Passed June 8^th, 1853.”

            This Act to amend the Act of Incorporation of the Green-Wood Cemetery is divided into six sections.  Section 1 states that the Green-Wood Cemetery can acquire 75 more acres of land than was specified in its original act of incorporation, and can sell and dispose this land, as long as the land falls within the boundaries outlined in Section 2.  Section 2 specifies that no public roads, streets or avenues could be built through the land owned by Green-Wood, and this does not apply to the land outside its boundaries (several different boundary lines of the cemetery are listed.  Section 3 states that the public authorities of the Town of Flatbush had a right to lay out a public highway or road (not to exceed eighty feet in width) along the southeastern boundary of the Green-Wood Cemetery, and that Green-Wood will have to give half of the land required to built the road and pay half its cost.  In addition, fit this proposed road is built parallel to Tenth Avenue in Brooklyn (distant from the cemetery), Green-Wood must give any land necessary to its completion if this land is within its boundaries, and that Green-Wood must pay the cost for the land given, and that the land to the southeast of this highway will be subject to taxes, will not be used for burials, and sold and disposed of by the cemetery Corporation.  Section 4 states that the authorities of the Town of Flatbush to straighten and widen the section of Martenses’ Lane (not to exceed sixty feet in width), and that Green-Wood has to give half of the land required for this work, and pay half the cost for grading this land.  Section 5 states that the Green-Wood Cemetery is not exempt from paying a share of the cost for paving and grading Fifth Avenue in the City of Brooklyn, and that the Green-Wood Cemetery is authorized to pay this cost.  Section 6 states that this Act will take effect immediately.

              This document is important because it shows how the State Government of New York is trying to regulate the growth of the Green-Wood Cemetery.  The New York State Government stated that Green-Wood can only purchase up to 75 more acres of land.  In addition, this document prevents any roadways from being built through property the cemetery owned, helping to establish the cemetery’s borders.  Furthermore, it mandates that Green-Wood give some of the land and pay the cost of several roadways that may be built near the cemetery, making Green-Wood not exempt from helping to pay for municipal road improvements.  Basically, this Act gave the cemetery corporation the power to hold the land it recently obtained, and reaffirmed the significant law that “no public road, street, or avenue shall be laid out, or opened over, upon, or through the lands of the Corporation,” specifically referring to the avenues and streets where this statue does not apply (Cleaveland, 1866, page 75).  The Act gives the government of Flatbush in Brooklyn the permission to construct a public highway along the cemetery’s southeastern border, and outlined the responsibilities of the cemetery if this roadway was opened (Cleaveland, 1866, page 75).  This same government was also empowered by this Act to widen and straighten Martense’s Lane, with the cemetery charged with giving half the land for this effort and to construct the road (Cleaveland, 1866, page 75).  Finally, this Act gave the cemetery corporation the authority to pay the assessments for the paving and grading of Fifth Avenue on the parts of this avenue that are next to the cemetery’s borders (Cleaveland, 1866, page 75).  The permission for the southeasterly road given to Flatbush expired after five years (as the Act stipulated) by 1858, so no road was built, however, Martense’s Lane was both straightened and widened in conformance with this Act in 1853 (Cleaveland, 1866, pages 75-76).

Folder 4: Amendments to Act of Incorporation (1862-1878)

“Handwritten Copy of a Notice (same as Item #3, but missing receipt from newspaper printer and proprietor) from the Commissioners of the Green-Wood Cemetery Corporation published on the 18th, 19th, 26nd, and 27th of October 1838 by “Lee”, printer and proprietor of the N. Y. American”

            This notice states that on October 18, 1838, the Commissioners of the Green-Wood Cemetery Corporation announced that the books for subscriptions to stock in the corporation will be opened on Saturday, November 3, 1838 for subscribers.

            This document is important since it documents the first time it was announced that Green-Wood Cemetery was opening its books for subscribers to buy stock in the corporation to purchase burial lots.

Item #17: “An Act: To authorize the Greenwood Cemetery to sell and dispose of a gore of land owned by them, contained in the block bounded by the Fifth and Sixth Avenues and Seventy third and Seventy fourth streets. Passed April 8, 1862.” (Certified Copy)

            This Act has two sections.  Section 1 authorizes Greenwood Cemetery to sell and dispose of a “gore” of land that they own between Fifth and Sixth Avenues and Seventy-Third and Seventy-Fourth Streets, which they do not need for cemetery purposes, and to release this land when sold from all restrictions and privileges that it would have if owned by Green-Wood.  Section 2 states that this Act will take effect immediately.

            This document is important because it shows that the Green-Wood Cemetery was managing its land by selling off parcels it did not need.  The definition of a “gore” of land is usually a triangular-shaped piece of land outside the land originally surveyed.  Green-Wood may have wanted to sell this land because its shape was not conducive for burial lots and it was outside the cemetery’s boundaries.

Item #18: “Chapter 27b. An Act to alter the Commissioner’s Map of the City of Brooklyn, Passed April 17, 1862 – three’ fifths being present.” (Certified Copy)

            This Act is divided into five sections.  Section 1 states that the section of Twenty-Fourth Street in the City of Brooklyn that is east of Sixth Avenue is now closed and discontinued.  Section 2 states that Twenty-Fifth Street east of Fifth Avenue is also closed and discontinued.  Section 3 states that Twenty-Sixth Street east of Fifth Avenue is closed and discontinued.  Section 4 states that Sixth Avenue on the southern side of Twenty-Fourth Street and the southern side of Twenty-Fifth Street is closed and discontinued.  Section 5 states that this Act will go into effect immediately.

            This document is significant because it shows how the Green-Wood Cemetery was starting to change the Map of Brooklyn itself at this time.  The document outlines the areas of road that will be closed off and demolished.  This seems to be in response to a previous Act that amended the Act of Incorporation of the Green-Wood Cemetery so that no roads, streets, or avenue could be built through cemetery-owned land.  This Act is referring to a tract of land purchased from Mr. Robert Martin and added to the northwestern corner of the cemetery in 1862 (Cleaveland, 1866, page 97).  The reason this land was needed was to give easy and direct access to the ground located east of it and served to straighten the boundary of the cemetery at this location and made it more symmetrical (Cleaveland, 1866, page 97).  The closing of Twenty-Fifth Street and Sixth Avenue as a result of this purchase allowed choice land in this area to be turned into lots for burial purposes, and was considered at the time of its purchase as one of Green-Wood’s most valuable accessions of land (Cleaveland, 1866, page 97).

Item #19: “Chapter 161. An act to enable the Greenwood Cemetery to straighten a portion of its boundary line, and for that purpose to acquire and hold three gores or pieces of land. Passed March 21, 1865.”

            This act gives the Green-Wood Cemetery the authority to buy more land.  Section 1 authorizes Greenwood Cemetery to buy two gores of land to the southwest of the cemetery (the Act goes into their border details) and one gore of land from the Commissioners Map of the City of Brooklyn to the north of the cemetery’s boundary line (the act goes into its complex border dimensions).  It also authorizes these three parcels of land to have the same privileges and to be used for the same purposes as other land in the cemetery, and that no avenue, street, road, or square can be laid out on these parcels of land.  Section 2 states that this Act will take effect immediately.

            This document is important because it documents a large amount of land acquisition by the Green-Wood Cemetery.  The fact that these parcels of land are outside the cemetery’s traditional boundaries indicates that the cemetery is growing at this time.

Item #20: “Chapter 94. An Act To amend an act entitled “An Act to alter and amend an act to incorporate the Greenwood Cemetery” passed April eleventh, eighteen hundred and thirty-nine, in relation to the election of trustees. Passed March 16, 1867”

            This Act is divided into two sections.  Section 1 states that if one-third of the proprietors of the Green-Wood Cemetery do not meet to vote in person or proxy for an election, then the trustees of Green-Wood Cemetery will be chosen by the existing trustees or a majority of them, that trustees hold their position as trustees until successor trustees are qualified and elected.  In addition, if an election for trustees does not occur for any reason, then another election should be held not more than sixty days after the failed election where trustees will be appointed by the existing Board of Trustees.  Section 2 states that this Act will go into effect immediately.

            This Act is significant because it explains how trustees for Greenwood Cemetery will be chosen if an election by the proprietors does not vote for new trustees.  This Act gives the existing Board of Trustees the right to appoint new trustees if an election to vote for them is not held, and the right to schedule a new election for trustees if the election is cancelled for whatever reason.

Item #21: “Chapter 760. An Act To amend chapter seven hundred and twenty-seven of the laws of eighteen hundred and sixty-nine, entitled “An act authorizing cities and villages to acquire title to property for burial purposes, and to levy taxes for the payment of the same,” passed May sixth, eighteen hundred and sixty-nine. Passed May 9^th 1870.

            This Act is divided into three sections.  Section 1 gives the common council of any city, the trustees of any incorporated village in New York State, “or the trustees of any incorporated rural cemetery association” in instances when any of these entities needs land for burials, to have the right to purchase the titles for these lands, as long as these lands are empty and have no buildings on them in excess of $500 in value.  Section 2 states that if these entities cannot agree with the owner of the lands for purchase, they can refer to Chapter 140 of laws 1850 of “An act to authorize the formation of railroad corporations, and to regulate the same,” along with this act’s amendments and supplements.  In addition, the amount paid for this land by a city or village, along with maintenance, fencing, and improvement expenses, will be assessed and collected in a tax in the same way that taxable property in cities or villages are assessed and taxed.  Concerning rural cemetery associations, this amount will be raised and paid off as part of the other expenses of the association.  Finally, Section 3 gives the common council of a city and the board of trustees of a village the right to borrow the amount of money provided by Section 2 of this act in order to buy a lot of land and obtain a title for it.

            This Act is important because it gives a rural cemetery association (such as the Green-Wood Cemetery) the right to obtain a title for the land that it buys for the first time.  This means that the Green-Wood Cemetery, as a rural cemetery association, now has a right that both the common council of cities and the Board of Trustees of villages have.

Item #22: *(1878 Copy) “An Act to Amend Chapter 94 of the Laws of 1867 entitled “An act to amend an act to incorporate the Greenwood Cemetery passed April 11th 1839 in relation to the election of trustees.”

            This Act is divided into two sections.  Section 1 amends the first amended Act of Incorporation of the Green-Wood Cemetery from April 11, 1839 to add to Section 2 of this document to state that if the five hundred proprietors of Greenwood Cemetery do not come together for an election of new trustees, new trustees will be selected by the existing trustees or two-thirds of them, and that trustees will hold their positions until qualified trustees are elected to replace them on an appointed day for that purpose.  Section 2 states that this Act will go into effect immediately.

            This Act is important because it changes how the Trustees of the Green-Wood Cemetery are elected.  It specifies the number of proprietors required for an election, and the rights of current trustees to retain their positions until new trustees were elected.

Folder 5: Proposal to Legislature (1839)

“Handwritten Copy of a Notice from the Commissioners of the Green-Wood Cemetery Corporation published on the 8th, 12th, 15th, 19th, and 22nd of November 1838 by Edwin B. Spooner, printer and proprietor of the Long Island Star”

            This notice states that on November 8, 1838, the Commissioners of the Green-Wood Cemetery Corporation announced to its stockholders that there will be an election on Saturday, November 24, 1838.

            This document is important since it documents the first time it was announced that the Commissioners of Green-Wood Cemetery was conducting an election.  In addition, this was the first meeting of the stockholders of the cemetery company (Cleaveland, 1866, page 16).  This November, 24, 1838 meeting, was held at the office on Hanover Street of Messrs. Le Roy and Perry, and the list of Directors elected at this meeting is as follows: Jonathan Goodhue, Stephen Whitney, Robert Ray, Thomas Ludlow Ogden, Charles King, Peter Schermerhorn, Jacob R. LeRoy, Russell Stebbins, Pliny Freeman, David B. Douglass, A. G. Hammond, Daniel Embury, George S. Howland, Henry E. Pierrepont, and Joseph A. Perry (Messrs. Goodhue, Whitney, Schermerhorn, Douglass, Hammond, and Embury are all buried in Green-Wood Cemetery) (Cleaveland, 1866, page 16).

Item #23: (Draft) Proposal to the New York State Legislature (1839) *(Candidate for Transcription)

            This Memorial (a summary of the Committee from Greenwood Cemetery, including Henry E. Pierrepont, that addressed the State Legislature) to the New York State Legislature first recounts how the Directors of the Green-Wood Cemetery have established themselves as a rural cemetery in Brooklyn on two hundred acres on land drawn on the Commissioner’s Map of the City of Brooklyn with the consent of the Common Council of the City of Brooklyn.  The document then states that the directors are now aware of certain legal provisions that they did not know when the cemetery was originally incorporated.  It says they originally thought a joint-stock company was the only way to make this venture feasible, but they see this now as an error, and they want to change Greenwood Cemetery into an “incorporated trust” (and their stockholders are willing to relinquish their shares in order to do this).  In addition, they strongly emphasize that the cemetery will exclude the for-profit mentality entirely from the way it is run, and asks the Legislature to grant them the same powers to maintain their cemetery as have been granted to other similar institutions, and to make the cemetery tax-exempt.  They explain how it is the traditional duty of the living to care and maintain the remains and memory of the dead and that in New York City the carrying out of this responsibility has been difficult, and that they hope their call for aid will be heeded by the Legislature.  The document is also signed by Henry E. Pierrepont, one of Greenwood’s founders.  There is also an appendix, an extract from the minutes of the Common Council of the City of Brooklyn, March 11^th, 1839.  This is a copy made from these minutes from September 10, 1839 by Theodore Eames, a clerk.  This appendix explains that the Mayor of Brooklyn stated that the bill in the New York State Legislature had a provision for tax-exempt status for the Green-Wood Cemetery, and that their representatives in the Legislature wanted to know what the Common Council of Brooklyn thought on the matter.  After considering the matter, Alderman Underhill of this Council stated that is was resolved that the Green-Wood Cemetery would have tax-exempt status as long as it remained a place for burials.

            This document is important for two reasons.  First, the Memorial itself documents the argument of the speech that the Committee from Green-Wood presented to the Legislature, showing evidence of their views on changing Green-Wood to a non-profit entity.  Second, the appendix of this document also shows how the Common Council of the City of Brooklyn was influenced to support Green-Wood’s tax-exempt status when they heard their representatives were behind it.

Folder 6: City Council of Brooklyn (1852-1895)

“Handwritten Copy of a Notice from the Commissioners of the Green-Wood Cemetery Corporation published on the 7th and 17th of November 1838 by “Lee”, printer and proprietor of the N.Y. American”

            This notice states that on November 8, 1838, the Commissioners of the Green-Wood Cemetery Corporation announced to its stockholders that there will be an election on Saturday, November 24, 1838 for the election of 15 directors.

            This document is important since it documents the first time it was announced that the Commissioners of Green-Wood Cemetery was conducting an election to elect the Board of Directors that would help to run the Cemetery.

Folder 6: City Council of Brooklyn (1852-1895)

Item #24: “Copy of memorial to city of Brooklyn respecting taxes, March 17, 1852”

            This memo was presented to the Mayor and Common Council of the City of Brooklyn in order to exempt the Green-Wood Cemetery’s land from taxes.  This document cites four major tracts of land that had been taxes in the 1850s, but will no longer be entered into the tax books for tax collection.

            This document is interesting because it shows that the Green-Wood Cemetery’s tax-exempt status was not immediate when it was granted in 1839.  There were some tracts of land that were still taxed by Brooklyn that it owned in the 1850s.

Item #25: *No Date (1850s?) Argument from the Green-Wood Cemetery for ownership of certain blocks of land and a record of how much these lands were taxed

            The first page of this document argues how and when Greenwood Cemetery bought certain blocks of land, to prove that they should not be taxed since they are burial grounds.  The document cites such instances as a wooden picket fence looking like another nearby not on cemetery property and cows being allowed to graze on the unused cemetery property (to help maintain the grounds) as possible reasons these blocks were mistaken as not being used for burials (and therefore eligible for taxation).  The second page documents how much each block of land was taxed.

            This document is significant because it shows how Green-Wood’s borders were not well-defined in its earliest years.  Brooklyn’s government tried to tax some of the cemetery’s properties because they were not immediately used for burials.

Item #26: “Memorial to the Common Council respecting viaducts. Dec. 15, 1858.”

            In this memo, J. A. Perry, the Comptroller of the Green-Wood Cemetery explains that the Trustees of the cemetery will abandon the entrance to the cemetery on Fifth Avenue, due to its high grade, unless an arched entryway can be made under the avenue.  He and the trustees request that the Mayor and Common Council of Brooklyn permission to construct a viaduct and archway for this entrance that is seventy feet wide, and to also build a carriageway and sidewalks by this entrance as well.

            This document is important because it provides evidence of a cemetery improvement (a better entryway for visitors).  In addition, it also shows how the Green-Wood Cemetery working with the Brooklyn City government, asking their permission before building this necessary viaduct.  Since Fifth Avenue had been extended on the western side of the cemetery, it was necessary to either close off the western entrance to the cemetery or to built an archway or bridge to keep it open (Cleaveland, 1866, page 82).  The Trustees of the cemetery stated: “In justice to numerous proprietors, who have taken lots and made costly improvements in that vicinity, with the expectation that the entrance would always be kept open, the Trustees did not feel that they could close it. The convenience, also, of an increasing population around and below it, as well as that of visitors generally, required that this gate should always remain for egress as well as ingress” (Cleaveland, 1866, page 82).  The Standing Committee of the Green-Wood Cemetery Corporation was instructed to complete the work required to keep this western entrance open (Cleaveland, 1866, page 82).

Item #27: “Copy of petitions to the Common Council for tales of lots for taxes to be collected July 26, 1859 (The lots within described were redeemed by order of the Common Council July 16, 1860).”

            This memo by J. A. Perry, the Comptroller of the Green-Wood Cemetery, states that four tracts of land that are within the cemetery’s borders have been sold since they were taxed, and he requests that the said sales be cancelled and the taxes for 1858 remitted by the Common Council.

            This document is important because it shows how Green-Wood tried to deal with certain properties that it owned which were being taxed (by selling these lots).

Item #28: “Feb. 27, 1864. City Council of New York. J. A. P.”

            This note is written by J. A. Perry, who explains that the Cemetery obtains it revenues and rent from the land it owns, which is being taxed, and that this land is exclusively used for cemetery purposes.

            This not is significant because it documents that the Green-Wood Cemetery needed to defend its tax-exempt status for the properties it owned (probably due to the fact it was holding this land and not burial had yet occurred on these lots).

Item #29: “Copy of Memorial to Commissioner of Taxes – Feb. 1864.” “To the Hon. Hugh O’Rorke.” *(Candidate for transcription).

            This petition, written by J. A. Perry, the Comptroller of the Green-Wood Cemetery, outlines the rights and demands of the cemetery.  Its first page states that the cemetery was granted a charter to establish a burial ground in Brooklyn, that they can take and hold (and have taken and held) 400 acres of land, and that the amended charter gave the cemetery the right to have its property within its border fences exempt from all public taxes as long as this land is dedicated for use as a cemetery.  The second page explains that the petitioners claim that certain lands (which are listed) were taxed mistakenly, most likely because those collecting taxes were ignorant of what was stated on the first page.  In addition, they also list certain lots which are not owned by them but were taxed as their property.  On the third page, they explain that some of their property is used to obtain manure through a relationship with a milk dairy farm, where the cows were allowed to graze on the land in return for the manure they provided.  The petition explains that this manure is mixed with vegetable matter from other parts of the cemetery’s lands to produce compost that is required to maintain the grounds of the cemetery.  The petitioners also argue that two blocks of land that were taxed were bought by the cemetery to square the cemetery’s borders and are part of the cemetery property within their exterior fences.  The fourth page states that two lots were taxed but owned by the cemetery, that a third lot was taxed, except that its fence was not completed yet (so the assessors probably though Green-Wood did not own it), and that two more lots were erroneously taxed that Green-Wood bought to protect the approach and privacy of the cemetery.  In addition, it states that the petitioners have shown that the grounds mentioned are used for cemetery purposes (thus eligible for tax exemption) even though this land has not been divided into plots and sold for burials yet.  In addition, on the fifth and final page, the petitioners promise that they will use the property they have for cemetery purposes, and grade the land and build roads and plant shrubs and trees to make it a desirable place to bury the dead.  Also, the petitioners ask the Commissioner on Taxes to cancel the previous erroneous taxes.

            This document is significant because it shows the Green-Wood Cemetery defending their tax-exempt status.  This shows that Green-Wood was not using all its lands immediately for burials, which led to this defense.  It is also interesting that this document shows that they had a working relationship with a milk dairy.  Due to this relationship, they were able to make compost to keep the lands of the cemetery fertile.

Item #30: “Copy of letter to Hon. John Brice, President of the Board of Alderman, 14 March, 1866, Re Soldiers’ Monument.”

            This letter was written by J. A. Perry, the Comptroller of the Green-Wood Cemetery, about a monument in the Green-Wood Cemetery to those that died in the Civil War.  It first states that the application for a Civil War memorial to those from the City who were killed in battle in the Civil War from the Common Council was received by the Board of Trustees of the Green-Wood Cemetery at their March 14, 1866 meeting.  They quickly made the following resolutions: 1. That they approved a site for the monument to be built by the Common Council of the City of New York “free of charge;” 2. That the Comptroller be authorized to carry this resolution into effect and to give the Common Council an account of these proceedings.  Mr. Perry explains that an appropriate spot for this monument will be a lot the cemetery set aside in May of 1862 for burials of New York State Civil War dead, that there were already some war graves at the time, and there was space on a hill for the monument.  In addition, Mr. Perry says that this position would make the proposed monument visible in all direction and was very accessible since it was near the main entrance of the cemetery.  Also, Mr. Perry notes that the cemetery has the graves of ten officers of the New York Regiment of Volunteers killed in the Mexican War (with painted markers at their graves), and asks if it would be advisable to transfer these remains to the site of the monument and devote a part of it to commemorate the service of these ten officers.

            This document is important because it shows the Green-Wood Cemetery is responding to the end of the Civil War, when many soldiers that died in the war needed their remains to be buried.  This also helps to document the earliest war grave in the Green-Wood Cemetery, for soldiers who died in the Mexican War, and the earliest documentation of a committed place in the cemetery for the burial of soldier who died in wars fought by the United States of America.  The City Council had requested land in the cemetery in 1862, where the Trustees of the cemetery would sell one hundred burial lots for soldiers for soldiers who had died, or may in the future die, during the Civil War (Cleaveland, 1866, pages 98-99).  Despite this proposal, “Knowing how such matters are too often managed, the Board declined entering upon a competition with which private interests and aims would be so likely to mingle” (Cleaveland, 1866, page 98).  In the end, the Board of Trustees declined to bargain with the Alderman on this proposal, but they eventually adopted a resolution on May 28, 1862: “Resolved, That the Comptroller be authorized to appropriate ground without charge, for the internment of all the soldiers of this STATE who shall have fallen in battle, or shall have died from sickness incurred while on duty during the war” (Cleaveland, 1866, page 98).  A tract of land was set aside for this purpose located in Sections 103 and 115 of the cemetery, with room for expansion if needed, and a flagstaff was planned to be erected at this location in the mid-1860s (Cleaveland, 1866, page 98).  By 1866, there were several officers and soldiers buried at this location, as well as in several other locations throughout the cemetery (Cleaveland, 1866, pages 98-99).

Folder 7: Petitions to State Legislature (1846, 1850, & 1878)

“An Act further to amend an act entitled ‘an act to incorporate the Greenwood Cemetery’ passed April 18, 1838.  Passed May 11, 1846 by a two third vote.”

            This amendment to the original charter of Green-Wood Cemetery by the New York State Government changes the landowning privileges of the cemetery.  Section 1 gives the cemetery permission to buy and own more land in the City of Brooklyn and the Town of Flatbush in Kings County, but limits the total land the cemetery could acquire and hold to 125 acres.  In addition, all other landowning privileges of the cemetery from the previous incorporation act will remain in effect.  Section 2 states that this amendment will take effect immediately.

            This item is important because it documents a significant increase in the amount of additional land that the New York State Government officially allowed the Green-Wood Cemetery could both acquire and hold, but imposed limits on this additional land to 125 acres in order to better control the cemetery’s growth.  This amendment was passed in order to enable the cemetery corporation to own more land (Cleaveland, 1866, page 53).

Petitions to State Legislature (1846, 1850, & 1878)

Item #31: “Copy of applications to the Legislature, March 10, 1846. Re additional land.”

            This application from the Board of Trustee of the Green-Wood Cemetery first states the right of the cemetery to hold 200 acres of land (as granted by its charter) and asks the state Legislature if it can amend its charter to allow the cemetery acquire and hold an addition tract or tracts not to exceed 125 acres, since the amount they have now is not adequate for future burials.  It also states that it wants the state to close portions of seven different roads, streets, and avenues on the Commissioner’s Map of the City of Brooklyn so that the cemetery can acquire this additional land.  The petitioners also add that the Mayor and Common Council of the City of Brooklyn have assented to these amendments requested by the petitioners.

            This document is important because it shows that the cemetery needed to expand at this time due to more land needed for burials.  This reveals that the Green-Wood Cemetery was becoming a popular place for people to bury their dead, since more space was needed for future burials.

Item #32: “Copy of Memorial to Legislature for amendments of Charter. March 13, 1850. Inalienability of lots after internments – Right to sell outside lots not used for Cemetery purposes.” (Very illegible - *Candidate for transcription).

            This memorial is a request that the New York State Legislature amend the charter of incorporation of the Green-Wood Cemetery to allow for all lots used for burial to be inalienable, and for the cemetery to have the right to sell plots of land not used for cemetery purposes.

            This document is important because it shows how the Green-Wood Cemetery wanted to regulate their property.  One amendment allows all lots used for burials to be “inalienable” or safe from division and disposal, and the other amendment allows the cemetery to sell unused lots without burials, lessening the amount of land the cemetery needs to maintain if these lots do not have burials.

Item #33: Petition on the Right of the Green-Wood Cemetery to dispose of lands *(Undated)

            This undated petition explains that the Green-Wood Cemetery wants to have the right to sell and dispose of lands outside of its border fence enclosures.

            This document is important because it shows that the cemetery did not want to own and take care of lands outside of its fenced enclosures, where these lands could be mistaken for lands not used for cemetery purposes and taxed (as shown in some of the previous items on this list).

Item #34: “Copy of memorial to the Assembly respecting repeal of the amendments to the charter relating to the election of Trustees. April [2,] 1878.”

            In this document, the Trustees of the Green-Wood Cemetery express that they are against the passage of the bill allowing five hundred votes cast by the proprietors to be sufficient for the election of trustees.  They comment on the praise the cemetery has received in its role as a burial ground, with 22,600 lots sold and 191,000 internments to date.  They state that it is the aim of the cemetery, once sufficient revenues are raised, to establish a fund for the preservation and maintenance of the grounds, graves, tombs, monuments, and shrubberies and trees, stating the cemetery is 400 acres, with 19 miles of macadamized roads, and 14 cleared paths.  They state that the proprietors have been satisfied with the way the cemetery has been run by the trustees, and that except for rules on the death or resignation of members, few votes have been cast in its elections.  They explain how in 1864, the State Legislature passed a law to prevent the cemetery from being taken over by a disreputable monopoly of interests, by declaring that if one-third of the proprietors do not vote in person or proxy, then the current trustees choose the new trustees, will hold their places until new trustees are chosen, and the election will be held not exceeding sixty days after if the election is cancelled by the Board of Trustees.  They conclude by explaining how both the proprietors and the Board of Trustees are not in favor of the bill’s passage and that this bill is “dangerous to the interests of the institution.”

            This document is important because it shows how the Trustees of the Green-Wood Cemetery were concerned about their cemetery being taken over by groups of people with not the best interests of the cemetery in mind.  This document also shows that the cemetery has grown since first incorporated, doubling in size from 200 to 400 acres, and possesses roads and paths and a reputation as a premier cemetery for the burial of the dead.

Folder 8: Senate Investigation of Green-Wood Cemetery (1885)

Henry E. Pierrepont to the Hon. Cornelius Bergen, New York, January 9, 1839

            This letter involves Mr. Pierrepont asking Senator Bergen to amend the previous Act of Incorporation of Green-Wood Cemetery, which he thanks Bergen for helping to pass.  He is sending him a memorial and a draft of the amendments requested for the Act, and hopes Bergen will introduce and help to pass these amendments soon, suggesting that Senators Furman and Verplank will be supportive of its passage.  He also makes clear that the Cemetery’s requested amendments are based on the charter of the Mount Auburn Cemetery, and that the Cemetery is aiming to be a “purely benevolent” institution, and not created for “gain or speculation.”

            This letter is important for various reasons.  First, it shows how the charter of the Mount Auburn Cemetery influenced the amendment of Green-Wood’s Act of Incorporation, since Mr. Pierrepont used it as a reference.  Also, it shows how Mr. Pierrepont both lobbied for amendments to the Act, and wanted to change the character of the cemetery from a for-profit to a non-profit institution.

Folder 8: Senate Investigation of Green-Wood (1885)

Item #35: “Charges by Wilson and Report of Legislature Committee – 1885 1.”

            This item is an empty envelope: no significance.

Item # 36 and #37: *(Both are the same Report, one has a cracked front and back cover, the other has no cover) “State of New York. No. 51. In Senate², May 6, 1885. Report: Of the Committee Appointed to Investigate Certain Charges in Relation to Greenwood Cemetery.”

            This report chronicles how the Green-Wood Cemetery was investigated on charges by the New York State Senate.  A commission was appointed to look into these charges by the Senate.  Apparently, they were brought up by a “Mr. Wilson” who was annoyed that the plot at Green-Wood was too small for his wife’s coffin (since his undertaker apparently sent in the wrong measurements to Green-Wood for the grave).  The Commissioners found no evidence of mismanagement on the cemetery’s part, and witnesses testified in the cemetery’s favor, with the commission finding no evidence of mismanagement.  The lawyer of Mr. Wilson also wrote a statement about the financial management of the cemetery and the charges.  Joseph S. Wood, the attorney for Charles H. Wilson (and William A. Miles) argued in his statement that basically his clients were accusing the cemetery of mismanagement in terms of waste and extravagance since the cost of maintenance of the cemetery grounds was not as much as the cemetery claimed, using Woodlawn cemetery as a comparison (this cost was paid by the trust of the cemetery, which used any surplus funds to maintain the grounds.  The cemetery wrote a response to the charges, claiming that the comparison with Woodlawn was not valid, since Green-Wood had more acres than Woodlawn to maintain.  In addition, they noted with their records that proved the costs that needed to be paid by the trust fund.  Also, they claimed that maintaining the grounds were difficult, since they had to maneuver around graves and markers, often using a sickle.

            This report is significant because it shows how the cemetery met its first legal lawsuit.  It actually used its records to prove its innocence.  In addition, it is interesting to see how the cemetery maintenance has changed with the addition of new graves, with the groundskeepers needing to be sensitive to the structures on the grounds.

Item # 38: Draft of 1885 Response of the Green-Wood Cemetery to the Charges of Mismanagement

            This handwritten response was written by the Comptroller of the Green-Wood Cemetery.  He describes the most recent financial expense for the cemetery from 1883 and 1884 to show the true expenditures required to maintain the cemetery.  He states that the charges of waste and extravagance on the part of the cemetery’s managers are “untrue.”  One of the biggest arguments he makes is that the costs for maintenance of the grounds is really as large as they claim, due to the fact that there are more graves, headstones, and plantings in the cemetery, with most of the grounds with burials, which require more work to mow the grass and maintain.

            This document is significance for a few reasons.  First, it is a draft of the cemetery’s defense to the mismanagement charges, and shows additions and edits to their argument.  Second, it shows how the cemetery has grown since its founding, with most of its acreage taken up by graves, monuments, and plantings.

Item #39: C. M. Perry’s (Comptroller) Report on the Charges made against the Green-Wood Cemetery, March 16, 1885

            This document was written by the Comptroller of the Green-Wood Cemetery, C. M. Perry, where he describes the personal reason why the charges were brought against the cemetery.  The undertaker for Mr. Wilson, who brought the charges, had given measurements too small for the grave dug.  This led to Mr. Wilson stopping the internment, keeping his wife’s coffin in the receiving tomb until May.  The comptroller notes his preparations for the defense against these charges.

            This account is important because it tells Green-Wood’s side of the story, saying how they offered to make the grave larger to fit the coffin, which was refused by Mr. Wilson.  In addition, the Comptroller notes how in the 45 years of the cemetery, this was the first documented complaint against it, and reveals how the charges were brought less due to the misuse of cemetery funds required for maintenance and more due to the vindictiveness of Mr. Wilson, who was annoyed that the grave for his wife was not du with the right size specifications.  Also, it documents how matting was beginning to be used for the ground near graves, and how graves were dug even when the ground was frozen in February.  In addition, this account also reveals that it was the comptroller who helped get witnesses for the case in Green-Wood’s favor, by obtaining witness accounts from the cemetery grounds staff who worked on the burial.

Folder 9: Senate Hearing on Taxation of the Green-Wood Cemetery (1892)

Henry E. Pierrepont to the Hon. Cornelius Bergen, New York, January 25, 1839

            This letter was written by Mr. Pierrepont to Senator Bergen repeating his request for support to pass the proposed amendments to the Act of Incorporation.  He thanks Senator Bergen for paying attention to the memorial he sent to him with the previous letter, and makes it clear that Green-Wood Cemetery wants to be “disconnected” from objectives toward financial gain.  He describes meeting with Judge Story of the Mount Auburn Cemetery, other Directors have went to Philadelphia and Baltimore with a similar aim of acquiring information, and he went to the Pere la Chaise in Paris to observe it.  In addition, he cites local support from the lower districts of New York City for Green-Wood’s success, and the positive resolutions passed by Brooklyn’s Common Council when the cemetery applied for boundaries that were laid on the Map of the City.  Mr. Pierrepont says he will come to Albany himself to lobby for the amendments if necessary, claiming that the intentions of the cemetery previously were misunderstood: even though the cemetery started off with the for-profit joint-stock model, it wanted now to become a non-profit institution.  He even notes how Mr. George Wood and Gerrit G. Van Wagenen have prepared a draft of the amendment bill, which he hopes will be presented for passage soon.

            This letter is important because it shows how those involved with Green-Wood lobbied for it to become a non-profit institution.  Mr. Pierrepont stresses the cemetery’s commitment to become a non-profit entity, even offering to come to Albany to lobby for it.

Folder 9: Senate Hearing on Taxation of the Green-Wood Cemetery (1892)

Items #40 and #41: (Both are the same letter) Letter to the Hon. Amasa Parker, 31 Nassau Street, New York, March 25, 1892 from B. D. Silliman

            In this letter, B. D. Silliman (a Trustee of the Green-Wood Cemetery and the one who introduced its bill for incorporation) asks the Hon. Amasa Parker (Chairman of the Senate Committee on Taxation &c.) to postpone its hearing on taxing Green-Wood until after April 9^th when ex-Judge Jasper W. Gilbert (President of the cemetery) can attend the meeting after he returns from his trip in the Southern United States.  Mr. Silliman also outlines that the cemetery (under its charter) is still a non-profit institution that uses surplus funds as a trust fund to maintain the cemetery grounds.

            This document is significant because it shows how the cemetery is again arguing that it is a non-profit entity, and that it wanted its President to defend its tax-exempt status.

Item #42: Letter to the Hon. Joseph Aspinwall, 31 Nassau Street, New York, March 26, 1892 from B. D. Silliman

            In this letter, B. D. Silliman again explains the non-profit status of the Green-Wood Cemetery and argues in defense of it.  He also explains how the cemetery is even more of a non-profit entity as “a sacred public ground” due to its number of burials and the opinion of the general public.  He asks Aspinwall to prevent the passage of any act that will affect the cemetery, and if the meeting to discuss taxing the Green-Wood Cemetery cannot be postponed to April 9, he will arrange a proxy to come to the meeting.

            This letter is significant because it documents Mr. Silliman lobbying on the cemetery’s behalf, asking another legislator, Aspinwall, to help defend it.  It is also interesting because this is the first time a document notes the cemetery as “a sacred public ground,” indicating that the cemetery now has a new image in the opinion of the general public.

Item #43: Letter to the Hon. B. D. Silliman, 31 Nassau Street, New York, March 28, 1892 from B. D. Silliman (with three telegraph responses)

            In this letter, Amasa J. Parker describes how he cannot postpone the meeting about the taxation of the Green-Wood Cemetery, since the Legislature is interested in this subject, and that they do not want to affect the cemetery but deal with the taxation of cemetery property that the cemetery is exempt under state law.  In the first telegram, J. W. Gilbert writes to Parker from Atlanta, Georgia, asking if the hearing on taxation will be adjourned and until what day.  Parker responds in a second telegram that the meeting will be adjourned for one week, if Gilbert attends.  In the third message, sent at 5 pm on April 7, Gilbert says that he will.

            This document is important because it shows the interest the State had in this taxation issue with the cemetery.  It also documents the back-and-forth between Parker and Gilbert over when to hold this important hearing.

Item #44: Telegram from Amasa J. Parker to J. W. Gilbert, March 28, 1892

            In this telegram, Amasa J. Parker tells J. W. Gilbert that he will adjourn the hearing on the Green-Wood Cemetery’s taxation for one week if Gilbert attends.

            This telegram is important since it shows that Parker was willing to delay the hearing until the Green-Wood Cemetery could have their best representative testify, revealing that he was willing to address the cemetery’s concerns.

Item #45: Telegram from Amasa J. Parker to J. W. Gilbert, April 6, 1892

            This telegram says to Gilbert “You need not come.”

            This telegram is important because it documents when Parker decided to not require Gilbert to attend the hearing.

Item #46: Letter to the Hon. J. W. Gilbert from Amasa J. Parker, April 6, 1892

            In this letter, Amasa J. Parker tells J. W. Gilbert that he does not have to come to Albany for the hearing on the taxation of the Green-Wood Cemetery.  The hearing has been canceled and instead a report will be drawn up by the committee by next week.

            This document is important because it canceled the hearing where if the Green-Wood Cemetery had not defended itself well, it might have lost its tax-exempt status.

Item # 47: “Correspondence etc. with Chairman of Senate Committee on Taxation – April 1892 - 1.”

            This item is an empty envelope: no significance.

Item #48: Letter to Jasper W. Gilbert from Amasa J. Parker, April 9, 1892

            In this letter, Amasa J. Parker tells Jasper W. Gilbert that the committee has not drawn up the report yet, but that this report will not contain anything that will be harmful to the Green-Wood Cemetery.

            This letter is significant since it shows Parker’s concern that the committee’s report will not be harmful to the Green-Wood Cemetery.

Item # 49: “Senate Resolution re taxation of Cemetery land [January 22] 1892 2”

            This Resolution gives the Committee on Taxation and Retrenchment the authority to investigate the holdings of land of cemetery associations and corporations, due to the fact that it was suspected that these groups were holding land for profit and that this was unfair to New York taxpayers.  The Resolution also mandates that this committee will report on its findings.

            This Resolution is significant because it documents why New York State investigated the Green-Wood Cemetery at this time.  There was concern that cemetery associations were not holding lands for burials, but for speculative profit instead.

Item #50: Notice from Amasa J. Parker to Charles M. Perry, Albany, March 24, 1892

            In this notice, Amasa J. Parker (Chairman) is writing to Charles M. Perry to tell him that he needs to attend the hearing of the Committee on Taxation and Retrenchment in Albany, New York, on March 31, 1892, at 7:30 pm in order to be questioned by the committee.

            This notice is important because it announced that someone from the Green-Wood Cemetery (Perry) was being called to testify at this committee’s hearing, meaning that the committee wanted to investigate the cemetery’s land holdings.

Item #51: “An Act: To render the real estate of the Greenwood Cemetery in the county of Kings, liable to assessments for local improvements.” (1892?) *(There are two undated news clippings attached to this Act, one explains what the Committee on Taxation and Retrenchment was authorized to do by the New York State Legislature, and the other is a transcription of the Act)

            This Act is divided into two sections.  Section 1 explains that the cemetery’s corporation and its property will now be liable for taxes for local improvements passed by the City of Brooklyn or otherwise, provided that the assessments of these taxes do not disturb the title of private citizens to the lots or parts of lots in the Green-Wood Cemetery.  Section 2 states that this Act will take effect immediately.

            This Act is important because it changed the tax-exempt status of the Green-Wood Cemetery.  Rather than being completely tax-exempt, the cemetery now can be taxed if these taxes are passed to pay for local improvements in the City of Brooklyn.

Folder 10: Act for Land Exchange (1896)

Folder 10: Act for Land Exchange (1896)

Item # 52: “An Act: Authorizing Green-Wood to exchange, acquire + convey land to straighten its boundaries March 5, 1896 1”

            This Act is divided into two sections.  Section 1 explains that the Trustees of the Green-Wood Cemetery now have the right to exchange, buy, or sell land in order to straighten the boundaries of the cemetery.  However, they do not have the right to do this if it affects or impairs the interest of any owner that owns any lot in the cemetery.  Section 2 states that this Act will take effect immediately.

            This Act is important because it extends the right of the Green-Wood Cemetery to manage its landholdings in order to create a cemetery with straighter boundaries (and therefore easier to maintain), but not at the expense of those that already own lots in the cemetery if these owners do not want the land in question exchanged, bought, or sold.

Folder 11: Senate & Assembly Act Amendments (1873-1897)

Folder 11: Senate and Assembly Act Amendments (1873-1897)

Item # 53: “Copy of an Act to authorize Cemeteries to acquire additional land, 1873” Passed May 8, 1873 *(amendment to the 1870 Act that referred to acquiring the title to real estate for burial purposes)

            This amendment of an Act is divided into two sections.  Section 1 explains that Section one of the previous Act of 1870 will read in the 1873 Act that any city common council, village trustees, or incorporated cemetery association in New York State (even though the cemetery is outside the limits of cities or villages) has the right to obtain by deed or other means, the land needed for burial purposes, and to hold land as well with the same rights, privileges, and authority and to have this land be subject to the liabilities of the other lands held by a city council, village trustees, or cemetery association.  Section 2 states that this Act will take effect immediately.

            This Act is important because it gives each of these three governing bodies (city council, village trustees, or cemetery association) equal right to acquire and hold land for burial purposes.

Item #54: “An Act authorizing the formation of rural cemetery associations, passed April 27, 1847. with amendments up to the year 1860.”

            This Act is divided into 19 sections.  Section 1 explains that these associations can be formed, their style, trustees, and how they are classified.  Section 2 states how a Certificate of Incorporation should be made and recorded.  Section 3 explains how the corporation should be recorded after the certificate is passed.  Section 4 states that the association can only obtain and hold no more than 200 acres, to be surveyed &c., how plots of land should be sold, and that the association may hold personal property.  Section 5 states how trustees should be elected.  Section 6 explains that trustees should report annually.  Section 7 states that lots are indivisible and discuss the payment for lands.  Section 8 explains how the consent of the board of supervisors in Kings, Westchester, and Queens Counties must be obtained to possess land for cemetery purposes in these regions.  Section 9 states the ecclesiastical organizations that can use burial grounds in these regions for burial purposes.  Section 10 outlines how the boards of supervisors of these three counties can create regulations for burials in these cemeteries.  Section 11 explains that incorporated cemetery associations need to apply to a board of supervisors to use land for cemetery purposes, what this application should contain, and what proceedings need to be held before the land can be used for burial purposes.  Section 12 states that Section 1 and 2 of this Act will apply to all cemetery associations created after the passage of this Act.  Section 13 explains the penalty for willfully trespassing on cemetery property &c.  Section 14 states that the cemetery association may hold land in trust for the embellishment of the cemetery.  Section 15 explains that the cemetery is tax-exempt, is no liable to sale on execution, and that streets cannot be laid through it.  Section 16 explains the transfer of lots to individuals that these lots are inalienable in certain instances, and that sales of lots can be made without filling in the map of the lot.  Section 17 authorizes the Legislature of the State of New York to alter or repeal this act if it decides to.  Section 18 amends the 1847 law by changing the amount of square feet a person must own in the cemetery in order to cast a vote for the election of trustees from four hundred to two hundred square feet.  Section 19 explains in a proviso that this Act will not affect cemetery associations that were formed under the previously amended Act before this Act was passed

            This Act with its amendments is important because it codifies how rural cemetery associations were organized in the State of New York by 1860, by laying down sections that explained the rules governing the formation and operation of these associations.

Item #55: “1873 – Chapter 452. May 8, 1873 2: ‘AN ACT to amend section one of chapter seven hundred and sixty of the Laws of eighteen hundred and seventy, in reference to acquiring title to real estate for burial purposes.”

            This amendment Act is divided into three sections.  Section 1 revises chapter 760 of the 1870 Laws to basically state that any common council, trustees of an incorporated village, or a incorporated cemetery association (without the word “rural”) in instances where any of these three groups needs land for burial purposes, can acquire or buy the title to this land as long as these lands do not have buildings on them with a value greater than $500.  Section 2 explains the sections one and two of chapter 760 of the 1870 Laws will be “re-enacted,” so that they will be applicable to Section 1 of this amendment Act.  Section 3 states that this amended Act will take effect immediately.

            This document is important because it increases the landowning rights of the three groups mentioned, including cemetery associations.  They can now own and buy title to lands purchased for burial grounds, as long as these lands lack expensive buildings on them.  It is also interesting to note that the word “rural” is scratched out of this document from “cemetery association.”  This may indicate the growth of the city boroughs of New York, such as Brooklyn, which is leaving the Green-Wood Cemetery in an increasingly urban, rather than rural, surrounding.

Item #56: “Act about Cemeteries [January 10,] 1877 (Re-registration + taxation of lots) 1.

            This Act basically gives the trustees of a rural cemetery association (such as Green-Wood) the right to register lots in the cemetery and to tax the lot owners of the cemetery.  It is divided into five sections.  Section 1 explains that all land owned that are not being held or designated for family burial purposes, should be entered into the books of the cemetery association within six months of this Act’s passage by the owner, with a tax of no more than 50 cents for every lot of “four hundred superficial feet” (any lot transfers should also be recorded in the books of the cemetery association).  Section 2 states that the lots of land not exempted in Section 1 can only be sold by the cemetery after obtaining written permission from the lot owner and the price of the lot’s sale is agreed upon by both the lot owner and the cemetery association.  Section 3 states that the trustees of a cemetery association can tax all lots not held or used for family burial purposes, with a tax no greater than a dollar per year, five dollars per decade, for each lot not over “four hundred superficial feet,” with the interest on this tax “seven centum per annum” from the date of imposition.  The money from this tax will be used to both pay the debts of the corporation that runs the cemetery, and to embellish, improve, and preserve the grounds of the cemetery and its avenue and roads.  Section 4 states that any acts or components of act not in line with this Act will be repealed, and Section 5 states that this Act will take effect immediately.

            This Act is significant because it documents the first time that individual lot owners in the Green-Wood Cemetery are taxed, and establishes the regulations for the cemetery association to tax these owners.

Item #57: Resolution Note *(Undated)

            This resolution declares that both Gowanus Road and Martense’s Lane have become both “unnecessary and useless” for travel by the public, due to the opening of other Avenues in line with the plans designated on the Commissioners Map of the City of Brooklyn, and that these two roads should be closed.

            This resolution is important since it indicated that Brooklyn is changing at this time, by closing two roads since new avenues make them useless.

Item #58: “[Special Correspondence of the Eagle] ALBANY, March 2, 1877.” (News Article)

            This news article reports on the debate over the bill proposed to allow rural cemetery associations to record and tax lot owners.  The article reveals there was much opposition to this bill, especially Section 3, which states that the trustees of a cemetery association can tax all lots not held or used for family burial purposes, with a tax no greater than a dollar per year, five dollars per decade, for each lot not over “four hundred superficial feet,” with the interest on this tax “seven centum per annum” from the date of imposition (the money from this tax will be used to both pay the debts of the corporation that runs the cemetery, and to embellish, improve, and preserve the grounds of the cemetery and its avenue and roads).  “Mr. Lyons” proposed the bill in order to forbid speculation of lots in cemeteries, while “Mr. Alvord” opposed the bill, stating that it would lead to the “complete disorganization of all the cemetery associations in the state.”  The bill progressed with Mr. Lyons citing the Cypress Hills Cemetery (the article says it was either in New York or Brooklyn) where speculators owned 1,300 to 1,400 lots, as reason to propose his bill.  The bill also went forward after a copy of the bill was sent to cemetery associations in both New York and Brooklyn, which did not send a reply of opposition.

            This article is significant because it documents how this bill to register and tax lot owners in cemeteries was debated.  It is also interesting that even after the bill was sent to cemetery associations, who did not send a reply of opposition.  This indicates that they were in favor of the bill’s passage.

Item #59: “Proposed Act to close Gowanus Road + Martense’s Lane 1” *(Undated)

            This proposed Act explains the planned closure of part of Gowanus Road and Martense’s Lane in Brooklyn, and is divided into two sections.  Section 1 states that the part of Gowanus Road that extends southwesterly from the junction of this road and Third Avenue, between Twenty-Ninth and Thirtieth Streets, to the Town of New Utrecht, and the part of Martense’s Lane that extends from its junction with Gowanus Road to the City line of Brooklyn, are now closed and discontinued between the stated points.  Section 2 explains that this Act will take effect immediately.

            This Act is significant because it shows possibly growth of the Green-Wood Cemetery landholdings.  Since now roads can be built through the cemetery, a bill to close a stretch of two roads indicates that the land these roads were built on is being bought by the Green-Wood Cemetery for burial purposes.

Item #60: “Chapter 543, Laws of 1888: An Act: For the Protection of Dealers in Monuments, Gravestones, Inclosures, or Other Structures in Cemeteries. Approved by the Governor June 9, 1888. Passed, three-fifth being present.”

            This Act is divided into four sections.  Section 1 states that any corporation, firm, association, or person that furnishes the grounds of a cemetery or burial grounds with any enclosure, monument, gravestone, or other structure within New York State, will have a lien (usually a public record, which in real estate terms, is a common way for creditors to collect what they are owed), for the price of these structures, provided the corporation, firm, association, or person file with the superintendent or individual in charge of the burial ground or cemetery a notice in writing where the individual or firm, corporation or association that provided these structures claim a lien on the structure’s purchase price.  This notice must also include a description of the structure, the person or people with whom the payment and building of the structure was made, the price paid, and price left unpaid for the lien claimed.  In addition, the boundaries of the plot where this structure is built must be stated in this notice, along with the signature of the person, firm, corporation, or association claiming the lien that is verified by the oath of the claimant of the lien or their agent.  Furthermore, it is the job of the superintendent of these public records to notify lot owners of a notice of a lien on the lot.

Section 2 states that  if the amount due is not paid, any individual, firm, corporation, or association claiming a lien can in sixty days have the right on ten days’ notice to the superintendent or person in charge of the burial ground of the removal of the structure from the cemetery.  After this, the ones that removed the structure will notify two local newspapers published in the county where the cemetery is, that an auction of the structure to the highest bidder will be held no less than ten and no more than fifteen days from the removal of the structure, in order to satisfy the lien, and this agreement will be signed and a copy of it will be mailed to the original customers of the structure.  After the sale, the proceeds basically need to go to paying the lien, not to exceed $50 for a monument or $10 for a gravestone.  Even though the Act states in Section 2 that this Act does not put any liabilities on the cemetery association on either carrying out or not the provisions of the act, the cemetery association cannot prevent the removal of structures under a lien, re-inscribe them for other uses, or remove structures under lien without the permission of the claimant of the lien.  Section 3 states that any acts or parts of acts not consistent with this new Act will be repealed, and that Section 4 states that this Act will go into effect immediately.

This Act is significant because it outlines the rights of the people who built structures on the lands of the cemetery association, primarily to have a lien on these structures.  This is important because it gives these people the right to have these structures recorded in the cemetery records and control over them if the price for their erection is not paid.

Item #61: “Senate Bill to authorize Conveyance of a Cemetery lot by Heirs of Roger A. Flood – [January 13] 1890”

            This Act is divided into three sections.  Section 1 basically gives the heirs of a lot in Oakwood Cemetery in Troy, New York, the right to subdivide and sell the south half of this lot to be used as a family burial ground.  Section 2 states that this Act will not affect the other half of the lot that is being subdivided and sold by the heirs.  Section 3 states that this Act will take effect immediately.

            This document is significant because it is the first time that the right to subdivide and sell a lot in a rural cemetery is grant to the heirs of an owner of a lot in a rural cemetery.

           

Item #62, Item #63, and Item #64: (all clipped together):

Item #62: “An Act to amend an Act passed March ? A. D. 1897.”

            This Act (which was not introduced) is divided into two sections.  Section 1 states that nothing in this amended Act will affect a Statute passed March 5, 1896 (Chapter 72 of the 1896 Laws).  Section 2 states that this Act will take effect immediately.

            This Act is significant because since it was not introduced, this means that people did not want to change the Statue passed on March 5, 1896.

Item #63: “Act of /97 Re land to be acquired by Cemeteries 2”

            This is an empty envelope, so there is no significance.

Item #64: “An Act: To amend chapter one hundred and thirty-three of the laws of eighteen hundred forty-seven, entitled “An act authorizing the incorporation of rural cemetery associations,” as amended by chapter three hundred and eighty-nine of the laws of eighteen hundred and eighty-nine, in relation to powers of boards of supervisors in relation to cemeteries.”

            This Act is divided into two sections.  Section 1 amends Section 3 of chapter 133 of the 1847 Laws (as amended by chapter 389 of the 1889 Laws) to state that any rural cemetery incorporated after this Act is passed cannot lawfully take land in the counties of Westchester, Kings, Queens, Rockland or Suffolk, by devise, deed, or otherwise, or set apart or use any of the land in these counties, without the consent of the board of supervisors of these counties.  In addition, these counties are also permitted to make restrictions, regulations, or conditions on the use of this land for burial purposes “as such board may deem the public health or the public good to require.”  Section 2 states that this Act will take effect immediately.

            This Act is significant because it gives the boards of supervisors of the counties mentioned the right to regulate lands used for burial purposes for the purpose of “public health or the public good.”

Item #65: “Chapter. 206. Apr. 29, 1875 Acquisition of land by Cemeteries 2”

            This Act is divided into two sections.  Section 1 states that chapter 760 of the 1870 Laws is amended to state that it is lawful for the trustees of any incorporated cemetery association, city common council, or trustees of an incorporated village, to obtain by devise, deed, or otherwise, the land necessary for burial purposes or in addition to the land it already holds or is allowed to hold for such purposes.  In addition, this land should be held in the same manner with the same rights, authority, privileges, and under the duties and liabilities that apply to other land held by the city, village, or incorporated cemetery association.  Section 2 states that this Act will take effect immediately.

            This Act is significant because it allows the three governing bodies mentioned (including incorporated cemetery associations) to obtain lands required for burials greater than the land originally allotted to them, which allows the cemetery to grow as needed or anticipated.  This Act also puts these lands as equal to lands used for other purposes by the cemetery association, under the same privileges and duties.

Folder 12: Petition to Legislature (1874)

Folder 12: Petition to Legislature (1874)

Item #66: “Petition to the Legislature in opposition to proposed tax on Surplus of Cemeteries. 2”

            This item is an empty envelope that has no significance.

Item #67: “Copy of memorial to the Committee of the Legislature respecting the taxation of surpluses of Cemeteries – March 1874.”

            This memorial is a petition to the State Legislature of New York concerning an Act to tax cemetery corporations that have a surplus.  The cemetery corporation of the Green-Wood Cemetery first states that the passage of this Act will disturb the plan of the Green-Wood Cemetery to be a place for burial purposes and prevent it from using excess funds for the preservation of the cemetery as a whole.  They then go into arguments to prevent the passage of the Act.  They first mention how the cemetery was and still is not meant for profit, but for the burial for the dead, with its funds held in trust for the preservation of the grounds and all its structures.  In addition, they cite their original act of incorporation, why they were established, and how even though they started out as a joint-stock company (since they originally lacked the funds) eventually it was decided to shift their status to a non-profit rural cemetery association.  They also cite the amended charter of incorporation that gave them this status, and how they eventually achieved the right to purchase the deeds of land lots by 1842.  Also, they state how their debts were paid off by 1851, and by this time they decided to establish a fund for the preservation of the cemetery (since they would eventually run out of land for burials depriving them of income to preserve the grounds).  They stress the importance of this fund to maintaining the cemetery, citing eighteen miles of roads that need to be maintained annually, along with the grading of the land, footpaths, sewage and drainage systems, fountains and waters, monuments, hedges, trees, plot enclosure fences, gates, and fences around the cemetery’s boundaries that all need large and costly yearly maintenance.  They note how the cemetery is a sacred place, visited by many, and these people will be disturbed if funds for its maintenance are not maintained.  They stress that the surplus funds are necessary to preserve the beauty of the cemetery grounds, which without the funds for preservation would fall into decay.  They conclude by stating that they have no stockholding profits to use to pay for the cemetery’s upkeep, and hope that the New York State Legislature does not pass the bill taxing their surplus fund, citing Section 4 of their charter of incorporation, which states that all money from sales, after paying for the land, be used to preserve the cemetery grounds and for no other purpose.

            This petition is significant because it reveals the political advocacy of the Green-Wood Cemetery.  They are fighting to keep their fund of surplus money untaxed, so that it can be used to preserve the cemetery.  This petition is also important because it reveals why the cemetery association of the Green-Wood Cemetery made certain decisions, such as forming a fund to maintain the cemetery grounds.

         

Item #68*: [Original Document] Memorial to the Committee of the Legislature respecting the taxation of surpluses of Cemeteries, March 1874

            *This document is the original that the copy (Item #67) was made from, and its content and significance is the same as Item #68.

Folder 13: Notes on the Will of Henry Evelyn Pierrepont

Folder 13: Notes on the Will of Henry Evelyn Pierrepont

Item #69: “Notes on the Will of Henry Evelyn Pierrepont” [April 25, 1888]

            *[Extremely difficult to read handwriting] These notes record how Henry E. Pierrepont deeded some of his possessions over to his wife, and made his wife the consultant for his heirs.

            These notes are important because it established Mr. Pierrepont’s wife as the executor of his estate.

Series 2: Land Development

The Land Development series includes a range of maps, charts, correspondence, and proposals between law makers, architects, engineers, and the Green-Wood Cemetery involving the development of gravestones, entryways, and the expansion of land. In 1886, the Green-Wood Cemetery had an interest in expanding its boundary to 37^th Street. In this series is a handwritten correspondence from Henry E. Pierrepont (a founder and developer of the Green-Wood Cemetery) to his nephew in July of 1886, sharing his concern for this necessary expansion. He explains that by working in “agreement with the Rail Road Company [in charge of this land at the time] such a purchase would add an extra 442,000 sq. ft., providing 176 grave lots for the cemetery.”  This proposal was later approved by the board of the Cemetery and the boundary line was thus extended to 37^th street. A map and chart are included within this folder as well to provide researchers with further information on how such figures were formulated. Also included in this series are original surveyor’s notes regarding the boundaries of Green-Wood.

Box 1 (cont.)

Folder 14: The Town of Flatbush Tax Forms (1869-1874)

Box 1 (cont.)

Folder 14: The Town of Flatbush Tax Forms (1869-1874)

Item #70: Town of Flatbush Tax Received Form For Taxes, 1870, paid by Mr. Timothy Kyker to tax collector James H. McKinney

            This document shows that Mr. Timothy Kyker paid $690 total in taxes for eight sections of land that he owned in the Green-Wood Cemetery in 1870.

            This document is important because it record evidence of the payment of taxes for lots of land that was mandated by some of the Acts mentioned in Series 1, which shows that these acts taxing the owners of lots in the Green-Wood Cemetery went into effect.

Item #71: Town of Flatbush Tax Received Form For Taxes, 1872, paid by Mr. Timothy Kyker to tax collector James H. McKinney

            This document shows that Mr. Timothy Kyker paid $9.92 total in taxes for seven lots of land that he owned in the Green-Wood Cemetery in 1872.

            This document is important because it record evidence of the payment of taxes for lots of land that was mandated by some of the Acts mentioned in Series 1, which shows that these acts taxing the owners of lots in the Green-Wood Cemetery went into effect.

Item #72: Town of Flatbush Tax Received Form For Taxes, 1871, paid by Mr. Jacob Baker to tax collector James H. McKinney on February 12, 1872

            This document shows that Mr. Jacob Baker paid $3.00 total in taxes for four lots of land that he owned in the Green-Wood Cemetery in 1871.

            This document is important because it record evidence of the payment of taxes for lots of land that was mandated by some of the Acts mentioned in Series 1, which shows that these acts taxing the owners of lots in the Green-Wood Cemetery went into effect.

Item #73: Town of Flatbush Tax Received Form For Taxes, 1869 (Rejected by State Comptroller), paid by Mr. Matthew Cosgrove to the Kings County Treasurer James Jandine on February 4, 1871

            This document shows that Mr. Matthew Cosgrove paid $3.14 total in taxes for four lots of land that he owned in the Green-Wood Cemetery in 1869.

            This document is important because it record evidence of the payment of taxes for lots of land that was mandated by some of the Acts mentioned in Series 1, which shows that these acts taxing the owners of lots in the Green-Wood Cemetery went into effect.  Also, the fact that this tax form was rejected is interesting because this indicates that there was something wrong with this tax payment.

Item #74: Town of Flatbush Tax Received Form For Taxes, 1870, paid by Mr. Matthew Cosgrove to tax collector James H. McKinney on February 4, 1871

            This document shows that Mr. Matthew Cosgrove paid $85.00 total in taxes for four lots of land that he owned in the Green-Wood Cemetery in 1871.

            This document is important because it record evidence of the payment of taxes for lots of land that was mandated by some of the Acts mentioned in Series 1, which shows that these acts taxing the owners of lots in the Green-Wood Cemetery went into effect.

Item #75: Town of Flatbush Tax Received Form For Taxes, 1872, paid by Mr. Matthew Cosgrove to tax collector James H. McKinney

            This document shows that Mr. Matthew Cosgrove paid $4.55 total in taxes for four lots of land that he owned in the Green-Wood Cemetery in 1872.

            This document is important because it record evidence of the payment of taxes for lots of land that was mandated by some of the Acts mentioned in Series 1, which shows that these acts taxing the owners of lots in the Green-Wood Cemetery went into effect.

Item #76: Town of Flatbush Tax Received Form For Taxes, 1873, paid by Mr. Matthew Cosgrove to tax collector Peter L. Williamson

            This document shows that Mr. Matthew Cosgrove paid $6.26 total in taxes for six lots of land that he owned in the Green-Wood Cemetery in 1873.

            This document is important because it record evidence of the payment of taxes for lots of land that was mandated by some of the Acts mentioned in Series 1, which shows that these acts taxing the owners of lots in the Green-Wood Cemetery went into effect.  In addition, it shows that by 1873, Mr. Matthew Cosgrove had increased the amount of land he owned in the Green-Wood Cemetery by two lots, and the receipt notes an unpaid school tax for 1872 and a paid school tax for 1873, which reveals that by this point, cemetery lots in the Green-Wood Cemetery were beginning to be taxed to support the local school system as well as local municipal improvements.

Item #77: Town of Flatbush Tax Received Form For Taxes, 1873, paid by Mr. Timothy Kyker to tax collector Peter L. Williamson

            This document shows that Mr. Timothy Kyker paid $12.41 total in taxes for eight sections of land that he owned in the Green-Wood Cemetery in 1873.

            This document is important because it record evidence of the payment of taxes for lots of land that was mandated by some of the Acts mentioned in Series 1, which shows that these acts taxing the owners of lots in the Green-Wood Cemetery went into effect.  In addition, it shows an unpaid school tax for 1872 and a paid school tax for 1873, which reveals that by this point cemetery lots in the Green-Wood Cemetery were beginning to be taxed to support the local school system as well as local municipal improvements.

Item #78: Town of Flatbush Tax Received Form For Taxes, 1874, paid by Mr. Matthew Cosgrove to tax collector R. J. Berry

            This document shows that Mr. Matthew Cosgrove paid $6.64 total in taxes for four lots of land that he owned in the Green-Wood Cemetery in 1874.

            This document is important because it record evidence of the payment of taxes for lots of land that was mandated by some of the Acts mentioned in Series 1, which shows that these acts taxing the owners of lots in the Green-Wood Cemetery went into effect.  In addition, this document also shows that the local school tax on cemetery lots was still in effect in 1874.

Item # 79: Envelop “Relating to Tax Sales – 4” and four newspaper articles encased in Mylar: “The Arrearage Law” (Undated), “Of Importance to Taxpayers” (Undated), “Important to holders of Tax Sale Certificates” (The Brooklyn Eagle, November 14, 1883), “Arrears: The Operations Under the Law” (The Brooklyn Eagle, November 12, 1883)

            Basically, these four articles document how, based on a decision made by the Court of Appeals of the City of Brooklyn, the Board of Assessors of the City of Brooklyn declared that the sale of property for the payment of taxes from the Tax for 1862 forward was declared void in 1883, and any back taxes from this decision must be paid by taxpayers.  This was done apparently because there were groups of people that were holding land and then selling it in order to pay their taxes.

            These news articles are significant because it documents a change in what taxpayers were allowed to do to pay their annual taxes.  In this case, taxpayers could no longer sell property to pay for taxes from the sale revenue.  This is important concerning the Green-Wood Cemetery because as a result of this lot owners by 1883 could not legally sell individual lots or tracts of land in the Green-Wood Cemetery to pay their taxes.

Folder 15: Specifications & Agreements on North Entrance (1860-1862)

Folder 15: Specifications & Agreements on North Entrance (1860-1862)

Item #80: Estimate of the Cost of Stone for the Main Lodge and Gate at the Green-Wood Cemetery *(names on this document are very unreadable), New York, November 13, 1860

            This document is an estimate of the cost for the stone needed to build the main lodge and gate for the Green-Wood Cemetery in 1860.

            This document is important because it documents the type of stone that was planned to be used for this landmark structure (Dorchester and Bellevile stone), and its high cost: $30,380.00 for the Dorchester stone and $34,765.00 for the Bellevile stone.

Item #81: Costs for the Stone Figures and Margins for Greenwood Cemetery’s Main Gate, New York, August 20, 1861

            This document shows the costs for four groups of stone figures and four margins stones for the façade of the Green-Wood Cemetery’s Main Gate.

            This document is important because it documents the cost of the stone figures on the landmark main gate of the Green-Wood Cemetery.  It reveals the total value of these figures ($378.37) and the cost of commissioning them and transporting them from the dock to the yard of the stone works for transport to the cemetery ($1,594.37).

Item #82: “Specifications for stone and stone cutting and stone setting for Gateway to Greenwood Cemetery” *(Undated)

            This document specifies what the Green-Wood Cemetery Association wanted the architects Richard Upjohn & Son to do when building the new main gate and lodge for the Green-Wood Cemetery.  The document specifies that the Association only wants the best brownstone used for the gate, to be laid by the best workmen, to be jointed (most likely for stability) and that all the stone be of a consistent color with no holes in them.  In addition, it states that these specifications cannot be altered without the knowledge and consent of architects Richard Upjohn & Son, and that these specifications will accompany the architects when the gate is constructed.

            This document is important because it both shows what the Green-Wood Cemetery Association wanted with their new main gate to the cemetery, and how they gave the authority to Richard Upjohn & Son to have control over these specifications and the authority to approve or disapprove of any changes to these plans.

Item #83: “John Moffit and The Green-Wood Cemetery: agreements” (with identifier tag) August 31, 1861

            This document is the agreement between the Green-Wood Cemetery Association and the sculptor John Moffit over his commission of four groups of statuary for the main gate of the Green-Wood Cemetery.  This agreement documents specifications in eight sections.  Section 1 states that the stone for the figures should come from quarries in Nova Scotia and should be delivered to the cemetery, and that the cemetery should not pay more than $1,500 for the stone.  Section 2 states that the subjects of these figure groups will be scenes from the life of Jesus Christ, his Entombment, Resurrection, the Raising of Lazarus, and the Raising of the widow’s son.  Section 3 specifies that the figures need to be life-sized and executed in conformity with the designs of the north gate by Richard Upjohn & Son.  Section 4 states that John Moffit will carve the margin around the figure panels and carve foliage decoration.  Section 5 states that this commission must be executed in the most artistic manner and with the approval of the committee and officers of the cemetery.  Section 6 states that this commission must be completed before March 1, 1862.  Section 7 states that the cemetery will pay $300,000.00 for the sculpture groups, but that John Moffit will have to pay for lifting the sculpture groups and putting them in place.  Section 8 has the seals of both John Moffit and the Green-Wood Cemetery Association, and states that John Moffit agrees to execute the commission, while the Association agrees to pay for it (signed by Comptroller of the cemetery, J. A. Perry).  In addition, the law firm Brown & Galentine sign and seal this agreement, binding each party to the agreement, and indemnifying the Green-Wood Cemetery from any losses incurred if this agreement is unfulfilled.

            This document is important for several reasons.  First, it documents who sculpted the sculpture groups on the main north gate of the Green-Wood Cemetery, John Moffit.  Also, it explains what the sculpture groups were planned to be, where the stone to make them came from, and many other details about these sculpture groups.  In addition, it is also proof of the indemnity of the Green-Wood Cemetery from any losses from this agreement falling through, protecting the cemetery from lawsuits.

Item #84: “Brooklyn Dec. 30, 1861 Measurement of Masons Work on Greenwood Cemetery Entrance measured by James Morgan”

            This document is a recorded measurement of all building materials used by the masons to build the North Entrance of the Green-Wood Cemetery.

            This document is important because it documents what the main gate of the Green-Wood Cemetery was built from (concrete, Boat stone, Bank stone, and brick), how many materials were used, and how large the parts of the structure made with these materials were in feet.

Item #85: “Specification of Materials and Masons work for Gateway to Green-Wood Cemetery” (ca. 1861)

            This document specifies how the Green-Wood Cemetery Association wants certain aspects of the gateway to the cemetery to be done (such as the mixing of Rosendale cement, the mixing of lime, and the laying of the foundation).  In addition, it also stresses that the best materials should be used for the construction.  Also, it describes the way that it wants the walls to be built, with a layer of brick between the inner and outer walls of stone.

            This document is significant because it not only documents the materials that the Green-Wood Cemetery Association wanted its gateway to be made out of, but also how it wanted certain parts of the gateway constructed.

Item #86: “Materials furnished by Company for New Entrance” *(Undated)

            This note card records both the amount and the cost of the materials bought for the construction of the new entrance of the Green-Wood Cemetery.

            This not card is important because it says exactly what types of materials were bought (such as sand, gravel, water, and stone) and the total cost of these materials ($724.88).

Item #87: “Brooklyn Nov. 15^th, 1860 Messrs. Upjohn”

            This document is an estimate calculated by Richard Upjohn, architect of the new entrance at the Green-Wood Cemetery, of what will be spent on materials and construction of the gateway.

            This document is important because it shows how Richard Upjohn was keeping track of how much the initial phase of construction of the gateway would cost.  This reveals that Richard Upjohn was mindful of keeping the costs of building this gateway under budget.

Item #88: “New York Dec. 10^th, 1862 Capt. J. C. Luce” (Signed by L. H. Cohn on December 11^th ) *(Difficult to read)

            This document describes the offices in the new entrance lodge of the Green-Wood Cemetery and how its ceilings should be decorated and what furniture should furnish these rooms.

            This document is important because it describes how the interior rooms of the entrance gate lodge of the Green-Wood Cemetery was decorated and furnished in 1862.

           

Item #89: Letter from John Moffit to *(illegible) February 22, 1861

            This letter was written by sculptor John Moffit to what is assumed the Green-Wood Cemetery Association.  In it he describes his artistic process, such as how he is planning to execute draft models of the commissioned sculpture groups in clay at ¼ the intended size for inspection by the Association.

            This letter is important because it documents not just how John Moffit communicated with the Association concerning this commissioned work, but also his artistic process.

Item #90: Letter from John Moffit to J. A. Perry, New York, August 8, 1861

            In this letter from John Moffit to J. A. Perry, Mr. Moffit discusses that he knows the price for the stone for the sculpture groups he will carve ($1.25 per foot).  In addition, he also tells Mr. Perry that the stone for the figure groups has been quarried, but his only proof of this is the word of the person that quarried them.

            This document is important because it shows that by August of 1861, the stone for Mr. Moffit’s sculpture groups for the new main gate of the Green-Wood Cemetery were already quarried.

Item #91: Letter from John Moffit to J. A. Perry, New York, August 7, 1861

            In this letter, John Moffit tells J. A. Perry that the large stones required for the sculpture groups he will carve and the margin have been quarried and notes how big they are and their cost.  Mr. Moffit also notes that he will not be able to do the commission within the estimate he proposed, and will have to back out of the project.  He does make the proposal, however, that he will do the commissioned work for $3,000, without paying for the stone.

            This document is important because it records some troubles between Mr. Moffit and Mr. Perry, in that Mr. Moffit might have to back out of the commission since he believes he cannot fulfill the commission within budget.  In addition, this document also gives an idea of when the stone for the figure groups was quarried, along with how big the stones were and their cost.

Item #92: Letter from William Joyce, Stonecutter, 36 East 49^th St. to J. A. Perry, Esquire *(Undated)

            In this letter, the stonecutter William Joyce agrees with J. A. Perry’s payment of $25,000 to cut the stone necessary for the new entrance at the Green-Wood Cemetery, and to obtain this stone from the Bellville Quarries.  In addition, Mr. Joyce states that he will set this stone for $2,500.

            This document is significant because it both shows where the stone used to build the new gatehouse of the Green-Wood Cemetery came from and documents the agreed upon price for this work by Mr. Perry and Mr. Joyce.

Item #93: Two Statements: (Both signed by George Brown) both from New York, first one is from November 15, 1860, the second one is dated November 10, 1860

            Both of these statements are sworn statements.  The first one from November 15, 1860, states that the architects Richard Upjohn & Son agrees to both obtain and set the materials required for building the new gateway at the Green-Wood Cemetery.  The second statement claims that this same architecture firm swears that it will build the gateway for $28,597 with Dorchester or Middlesex Connecticut Stone or for $29,180 with Bellville Stone.

            These statements are important because they document that the architecture firm of Richard Upjohn & Son swore to finish the new gateway of the Green-Wood Cemetery for different payments depending on the type of stone used.

Item #94: Letter from Octwater Gaxtan to J. A. Perry, Brooklyn, March 12, 1861

            In this letter, Mr. Gaxtan explains that his company will put up an iron fence with two coats of paint according to plans along Fifth Avenue from the Green-Wood Cemetery.  It also specifies a granite block eight feet by two feet, six inches to border the railings end and that the railing will cost a dollar a foot.

            This letter is important because it is correspondence that documents the first iron fence around the Green-Wood Cemetery, solidifying a definite boundary for the cemetery’s grounds.  This palisade iron fence was built on the western boundary of the cemeteries grounds in 1861 (Cleaveland, 1866, page 93).  The construction of a more permanent type of fence like this one had been previously prevented by both the shifting boundary line of the cemetery’s grounds and by the incomplete grading of the streets next to the cemetery’s borders (Cleaveland, 1866, page 93).  The fence was built after the completion of Fifth Avenue, meaning there would be no further adjustments to the surface or boundaries at this location on the cemetery’s western side (Cleaveland, 1866, page 94).  The 1861 Report by the cemetery corporation describes the fence: “It is a substantial fence, eight feet high. Its horizontal bars are attached to the iron posts by a new and ingenious arrangement, adding to its firmness. The posts themselves, unencumbered by lateral braces, are solidly fixed in large masses of concrete, extending four feet below the surface, and the result is a structure in which neatness and strength are admirably combined. By its height, by the nearness of the pales, and by the total absence of projecting ornament, this fence offers, it is believed, entire security against intrusion, while it freely admits the light and air” (Cleaveland, 1866, page 94).  The iron used to built this fence was imported from England, by 1866, nearly a mile of the cemetery’s borders were bounded by this iron fence, with the expectation that this fence would enclose the entire boundaries of the cemetery (Cleaveland, 1866, page 94).

Item #95: Cost Estimate for Gateway and Lodge Foundation at the North Entrance of Green-Wood Cemetery (ca. 1860)

            This estimate describes the costs for the materials for the foundation of the gateway and lodge building at the north entrance of the Green-Wood Cemetery.  It gives precise amounts and costs of materials for this foundation, including for bricks, sand, and water.  In order to grade and prepare the ground for the construction of this gateway, a lot of ground was both excavated and filled in (Cleaveland, 1866, page 96).

            This document is important because it outlines the precise amount of materials and the cost of those materials in the construction of the north entrance gateway and lodge of the Green-Wood Cemetery.

Item #96: Letter from Aleser Edwards to J. A. Perry, Brooklyn, April 2, 1862

            In this letter, Mr. Edwards offers Mr. Perry the price of $1,067.00 in order to deliver (but not set down) the granite stone slabs required for paving the gateway at the Green-Wood Cemetery.

            This letter is important because it documents exactly how much the paving stone at the Green-Wood Cemetery north entrance gateway cost and who provided them.

Item #97: Letter from James Morgan to J. A. Perry, Esquire, Brooklyn, January 14, 1862

            In this letter, Mr. Morgan tells Mr. Perry that it will cost $11.00 to furnish the equipment, tools, and laborers necessary to lift the statuary off the ground and install them at the entrance gate of the Green-Wood Cemetery.

            This letter is significant because it documents the precise cost of this project, the number of laborers required (five), and the equipment (two derricks with rigging and tools) required to get the sculpture groups lifted into place in the archways of the gateway at the Green-Wood Cemetery’s northern entrance.

Folder 16: Development of North & Northeast Entrances (1876-1888)

Folder 16: Development of North & Northeast Entrances (1876-1888)

Item # 98: Letter from Robert Ellin and J. W. Kitson of Robt. Ellin & Co., 519 West 21st Street to R. M. Upjohn, Esquire, New York, April 28, 1876

            In this letter Robt. Ellin & Co. offer Mr. Upjohn their services to cut all the stone of the Green-Wood Cemetery’s House and Lodge.  They also offer a cost comparison if the work is done in Dorchester or Newark stone ($21,995.00) versus Bellville stone ($23,732.00).

            This letter is important because it reveals that it would have cost more to build these structures out of Bellville stone instead of Dorchester or Newark stone in 1876.

Item #99: Preliminary Estimates for “Dwelling Lodge” and “Waiting Room” at the Green-Wood Cemetery by Morgan & Anderson for J. A. Perry

            In this estimate, Morgan & Anderson gives the total costs of the materials and construction of a lodge and waiting room at the Green-Wood Cemetery, including for brick and rubble masonry, cornices, chimneys, doors, windows, and trimmings.  The lodge cost $8,518.00 and the waiting room cost $4,453.00.

            This estimate is important because it documents the precise cost of materials and construction for the lodge and waiting room addition of the gateway at the Green-Wood Cemetery’s eastern entrance.

Item #100: Letter from R. M. Upjohn to J. A. Perry, Esquire, New York, May 5, 1876

            In this letter Mr. Upjohn criticizes the estimate of Morgan & Anderson for not including whether the style of the ashlar stone of the lodge and waiting room will be cut-face or not (as demanded by the specifications for these two buildings), and to ask who the mason will be that will so this work.  Also, he states that if Mr. Perry decides to use Dorchester stone for the structures, to use Connecticut Brown stone for the ashlar stone, and in addition mentions that he wants to install two gargoyles on the corners of the buildings in order to drain off rainwater.

            This letter is significant because it documents R. M. Upjohn’s direct involvement in planning the structure and the materials for the Green-Wood Cemetery’s lodge and waiting room.

Item #101: Estimate for Cut Stone by James Whitehouse to R. M. Upjohn, Architect, New York, May 25, 1876

            This estimate by Mr. Whitehouse contains the total cost for the cut stone needed to build the lodge and waiting room of the new eastern gateway at the Green-Wood Cemetery ($19,325.00).  It also takes into account extra costs that might arise, including $1,100.00 for carving, $410.00 for using the six-inch ashlar stone, and $400.00 for using pointed-face ashlar stone.

            This estimate is important because it gives exact costs for the stone and carving the stone for the lodge and waiting room structures at the Green-Wood Cemetery, and also documents R. M. Upjohn as the official architect for designing and building these two structures.

Item #102: *(Two Estimates) Estimates and proposals for Eastern Entrance buildings. 1876. 8. Both estimates are from Sidney Thornton of No. 20 High Street, Newark, New York, one for the stone for the Gate, and the second for the Lodge

            This item contains two estimates from Mr. Thornton.  The first is for all the stone for the eastern gate of the Green-Wood Cemetery, and the second is for the lodge at this entrance.

            This document is important because it compares what these structures cost to build depending on the stone used, with Belleville stone being more expensive than using Dorchester or Brownstone.  In addition, it also states that these stones will be laid under Mr. Upjohn’s specifications, showing that Mr. Upjohn had a role in designing and constructing these buildings.

Item #103: beige envelope with “Entrances & Buildings” written on it

            This is an empty envelope, so there is not content or significance.

Item #104: Memorandum of Agreement between James McLauren and the Green-Wood Cemetery, March 1, 1893

            In this agreement, Mr. McLauren agrees to build an addition on the western side of the office building at the Green-Wood Cemetery’s Fifth Avenue entrance according to the attached specifications from the cemetery, and to start construction by April 1 and finish the work by June 15, 1893.  In addition, the Green-Wood Cemetery (represented by C. M. Perry, cemetery Comptroller) agrees to pay Mr. McLauren $3,980.00 for his services.

            This agreement is important because it documents who erected the addition to the office building of the Green-Wood Cemetery on Fifth Avenue, and exactly how much this work cost.

Item #105: *(Two Assignments) First Assignment: From Morgan & Anderson, New York, January 28, 1879; Second Assignment: from Robert Ellin & Co. to Robert Ellin, New York, February 10, 1879

            This item consists of two assignments.  The first one from January 28, 1879, states that all the interests and money is transferred by Morgan & Anderson from the Green-Wood Cemetery Company to Robert Ellin & Co. for payment for building the gatehouses at the south eastern entrance of the Green-Wood Cemetery.  The second assignment from February 10, 1879 involves Robert Ellin & Co. transferring the funds given from the Green-Wood Cemetery by Morgan & Anderson on January 28, 1879 to B. I. Robinson, and that they also transfer to Mr. Robinson all claims to a “mechanic’s lieu” against these funds.

            These assignments are important because they documents how the money paid for the buildings constructed at the Green-Wood Cemetery’s south eastern entrance was moved from the cemetery to Mr. Robinson.

Item #106: Letter and Petition regarding Improvement of the 9^th Avenue Entrance to the Green-Wood Cemetery, from Andrew R. Culver (President, Prospect Park & Coney Island Rail Road Co.) and Charles M. Perry, Esquire (Comptroller, the Green-Wood Cemetery), Brooklyn, June 18, 1888

            In this letter Mr. Culver states that he is including a statement addressed to the president and trustees of the Green-Wood Cemetery that is signed by the Presidents of the three railroad companies whose lines end at Ninth Avenue and Twentieth Street, to improve the entrance to the cemetery at this location in the same form as the other entrances of the cemetery.  In addition, Mr. Culver also notes that he is not in favor of the erection of a stand at this location by a Mr. Flynn, and that this stand’s erection is not supported by lot owners or visitors to the cemetery.

            This letter is important because it shows that the Presidents of the railroad companies whose lines ended at the Green-Wood Cemetery’s Ninth Avenue entrance were the ones that urged the cemetery to improve the appearance of this entrance to the cemetery.  In addition, it also notes how these Presidents, along with cemetery lot owners and visitors, objected to any stand selling items outside the gates of the cemetery.

Item #107: Petition Statement (the one mentioned in the annotation for Item # 106) addressed to the President and Trustees of “The Greenwood Cemetery,” Brooklyn, New York, May 28, 1888

            In this petition (signed by the Presidents of three railroads that end at Ninth Avenue in Brooklyn, along with a florist, a monuments works, many lot owners in the Green-Wood Cemetery, and several property owners near the Ninth Avenue entrance to the Green-Wood Cemetery) the signers ask that the Green-Wood Cemetery improve the north or north east entrance to the cemetery located at the southeastern corner of Ninth Avenue and Twentieth Street, with the same walkways, fences, buildings, and other improvements that have been added to the cemetery’s entrances on Franklin and Fifth Avenues.  In this petition, the petitioners note the reasons that these improvements are necessary.  First, that traffic to the cemetery has increased at Ninth Avenue: there are more rail and streetcars running to this location.  Second, other than a temporary border fence, there are no improvements such as a more permanent fence or graded streets with sidewalks at this location, and until recently, there was a soda water, fruit, and cigar stand permitted by the cemetery at this location, which was not favored by visitors (especially women) to the cemetery due to the large crowds of boys and men gathering there and making inappropriate comments to cemetery visitors.  Third, this area’s character has improved since a November fire that burned down the railroad depots in the area.  New railroad depot buildings are also being built along with a commercial building by a local florist and a neighborhood is being constructed around these improvements, so the entrance of the cemetery needs to keep in step with these neighborhood improvements.  Fourth, these improvements to the entrance suggested by this petition will benefit both the lot owners of the cemetery and the visitors that come to the cemetery in record numbers due to the accommodations of the increased rail and streetcar service to the cemetery.

            This petition is significant because it notes the changes the Green-Wood Cemetery and the surrounding area were experiencing by 1888.  It notes how larger crowds are visiting the cemetery due to more public transport service being offered to the cemetery.  In addition, it also shows the proliferation of concessions stands outside the cemetery, and the growing public opposition to the presence of these stands.  Furthermore, it reveals why the railroad companies were major drivers of the improvements to this cemetery entrance: because it was near the site for their new railroad depot buildings, which was being built to replace the ones destroyed by a November fire.

Folder 17: Quantity of Land in Green-Wood Cemetery (1876-1877)

Folder 17: Quantity of Land in Green-Wood Cemetery (1876-1877)

Item #108: List of lot owners in various numbered blocks of the Green-Wood Cemetery *(Undated)

            This list records the lot owners for certain lots in the following parcels of land at the Green-Wood Cemetery: Block 273 number 128, Block 270 number 133, Block 287 number 138, Block 276 number 145, and Block 277 number 144.

            This list is important because it lists some of the lot owners in the Green-Wood Cemetery.

Item #109: Value of Outside Property of the Green-Wood Cemetery, 1875

            This list records the total monetary value of the lands outside of the Green-Wood Cemetery that the cemetery owns.  This includes twelve lots on Gravel Hill, land at Thirty-Seventh Street, a gore (triangle) of land, and Blocks 273, 270, 287, 276, all valued at $131,800.00.

            This document is important because it indicates that the Green-Wood Cemetery had land investments that were not located in the 1875 boundaries of the cemetery.

Item #110: List of lot owners in various numbered blocks of the Green-Wood Cemetery *(Undated)

            This list records the lot owners for certain lots in the following parcels of land at the Green-Wood Cemetery: Block 273 number 128, Block 270 number 133, Block 287 number 138, Block 276 number 145, and Block 277 number 144.

            This list is important because it lists a large amount of these lots in the Green-Wood Cemetery as being owned now by A. S. Wheeler and A. M. White.  This indicates that since the last list was written up (Item #108) Mr. Wheeler and Mr. White have consolidated ownership of a large number of lots in the cemetery.

Item #111: List of Streets that Border Certain Lots in the Green-Wood Cemetery *(Undated)

            This list records which streets and avenues bordered the numbered sections 127, 128, 133, 138, 145, and 151 in the Green-Wood Cemetery.

            This list is important because it documents where these numbered sections were located adjacent to certain streets and avenues in Brooklyn at the time.

Item #112: “Lots bought on 20^th and 21^st sts.” *(Undated)

            This list records the people who bought lots at the Green-Wood Cemetery that bordered Twentieth and Twenty-First streets in Brooklyn, how many lots each person bought, and for how much.  The total profit the cemetery made on these sales was $66,400.00.

            This document is important because it list all the lot owners of the lots bordering Twentieth and Twenty-First streets in Brooklyn at the time.

Item #113: Square piece of paper with several numbers on it *(Undated)

            *I am not sure what the numbers mean or the significance of this document.

Item #114: Lots Sold to A. S. Wheeler, 1857-1858, 1862, 1866-1872

            This list records what lots contained in Block 270 number 128 and Block 270 number 133 A. S. Wheeler bought in the mid and late nineteenth century.

            This document is important because it lists many lots sold to A. S. Wheeler.  This indicates that by 1872, he was one of the more prominent lot owners in the Green-Wood Cemetery.

Item #115: Lots Sold to A. S. Wheeler, 1866-1867, 1869-1871

            This list records what lots contained in Block 287 number 138 and Block 276 number 145 A. S. Wheeler bought in the late nineteenth century.

            This document is important because it lists many lots sold to A. S. Wheeler.  This indicates that by 1871, he was one of the more prominent lot owners in the Green-Wood Cemetery.

Item #116: “Quantity of Land in The Greenwood Cemetery,” June 3, 1884, L. P. Wells

            This statement by Mr. Wells lists the total amount of land that the Green-Wood Cemetery owned by 1884 (474.315 acres).

            This document is significant because it records the growth of the size of the Green-Wood Cemetery in terms of acres of land through land purchases made in March of 1876.

Item #117: Letter from Albert H. Osborn to James A. Perry, Esquire, Brooklyn, New York, January 26, 1877

            In this letter Mr. Osborn mentions that he has compiled the abstracts of titles to lots owned by the Green-Wood Cemetery, and lists the titles that the cemetery still needs to obtain.  He also states that he will retrieve remaining documentation for these titles that are at the Registrar’s office, and asks Mr. Perry to inform him of any errors with his list, and it will be corrected.

            This letter is significant because it shows that in 1877, not only did Greenwood Cemetery not possess all the titles to all the lots in the cemetery, but that it was making a concerted effort to figure out which lots it did not have the titles to and obtain them.

Folder 18: Land & Taxes Correspondence (1853-1867)

Folder 18: Land & Taxes Correspondence (1853-1867)

Item #118: “Assessments: None a Lieu After the Lapse of Twenty Years.” *(Undated)

            This undated news article describes how the Court of Appeals of the City of Brooklyn had decided that an unpaid assessment can only be in the status of a lieu on real estate for a twenty year period, and by the end of this period the assessment is assumed to be paid.

            This news article is important because it describes a decision that affected the way cemetery lot owners were taxed for their property.  It limited the time this property could be held in a lieu status to twenty years.

Item #119: “Copy of Memorial to [Board of] Supervisors of Kings Co[unty]. March 22, 1853. Re[guarding] acquisition of land.” Written by J. A. Perry, Comptroller of the Green-Wood Cemetery, Brooklyn, New York

            In this memorial (or petition), Mr. Perry asks the Board of Supervisors of Kings County to allow the Green-Wood Cemetery Corporation to have permission to amend their charter to allow them to acquire some more parcels of land than the seventy-five additional acres originally approved.  Mr. Perry and the cemetery corporation wants to do this because they want to straighten the boundaries of the cemetery with this additional land and to include some of this land that is in the town of Flatbush in the cemetery to make it safe for burials by enclosing it within cemetery property and therefore preventing roadways or avenues from being run through it.  Mr. Perry also asks the Legislature of the City of Brooklyn to prohibit roads from being run through this prospective cemetery property.  However, if the City of Brooklyn wants to build a road on the eastern boundary of the cemetery to connect the Bath and Coney Island Plank roads, the corporation of the Green-Wood Cemetery agrees to pay for half the cost of this road, and also offers to pay for the grading of the road, noting the high angle of Tenth Avenue, saying that this would speed up the process of grading the area, which would take longer if paid for by the Town of Flatbush or by public subscriptions.  (There is a copy of another petition on the back of page two of this document, which limits the number of additional acres the Green-Wood Cemetery can own from seventy-five to forty).  Mr. Perry concludes with a detailed explanation about how this proposal to allow the cemetery to have this additional land is in no way motivated by those in the cemetery corporation who have private personal or pecuniary interests.

            This memorial is important because it shows that the Green-Wood Cemetery was expanding in 1853.  They are asking for more land so that they can close it off from roads and avenues so that it can be used for additional burials.

Item #120: “Taxes on G. Grove’s” 1858

            This document records that in 1858, G. Grove owned fifteen lots in the Green-Wood Cemetery, which were taxed $8.64.

            This document is important because it shows what the taxes were for lots in the Green-Wood Cemetery circa 1858.

Item #121: Taxes Paid by the Green-Wood Cemetery on October 7, 1858 for Tax Assessments Confirmed on September 27, 1858 to Tax Collector Alfred M. Wood

            This document shows that the Green-Wood Cemetery paid $201.21 in taxes for sections of road improvements on Twentieth Street above Fifth Avenue, filling in certain cemetery lots.

            This document is important because it shows that the Green-Wood Cemetery fulfilled its pledge (stated in Item #119) to pay for part of the cost of creating and improving a road outside the cemetery’s property.

Item #122: Letter from Charles K. Taylor, Esquire, 148 Canal Street, to C. J. Percy, Esquire, 30 Broadway, January 18, 1862

            In this letter, Mr. Taylor explains to Mr. Percy that he will receive from him the abstract of the title for the “Regan Lots” after he has discussed it with “Mr. Germand” of Troy, New York.  (He goes into a long explanation of getting the necessary approvals for this transaction).

            This document is important because it shows the behind-the-scenes negotiations for obtaining the title to certain cemetery lots in the Green-Wood Cemetery, by describing who Mr. Taylor had to work with to obtain the title for these lots.

Item #123: “Copy of Leasers as to Taxes of Lots bought of W. M. Duifrond, Nov. 1867”

            This document shows the Green-Wood Cemetery selling certain lots in Block 277 in the cemetery that borders Tenth Avenue and Twenty-Second Street in order to pay for the taxes of 1867.

            This document is important because it shows that the Green-Wood Cemetery was using the sale of lots in order to pay their taxes in the late 1860s.

Item #124: “assessments and cash of local improvements outside of Cemetery. 4” *(Undated)

            This document records all the assessments for municipal improvements in Brooklyn outside the property of the Green-Wood Cemetery.  It records the amount of taxes assessed for road, sewer, and even lamp maintenance.

            This document is important because it shows that the Green-Wood Cemetery, like many other Brooklyn institutions, was responsible to pay for taxes for municipal improvements in Brooklyn.

Item #125: Map of the Total Taxes on Ten Individual Lots in the Green-Wood Cemetery *(Undated)

            This map shows ten lots bounded by Ninth Street, Twentieth Street, and Tenth Avenue, which were taxed a total of $195.31.

            This document is important because it shows how lots in the Green-Wood Cemetery were taxed by the City of Brooklyn.

Folder 19: Settlement of Boundary Lines (1881-1889)

Item #126: Letter from Mrs. Larkin, 128 Varick Street, to Mr. Perry, New York, June 18, 1881

            In this letter, Mrs. Larkin asks Mr. Perry to give to A. J. Fernwich the papers relating to her property in Kings County (five papers were delivered).

            *I am not sure why this is significant.

Item #127: Letter from Samuel Hall McElroy, Civil Engineer and City Surveyor, No. 16 Court Street to Mr. Perry, September 17^th, 1883

            In this letter, Mr. McElroy notes that he made a mistake when surveying Martense Lane, where he subtracted rather than adding a triangle of land, and that the correct areas are south of Martense Lane to the center of Thirty-Seventh Street.

            *Not sure why this is significant.

Item #128: “Relating to Larkin Purchase 4” circa 1881

            This document shows the deductions from the $4,000 value of the lot of the Green-Wood Cemetery property purchased by Patrick B. Larkin and his wife and William Keyer Jacobs, with total deductions $2,694.30, leaving $1,305.70 to be deposited at Brooklyn Trust Company for Mr. Larkin’s children.

            This document is important because it is an example of the heirs of a lot owner in the Green-Wood Cemetery claiming the amount of money the lot is worth as an inheritance (after deductions for mortgages, taxes, and expenses).

Item #129: “Estimate of Martense Property as to Cemetery Lots, [August 21,] 1883. 4”

            This document is a calculated estimate made by L. P. Wells of the costs of improving the Martense property for cemetery purposes versus the profit that could be made from dividing this land into cemetery lots and selling these lots.  This document notes the costs of transferring a lodge building and stone crusher from the southern entrance of the Green-Wood Cemetery to this location and of building a fence on this property.

            This document is important because it shows how the Green-Wood Cemetery was calculating the cost-benefit analysis for enlarging and improving parts of the cemetery.

Item #130: “Value of 9 acres 37^th St. and Fort Hamilton Ave. also of land where old stone Crusher + House Southern Entrance stood.” September 28, 1885

            This document is an estimate calculated by L. P. Wells of the land value for sellable cemetery lots of nine acres of land bordering Thirty-Seventh Street and Fort Hamilton Avenue, along with land opened for lot subdivision and sale as the result of moving a stone crusher and house lodge at the Green-Wood Cemetery’s southern entrance.

            This document is important because it shows that the Green-Wood Cemetery was trying to increase the number of burial lots in 1885 by analyzing how much land could be divided into lots and sold from land purchased by the cemetery and opened up by moving certain structures.  This reveals that by this time, the cemetery had grown in terms of burials and needed more space for burial lots.

Item #131: Letter from Coudert Brothers (Counsellors at Law, 68 & 70 William Street, P. O. Box 2559, New York) to Benjamin W. Silliman, Esquire, No. 31 Nassau Street, New York City, June 27, 1889

            In this letter, Coudert Brothers admit that they understand the proposition of the Green-Wood Cemetery Company to adopt as correct the boundary line on the survey map of Mess. Ludlam and Stuchfield.  In addition, they state that they accept the proposition of the Green-Wood Cemetery Company to compensate F. R. and Charles Coudert of Coudert Brothers for land within the fence of the cemetery in exchange for an equal amount of land fronting Fifth Avenue in Brooklyn.  They also expect to meet with the Green-Wood Cemetery Company at their convenience to see a rough diagram of this change.

            This document is important because it demonstrates how the Green-Wood Cemetery in 1889 compensated individuals that owned land that they needed within the borders of the cemetery.  They agreed to provide the owners with an equal amount of land in exchange that was outside the cemetery’s border fence.

Item #132: Letter from Coudert Brothers (Counsellors at Law, 68 & 70 William Street, P. O. Box 2559, New York) to Benjamin W. Silliman, Esquire, Babylon, Long Island, New York, July 5, 1889

            In this letter, Coudert Brothers state to Mr. Silliman that they have the funds from the Green-Wood Cemetery in reply to their letter on June 27, 1889 about the boundary between the cemetery and their lands in South Brooklyn.  Also, they note that they understand that Mr. Silliman and Judge Gilbert did not commit the Green-Wood Cemetery Association to any binding agreement.  In addition, they also wanted to know exactly how much land they can contract to sell from the lands received in the exchange, since they note how they have received many offers to buy the property, and want the Green-Wood Cemetery Association to bring this issue before the Board to be settled.

            This document is significant because it records how the Green-Wood Cemetery was working with Coudert Brothers to exchange land to establish the cemetery’s southern boundary.  It also reveals that this land was valuable and desirable by 1889, since Coudert Brothers note how they have had several offers to buy the land.

         

Item #133: “Proposed settlement of boundary line between Coudert Bros. and The Green-Wood Cemetery as arranged by Silas Ludlam and L. J. Wells and as shown by annexed maps, prepared by L. J. Wells,” July 29, 1889

            In this settlement, the Green-Wood Cemetery agrees to transfer to Coudert Brothers the plot of land that they own and the triangle of land that they own in the 8^th Ward of the City of Brooklyn (it describes the specific boundaries of these plots).  In addition, Coudert Brothers agrees to give the Green-Wood Cemetery an interior triangle plot of land in the Eighth Ward of the City of Brooklyn in Kings County in exchange for the plots they will give to the cemetery (they also provide very specific boundaries for this plot of land).

            This settlement is significant because it documents how the southern portion of the Green-Wood Cemetery expanded in Brooklyn in 1889.

Item #134: Letter from Benjamin Silliman, (Islip) Babylon Post Office, to Coudert Brothers, July 3, 1889

            In this letter, Mr. Silliman tells Coudert Brothers that he and Judge Gilbert were not authorized (as Coudert Brothers claimed) to make a proposition to change the boundary line in the southern part of the cemetery.  He claims that the surveyors Ludlam and Stutchfield did not have the authority to adjust the boundary line.  He notes that the correct boundary line was laid out by the old surveyor, the late Tennis G. Bergen, and this was the line adopted by the cemetery, according to the cemetery’s present surveyor, Mr. Wells.

            This letter is important because it reveals that there was conflict between the Green-Wood Cemetery and Coudert Brothers over the boundary between them and the cemetery.  It shows that Mr. Silliman did not agree with the boundary line that Coudert Brothers had in mind.

Item #135: (Two items attached together): One is the envelope from the Brooklyn City Clark’s Office that reads “Certified Copy of Brooklyn Ordinance allowing erection of Cemetery’s fences on stoop line,” the second is a copy of this ordinance, July 23, 1895, Brooklyn, New York

            This item states that on July 23, 1895, the Common Council of the City of Brooklyn passed a resolution (No. 88) that authorized the Green-Wood Cemetery to build fences on the stoop line of the cemetery out of iron or other solid materials instead of wood no more than ten feet high and not built outside the boundary line of the cemetery, provided that the space between this line and the fence line of the cemetery be used to built gates or plant trees or shrubs.

            This resolution is important because it authorized the Green-Wood Cemetery to build their fences out of a more solid, and therefore more permanent, material such as iron, meaning that the cemetery by 1895 was trying to firmly establish its borders.

Item #136: “Acquisition of Land at different dates – Estimate by Mr. Wells” February 1, 1883

            This estimate prepared by Mr. Wells shows the lands acquired by the Green-Wood Cemetery since its founding and continuing until 1883.  It reveals that the amount of land that the cemetery was allowed to acquire decreased over time: from two hundred acres before 1846 to only eighty-nine acres later on.

            This document is important not only because it documents how the Green-Wood Cemetery grew in terms of acreage since its founding, but also because it shows that over time, the City of Brooklyn began to limit the amount of land that the cemetery could add to its property to use for burials.

Folder 20: Quantity & Purchasing of Land (1896-1897)

Item #137: Letter from T. Dougherty to C. M. Perry, Esquire, Comptroller of the Green-Wood Cemetery, Brooklyn, New York, June 5, 1897

            In this letter Mr. Dougherty informs Mr. Perry that he has been instructed by the heirs of John Cavanaugh and Mrs. Bannon to accept the offer of $5,333.00 by the Green-Wood Cemetery to purchase a plot of land bordered by Tenth and Gravesend Avenues, exempting the buildings on this land, which will be removed by Mrs. Bannon, and that the purchasers will cover the expenses to buy the title to the property.

            This letter is important because it documents a purchase of a plot of land outside the cemetery limits in the late 1890s, indicating that the Green-Wood Cemetery was still growing in terms of acreage at this point.

Item #138: Note “Rm ch 23” dated April 13, 1891

            This document seems to be a refund from the Green-Wood Cemetery to someone concerning cemetery lots bordering some streets (much of this not is illegible).

            This document might be important because it is one of the first documented instances that I have seen of the cemetery giving a refund to a lot owner.

Item #139: Piece of paper dated March, 1896

            This document states “March 1896 – 449 Acres.”

            This document might be important because it might state how many acres the Green-Wood Cemetery owned by March of 1896: 449 acres.

Item #140: Letter from Eugene Cushman (Superintendent) to the Hon. Jasper W. Gilbert, 166 Remsen Street, Brooklyn, June 7, 1897

            This letter from Mr. Cushman to Mr. Gilbert states that Mr. Cushman (representing Mrs. Bannon) offers her portion of the gore of land at Tenth and Gravesend Avenues for $4,000.00, and that the Cavanaugh heirs are willing to take $1,333.00 to sell their portion of this gore of land.

            This letter is important because it documents a land purchase being resolved between two sets of heirs that increased the size of the Green-Wood Cemetery.

Item #141: Letter from W. W. Morton to a “Mr. Scully,” Brooklyn, New York, March 27, 1897

            This letter states that W. W. Morton has received a certified copy of the ordinance that closed Twenty-First Street between the City Line of Brooklyn and Seventh Avenue that was adopted by the Common Council of Brooklyn on January 19, 1891 with the passage of Resolution 27.

            This letter is important because it documents how the Green-Wood Cemetery is growing in size in 1897, with the closure of Twenty-First Street, indicating that the land near this street has been bought by the cemetery, and therefore, the street is being closed off to allow the land around it to be used for burial lots.

Item #142: “Contract to purchase from Charles Hart before June 15, 1893. 4” signed by Charles Hart and J. W. Gilbert, President of the Green-Wood Cemetery

            In this contract, Mr. Gilbert of the Green-Wood Cemetery agrees to buy from Mr. Hart a parcel of land bounded by Thirty-Sixth Street and Fourth and Fifth Avenues for $5,000.00.

            This contract is important because it documents a major land purchase by the Green-Wood Cemetery in 1893 that shows that the cemetery grew in size during this year.

         

Item #143: Two Lists: First is “410½ Acres of Land in Green-Wood Cemetery June 1873” and “Quantity of Land enclosed in Green-Wood Cemetery, March 1896.”

            This document contains two different lists.  The first one from June 1873 lists all the major land purchases by the Green-Wood Cemetery by this time, with the precise acreage of each parcel, and either who originally owned the parcel or where the land is in Brooklyn.  The second list lists all the acres of land that the Green-Wood Cemetery had accumulated by March of 1896.

            This document is important because it shows how the Green-Wood Cemetery has grown in terms of acreage since its founding, and also who originally owned all the parcels of land that would later make up the cemetery.

Folder 21: Fifth Avenue, Brooklyn (1854)

Item #144: “Appraisement of the Cemetery Grounds September 24, 1838. 4”

            This document is an appraisal of the value of all the parcels of land that the Green-Wood Cemetery had purchased by September 24, 1838, six months after they were officially incorporated as a cemetery.

            This appraisal is important because it documents the exact size of the Green-Wood Cemetery only a few months after it was incorporated, shows the value of all the parcels that made up the cemetery’s landmass by 1838, and reveals who owned all the different parcels before they were bought by the cemetery for burial purposes.  The total number of acres also shows how the cemetery expanded in terms of acres of land in the first six months of its incorporated existence.

Item #145: “Paper relating to the opening of Fifth Avenue. 2”

            *This is a piece of folded notebook paper and has no significance.

Item #146: “Copy of report of Committee of the N. Y. Senate respecting amendment of Charter, 1854. 2”

            This is a copy of the committee report of the New York Senate about the amendment of the Green-Wood Cemetery’s Charter of Incorporation in 1854.  It states that it was proposed that the Green-Wood Cemetery be liable to assessments for the opening of an avenue or street in Brooklyn (Fifth Avenue).  The committee and others (not connected to the management of the cemetery) were against this bill to amend the charter, since burials in the cemetery were done with the understanding that the buried dead in the cemetery would not be disturbed, and that the cemetery should be held inviolate from these assessments.

            This report is important because it documents how in 1854 some in Brooklyn were trying to get the authority to assess the Green-Wood Cemetery for taxes to be paid for municipal improvements (such as the building of avenues and streets).

Item #147: “Copy of Petition of Landowners to Common Council of Brooklyn – 2.” (ca. 1854)

            This petition records how landowners in Brooklyn petitioned the Common Council of the City of Brooklyn to make the Green-Wood Cemetery liable for assessments of taxes to be paid for the “opening, grading, and paving” of Fifth Avenue in Brooklyn.  The petitioners ask the New York State Legislature to consider an amendment to the cemetery’s charter to authorize this and to put “opening” before “grading” in order to clarify that the cemetery now has to pay taxes to support the opening of avenues, roads, and streets in Brooklyn.

            This petition is important because it reveals that it was local Brooklyn landowners that convinced the Common Council of Brooklyn to petition the New York State Legislature to change the Green-Wood Cemetery’s Charter to make them more liable for tax assessments.  In addition, this shows the growing demand for Brooklyn to have the authority to tax the cemetery to help to pay for municipal improvements.

Item #148: Printed Memorial (petition) from the Trustees of the Green-Wood Cemetery: Robert Ray, George Griswold, Wm. H. Aspinwall, Gerrit G. Van Wagenen, Henry E. Pierrepont, Russell Stebbins, Stephen Whitney, J. A. Perry, Jacob R. Le Roy, A. G. Hammond, Wm. Augustus White, Pliny Freeman, William S. Wetmore, John H. Prentice, Cyrus P. Smith; to the Legislature of the State of New York, New York, March 8, 1854

            This petition from the Trustees of the Green-Wood Cemetery to the New York State Legislature states that the Trustees do not want the bill passed that would make their cemetery liable for assessments to open Fifth Avenue in Brooklyn.  They state that this bill, driven by property holders along the proposed Fifth Avenue next to the cemetery’s lands, is unjust since the cemetery’s charter makes it exempt from taxes for municipal improvements.  They add that this bill’s passage would require them to sell some of their lands set aside for burial purposes in order to pay the new assessed taxes to open Fifth Avenue, and make the cemetery subservient to private interests outside the cemetery.

            This petition is important because it shows that the Trustees of the cemetery were in favor of retaining their tax-exempt status, and it reveals who instigated the bill to change this status (the property owners on the proposed Fifth Avenue), and shows the arguments for why the Trustees believed they deserved tax-exempt status.

Item #149: “Certified copy of Memorial to Common Council of Brooklyn – 2” February 4, 1854

            This memorial (petition) was written by J. A. Perry to the Mayor and the Common Council of the City of Brooklyn.  In it, he expresses the Green-Wood Cemetery Company’s disapproval of the council’s resolution to suggest an amendment to the cemetery’s charter to make it liable for tax assessments to open Fifth Avenue at the cemetery’s western boundary.  Mr. Perry wants the opportunity for the cemetery to have a hearing about this amendment and to reconsider the resolution supporting this amendment, and that a committee be set up to report on this issue (Joseph Hegeman, the clerk who made this copy, states that the council did not support this suggestion by a vote of 10 to 8).

            This petition is important because it shows how the Green-Wood Cemetery is trying to defend its tax-exempt status before the Common Council of the City of Brooklyn.         

Item #150: Report of the Committee about the Amendment to the Charter of the Green-Wood Cemetery (ca. 1854)

            In this report, the committee of the New York State Legislature that was appointed to look into the issue of the Green-Wood Cemetery being assed for taxes to pay for the opening, grading, and paving of Fifth Avenue in Brooklyn, decided in the cemetery’s favor.  They decided that both the Green-Wood Cemetery and all other cemeteries that are incorporated should not be liable for the assessment of these taxes.

            This report is important because it reveals that the committee officially upheld the tax-exempt status of the Green-Wood Cemetery, maintaining the non-profit identity that the cemetery had for the previous twenty years.

Item #151: Draft of the Report of the Committee on Charitable and Religious Corporations on Amending the Charter of the Green-Wood Cemetery (ca. 1854)

            This document is a draft of the report of the committee of the New York State Legislature that was appointed to look into the issue of the Green-Wood Cemetery being assessed for taxes to pay for the opening, grading, and paving of Fifth Avenue in Brooklyn, deciding in the cemetery’s favor.

            This document is important because it shows how the committee corrected their report to complete the finished report (Item # 150).

Item #152: “Copy of agreement about Fifth Av. March 28, 1854 2.” New York, J. A. Perry, Comptroller

            In this agreement, Mr. Perry (representing the Green-Wood Cemetery) agrees to pay for half of the opening of Fifth Avenue, determined by the Commissioners appointed to assess the land for calculating this payment, provided that the sum paid not exceed $3,000.00, and that this agreement not limit the exemptions of the cemetery from tax assessments on land taken to open the avenue.  In addition, if the cemetery is exempted from the assessments due to their deeds of the land, then the cemetery will pay to the owners half of the cost assessed from owning the land between Twenty-Seventh and Thirty-Fourth Streets and to pay the same when it is confirmed by the committee’s report.  In addition, the cemetery will pay for the opening of Fifth Avenue on the portions of it where they own land on both sides of the proposed avenue as if they were liable for the assessments of this opening.

            This document is important because it shows how the Green-Wood Cemetery agreed to resolve this issue over the payment of the opening of Fifth Avenue.

Item #153: “Copy. affidavit. 2” (ca. 1854)

            In this affidavit, Joseph A. Perry, the Comptroller of the Green-Wood Cemetery and representing the cemetery as its agent, testified that the Green-Wood Cemetery requested an amendment to their Charter to allow them to acquire seventy-five additional acres of land in addition to the original amount allotted by their charter, and that this was opposed by individuals in Brooklyn that wanted to extend Tenth avenue to the Bath Beach Road that would render this large part of land unusable for burial purposes.  Mr. Perry testifies also that he went to the New York State Legislature to advocate for this amendment and interviewed the Hon. John Vanderbilt, who he believed at present was the legal counsel representing those opposed to the bill.  Judge Vanderbilt stated to Mr. Perry that he could get the bill passed through the Senate but not the House, due to the insistence of the exemption of the cemetery from assessments to pay for Fifth Avenue, and said that it would be passed if this part of the bill was removed.  When Mr. Perry objected, stating that he did not know how the deeds of the land bordering the avenue were drawn, Judge Vanderbilt explained that the cemetery was only required to pay for the grading and paving, but not the opening, of the avenue.  When Mr. Perry consented as a result of this, the bill was passed by the Senate, and then the House after an extra session where it was read, on June 8, 1853.  However, those opposed to the original version of the bill created a petition to support an amendment to add “opening” to what the cemetery was liable to be assessed for, and that the omission of this word was a clerical error in the original document, and Mr. Perry refused to sign this petition, since it was made clear to him by Judge Vanderbilt that the cemetery did not have to pay for the opening.  Mr. Perry then states that a petition was approved by the Common Council of the City of Brooklyn to support an amendment to the cemetery Charter to make them liable to be assessed to pay for the opening, which was passed without Mr. Perry’s or the cemetery company’s knowledge, and that a request to have a hearing to allow the company to be heard was voted down, therefore violating the company’s right to be heard and for this issued to be properly examined.  Mr. Perry also stated that he had another meeting with Judge Vanderbilt to ask if he remembered their conversation where the word “opening” was stated as omitted from the bill, which Judge Vanderbilt stated he did not remember, and that if the word “opening” was omitted, it was left out in error.  Mr. Perry concludes that this opening will not benefit the cemetery, exposing the grounds to public view, necessitating a wall to be built on the roadside that will required money to maintain, and citing how previously the company did not oppose the opening and consented to the expense of the new avenue that will not cost the cemetery less than $10,000.00.

            This affidavit is important because it is a first-hand account of Mr. Perry’s side of the story on this issue of amending the charter of the cemetery in 1854.  It resulted from a misunderstanding by Mr. Perry over what taxes the revised version of the amendment bill made the cemetery liable to be assessed for.

Folder 22: Appraisement of Land (1838)

Item #154: Report of the Committee of the Green-Wood Cemetery Association (ca. 1838)

            In this report, the Committee of the Green-Wood Cemetery Association describes the process where they are going about obtaining the deeds to the parcels of land that now make up the cemetery.  They list which deeds they own, and what mortgages exist on these deeds and for the deeds that they do not own yet, and also list several contracts that the cemetery company has created to obtain the deeds of certain land parcels.

            This document is important because it shows that around 1838 the Green-Wood Cemetery was attempting to obtain the land deeds of ownership for the parcels of land that made up the cemetery, in order to establish the cemetery’s ownership of these lands so that they can be sued for burial purposes.

Folder 23: Closing of 21st Street (1871, 1891)

Item #155: News clipping “In Common Council—Stated Session. Monday, January 19, 1891.”

            This news clipping reports that the Common Council of the City of Brooklyn adopted a motion to close Twenty-First Street in Brooklyn from Seventh Avenue and the city line of Brooklyn.

            This news clipping is important because it shows that the Green-Wood Cemetery was successful in petitioning the Common Council of the City of Brooklyn to close a section of Twenty-First Street in Brooklyn, indicating that the cemetery bought the land that this road encompasses and wants to close this street to allow the land to be made suitable for burial purposes as part of the cemetery.  Therefore, this shows that the cemetery is growing in size at this time.

Item #156: News clipping “Aldermen in Session.—Greenwood Authorities Ask for the Closing of Part of Twenty-first Street.” ca. 1891

            This news clipping reports a meeting of the Board of Aldermen of the City of Brooklyn to consider a resolution to close Twenty-First Street in Brooklyn from Seventh Avenue to Gravesend Avenue.

            This news clipping is important because it shows that the Green-Wood Cemetery was successful in petitioning the Board of Aldermen of the City of Brooklyn to close a section of Twenty-First Street in Brooklyn, indicating that the cemetery bought the land that this road encompasses and wants to close this street to allow the land to be made suitable for burial purposes as part of the cemetery.  Therefore, this shows that the cemetery is growing in size at this time.

Item #157: “An Act: To authorize to common council of the city of Brooklyn to open, grade, pave and complete certain streets in said city.” January 24, 1871

            This Act (which a note written on it states that it was passed by both the Assembly and the Senate of the State of New York) has two sections.  Section 1 authorizes the Common Council of the City of Brooklyn to “open, grade, pave, curb, gutter, flag and regulate both Nineteenth Street from Fifth to Ninth Avenue, and Twenty-First Street from Sixth Avenue to the city line of Brooklyn, except on the parts of these roadways that require a petition or the consent of local property owners affected by these developments.  Section 2 states that this Act will take effect immediately.

            This Act is important because it shows that in 1871, the Common Council of the City of Brooklyn wanted the power to open two large tracts of roadways within the city.  This means that 1871 was a period of growth for Brooklyn, as new roadways needed to be opened to get to new developments.

Item #158: *(Copy) “Petition of owners of lots on 21^st St. against opening the street, 1871 6”

            This petition, addressed to the Common Council of the City of Brooklyn, is written by the lot owners in the Green-Wood Cemetery who owned lots on the land where Twenty-First Street would be opened if the Common Council decided to open it, since an 1871 Act (Item #157) gave them the authority to do so.  They state that they are against opening this street, and cite reasons such as that this roadway is not necessary to the community, the value of the property that the street will be opened on is negligible and would not pay for the street opening, and a similar project passed to open Twentieth Street was not successful and its assessments were not properly paid.  They also state that they believe the Twenty-First Street project will fail in a similar way, and are not in favor of this street opening, since it will result in their properties being assessed to cover its costs and that they will have to help pay to open this street.

            This document is important because it shows the property owners’ side of this issue.  It shows that they were not in favor of this street opening, most likely because they owned cemetery burial lots and did not want to lose them, revealing that these lot owners supported the Green-Wood Cemetery maintaining its size circa 1871.

Item #159: *(Copy) “An Act: To authorize to common council of the city of Brooklyn to open, grade, pave and complete certain streets in said city. Passed March 20, 1871”

            This copy of an Act (which a note written on it states that it was passed by both the Assembly and the Senate of the State of New York) has two sections.  Section 1 authorizes the Common Council of the City of Brooklyn to “open, grade, pave, curb, gutter, flag and regulate both Nineteenth Street from Fifth to Ninth Avenue, and Twenty-First Street from Sixth Avenue to the city line of Brooklyn, except on the parts of these roadways that require a petition or the consent of local property owners affected by these developments.  Section 2 states that this Act will take effect immediately.

            This Act is important because it shows that in 1871, the Common Council of the City of Brooklyn wanted the power to open two large tracts of roadways within the city.  This means that 1871 was a period of growth for Brooklyn, as new roadways needed to be opened to get to new developments.

Folder 24: Proposal of Extension to 37th St. (includes map, 1886)

Item #160: “Proposed extension of Cemetery to 37^th St. July 1886.”

            This map shows a potential extension of the southern border of the Green-Wood Cemetery to a southwestern section of Thirty-Seventh Street in Brooklyn.

            This map is important because it shows how the Green-Wood Cemetery Company was planning to expand the limits of the cemetery in 1886, which indicates that the cemetery might experience a period of growth soon, most likely to get more land for burial lots since the cemetery was running out of lots for burial purposes due to the increased number of internments.

Item #161: Letter from Henry E. Pierrepont to his nephew, Luzerne, Warren Company New York, July 28, 1886

            In this letter Mr. Pierrepont tells his nephew that while having Mr. Litchfield proposing to buy the land between Fifth and Seventh Avenues and Thirty-Sixth and Thirty-Seventh Streets is good for the Green-Wood Cemetery in order to provide more public burial lots, some aspects of this proposal need to be considered.  First, the management of this new tract of land should be considered, and Mr. Pierrepont believes that it might be expensive to grade this new tract of cemetery land for burial purposes.  Second, he wants his nephew to get the opinion of their counselor Mr. Silliman about extending the cemetery’s boundaries, and to get the opinion of the local property owners who own land next to this tract which will be affected by this expansion of the cemetery.  Mr. Pierrepont proposes offering to plant trees and shrubs on the border of this new expansion tract between the cemetery and the property owners, in order to get these people to favor the development, and states that this was his desire since this was the method that he saw in 1833 that the Peré la Chaise Cemetery in Paris used on its borders.  Mr. Pierrepont is in favor of this purchase, since he calculates that it will not cost much in price to buy and will provide up to 176 burial lots at $300.00 per lot, with a potential profit of $52,800.00.  Mr. Pierrepont states that he wrote this letter to advocate his opinion that the cemetery company should accept Mr. Litchfield’s offer to buy this tract of land.

            This letter is significant because it documents Mr. Pierrepont’s (one of the original founders of the Green-Wood Cemetery) opinion on expanding the cemetery in 1886.  It also shows that in his later years, Mr. Pierrepont was still involved in the behind-the-scenes of planning the cemetery’s expansion.  In addition, the letter also explains that Mr. Pierrepont got the idea to plant trees and shrubs to block property owners’ view of the graves of the cemetery from the Peré la Chaise Cemetery in Paris.

Item #162: Figures on Proposed Extension to 37^th Street by the Green-Wood Cemetery, August 3, 1886, by L. P. Wells

            In this figures assessment, Mr. Wells calculates the cost of buying the Thirty-Seventh Street tract of land to expand the Green-Wood Cemetery, versus the number of lots created and the potential profits obtain from the sale of burial lots.  He claims that he is not in favor of the expansion for two reasons.  The first is that the land does not have a suitable approach, unless the lots of the Orphan Asylum are obtained, and there is also no place there for carriages to leave the tract.  In addition, the second reason is that this tract is too close to the tract between Twentieth and Twenty-First Streets, which the cemetery had laid out for public burial lots, as opposed to private burial lots that this new tract would be used for.

            This document is important because it shows that not everyone who worked for the Green-Wood Cemetery was in favor of the expansion to Thirty-Seventh Street.

Folder 25: Sewer Systems (1876-1890)

Item #163: “Viaduct from Sewer costs for Labor and materials on Wm. Niblo’s vault.” May 13, 1876, by L. P. Wells

            This financial assessment was made by Mr. Wells to calculate to costs of the labor required to install a sewer system in William Niblo’s vault, including costs for brick-layering, piping, brick, and cement, costing $24.09.

            This document is important because it document when William Niblo’s vault in the Green-Wood Cemetery got a sewer system.

Item #164: “Sewer account 1876. 6” “Materials and Labor for Sewers.”

            This account page lists both the materials and laborers used to lay sewer lines at the Green-Wood Cemetery from April to December 1876.  It lists the number of foremen, laborers, carts, masons, and pipe-liners employed, as well as the amount of cement, brick, and different sizes of pipes that were used and the total number of pipe laid on each day of each month.

            This document is important because its account figures show how the sewer lines developed at the Green-Wood Cemetery during a nine-month period in 1876. 

Item #165: Sewer account 1875 “Materials and Labor for Sewers.”

            This account page lists both the materials and laborers used to lay sewer lines at the Green-Wood Cemetery from April to September 1875.  It lists the number of foremen, laborers, carts, masons, and pipe-liners employed, as well as the amount of cement, brick, and different sizes of pipes that were used and the total number of pipe laid on each day of each month.

            This document is important because its account figures show how the sewer lines developed at the Green-Wood Cemetery during a six-month period in 1875.

Item #166: Copy of Resolution No. 4a, adopted by the Common Council of the City of Brooklyn at a meeting held on July 7, 1890, Brooklyn, New York, December 23, 1890 (on July 22, 1890, this Resolution had remained on the desk of the Mayor of Brooklyn for ten days without being approved or disapproved, which means that it was probably not signed into law)

            This Resolution by the Common Council of the City of Brooklyn allows the Department of City Works to build a sewer line in Thirty-Fourth Street between Fourth and Fifth Avenues in Brooklyn, that the Council adopted the estimate of $1,720 to pay for the project, and that this cost will be assessed on the lands near the sewer line that will benefit from its construction.

            This Resolution is important because it shows that the local government of Brooklyn was supportive of utilities projects (such as sewer lines) that would improve the Green-Wood Cemetery.

Item #167: Assessments for the Third Avenue Sewer, circa 1872

            This assessment shows how much each lot near the proposed new sewer line in Third Avenue would be assessed for tax purposes to pay for the sewer project.  It lists the block and lot numbers affected, as well as the lot owners that are being assessed.

            This document is important because it shows the lot owners in the Green-Wood Cemetery that helped to pay for this sewer line.

Item #168: Sewer account 1875 “Materials and Labor for Sewers.”

            This account page lists both the materials and laborers used to lay sewer lines at the Green-Wood Cemetery from September to December 1875.  It lists the number of foremen, laborers, carts, masons, and pipe-liners employed, as well as the amount of basins, manholes, cement, brick, and different sizes of pipes that were used and the total number of pipe laid on each day of each month.

            This document is important because its account figures show how the sewer lines developed at the Green-Wood Cemetery during a four-month period in 1875.

Item #169: “Sewer Pipes Laid in 1876.”

            This document lists the sizes of pipe, the amount of piping used, and the total amounts of piping laid at the Green-Wood Cemetery in 1876.

            This document is important because it shows how much the sewer system of the Green-Wood Cemetery grew in 1876.

Item #170: “Copy of Memorial [Petition] to Brk. Common Council, Augt. 1, 1877. Re Cemetery Sewers. 12” by J. A. Perry, Comptroller

            In this petition, J. A. Perry, on behalf of the Green-Wood Cemetery, notes that water was conducted to the cemetery grounds by sewer drains on Fifth Avenue and Twenty-Seventh Street, and that the cemetery has obtained the authority from the Board of Public Works to lay a new sewer line with larger 24-inch pipes to carry water from the cemetery to the culvert at Fourth Avenue and Thirty-Fifth Street (where the water had been previously collected from the cemetery).  They note that property owners had closed off this culvert, necessitating the new sewer line to connect it to the cemetery, and request that the Common Council approve of the line in order to relieve the cemetery of this excess water.

            This petition is important because it shows how the Green-Wood Cemetery Company wanted to expand its sewer systems to dispose of excess water that was collecting on the cemetery grounds.

Folder 26: Original Boundary Plan of Green-Wood

Item #171: Plan of Cemetery Boundaries, *(Undated)

            This diagram shows what might be the original boundaries of the Green-Wood Cemetery.

            This diagram is important because it shows where the original boundaries of the Green-Wood Cemetery were adjacent to the Streets outside of the cemetery (such as Twentieth Street and Tenth Avenue).

Item #172: Plan of Cemetery Boundaries, *(Undated)

            This diagram shows what might be the original boundaries of the Green-Wood Cemetery.

            This diagram is important because it shows where the original boundaries of the Green-Wood Cemetery were adjacent to the Streets outside of the cemetery (such as Twentieth Street and Tenth Avenue).

Folder 27: Boundary Verification for Green-Wood—Surveyor’s Notes

Item #173: “Verification of the Boundaries of the Green-Wood Cemetery in the 8^th Ward of Brooklyn.” (“as recorded by Comptroller”) *(Undated)

            This document records the boundaries of the Green-Wood Cemetery, listing what streets and avenues border the cemetery grounds.

            This document is important, because it affirms that the Green-Wood Cemetery owns the property between these boundaries, and validates that this property is within the cemetery grounds.  This is important since the land within these borders not only can be used by the cemetery for burial purposes (as its charter states), but also is exempt from assessments for local Brooklyn taxes, due to the cemetery association’s non-profit status (established by the first amendment to its original charter of incorporation).

Series 3: Financial Records

The Financial Records series contains early documents such as budget proposals and calculations of debt and land value. Most appear to have been created by Henry Pierrepont. In 1838, land in Gowanus was purchased in the name of Green-Wood Cemetery, and several mortgages and loans were taken out to pay for this land. As the cemetery became legally incorporated as a public burial space in New York, it began to sell stock and subscriptions, entitling purchasers to burial lots once the cemetery was fully operational. The Financial Records show calculations of the debt owed by the cemetery and the subscriptions sold. Frequently, land is broken down by the names of farms which used to stand on the new cemetery land, providing insight into what the area was like before it became Green-Wood Cemetery.

Box 2

Folder 1: Property Intended for Green-Wood Cemetery with Valuation (1837)

Item #174: “Schedule of Property in S. Ward included to be taken for the Greenwood Cemetery with the appraisers Valuation” (September, 24, 1838) [D. B. Douglass, Cyrus P. Smith, [A.] G. Hammond, H. E. Pierrepont, appraisers.]

            This document is a comprehensive list of the land in the South Ward of the City of Brooklyn that the founders of the Green-Wood Cemetery wanted to buy in order to form the cemetery.  The list includes the amount of land considered, the values for all this land, as well as mortgages on this land and who owned each tract of land, the names listed are: “Schermerhorn Farm,” “Perry,” “Dean,” “Wyckoff,” “Sackett,” and “Ibbotson.”

            This document is significant because it not only shows the value of the land that made up the original cemetery, but it also shows who owned it and that a large part of it was a farm for the Schermerhorn family.  This is important because it gives an idea of what this area of Brooklyn was like before the founding of the Green-Wood Cemetery.  This item is dated September 24, 1838, and shows that the original lands identified for purchase to form the cemetery were bought from farms of some of the most notable families of Brooklyn (Richman, ed., 2013, page 21).  The Board of Directors moved quickly to determine lands for purchase: they earmarked a total of 2,145 lots (178 total acres of land) that was appraised for $134,675.00 in value (Richman, 2013, page 21).  The average price per acre was $756.60, and the average price for a lot was $62.75 (Cleaveland, 1866, pages 10-11).  These prominent families and Dutch farmers that owned this land for a century prior were willing to negotiate for its sale once the financial panic and real estate crash of 1837 decreased land values (Richman, ed., 2013, page 43).

Item #175: “Schedule of the Properties of the Ground taken for the Greenwood Cemetery with the valuation by the Appraisers, the Amount to be paid by the Company, with the terms, securities, etc.” (ca. 1837)

            This document is a comprehensive list of the land in the City of Brooklyn that the founders of the Green-Wood Cemetery wanted to buy in order to form the cemetery.  The list includes the amount of land considered, the values for all this land, as well as mortgages on this land and who owned each tract of land, the major names listed are: “Bergen,” “Schermerhorn,” “Sackett,” “Dean,” “Ibbotson,” and Wyckoff,” with all these names listed under the “Farms” column.  However, the difference between this item and Item #174 is that this document records how the Green-Wood Cemetery Company was planning to pay for it, sometimes with direct payment by the Company and other times with mortgages.

            This document is significant because it shows that a large part of the land considered for establishing the Green-Wood Cemetery was a series of farms before the cemetery’s incorporation, which is important because it gives an idea of what this area of Brooklyn was like before the founding of the Green-Wood Cemetery.  In addition, this document also gives researchers an important insight into how the cemetery company paid for the land that would form the cemetery.

Item #176: “Greenwood Cemetery” Valuation of Land (ca. 1837)

            This document is a comprehensive list of the land in the City of Brooklyn that the founders of the Green-Wood Cemetery wanted to buy in order to form the cemetery.  The list includes the amount of land considered, the values for all this land, as well as mortgages on this land and who owned each tract of land, the major names listed are: “Bergen,” “Schermerhorn,” “Sackett,” “Dean,” “Ibbotson,” and Wyckoff,” with all these names listed under the “Farms” column.  However, the difference between this item and Item #174 is that this document records a proposed method the Green-Wood Cemetery Company was planning to use to pay for it, which was by issuing bonds.  This document also shows the appraisal of the cemetery company versus the appraisal of the landowners.

            This document is significant because it shows that a large part of the land considered for establishing the Green-Wood Cemetery was a series of farms before the cemetery’s incorporation, which is important because it gives an idea of what this area of Brooklyn was like before the founding of the Green-Wood Cemetery.  In addition, this document also gives researchers an important insight into a proposed method the cemetery company used to pay for the land that would form the cemetery.

Item #177: “Min[imu]m Cost of Lands to be purchased July 1, 1840.”

            This document is a list of all the tracts of land that the Green-Wood Cemetery Company planned to buy as of July 1, 1840.  It lists who owned the different lots, how much each will cost, and whether or not the cemetery company had agreed on a contract to purchase each of the lots from their respective owners, and a total prospective price for this land: $12,500.00.

            This document is significant because it is the first time that there is a record of the cemetery company confirming that they have contracts to purchase some of these lands, making this one of the first documents that records the formation of the Green-Wood Cemetery through the purchase of land tracts.

Folder 2: Record of Payment to Major Douglass (Oct 2, 1839)

Item #178: “Major Douglass Charges,” October 2, 1839.

            This document is a record of the payment to Major Douglass on October 2, 1839, for his services to the Green-Wood Cemetery.

            This document is important because it records what Major Douglass (an engineer who laid out the first plan of the Green-Wood Cemetery) was paid for laying out the cemetery plan: $300.00.

Folder 3: Advances to Green-Wood (1840-1842)

Item #179: “Advances to G. Cemetery” (1840-1842)

            This document lists the advances in direct payment and in bonds given to the Green-Wood Cemetery from 1840-1842.

            This document is important because it records what some of the first expenses paid for by the Green-Wood Cemetery Company, including paying the engineer Major Douglass, fences for the cemetery boundaries, and labor to lay out the cemetery.

Folder 4: Debt and Liabilities (March 29, 1840)

Item #180: “The Whole Land Debt of the Greenwood Cemetery” March 24, 1840

            This document records the total land debt that the Green-Wood Cemetery had accumulated by March 24, 1840: $142,000.00.  On the back page of this document, it includes a list of ways that the cemetery company was planning to pay this debt, including asking certain people for money and the possible sale of land to pay the debt.

            This document is important because it showed how much money the Green-Wood Cemetery Company was in debt for by 1840, which gives an idea of the total money that the cemetery company had spent up to that point.

Folder 5: Cemetery Bonds for Burial Lots (1840)

Item #181: Cemetery Bonds Offered for Burial Lots in the Green-Wood Cemetery, 1840

            This document records the different prices of the types of bonds that the Green-Wood Cemetery Company offered to potential burial lot owners.

            This document is important because it records the different options of bonds offered to potential buyers of burial lots in the Green-Wood Cemetery, the sales of which paid for the early developments and improvements at the cemetery.

Folder 6: Record of Land and Debt (1840)

Item #182: Record of Land Debt of the Greenwood Cemetery, 1840

            This document records not only the total land debt that the Green-Wood Cemetery had accumulated by 1840, but also who held the bonds to pay for this debt.  Some of the names on this list include both Bergen and Schermerhorn, who were some of the first people to sell their lands to the Green-Wood Cemetery.

            This document is important because it showed how much money the Green-Wood Cemetery Company was in debt for by 1840, which gives an idea of the total money that the cemetery company had spent up to that point.  It also reveals who the cemetery company owed this money to, including some of the people whom they had originally purchased this land from.

Folder 7: Mortgages due Joseph Dean (Dec 10, 1840)

Item #183: Receipt for Interest Paid to Joseph Dean (ca. 1840)

            This receipt records the total amount of interest paid to Joseph Dean in 1840: $1,882.10.

            This receipt is important because it records how the Green-Wood Cemetery Company paid for interest on mortgages it owned to lot owners: through the issuing of bonds.

Item #184: “Mortgages with Interest Due Joseph Dean” December 10, 1840

            This document records the amount of interest on mortgages that needed to be paid by Joseph Dean in order to prevent these mortgages from being foreclosed on: $158.77.

            This document is important because it shows what was the motive for lot owners to own burial lots in the Green-Wood Cemetery that were not used for burial purposes yet: to obtain interest payments.

Folder 8: Statement of Green-Wood Cemetery and Valuation for Grounds

Item #185: The Green-Wood Cemetery Valuation of Land (ca. 1837)

            This document is a comprehensive list of the land in the City of Brooklyn that the founders of the Green-Wood Cemetery wanted to buy in order to form the cemetery.  The list includes the amount of land considered, the values for all this land, as well as mortgages on this land and who owned each tract of land, the major names listed are: “Bergen,” “Schermerhorn,” “Bennet,” “Dean,” “Clark,” and “Ibbotson,” with all these names listed under the “Farms” column.  This document also shows the appraisal of the land by the cemetery commissioners versus the appraisal of the landowners.

            This document is significant because it shows that a large part of the land considered for establishing the Green-Wood Cemetery was a series of farms before the cemetery’s incorporation, which is important because it gives researchers an idea of what this area of Brooklyn was like before the founding of the Green-Wood Cemetery.

Item #186: “Statement of the Situation of the Green-Wood Cemetery” (ca. 1837)

            This document is a list of the land in the City of Brooklyn that the founders of the Green-Wood Cemetery bought in order to form the cemetery.  The list includes the amount of land considered, the values for all this land, as well as mortgages on this land and who owned each tract of land, the major names listed are: “Bergen,” “Schermerhorn,” “Bennet,” “Dean,” “Clark” and “Ibbotson,” and “Wyckoff,” with all these names listed under the “Farms” column.  This document also shows information on the purchase of these tracts of land in terms of whether it was bought using a general or special bond, and whether an agreement was made to buy the land or not.

            This document is significant because it shows that a large part of the land considered for establishing the Green-Wood Cemetery was a series of farms before the cemetery’s incorporation, which is important because it gives researchers an idea of what this area of Brooklyn was like before the founding of the Green-Wood Cemetery.  In addition, this document is also significant because it seems to be one of the first documents that record a confirmation of the purchase of tracts of land by the Green-Wood Cemetery Company in order to form the cemetery.

Folder 9: First Plan of Valuation

Item #187: “First Plan of Valuation” (ca. 1840)

            This document lists the values of the tracts of land that the Green-Wood Cemetery owns within its borders and the total of these values: $150,000.00.

            This document is important because it records the first time the Green-Wood Cemetery Company attempted to calculate the cumulative value of all the lands that it owned within its borders around 1840.

Folder 10: J.H. Bilbret Proposal to Furnish Wood to the Cemetery (1841)

Item #188: Piece of paper with Two Sets of Calculations on it *(Undated)

            The two total calculations listed are 1,121.23 and 1,121.26.

            The significance of this document is uncertain.

Item #189: Proposal by J. H. Bilbert to Provide Wood for the Green-Wood Cemetery’s Border fences, May and June, 1841

            This document records the price estimate offered by Mr. Bilbert to the Green-Wood Cemetery Company in 1841 for fencing around the cemetery’s boundaries.  It reveals that the railings of the fence could be made out of either hemlock or pine timber, while the rest of the fence would be built with pine timber.  The total for the fencing job was estimated at costing $42,213.00.

            This document is important because it reveals what the first border fence of the Green-Wood Cemetery cost to build and what wood was used to build it.  In addition, this documents the first time that the cemetery is attempting to define its borders to signify what land it owns by building a wooden picket fence.

Folder 11: Accounts Payable

Item #190: Table of Accounts Payable to the Green-Wood Cemetery (ca. 1841)

            This table shows the accounts payable for interest on acres of land owned by landowners Bergen, Schermerhorn, Sackett, and Dean in the Green-Wood Cemetery, listing the value of these tracts of land, and how many acres and lots of land owned by each landowner.  It reveals that only Bergen’s tract had interest paid on it (within six months) of $1,500.00.

            This table is important because it shows that around 1841 owning burial lots in the Green-Wood Cemetery was not very profitable for the lot owners, since only one of them received an interest paid on his land tract that he owned.

Folder 12: Pierrepont’s Record of Expenses

Item #191: “The Greenwood Cemetery by H. E. Pierrepont Dr.” (June, 1838-July, 1839)

            This document lists the expenses paid by Mr. Pierrepont from June of 1838 to July of 1839: $411.50 total.  Some of the expenses he paid was for creating the Green-Wood Cemetery’s seal, paying Major Douglass for his planning of the cemetery, paying for supplies like account books for subscription sales for burial lots, and the President’s salary.

            This document is significant because it records what Mr. Pierrepont (one of the cemetery’s original founders) spent during the first years of the cemetery’s operation, which reveals what tasks he was focused on paying to complete.

Folder 13: Surveyor’s Receipt (1841)

Item #192: Receipt from Henry E. Pierrepont to (illegible), New York, December 28, 1841

            This document records that Mr. Pierrepont paid fifty dollars for a survey and maps of the lands of the Green-Wood Cemetery in 1841.

            This document is important because it records the payment that shows that the first survey of the Green-Wood Cemetery was performed in 1841.  It also shows that Mr. Pierrepont was one of the major financiers that helped to pay the cemetery’s expenses during its first years.

Item #193: Payment Record of the Green-Wood Cemetery (ca. 1841)

            This document lists all the bills that the Green-Wood Cemetery had to pay for in the year 1841.  It also lists how much was paid, and how each cost was paid (with direct cash payments, through mortgages, bonds, etc.).

            This document is important because it shows the early financial history of the cemetery.

Folder 14: Charges Paid by Henry Pierrepont

Item #194: “Charges Paid by H. E. P.” (ca. 1841)

            This document lists the money charged to Mr. Pierrepont for expenses for the Green-Wood Cemetery around 1841.  These expenses include for the cemetery’s official seal, for office paper, account books, staff, printing notices and advertising, etc.

            This document is important because it documents what Mr. Pierrepont needed to do the work of running the Green-Wood Cemetery during its earliest years.

Folder 15: Miscellaneous Receipts issued to Henry Pierrepoint

Item #195: Receipt from Henry E. Pierrepont of New York to J. C. Smith of 44 Wall (ca. 1841)

            This receipt records that around May 21, 1841, a check for $42.84 was received from Mr. Pierrepont to Mr. Smith on behalf of Joseph Dean for interest paid on Mr. Dean’s bond of $714.00 issued by the Green-Wood Cemetery.

            This receipt is important because it shows that it was Mr. Pierrepont who was responsible for paying the interest owed on bonds issued by the Green-Wood Cemetery.

Item #196: Receipt from Henry E. Pierrepont of Brooklyn to Jacob Firth, March 1, 1841

            This receipt records that on March 1, 1841, a check for $5.00 was received from Mr. Pierrepont to Mr. Firth for labor done for the Green-Wood Cemetery.

            This receipt is important because it shows that it was Mr. Pierrepont who was responsible for paying bills for labor done at the Green-Wood Cemetery.

Item #197: Receipt from Henry E. Pierrepont of Brooklyn to William Scrimgeour, July 6, 1842

            This receipt records that on July 6, 1842, a check for $25.00 was received from Mr. Pierrepont to Mr. Scrimgeour for a month of work that he did at the Green-Wood Cemetery.

            This receipt is important because it shows that it was Mr. Pierrepont who was responsible for paying costs for labor done at the Green-Wood Cemetery.

Folder 16: Properties of Green-Wood Cemetery

Item #198: “List of the Properties of the Greenwood Cemetery with the amount of Land, Cost and Mortgages” (ca. 1841)

            This document lists the owners of the properties considered for purchase to add to the property of the Green-Wood Cemetery.  Some of the names included are “Wickoff,” “Story,” “Ibbotson,” “Dean,” “Sackett,” “Schermerhorn,” and “Bergen.”  The document also lists the amount of land for each landowner, the cost of each land tract, and if there is a mortgage on each land tract.  The final column of the list records whether the owner had consented to the purchase of the lands, and if not, it sometimes lists why.

            This document is important because it documents further land expansion by the Green-Wood Cemetery after its establishment.  In addition, it reveals the landowners that did not agree to sell their lands and why, giving insight into the early relationships between the cemetery company and its outside neighbors.

Folder 17: Receipts of Payment for Land and Maintenance

Item #199: Receipt from Henry E. Pierrepont of Brooklyn to William Scrimgeour, November 6, 1841

            This receipt records that on November 6, 1841, a check for $10.00 was received from Mr. Pierrepont to Mr. Scrimgeour for work that he did at the Green-Wood Cemetery.

            This receipt is important because it shows that it was Mr. Pierrepont who was responsible for paying costs for labor done at the Green-Wood Cemetery.

Item #200: Receipt from Henry E. Pierrepont of Brooklyn to Michal Gregory, May 30, 1842

            This receipt records that on May 30, 1841, a check for $100.00 was received from Mr. Pierrepont to Mr. Gregory in order to purchase eleven gore lots that were within the Green-Wood Cemetery property from part of the Bennet farm that were numbered from fourteen to twenty-four on block number eleven on the survey map of this farm done by R. Inford, and that a deed was executed on this same date to transfer the mortgage of this total tract of land to the Green-Wood Cemetery Company.

            This receipt is important because it shows that it was Mr. Pierrepont who was responsible for paying for new land acquisitions to expand the boundaries of the Green-Wood Cemetery.  In addition, this receipt also records a major land purchase that expanded the cemetery, which was bought from the Bennet farm.

Folder 18: Notebook with Green-Wood Act of Incorporation and Lot Subscription Sales

Item #201: Notebook with the Act of Incorporation of the Green-Wood Cemetery and the Lot Subscription Sales written in it (1838-1839)

            This notebook, other than listing the Act of Incorporation of the Green-Wood Cemetery and some notes, records details about the original proprietors of the cemetery.

            This notebook is significant because it is a log of who were the first people to subscribe to own land in the Green-Wood Cemetery after it was first incorporated.  This “Subscription Booklet of Lot Owners, 1838-1839,” lists the first owners of “Burying Plats” along with the amount of lots purchased at the Green-Wood Cemetery, with many of New York’s most notable men listed (Richman, ed., 2013, page 22).

Folder 19: Record of Subscribers

Item #202: Record of Subscribers (ca. 1839)

            This document lists the first subscribers to own land in the Green-Wood Cemetery.  Many of the subscribers listed own land from the Story and Dean farms.

            This document is important because it not only records the first people to own land at the cemetery, but also where this land came from (the former Story and Dean farms).

Item #203: Record of Subscribers (ca. 1839)

            This document lists more of the first subscribers to own land in the Green-Wood Cemetery.

            This document is important because it records the first people to own land at the cemetery.

Folder 20: 1856 Tax Records

Item #204: “Taxes 1856”

            This document lists all the individual tracts of land that the Green-Wood Cemetery paid taxes on in 1856: a total of $49.10.  The document lists the numbered lots, who owned each tract of land, and what were the taxes paid on each of these tracts of land.

            This document is significant because it is the first time that a document is recording taxes paid by the Green-Wood Cemetery on burial lots, which reveals a change in the New York State law about the tax-exempt status of non-profit rural cemetery associations, like the Green-Wood Cemetery Company.

Folder 21: Annual Accountant Report on Comptroller's Books (1852-1881)

Item #205: “Certificate of T. T. Memorial on examination of accounts for 1852. March 8, 1853.”

            This certificate certifies that up to December 31, 1852, all the accounts of lot sales and receipts of the Comptroller of the Green-Wood Cemetery Co. were accounted for and their expenses were all proven by vouchers except for Lot Number 20: $9.20, by Timo. T. Merwin.

            This certificate is important because it proves that the Green-Wood Cemetery was financially solvent by 1853 and maintained its account books honestly.

Item #206: “T. T. Memorial certificate. March 8, 1854.”

            This memorial certifies that for the year 1853, all the books and accounts of the Comptroller of the Green-Wood Cemetery Co. were found correct by Timo. T. Merwin.

            This certificate is important because it proves that the Green-Wood Cemetery was financially solvent by 1853 and maintained its account books honestly.

Item #207: “T. T. Memorial certificate. March 2, 1855.”

            This memorial certifies that for the year 1854, all the accounts and vouchers of the Comptroller of the Green-Wood Cemetery Co. were found correct by Timo. T. Merwin.

            This certificate is important because it proves that the Green-Wood Cemetery was financially solvent by 1854 and maintained its account books honestly.

Item #208: “T. T. Memorial certificate. Feb. 23, 1856.”

            This memorial certifies that for the year 1855, all the books, accounts and vouchers of the Comptroller of the Green-Wood Cemetery Co. were found correct by T. T. Merwin.

            This certificate is important because it proves that the Green-Wood Cemetery was financially solvent by 1855 and maintained its account books honestly.

Item #209: “T. T. Memorial report of examination for 1856. Feb. 25, 1857.”

            This memorial certifies that for the year 1856, all the books of the Comptroller of the Green-Wood Cemetery Co. were found correct, and the expenses of the Company supported by vouchers, after examination by T. T. Merwin.

            This certificate is important because it proves that the Green-Wood Cemetery was financially solvent by 1856 and maintained its account books honestly.

Item #210: “T. T. Memorial. Feb. 8, 1861.”

            This memorial certifies that for the year 1860, all the books of accounts and vouchers of the Comptroller of the Green-Wood Cemetery Co. were found correct by T. T. Merwin.

            This certificate is important because it proves that the Green-Wood Cemetery was financially solvent by 1860 and maintained its account books honestly.

Item #211: “T. T. Memorial. Feb. 12, 1862.”

            This memorial certifies that for the year 1861, all the books of accounts and vouchers of the Comptroller of the Green-Wood Cemetery Co. were found correct by T. T. Merwin.

            This certificate is important because it proves that the Green-Wood Cemetery was financially solvent by 1861 and maintained its account books honestly.

Item #212: “T. T. Memorial. Feb. 28, 1863.”

            This memorial addressed to the Comptroller of the Green-Wood Cemetery Company, J. A. Perry, certifies that for the year 1862, all the books of accounts and vouchers of the Comptroller of the Green-Wood Cemetery Co. were found correct by T. T. Merwin.

            This certificate is important because it proves that the Green-Wood Cemetery was financially solvent by 1862 and maintained its account books honestly.

Item #213: “T. T. Memorial. Feb. 6, 1864.”

            This memorial certifies that for the year 1863, all the books of accounts and vouchers of the Comptroller of the Green-Wood Cemetery Association were found correct by T. T. Merwin, and the account books present a statement on the business of the Association for 1863.

            This certificate is important because it proves that the Green-Wood Cemetery was financially solvent by 1863 and maintained its account books honestly.

Item #214: “T. T. Memorial. Feb. 7, 1865.”

            This memorial certifies that for the year 1864, all the books of accounts and vouchers of the Comptroller of the Green-Wood Cemetery Co. were found correct by T. T. Merwin.

            This certificate is important because it proves that the Green-Wood Cemetery was financially solvent by 1864 and maintained its account books honestly.

Item #215: “T. T. Memorial. Feb. 2, 1866.”

            This memorial certifies that for the year 1865, all the books of accounts and vouchers of the Comptroller of the Green-Wood Cemetery Co. were found correct by T. T. Merwin, except that there was no voucher for $550.00 owed to an office boy.

            This certificate is important because it proves that the Green-Wood Cemetery was financially solvent by 1865, but made a mistake by not paying one of the office boys that worked in the cemetery’s office.

Item #216: “T. T. Memorial. 1866.” (February 8, 1867)

            This memorial certifies that for the year 1866, all the books of accounts and vouchers of the Comptroller of the Green-Wood Cemetery Co. were found correct by T. T. Merwin.

            This certificate is important because it proves that the Green-Wood Cemetery was financially solvent by 1866 and maintained its account books honestly.

Item #217: “T. T. Memorial. 1867.” (February 11, 1868)

            This memorial certifies that for the year 1867, all the books of accounts and vouchers of the Comptroller of the Green-Wood Cemetery Co. were found correct by T. T. Merwin.

            This certificate is important because it proves that the Green-Wood Cemetery was financially solvent by 1867 and maintained its account books honestly.

Item #218: “T. T. Memorial. 1869.” (February 5, 1869)

            This memorial certifies that for the year 1868, all the books of accounts and vouchers of the Comptroller of the Green-Wood Cemetery Co. were found correct by T. T. Merwin.

            This certificate is important because it proves that the Green-Wood Cemetery was financially solvent by 1868 and maintained its account books honestly.

Item #219: “T. T. Memorial. 14 Feb 1878.”

            This memorial certifies that for the year 1877, all the books of accounts and vouchers of the Comptroller of the Green-Wood Cemetery Co. were found correct by T. T. Merwin.

            This certificate is important because it proves that the Green-Wood Cemetery was financially solvent by 1877 and maintained its account books honestly.

Item #220: “T. T. Memorial. Feb. 13, 1879.”

            This memorial certifies that for the year 1878, all the books of accounts and vouchers of the Comptroller of the Green-Wood Cemetery Co. were found correct by T. T. Merwin, except for some vouchers that needed to be re-examined by a Standing Committee.

            This certificate is important because it proves that the Green-Wood Cemetery was financially solvent by 1878, but that some of its vouchers needed to be examined again by a Standing Committee to verify their authenticity, which indicates that a mistake in the account books was probably made.

Item #221: “T. T. Memorial. 1879.” (February 14, 1880)

            This memorial certifies that for the year 1879, all the books of accounts and vouchers of the Comptroller of the Green-Wood Cemetery Co. were found correct by T. T. Merwin, except for some vouchers that needed to be re-examined by a Standing Committee.

            This certificate is important because it proves that the Green-Wood Cemetery was financially solvent by 1879, but that some of its vouchers needed to be examined again by a Standing Committee to verify their authenticity, which indicates that a mistake in the account books was probably made.

Item #222: T. T. Memorial, New York, February 18, 1881

            This memorial certifies that for the year 1881, all the books of accounts and vouchers of the Comptroller of the Green-Wood Cemetery Co. were found correct by T. T. Merwin.

            This certificate is important because it proves that the Green-Wood Cemetery was financially solvent by 1881 and maintained its account books honestly.

Series 4: Committee Reports and Resolutions

The Committee Reports and Resolutions series features small selections of text retained from meetings of the Executive Committee, detailing decisions the committee has made on various matters relating to the founding of the cemetery. Included are original resolutions for purchasing the area that has come to be Green-Wood Cemetery, selling stock and subscriptions to land in Green-Wood, decisions regarding the appointment of Major D.B. Douglass as the Green-Wood surveyor and granting him a salary accordingly, alterations to the cemetery charter, decisions for the improvement of the grounds of Green-Wood, and reports on the procedures of the committee itself, including appointment of officers. Much of this series may be roughly dated using Series 5, the Committee Minutes Series, which shows the decision-making process that led to these resolutions.

Box 3

Folder 1: Book Open for Sale of Subscriptions (1838)

Item #223: “Oct. 10, 1838 Subscription Books opened”

            This notice, signed by the Commissioners of the Green-Wood Cemetery Company: Samuel Ward, Charles King, D. R. Douglass, Russell Stebbins, Joseph A. Perry, Henry E. Pierrepont, and Pliny Freeman, notifies the public that on October 24, 1838, the subscription books for capital stock in the Company will be opened, with $300,000 in stock divided into shares of $100.00 each.

            This notice is significant because it is the first documentation that the books to subscribe to stock of the Green-Wood Cemetery Company will be opened to subscribers, thereby notifying the public that the cemetery is open for business.

Item #224: “Notice of Books being opened sub. to Capital Stock Oct. 10^th 1838”

            This notice, signed by the Commissioners of the Green-Wood Cemetery Company: Samuel Ward, Charles King, D. B. Douglass, Russell Stebbins, Joseph A. Perry, Henry E. Pierrepont, and Pliny Freeman, notifies the public that on October 27, 1838, the subscription books for capital stock in the Company will be opened, with $300,000 in stock divided into shares of $100.00 each.

            This notice is significant because it documents that the books to subscribe to stock of the Green-Wood Cemetery Company will be opened to subscribers, but the date has changed from the 24^th (in Item #223) to the 27^th, signifying that the original date for the opening of the cemetery subscription books was postponed.

Folder 2: Report on Fencing (Jul 1, 1841)

Item #225: Committee Report on Fencing, July 1, 1841

            This report states that the Green-Wood Cemetery Company’s accounts and vouchers were deemed correct for 1841, and notes theses figures and the expenses of the Company.  This is used to justify expenses to pay for the construction of a fence around the cemetery’s boundaries to prepare the cemetery for visitors.

            This report is important because it notes one of the first times that the Green-Wood Cemetery is considering building a fence around their perimeter.  In addition, it also notes an increase in visitors to the cemetery, since a fence is needed to mark were the cemetery is.

Folder 3: Resolution to Purchase Ground and Take Title

Item #226: “Resolution to purchase land and take title” *(Undated)

            This resolution states that the Committee on Lands, etc. be authorized on behalf of the Green-Wood Cemetery Corporation to both investigate the title and obtain the title deeds to new lands and to remove the encumbrances to developing these lands once the title deeds to them are obtained for the Corporation.

            This resolution is important because it indicates that the Green-Wood Cemetery Corporation is seeking the authority to both obtain and clear new lands for burial purposes, indicating a growth of the cemetery at this time.

Folder 4: Committee Report on Early Cemetery Development

Item #227: Committee Report on the Land Development of the Green-Wood Cemetery (ca. 1839)

            This report goes into detail about the first year of subscriptions to burial lots in the Green-Wood Cemetery.  It notes that some additional land has been acquired (for example, 85 acres), that around 200 people had subscribed, and advise future purchases of land titles and mortgages to grow the cemetery.  In addition, it at one point notes that there is doubt that this subscription to capital stock method of management for the cemetery will be sustainable.

            This report is important because it not only gives researchers an idea of how the Commissioners of the cemetery wanted to expand the cemetery after its first year of operation in 1839, but also that they began to doubt the for-profit subscription to lots model for sustaining the cemetery association financially.

Folder 5: Committee Statement on Payments to Major Douglass (Oct 8, 1839)

Item #228: Committee on Nominations Letter about Payment to Major Douglass, New York, October 8, 1839

            This letter, signed by J. A. Perry and Pliny Freeman, reports that the salary for Major Douglass of $300.00, with $100.00 paid in advance, has been approved by both Major Douglass and the President of the Board of Trustees of the Green-Wood Cemetery Company.

            This letter is important because it is the first documented proof of the cemetery company paying Major Douglass to perform the surveying work at the cemetery.

Folder 6: Committee Resolution on Major Douglass’ Salary (Oct 26, 1839)

Item #229: Committee Resolution on the Agreed Salary of Major Douglass, October 26, 1839

            This resolution states that the committee of the Green-Wood Cemetery Company has agreed to compensate Major Douglass $1,000.00 for his services to the cemetery from May to October 1839.

            This document is important because it not only confirms that Major Douglass was compensated $1,000.00 in addition to his $300.00 salary for surveying the Green-Wood Cemetery, but also indicates when he worked for the cemetery to perform the survey: from May to October 1839.

Folder 7: Board to Pay Major Douglass (Mar 10, 1841)

Item #230: Board to Pay Major Douglass (March 10, 1841)

            In this resolution, the Committee of Insurance of the Green-Wood Cemetery Company at a committee meeting on March 10, 1841, agreed to present to Major Douglass $200.00 in bonds on cemetery lots to pay him for his services to the cemetery.

            This resolution is important because it shows the shift of the cemetery from paying Major Douglass in direct cash to refundable bonds, indicating that the cemetery company did not have much hard money to pay him for his services in 1841.

Folder 8: Resolution on the Alteration of Charter

Item #231: Report of the Committee: Resolution on Proposed Amendments to the Charter (ca. 1839)

            This report outlines five proposed amendments to revise the Charter of Incorporation of the Green-Wood Cemetery.  The first suggestion is to change the identify of the cemetery’s association from a joint-stock company to a general trust, and allow the Directors to buy the stock.  The second revision is to secure bond holders by setting aside at minimum half of the proceeds for the payment of bonds until they are paid.  A third amendment is to reorganize the Board of Directors of the cemetery into a Board of Trustees, elected by ballot.  A fourth suggestion is the exemption of the cemetery association from taxes.  Finally, the fifth suggested amendment allows the association to have increased power to preserve the cemetery grounds and clear structures, trees, and enclosures on bought land to prepare it for burial purposes.

            This report is important because it outlines how the Green-Wood Cemetery Company wanted to amend its charter of incorporation to change the identity of the cemetery from a for-profit company to a non-profit association.

Folder 9: Resolution on Sale of Lots to Churches (1839)

Item #232: “Report on Sale to Churches Oct 1839”

            This report, submitted to the committee of the Green-Wood Cemetery by its Chairman, D. B. Douglass, states that the lands of the Green-Wood Cemetery should be subdivided into sections for different churches (mainly Episcopal churches) (as at Mount Auburn Cemetery) and family members can bury the members of their families in separate enclosures, and that this idea is important in this arrangement with churches.  The committee of the Green-Wood Cemetery does not disagree with this idea, provided that it does not interfere with the business of the cemetery and that all lots reserved by a church are guaranteed to eventually be used by its parishioners.  It also states that the committee agreed to five provisions for this arrangement with churches.  The first was that each church denomination had to obtain a minimum 100 lots to reserve, and these lots should be located in the cemetery in such a way that does not interfere with the rights of the individual cemetery lot owners.  The second is that these reserve precincts will be laid out by the cemetery association, within the plan of the cemetery and with no walkways or avenues running through them.  Third, that the price was $70.00 per lot paid in cash or a convertible payment method, arranged for five months from the 1^st of November, 1839, and the residue payment for lots agreed within five years of November 1^st, 1839.  Fourth, that the lots reserved by the churches will be held in trust by the cemetery association until they are used for burial purposes by the respective church congregations that has reserved them.  Finally, fifth, that the Green-Wood Cemetery Company is responsible for policing and governing the burial lots reserved for the churches.  The report also notes that as owners of cemetery lots, the churches that have paid to reserve lots in the cemetery to bury their dead will be considered corporators of the cemetery and therefore have the right to vote in the elections of trustees to manage the cemetery and have the rights entitled to corporators of the cemetery as outlined in the cemetery’s act of incorporation.  There is also a note that states that this report was accepted and laid on the table of the committee for approval.

            This document is significant because it documents the relationship between the Green-Wood Cemetery Company and the prospective churches that wanted to buy burial lot sections in the cemetery in 1839.  It shows that the cemetery company wanted to let the churches reserve lots in the cemetery to bury their dead, as long as they followed certain provisions laid out by the company and respected the rights of the company that runs the cemetery.  In addition, this report also shows that Mount Auburn’s agreement with churches on the reservation of burial lots was used as a model for the one considered for the Green-Wood Cemetery.

Folder 10: Creation of Finance Committee and Resolution to Pay Major Douglass

Item #233: Resolution to Pay Major Douglass for Sums Owed in Bonds *(Undated)

            This document explains that the Finance Committee of the Green-Wood Cemetery Company should pay Major Douglass for all his services in redeemable bonds.

            This document is important because it reveals how the cemetery paid Major Douglass for the survey work that he did for the cemetery.

Folder 11: Appointment of Committee to Advocate for subscriptions

Item #234: Authorization of Commissioners to Advocate for Subscriptions to Capital Stock at the Green-Wood Cemetery (ca. 1839)

            This document, signed by Samuel Ward, appoints Commissioners Charles King, D. B. Douglass, Russell Stebbins, Joseph A. Perry, Henry E. Pierrepont, and Pliny Freeman as advocates with the authority to advocate for the selling and dividing out of the capital stock of the Green-Wood Cemetery Company to subscribers.

            This document is important because it documents the first time that the cemetery company is advocating the selling of stock to support the Green-Wood Cemetery.

Folder 12: Appointment of Committee for Drafting Rules and Regulations

Item #235: Resolution to Appoint Committees to Draft Rules and Regulations for the Green-Wood Cemetery *(Undated)

            In this resolution, the President of the Green-Wood Cemetery Company resolves to appoint a committee to draft rules and regulations for the cemetery grounds, a committee to develop by-laws toward the fiscal management of the cemetery, and a committee to develop by-laws for the improved regulation of the cemetery, all drafts to be submitted by the next meeting of the Commissioners of the Green-Wood Cemetery Company.

            This document is significant because it shows that the Green-Wood Cemetery Company at this time is starting to draft the first rules and regulations for managing the cemetery grounds.

Folder 13: Resolution to Change Green-Wood Charter

Item #236: “Resolution to Alter Charter” (ca. 1839)

            This document is a written draft of the resolution where the Green-Wood Cemetery Company’s desire to notify the New York State Legislature that they wanted to change the structure of the company from a joint-stock to a general-trust, and change its managing corporation from a Board of Directors to a Board of Trustees.

            This document is important because it may be the first handwritten evidence of the cemetery’s desire to change its structure and management from a for-profit to a non-profit entity.

Folder 14: Resolution for Subscription Committee to Solicit Churches

Item #237: Authorization for a Committee to Solicit Subscriptions from Church Organizations *(Undated)

            In this document, a committee is appointed by the Green-Wood Cemetery Company with the authority to work with church organizations and religious societies in New York City and Brooklyn to set land aside at the cemetery for the use of these institutions.

            This document is important because it may be the first written evidence that the cemetery wanted to reach out to religious organizations to interest them in obtaining land for their use at the cemetery.

Folder 15: Nomination of Officers to Survey Cemetery Grounds and Appointment of Major Douglass as Chief Surveyor

Item #238: “Form of Resolution which gave appointment to Maj. Douglass” *(Undated)

            This document appoints Major Douglass with the job of executing a survey of the Green-Wood Cemetery grounds and to lay out the form of the cemetery grounds, along with executing a map of this survey.

            This document is significant because it documents the first time that the cemetery nominated Major Douglass to perform the survey work at the cemetery.

Folder 16: Report on Cost of Steam Roller and Other Tools for Improving Avenues

Item #239: “Report of President and Comptroller, respecting reforms and improvements of Avenues.” January 13, 1875

            In this report signed by President Henry E. Pierrepont and Comptroller J. A. Perry of the Green-Wood Cemetery, they outline the total cost of paying for avenue improvements for the cemetery, totaling $25,500.00, $1,500.00 per mile of road.  Costs for equipment include those for a steam stone-crushing machine, as well as a steam roller.  In addition, individual costs are shown for the salary for the machine operators, the cost of coal, etc., and the rate of work that can be completed per day.

            This report is important because it documents a period of improvements of the cemetery grounds, since the cemetery association is trying to calculation how much it will cost to improve the avenues in the cemetery.

Folder 17: Report on Examination of Accounts for Missing Deeds

Item #240: “Report of Standing Committee June 12, 1851”

            This report signed by William White and Russell Stebbins, reports that the Standing Committee of the Green-Wood Cemetery Association has employed Timothy L. Merwin to examine the accounts, vouchers, and receipts of the cemetery and make sure they match correctly.  In addition, they note that two mistakes were found with Number 4166, a part-lot for $36.00 owned by James Watson and John Holmes and Number 4191, a full-lot for $110.00 owned by James A. Patterson.  The report states that these owners claimed that they paid the clerk of the cemetery for these lots, but the financial records examined by Mr. Merwin do not prove this.

            This report is important because it documents the first time that the cemetery hired an accountant to check its books to make sure the financial records of the cemetery were in order.

Folder 18: Report on Major Douglass' Meeting at Trinity Church (1840)

Item #241: “Report May 29, 1840 Page 34.”

            This report signed by committee members Russell Stebbins, J. A. Perry, and A. G. Hammond, explains the meeting of Major Douglass at Trinity Church.  In it the committee members explain that they are committed to the citizens to carry out the provisions of the Green-Wood Cemetery’s Charter, that the subscription books should be reopened to churches and individuals, that a committee should be appointed to negotiate with churches on the reservation of cemetery lands to these institutions, that the President of the cemetery association have the authority to receive proposal to create a picket fence for the cemetery and report on this at a future meeting, and that the commissioners of the cemetery be beholden to the cemetery’s President at least $1,500.00 per acre of land as insurance compensation.  There is also a pasted page with a “C.” written on it that outlines the regulations drafted by the cemetery’s secretary, T. L. Ogden, agreed by the cemetery’s commissioners in order for land to be given to churches for burial uses.

            This report is important because it documents the first time that the Green-Wood Cemetery Association is trying to outline the resolutions that they want the church organizations to agree on before they allow them to set aside land for their burial uses at the cemetery.  In addition, the vote passed at this meeting reaffirmed the cemetery’s proposal to work with religious institutions, and invited plans to encircle the grounds with a large picket fence, establishing the borders of the cemetery (Cleaveland, 1866, page 31).

Folder 19: Report on Land Development (June 5, 1841)

Item #242: “Report June 5, 1841 Copied page 50.”

            This report explains the state of the Green-Wood Cemetery Association by 1841.  They first state that the land of the cemetery is now ready for burial purposes, and they explain the cumulative values of the bonds and mortgages of the lots in the cemetery.  In addition, the report considers future costs to the cemetery, such as bills for various expenses, for fencing around the cemetery’s boundaries, and for building burial vaults.

            This document is important because it show what the financial situation of the cemetery was in 1841 and what its association was planning to spend money on to improve it.

Folder 20: Report on Land Development (May 26, 1843)

Item #243: “Report of Committee respecting Bonds to be given to J. A. Perry May 26, 1843”

            This report signed by Russell Stebbins and A. G. Hammond explains that $19,825.00 in bonds, endorsed for $7,450.00, has been set aside to compensate J. A. Perry for his purchase of lands for the Green-Wood Cemetery to use for burial purposes.

            This report is important because it reveals how the people who bought lands for the Green-Wood Cemetery to allow it to expand were compensated for buying this land.

Folder 21: 2 Reports on Comptroller's Accounts (December 6, 1844 and March 10, 1869)

Item #244: “Report on the comptroller’s accounts – Dec. 6, 1844.”

            In this report signed by Russell Stebbins and Henry E. Pierrepont, the members of the Standing Committee of the Green-Wood Cemetery Association, explains that they have found that the accounts of the Comptroller of the cemetery that were examined are correct.

            This report is important because it shows that both the Standing Committee and the Comptroller of the cemetery are working together in 1844 to make sure that the accounts of the cemetery are in order.

Item #245: “Report of the Standing Committee, March 10, 1869.”

            In this report signed by C. P. Smith, Henry E. Pierrepont, and Alex White, the members of the Standing Committee of the Green-Wood Cemetery Association, explain that they have found that the accounts of the Comptroller of the cemetery (with the vouchers) that were examined are correct.  This report also explains that the U.S. Stock has been examined and is in the name of the Green-Wood Cemetery, with a total value of $438,000.00.

            This report is important because it shows that both the Standing Committee and the Comptroller of the cemetery are working together in 1869 to make sure that the accounts of the cemetery are in order.  In addition, it shows that the cemetery was investing in a large amount of stock at this time.

Folder 22: Report from Finance Committee on Agreement with New York Life Insurance (September 30, 1857)

Item #246: “Report of Finance Committee, Sept. 30, 1857.”

            In this report signed by the members of the Finance Committee of the Green-Wood Cemetery Association, which includes Robert Ray and William White, the committee members report on the amount of money that exists in an account the cemetery set up with the New York Life Insurance and Trust Company and ask for the authority to request a withdrawal of some of the money from this account.

            This report is significant because since it documents a withdrawal request from the cemetery’s trust fund, it indicates that the cemetery is going through some financial hardship at this time, possibly as a result of the effects of the economic depression of 1857.

Folder 23: Reccomendation Silliman and True Bill be Paid (October 6, 1869)

Item #247: Report of the Standing Committee of the Green-Wood Cemetery, October 6, 1869

            In this report signed by the members of the Standing Committee of the Green-Wood Cemetery, including Henry E. Pierrepont, C. P. Smith, Robert Ray, and Alex White, they explain that the Silliman and True Bills of a total of $3,750.00 be paid.  They also report that over fifty deeds of transfer of land had been made to the cemetery.

            This report is important because it notes a large amount of deed of land transfers to the cemetery, indicating a period of growth in the amount of land owned by the cemetery.

Series 5: Committee Minutes

This series contains minutes taken at meetings of the Executive Committee from November 1838 to November 1839, during a time when logistical planning for Green-Wood Cemetery was heavily underway. The series is particularly useful for researchers who may wish to understand the process by which the cemetery was founded and cemetery procedures were put into place. Over half the meetings recorded are in a small, handmade notebook, found at the beginning of the series. The rest of the series is ordered chronologically according to the date the meeting took place. The minutes are taken in several different hands; there is indication that J.A. Perry was appointed secretary at the July 29, 1839 meeting, and presumably the consistent hand in later committee minutes belongs to him. This series may be particularly useful in conjunction with Series 4, Committee Reports and Resolutions, which details the decisions resulting from many of the issues that are brought before the committee in these minutes.

Box 3 (cont.)

Folder 24: Notebook of Committee Minutes from Nov 3, 1838—Nov 1, 1839

Item #248: Notebook: Executive Committee Minutes of Meetings from November 3, 1838 to November 1, 1839

            In this notebook, all the minutes of the first meetings of the Green-Wood Cemetery Corporation are recorded from its two founding years: 1838 and 1839.  These minutes reveal the monthly decisions of the company during its first years, including during the first meeting, where they decided to nominate candidates for President and officers for the company.

            This notebook is significant because it reveals what the decisions were of the Board of Directors of the Green-Wood Cemetery and how they conducted business during the first years of the cemetery’s incorporation and operation.  This includes the first official meeting of the members of the Green-Wood Cemetery Company on December 15, 1838 (Richman, ed., 2013, pages 18-19).  These “civic-minded” men, from the City of Brooklyn took the ferry across the East River to where the law office of Stephen C. Williams was located at 54 Wall Street, and gathered to both nominate and elect the first officers of the Company, and to create a structure to organize the Company (Richman, ed., 2013, page 19).  At this meeting, they asked Alonzo G. Hammond to be the Company’s Chairman, and appointed Henry E. Pierrepont to serve as the Company’s first “recording secretary” (Richman, ed., 2013, page 19).  In addition, a committee of Messrs. Douglass, Howland, and Pierrepont, was created to nominate potential officers for the Company, to report changes to the cemetery’s charter, and to negotiate with landowners to get their terms for land sales to the cemetery (Cleaveland, 1866, page 17).  These first minutes that Mr. Pierrepont recorded gives an insight into the thoughts of the Board of Directors of the Green-Wood Cemetery Company when it was first founded (Richman, ed., 2013, page 19).

Item #249: Envelope: “Minutes of Executive Committee in early 1839.”

            Empty envelope – no significance.

Folder 25: Dec 20, 1838

Item #250: Piece of Paper: “Drafts of Resolutions + Reports”

            Scrap of paper – no significance.

Item #251: Minutes of the Executive Committee Meeting of the Green-Wood Cemetery Company, December 20, 1838

            In these minutes, the committee of the Green-Wood Cemetery explains the progress of the effort of letting lot owners subscribe to capital stock for burial lots in the cemetery.  From this explanation, the committee decided to perform three actions.  First, it decided to petition the New York State Legislature to amend the cemetery’s charter to make it a general trust instead of a joint-stock company.  Second, a Committee on Lands was authorized to buy land for the cemetery to use for burial purposes and to obtain the title deeds for these lands.  Third, that the Committee on Lands also be authorized to communicate with religious corporations and societies on the subject of setting aside lands in the cemetery for their use.

            These minutes are important because it documents when the cemetery’s committee decided that it wanted to become a non-profit trust, and decided to buy lands for expansion and to work with religious organizations on allowing them to purchase their own land tracts in the cemetery for the first time.

Folder 26: Apr 30, 1839 and May 8, 1839

Item #252: Executive Committee Minutes from April 30, 1839, to May 8, 1839

            These minutes record the committee of the Green-Wood Cemetery Association’s decisions from April 30 to May 8, 1839.  Examples of the decisions recorded are appointing a committee to decide the value of bonds issued to lot subscribers, appointing a committee to draft by-laws and regulations to use to run the cemetery, creating a fence on the cemetery’s Fifth Avenue boundary, and creating a survey map of the cemetery grounds.

            These minutes are important because they document the cemetery association’s first attempts to both establish defined boundaries for the cemetery and to perform the first survey of the cemetery grounds.  In addition, these minutes note that a fence was created on the Fifth Avenue boundary of the cemetery.  This is important because this was the first work done on the cemetery grounds after the land was acquired to form the cemetery (Cleaveland, 1866, page 23).

Folder 27: Jun 20, 1839

Item #253: Executive Committee Minutes from June 20, 1839

            These minutes record the decisions of the Executive Committee of the Green-Wood Cemetery Association during their June 20, 1839 meeting.  The major resolutions at this meeting were approving and putting on file the finished survey map of the cemetery grounds prepared by Major Douglass, the cemetery’s surveyor.

            These minutes are important because they show that by this time, the cemetery had surveyed and mapped all of the lands that it owned in Brooklyn and had officially established the boundaries of the cemetery.

Folder 28: Jun 24, 1839

Item #254: Executive Committee Minutes from June 24, 1839

            These minutes record the decisions of the Executive Committee of the Green-Wood Cemetery Association during their June 24, 1839 meeting.  The major resolution at this meeting was deciding when and where to sell bonds to lot subscribers and the members of the committee who would financially back these bonds.  In addition, the Executive Committee reported that they had almost finished building an avenue both through and around Green-Wood (Cleaveland, 1866, page 24).

            These minutes are important because they show that by this time, the cemetery was trying to determine how to financially redeem the bonds they were offering to lot subscribers.  This was also a public call to attention to the fact that the avenue built around and through the cemetery would lead to lot sales (Cleaveland, 1866, page 24).  The committee stated: “It is to be remembered…that the institution is no longer one of profit, but of benevolence. It looks solely to the accomplishment of a great philanthropic object without the consideration of gain to any one; and it may therefore appeal with confidence to the philanthropy of every public-spirited citizen. Let such only look fairly into the aim and purpose of our institution, and its ability, unquestionable, as we think, to carry out those purposes in a manner credible to this trust and to the community at large, and the result must be certain” (Cleaveland, 1866, page 24).

Folder 29: Jul 10, 1839

Item #255: Executive Committee Minutes from July 10, 1839

            These minutes record the decisions of the Executive Committee of the Green-Wood Cemetery Association during their July 10, 1839 meeting.  The major resolutions at this meeting were appointing a committee to find and hire a gardener and superintendent of the grounds of the cemetery and appointing a committee to draft by-laws for the preservation of the grounds of the cemetery and the sale of cemetery lots.

            These minutes are important because they show that by this time, the cemetery was attempting to execute some of the provisions laid out in its charter, by establishing by-laws to regulate the preservation of the cemetery grounds and the sale of lots, and to try to hire a superintendant to manage this maintenance.

Folder 30: Jul 29, 1839 (including Perry’s appointment as secretary)

Item #256: Executive Committee Minutes from July 29, 1839

            These minutes record the decisions of the Executive Committee of the Green-Wood Cemetery Association during their July 29, 1839 meeting.  The major resolutions at this meeting were appointing J. A. Perry as the Board of Trustees’ Secretary, and deciding to authorize the President of the Board of Trustees to obtain materials for fencing around the cemetery’s boundaries and to employ a superintendant of cemetery grounds with a $3.00 per day salary, and to authorize the purchase of lands at Fifth Avenue and Thirty-Fourth Street in Brooklyn to expand the cemetery.

            These minutes are important because they show that by this time, the cemetery was attempting to maintain its grounds by hiring a superintendant, define its borders with fencing, and expand the cemetery grounds with new land purchases, indicating a growth of the size of the cemetery.  In addition, these minutes record the appointment of J. A. Perry as the Board of Trustees’ first Secretary.

Folder 31: Oct 11, 1839 (including Major Douglass’s Salary)

Item #257: Board Meeting, October 11,1839

            In these board meeting minutes, the major decisions made during this meeting was: the payment of Major Douglass for his services with $4,500.00 in bonds, that Major Douglass had both published a pamphlet about the Green-Wood Cemetery Association’s plans and designs and advertised in the newspapers the opening of the Association’s books for the subscription to burial lots in the cemetery for subscribers, and to appoint a three-man committee to look into the prospect of allowing churches to reserve lots for their use in the cemetery.

            These minutes are important because they describe both the growing relationship between the cemetery and subscribers for burial lots with the advertising of the opening of subscriptions in pamphlets and the newspapers, and the growing relationship between the cemetery and churches, by considering opening lots to the churches for burial.

Folder 32: Oct 11, 1839

Item #258: Executive Committee Minutes, October 11, 1839

In these board meeting minutes, the major decisions made during this meeting were: the payment of Major Douglass for his services with $4,500.00 in bonds, that Major Douglass had both published a pamphlet about the Green-Wood Cemetery Association’s plans and designs and advertised in the newspapers the opening of the Association’s books for the subscription to burial lots in the cemetery for subscribers, and to appoint a three-man committee to look into the prospect of allowing churches to reserve lots for their use in the cemetery (Mr. Ogden was chosen as Chairman, and Messrs. Hammond and Freeman were appointed by him as his co-chairs on this committee).  A few months ago on July 2, 1839, the Trustees of the cemetery had no funds to go on with the improvements of the cemetery or to pay for past work done, so they resolved that the bonds of the company should be issued for $10,000.00, which would be redeemable from lot sales (Cleaveland, 1866, page 25).  At the October 11, 1839 meeting mentioned in this document, the President stated that he executed the company’s bonds for $4,500.00 cash, advanced by five Board member: Messrs. Perry, Le Roy, Ray, and Pierrepont (who each provided $1,000.00), and Mr. Stebbins (who gave $5,000.00) (Cleaveland, 1866, page 25).

            These minutes are important because they describe both the growing relationship between the cemetery and subscribers for burial lots with the advertising of the opening of subscriptions in pamphlets and the newspapers, and the growing relationship between the cemetery and churches by considering opening lots to the churches for burial.

Folder 33: Oct 26, 1839

Item #259: Committee Minutes, October 26, 1839

            In these minutes, the important decisions made were that Major Douglass was paid $4,000.00 for his services, and that H. C. Beach was appointed the Association’s general Secretary, with the responsibilities of keeping the books to record the Association’s finances along with obtaining subscriptions to burial lots in the Green-Wood Cemetery.  The Association would receive a profit of six percent on all subscribed lots: two percent going to the general Secretary and four percent going to the President.

            These minutes are important because it records the appointment of the cemetery’s first general Secretary, showing that the cemetery has grown to a size that they needed to hire a professional to manage the subscribed sale of cemetery lots for burial purposes from the large number of tracts of land that the cemetery owned.

Folder 34: Nov 10, 1839

Item #260: “Meeting 10 Nov 1839 Sale to churches”

            In these minutes the important decision made was to appoint Mr. Hammond and Mr. Pierrepont as the committee members to report on the presentation made to the churches about the reservation of land for their use in the Green-Wood Cemetery.

            These minutes are important because they record that the cemetery Association is getting serious at this time about offering land to the churches in the cemetery since they are assigning committee members to make a presentation to these churches about it.

Folder 35: Nov 23, 1839

Item #261: Minutes from Board Meeting, November 23, 1839

            In these minutes, the major decision made was that the Board decided that it was the responsibility of the Association’s Finance Committee and President to inform the committee members of the committee to negotiate with churches of the their appointment and to also file any vacancies in case any of these members do not end up serving on this committee.

            These minutes are important because it shows that the Green-Wood Cemetery Association wanted to make sure that the committee for negotiating with churches on the reservation of cemetery lots for their use was filled with appointees willing to serve on the committee so that the negotiation with the churches went successfully.

Series 6: Henry Pierrepont Correspondence

This series contains correspondence to and from Henry Pierrepont, the driving force behind the founding of Green-Wood Cemetery. The series is rich with details regarding the founding of the cemetery, and early concerns of the cemetery, which Pierrepont dealt with directly. Particularly valuable is correspondence with New York Senator Cornelius Bergen, who worked to push Green-Wood’s Act of Incorporation through the state legislature, and remained in contact with Pierrepont during the process. In an early letter, Bergen writes about the need for an accessible rural cemetery in the area of New York City; many of these arguments would be advanced in official cemetery literature later. Also of note is correspondence with Major D.B. Douglass, regarding surveying the land that would become Green-Wood, and correspondence with a contact at Trinity Church, regarding the possibility of providing a large private burial ground for the church within Green-Wood. (Ultimately this did not happen.) Researchers will find more information in the Henry Pierrepont Papers collection, which was donated to the cemetery by the Pierrepont family and contains a good deal more correspondence regarding the founding of Green-Wood.

Box 4

Folder 1: From Senator Bergen Regarding Founding of Green-Wood (1839)

Item #262: Letter from Senator Bergen, Albany, to Henry E. Pierrepont, New York, January 29, 1839

            In this letter, Senator Bergen explains to Mr. Pierrepont that his services to supporting the founding of the Green-Wood Cemetery will be “cheerfully rendered.”  Senator Bergen states that he supports the cemetery’s establishment due to the crowded and changing nature of the landscape of New York, and to provide a permanent resting place were the city’s dead can be buried in a beautiful and convenient location.  Also, he states that since land’s price in New York and Brooklyn in rising and being built up swiftly, establishing a designated cemetery for the burial of the dead is important, and that the location chosen in Brooklyn for the cemetery has beauty that is unequalled of any other cemetery before established.  Senator Bergen reports that the Committee on Charitable and Religious institutions has reacted favorably to the cemetery’s creation, the bill has been read twice, and it has been moved to the Committee of the Whole, where Senator Bergen says he will work to move it along.  In addition, Senator Bergen states that since the bill is of a local issue and that the bill’s mission is “purely benevolent,” he does not see opposition to the bill’s passage, except from uninformed older members of the State Legislature, who if they oppose the bill he will inform them of its merit for passage, so no cemetery representative needs to come to Albany to defend the bill.  Finally, Senator Bergen requests that Mr. Pierrepont send him a copy of the resolutions of the Common Council of the City of Brooklyn that Mr. Pierrepont received for Senator Bergen to use to defend the merits of the bill in case there is any committee opposition to its passage.

            This letter is significant because it not only reveals how Senator Bergen was willing to fight for the passage of the bill to create the Green-Wood Cemetery, but also shows why he was so committed to fighting for the establishment of the cemetery.

Folder 2: To Senator Bergen Regarding Application and Legislation of New Charter Amendment (Jan 18, 1839)

Item #263: Letter from Henry E. Pierrepont, New York, to Senator Cornelius Bergen, State Assembly, Albany, January 18, 1839

            In this letter Mr. Pierrepont explains to Senator Bergen that he is enclosing with this letter a memorial and a draft of the amendments for the charter of incorporation to create the Green-Wood Cemetery, that the amendments of the charter are based largely on the charter that incorporated the Mount Auburn Cemetery outside of Boston, and that he hopes Senator Bergen will introduce these materials for a reading to explain the cemetery’s objectives and to ensure its passage by the State Legislature, stating that Senators Freeman and Verplanck are supportive of the bill’s passage.  He explains that it is important that the bill is passed soon, since the cemetery founders have agreements with individuals that depend on the bill’s passage, and stresses that the cemetery is “purely benevolent,” and is not being founded for “gain or speculation.”  In addition, he adds that he will soon send a copy of the Mount Auburn Cemetery’s charter of incorporation.

            This letter is important because it shows how Mr. Pierrepont worked with Senator Bergen to ensure the passage of the bill creating the Green-Wood Cemetery by sending him the supporting materials, and it reveals that Mr. Pierrepont used the charter of the Mount Auburn Cemetery as his inspiration for the charter for the Green-Wood Cemetery.

Folder 3: To Senator Cornelius Bergen about Amended Charter (Jan 25, 1839)

Item #264: Letter to Senator Cornelius Bergen from Henry E. Pierrepont, New York, January 25, 1839

            In this letter, Mr. Pierrepont states that Mr. Silliman has told him that Senator Bergen had received the package with the memorial and other documents referred to in Item #263 and that he would present them at the earliest opportunity.  Also, he states that the memorial explains the objects of the cemetery so fully that he does not think that additional explanation from him is required, and that the bill may not have needed amendments to fix it if they had more time to draft it before sending it to Albany for consideration during the last legislative session.  He explains that he noticed that the bill was criticized for forming a cemetery that is for-profit (like a typical joint-stock company), but adds that it is necessary to exempt the cemetery from taxation under this join-stock model in order for it to be successful.  He requests that the bill be amended to fix this to establish the cemetery as a beneficial “Trust” and that this is supported by the residents of New York City’s lower wards.  He explains that he is personally not connected with any financial interests with the cemetery’s founding, and has journeyed with Major Douglass to Mount Auburn Cemetery outside of Boston and to Laurel Hill Cemetery in Philadelphia in order to establish the Green-Wood Cemetery in the form of these cemeteries.  He states that he sent Judge Blunt with the Charter of Mount Auburn Cemetery, and is willing to answer any questions about the bill in Albany if necessary.

            This letter is important because it reveals the opposition to the bill that would create the Green-Wood Cemetery due to suspicions that it was a for-profit venture.  It also shows the lengths that Mr. Pierrepont was willing to go to defend the bill, being willing to testify about it in Albany.  It even indicates how Mr. Pierrepont visited other rural cemeteries in Boston and Philadelphia in order to model the Green-Wood Cemetery on these cemeteries’ example.

Folder 4: From Bergen on Passing of Green-Wood Charter (Mar 5, 1839)

Item #265: Letter from Senator Bergen, Albany, to Henry E. Pierrepont, March 5, 1839

            In this letter Senator Bergen explains that the bill to create the Green-Wood Cemetery would have passed on March 5, 1839, except that “Mr. Lot” opposed its passage due to the additional amendment added to the bill exempting the cemetery’s lands from taxation.  He describes how the bill went through the committees as he requested, but that Mr. Lott removed the amendment on tax-exempt status.  He tried to add it back to the bill and told Mr. Lott that the cemetery’s founders wanted the provision in the bill, that the inhabitants of Brooklyn did not want the cemetery to be taxed.  Mr. Lott still opposed it unless he heard a favorable opinion from the Common Council of the City of Brooklyn, a course that Senator Bergen was advised by his colleagues to pursue to pass the bill.  Senator Bergen states he wants to know what Mr. Pierrepont thinks about this issue, and whether he wants him to leave the taxation clause in or remove it.  He suggests that if the Common Council supports the exemption, to leave the provision in, since Mr. Lott will drop his opposition; but if they do not, to allow the taxation of only the lots bought by individual buyers for the express use for burial purposes.

            This letter is important because it reveals why there was opposition from some in the State Legislature to the Green-Wood Cemetery’s creation: because some of these people did not want the cemetery’s lands exempt from taxes.

Folder 5: From Major Douglass, Expressing Samuel Ward’s Rejection

Item #266: “Maj. Douglass Letter giving W. Saml. Ward rejection” *(Undated)

            In this letter, Major Douglass tells Henry E. Pierrepont that Samuel Ward does not want to sign onto their plans for Green-Wood Cemetery, since he has interests and is supportive of “the Manhattanville project” and does not want to seem inconsistent by supporting another project.  Major Douglass suggests that Mr. Pierrepont solicit signatures from people closer to home, such as Mr. King, Mr. Stebbins, etc.

            This letter is important because it shows that the petition to support the founding of the Green-Wood Cemetery was not unanimously supported.  The plans referred to in the letter are most likely the plans to found the cemetery, and Mr. Pierrepont needs signatures of distinguished men, such as Samuel Ward, to make their petition look as if it has broad public support.  However, some did not want to sign the petition, so others needed to be asked.

Folder 6: From Major Douglass Regarding Surveying of Land

Item #267: Letter from D. B. Douglass to H. E. Pierrepont about Surveying the Green-Wood Cemetery Land, Brooklyn, November 21 (ca. 1839? - *Undated)

            In this letter, Major Douglass tells Mr. Pierrepont that he has created a schedule for the surveying of the Green-Wood Cemetery’s lands, and has estimated the cost of the project, including a summary of the money paid to him for his services, both in the future (paid in stock), and immediately (paid in cash).  He suggests that the cost could be paid not just by the corporators of the cemetery, but by the churches that have shown an interest in acquiring lands in the cemetery for their own burial purposes.  He states that he hopes that the boundaries of the cemetery laid out do not change.

            This letter is important because it may be the first documented evidence of what Major Douglass did prior to his survey of the cemetery grounds.

Folder 7: From William Johnson of Trinity Church on Procuring Grounds at Green-Wood

Item #268: Letter from William Johnson of Trinity Church, New York to Henry E. Pierrepont of Brooklyn, Long Island, December 11, 1838.

            In this letter, Mr. Johnson tells Mr. Pierrepont that the Committee of Trinity Church that is considering acquiring land in the Green-Wood Cemetery will meet on December 18, 1838, and report back to the Vestry.  He states that the three parishes in the city of the Trinity Church require twenty acres for use and the other Episcopal congregations in the city want five to ten acres each in the cemetery.  Before the December 18 meeting, Mr. Johnson wants to know what the terms are by which these twenty acres can be obtained for Trinity Church, the cost of building a high and large wall of stone around the Trinity portion of lots, the cost of decorating and laying out this section within the cemetery’s overall plan, and other details that will help the Committee of Trinity Church to make a correct judgment of the cemetery’s plan.  He would also like to know what regulations this plan (approved with the consent of the City of Brooklyn and creating the grounds forever as a cemetery for burial purposes), will put on the purchasers of this portion of the cemetery and how this portion will be improved.

            This letter is important because it reveals what the representatives of the Trinity Church and other Episcopal congregations were concerned about when they were considering this deal to acquire land within the Green-Wood Cemetery for their use.  It is also interesting to note that the Trinity Church wanted to build a large wall separating their section from the rest of the cemetery (this might have been one of the reasons that this deal fell through).

Folder 8: Reply to William Johnson of Trinity Church

Item #269: Letter from Henry E. Pierrepont in Reply to William Johnson of Trinity Church (ca. 1838? *Undated)

            In this letter Mr. Pierrepont tells Mr. Johnson that he has received his letter from December 11, 1838, and says that despite the Board of Directors of the Green-Wood Cemetery being delayed from meeting, they have formed a committee to communicate with Trinity Church’s committee about the land deal, and will create a detailed outline of the details about this deal that Mr. Johnson requests in his December 11, 1838 letter.  Also, Mr. Pierrepont explained that while the cemetery was considering a large wall to enclose the Trinity portion, enclosures for individual lots will not be required, and the improvement of the church’s portion in the cemetery will be left up to each individual lot owner “not inconsistent with the general plan” of the cemetery.  As to the purpose and “inviolability” of the cemetery by the authority of the City of Brooklyn, the outline that Mr. Pierrepont will send to Mr. Johnson will show that this is “beyond all reasonable doubts.”

            This letter is important because it shows that Mr. Pierrepont was making several efforts to address Mr. Johnson’s concerns about the deal between Green-Wood and Trinity over cemetery lands.  This shows that he probably really wanted this land deal to succeed.

Folder 9: From Jacob LeRoy Regarding Green-Wood’s Debt (1842)

Item #270: Letter from Jacob R. LeRoy, New York, to H. E. Pierrepont, Comtroller, the Green-Wood Cemetery, May 13, 1842

            In this letter, Mr. LeRoy informs Mr. Pierrepont that the Green-Wood Cemetery has a debt of $2,714.55, accrued from money used to keep a concern from failing, which Mr. LeRoy would not have permitted it he had known how involved Mr. Perry was in this concern.  He states that Mr. Perry has not paid the debt even though he said a year ago that he would pay it himself.  Mr. LeRoy asks Mr. Pierrepont if he could pay the debt and pay it soon.

            This letter is important because it reveals why Mr. Perry stopped being the comptroller of the Green-Wood Cemetery.  He seems to have gotten the cemetery in debt due to withdrawing money to pay for his own failed investments, and left before he was found out.

Folder 10: From J.C. Smith Regarding Debt (Nov 9, 1839)

Item #271: Letter from J. C. Smith, 44 Wall Street, to Henry E. Pierrepont, Office of LeRoy & Perry, Hanover Street, November 9, 1839

            In this letter Mr. Smith states to Mr. Pierrepont that he is being troubled by a “Mr. Dean” over a debt of $21.42 on land that he gave to the Green-Wood Cemetery.  He asks that Mr. Pierrepont send this amount to him the morning this letter was sent to pay the debt so that he will not be further troubled by debts on this land.

            This letter is important because it not only shows that Mr. Pierrepont was asked to pay debts on cemetery lands, but also that debts on these lands may have existed before they were acquired by the cemetery.

Folder 11: From Mr. Truman

Item #272: Letter from Pliny Truman to Henry E. Pierrepont *(Undated)

            In this letter, Mr. Truman states to Mr. Pierrepont that he has met with the attorney of Mr. Barnetto, who claims that nothing can be done without an order from the Chancellor.

            It is unclear what this letter is referring to and it is hard to read, but it seems that Mr. Pierrepont wants to sell or modify a burial lot owned in the Green-Wood Cemetery, and the owner is not letting him.  This means that this letter is important because it documents that some lot owners in the cemetery opposed the plans of Mr. Pierrepont concerning the lots that they owned and that they had a right to determine the ultimate fate of the lots they owned in the cemetery.

Folder 12: 4 Letters between Pierrepont and Samuel Champrey Regarding Claim for Assisting Major Douglass (1878)

Item #273: “Papers in regard to S. T. Champrey’s claim—Douglass” *(Undated)

            *Empty envelope – no significance.

Item #274: Letter from Samuel T. Champrey, and Sidney V. Lowell, “Notary Public,” to the Green-Wood Cemetery Corporation, January 21, 1878

            In this letter Mr. Champrey informs the Green-Wood Cemetery Corporation that Major Douglass came to him to say while he was working for the cemetery that he needed assistance for his family to live or he would have to resign his position working for the cemetery.  He said that Major Douglass was told by the company to have someone buy a cemetery lot to furnish money to help him, and asked Mr. Champrey to do it.  He asked Mr. Van Wagenen if this was okay, and he said yes, since the cemetery company wanted Major Douglass to finish laying out the grounds, so he supplied $106.00 to Major Douglass’s family.  Mr. Champrey states that his wife died in 1848, and he applied for his bought lot, but the company said there was no lot located in neither his name, nor a deed of ownership for it, so he bought another one for his wife since there was no time to investigate.  The company then said many years later that if he obtained a letter from Major Douglass stating that he owned a lot, his claim would be considered, but when he did this, nothing was done about it.  He states that this is not settled with him, even if it is with Major Douglass, and thinks his claim should be paid for with a lot in the cemetery, seeing no reason to contribute $106.00 to begin the cemetery.  He thinks that the company should return the $106.00 to him in the name of equity and justice.

            This letter is significant for two reasons.  First, it indicates the hardships Major Douglass suffered while laying out the cemetery grounds, needing to take a loan from a benefactor to provide for his family since the cemetery did not pay him enough for the job.  Second, this indicates that the company was not as strict during its earliest years in enforcing all claims to be committed in writing to prove their legitimacy.

Item #275: Letter from Samuel T. Champrey to possibly Henry E. Pierrepont, April 26, 1878

            In this Letter, Mr. Champrey tells possibly Mr. Pierrepont that he understands that the reason the Board of the Green-Wood Cemetery did not hear his claim is that they considered it “a put up job.”  He states that if this is true, it is “a libel on my fair name,” and does not consider himself one to make a dollar unfairly nor swindle people in bad business deals, and is willing to be judged on his past actions.  He states that he has lost his life’s earnings in defaults over gambling, but has always paid his debts.  He asserts that he is no swindler, and thinks it is wrong that he is getting libel instead of justice from the cemetery Company.  He states that his sworn interview provided contains the facts of his claim, and that he is willing to defend his claim in court or leave it to the judgment of his man or men of the Board’s choosing, and to appear before a committee of claims to answer any questions.  He states that the company paying his claim would do well for him, and that Mr. Pierrepont does not think that he has defrauded the Green-Wood Cemetery Corporation.

            This letter is important because it shows that Mr. Champrey believed his claim was legitimate and that he was prepared to defend it.

         

Item #276: Letter from Samuel T. Champrey to Henry E. Pierrepont, Brooklyn, June 4, 1878

            In this letter, Mr. Champrey tells Mr. Pierrepont that he and his Board showed anger and temper toward him that was not appropriate, while his acquaintance, a “Mr. Saur,” treated him with kindness and considered the facts as they were.  He claims that his claim was dismissed by them for lack of evidence and that no one was there to discuss the facts of the claim.  He claims that he explained the facts of the claim truthfully and under oath, and that if he is not believed, this matter should be decided in court.  He does not understand why Mr. Pierrepont and Mr. White have such strong opinions against him, that he has paid for five cemetery lots, that he has explained under oath the details that he is owed payment back, and that he is old and needs the money.  He claims he was given “harsh treatment” by Mr. White and Mr. Pierrepont, and hopes that if his claim is denied that they would permit him to try to defend it in court.

            This letter is important because it shows that at this time, the Green-Wood Cemetery Corporation was not willing to pay any claims without the proper evidence to back up the claim.

Item #277: Letter from Henry E. Pierrepont to Samuel T. Champrey, Booklyn, June 5, 1878

            In this letter Mr. Pierrepont tells Mr. Champrey that he received his note and had not replied due to preparations for a European trip, and asks to be excused if he made Mr. Champrey feel mistreated as a result.  However, he states that he is unnerved that Mr. Champrey said that he stated that his claim was a “put up job.”  Mr. Pierrepont said that he never said this, and states that the claim was already settled when Mr. Champrey brought it up in 1850, when Messrs. C. P. Smith and Van Wagenen dismissed it due to lack of evidence.  He states that Major Douglass was paid in full for his services to the cemetery.  In addition, he claims that Mr. Champrey prosecuting this claim has been felt by Mr. White and himself as a charge against the Trustees of the cemetery for committing “unfair dealing,” but Mr. Pierrepont feels that it is not fair for the cemetery company to admit the supposed validity of a claim that was twice discussed and dismissed.  He suggests that Mr. Champrey should consult Major Douglass’s son, G. Cornell, who would be the better person to bring this claim to.

            This letter is important since it reveals that Mr. Pierrepont and the Trustees of the Green-Wood Cemetery Corporation, contrary to Mr. Champrey’s claim, were in the right and that Mr. Champrey’s claim was not backed up by evidence.  This shows that at this time the cemetery corporation needed to see proper evidence for any financial claims to be considered legitimate by them.

Series 7: Miscellaneous Correspondence

This series contains miscellaneous correspondence regarding the founding of Green-Wood. It includes correspondence from Major David Bates Douglass, including a letter addressed to J.A. Perry regarding the boundaries of Green-Wood, and a letter addressed to the Executive Committee, detailing Douglass’s claim for a salary as Green-Wood surveyor. Also of note is a letter from S.N. Burrill, a prominent New York City undertaker, offering his services as a representative of the cemetery on Manhattan Island. Ultimately the cemetery chose to appoint someone else to this position.

Box 4 (cont.)

Folder 13: From Wagner to J.A. Perry (Apr 1842)

Item #278: Letter from G. C. Wagner to J. A. Perry, April 21, 1842

            In this letter, Mr. Wagner tells Mr. Perry that he presented the following proposal to Mr. Schermerhorn: that he convey the rest of the 52 acres to the Green-Wood Cemetery and that the entire sum of the money made from sales of this land within its boundaries is given for his use until all of the purchase money of Mr. Schermerhorn is paid.  In addition, this sum should be deposited with the Life & Trust Company and be paid to him from this Trust of $1,000.00.  In addition, Mr. Wagner claims that within six months one hundred burial lots will be surveyed within the boundaries of this acreage and will provide profits for Mr. Schermerhorn when sold.

            This letter is significant because it describes the deal that the Green-Wood Cemetery Corporation offered to Mr. Schermerhorn in order to secure the final 52 acres of land that he owned for the cemetery, which contributed to the growth of the cemetery.

Folder 14: From David Bates Douglass to Perry (May 29, 1839)

Item #279: Letter from D. B. Douglass to J. A. Perry, Cemetery Office, May 29, 1839

            In this letter, Major Douglass explains to Mr. Perry that he has to leave the employment of the Green-Wood Cemetery Corporation in order to move to Rochester.  He asks for a loan of $4,500.00 for one year at seven percent interest, secured by property without debt that is valued at seven to $10,000.00, along with a promise of five percent of this amount to be received by Major Douglass.  He says that if he knows whether the cemetery will grant this request or not today, it will help him make his future arrangements.  He states that nothing was discussed about compensation for his services in case the proposal he discussed in this letter was not accepted, but states that this concern would be dropped if the company accepts his proposal.

            This letter is important because it shows that the salary for paying Major Douglass to lay out the Green-Wood Cemetery was not fully determined by the Green-Wood Cemetery Corporation.

Folder 15: From David Bates Douglass to Committee, Regarding Claim for Salary

Item #280: Letter from D. B. Douglass to a Committee (Messrs. Perry, Pierrepont, and Freeman) about his Salary (ca. 1839 - *Undated)

            In this letter Major Douglass explains to the Committee of the Green-Wood Cemetery that he was appointed to survey the grounds of the cemetery and provide estimate for the cost of the work, and was appointed by the Nominating Committee to this position and made Chairman of the Land Committee.  Also, he thought that a salary of around $200.00 was sufficient, but acknowledged that no specific amount was ever agreed upon.  After he was appointed he said the salary of $2,400.00 per year ($200.00 per month) was appropriate, but a few days later Mr. Freeman though it would be better for him to take $100.00 per month in salary with a portion of the proceeds from cemetery lot sales, which Major Douglass accepted.  Major Douglass says that it was suggested to raise a separate loan security for him, and since he served as President of the cemetery, he earned an estimated $200.00 more, making his final claim a total of $400.00.  He says that $400.00 is now owed to him, with $100.00 per month of service, that this debt is owed to him for fair services to the cemetery, and that it might be easier to accept his proposal to pay him $3,000.00 or $2,500.00 rather than $400.00 plus $100.00 for each month of services rendered to the cemetery.  Major Douglass understands that this debt demands sacrifices from those who run the cemetery, but he needs the money now, impressing a limit on his patience for the paying of this money owed, and hopes the committee members will respond to him as soon as possible.

            This letter is important because it shows that during the early founding years of the Green-Wood Cemetery, the cemetery company had trouble determining how to pay employees that did work for the cemetery, most likely because the cemetery company did not have much money initially when the cemetery was founded.

Folder 16: From Samuel N. Burrill to J.A. Perry, Offering to Represent Green-Wood’s Business Concerns in Manhattan

Item #281: Letter from S. N. Burrill to Joseph A. Perry, No. 1 Hanover Street, May 12, 1841

            In this letter Mr. Burrill tells Mr. Perry that he would like to submit his name to act as the groundskeeper, superintendent, and agent of the Green-Wood Cemetery Corporation in Manhattan, New York City.  He lists several responsibilities he is willing to do if he is chosen for this position, including acting as an agent for the cemetery to help people select and buy lots in the cemetery, and keep a register of all people buried in the cemetery, as well as keeping the grounds of the cemetery in order.  In addition, he also states that he would accept burial lots in the cemetery as compensation for his salary.

            This letter is important because it documents that S. N. Burrill, a prominent New York undertaker, attempted to be appointed in the employment of the Green-Wood Cemetery during its founding years.  On September 25, 1842, Samuel N. Burrill would be appointed by the standing committee of the cemetery as “Superintendant of Internments,” and his compensation consisted of the fees that were accrued from this position (Mr. Burrill would hold this position for around five months) (Cleaveland, 1866, page 41).

Folder 17: To G.C. Van Wagner Declining Presidency of the Board (Jan 14, 1839)

Item #282: Letter from G. C. Verplanck to G. C. Van Wagner, 11 Pine Street, New York, January 14, 1839

            In this letter, Mr. Verplanck tells Mr. Van Wagner that he is honored to be asked to serve as President of the Green-Wood Cemetery Corporation, but he must decline the nomination.  This is because he states that he has too many other responsibilities as the trustee or officer of many other institutions and societies that he is involved with and cannot take on any more.  However, he states he will be happy to support the bill to create the Green-Wood Cemetery in the Senate of the New York State Legislature, and do what he can for it in the State Assembly.

            This letter is important because it not only documents that the Green-Wood Cemetery Corporation was considering Senator Verplanck as its first President, but it shows that Senator Verplanck was one of the New York State Senators that supported the founding of the cemetery by supporting the passage of its charter of incorporation.

Folder 18: Incomplete Invitation to Visit the New Green-Wood Cemetery from David Bates Douglass (1839)

Item #283: President D. B. Douglass, The Green-Wood Cemetery Office, No. 8 Wall Street, to Potential Visitor to the Cemetery, 1839

            In this letter invitation, President Douglass is inviting potential lot buyers to visit the Green-Wood Cemetery, which has just been granted its charter of incorporation and is in the process of developing two-hundred acres of land.  The President states he is willing to take a large group of potential buyers from the south ferry to the cemetery in Gowanus, Brooklyn.

            This invitation is important because it shows that very soon after incorporation the cemetery did not waste time advertising the cemetery lots, by immediately beginning to try to convince people to buy lots in the cemetery.  In addition, it shows how much land the cemetery had by 1839 (two-hundred acres) and how visitors came to the cemetery from the city (by the south ferry to Brooklyn).

Folder 19: Correspondence and Report on Appointment and Payment of H.C. Beach (1845)

Item #284: Letter from H. C. Beach, 7442 Pine Street, New York, to Robert Ray, President of the Green-Wood Cemetery, New York, October 20, 1845

            In this letter, Mr. Beach tells President Ray that he wants to make a statement on his accounts with the cemetery Association of Green-Wood, and has sent an account with this letter to show this.  He states that on February 4, 1840, he obtained a copy of an order and report from Henry E. Pierrepont, passed by the Board on October 26, 1839, which he describes.  Major Douglass hired Mr. Beach to be the cemetery’s Secretary, to occupy the office with no expenses, to keep and organize records and books on the cemetery’s accounts, to obtain subscription for cemetery lots, receiving two percent out of the six percent given to him and the President (getting four percent) of the cemetery from lot sales, except when concerning the arrangement in progress with the Episcopal Churches, whereas the Secretary gets one percent of sales and the President five percent, and a motion by the Board confirmed these terms.  He then states that on June 3, 1844, he obtained a note from G. G. Van Wagener, asking him what the cemetery company owed to him for his services, since they wanted to pay this debt.  On June 4, 1844, he got another note from Mr. Van Wagener, which said that he determined from the Board minutes that the previously passed terms of employment were terminated October 1, 1844 (when the terms expired) and he wanted to know the debt owed to Mr. Beach presently, or if this was liquidated with the expiration of the previous terms.  On June 4, 1844, Mr. Beach said he sent a note to Mr. Van Wagener stating that he sends a memorandum of his account of the terms of his employment.  He stated that he did not initially provide an account, and that he is aware of the difficulties experienced by the cemetery, and that he thought the lot sales would come faster and the profit would be larger, but will nonetheless provide his account.  He provides an account of the money paid to him, the sum total being $1,375.72.  He continues by saying that after the Committee made its report on the situation of the cemetery, Mr. Van Wagener (Chairman of this Committee) wanted him to work long enough to figure out if the Committee could obtain several title deeds for tracts of land within the cemetery’s boundaries.  He was assured by the Committee that he would be compensated for this work, so he worked for two or three months on this issue, but left when the effort grew difficult, giving his accounts and books to Mr. Perry, and stating that they prove this account, and show his work except for his services to the cemetery since June 1, 1841.  He concludes that he did not want to make this financial claim when the cemetery was in financial hardship, but now that the cemetery is more prosperous, he therefore wants his claim considered by the Board for its payment at the convenience of the cemetery Company to pay what is justly owed to him.

            This letter is important because it shows that the Green-Wood Cemetery Association was not very good about paying its employees for services rendered in the early days of the cemetery’s founding.  Some of these payments of compensation were made on assurances from their Board, which were not documented, causing claimants such as Mr. Beach to bring their claim before the Board of the Association, as in this case.

Item #285: Report of the Standing Committee of the Green-Wood Cemetery, signed by J. A. Perry, R. Stebbins, Henry E. Pierrepont, and G. G. Van Wagener, December 7, 1846.

            In this report, signed by the four members of the Standing Committee of the Green-Wood Cemetery, the committee members report that they have decided to pay $250.00 to Mr. H. C. Beach to pay the debt on his past services for the cemetery.

            This report is important because it shows that by the 1840s, the Green-Wood Cemetery Association was on better financial footing and was therefore able to better pay its debts owed to its former employees for services rendered.  In addition, it also reveals that these claims were more seriously considered for payment by the Association when adequate documentation of the services rendered was provided, as Mr. Beach did in Item #284.

Folder 20: From Silliman and True on Bill for Printing Blank Deeds (September 24, 1869)

Item #286: Letter from Silliman & True to Joseph A. Perry, Comptroller, the Green-Wood Cemetery, 43 Wall Street, September 24, 1869

            In this letter, Silliman & True inform Mr. Perry that they are enclosing a bill for the printing of the number of titles for the lands that the Green-Wood Cemetery owns.  The sum for the services is $1,950.00, and they ask Mr. Perry if this price adjustment for the services for printing is okay with him, and if it is, they will execute the printing job.

            This letter is important because it shows that the Green-Wood Cemetery had obtained the official land titles for many of the tracts of land within their boundaries by 1869, since a large sum is required to print these acquired deeds.  This reveals that the cemetery has grown in the land it officially owns, since it now has more deeds to these lands.

Series 8: Printed Materials

This series contains miscellaneous printed materials, including newspaper clippings related to the founding of the cemetery, and printed notices, such as those regarding the sale of lots to churches, on Major D.B. Douglass’s sale of his private library, and addressed to individuals who had purchased land subscriptions, inviting them to select burial lots. Also included are two blank templates for issuing lot deeds and for conveyance of lot ownership to another party. These forms are often seen in other early cemetery records.

Box 4 (cont.)

Folder 21: Conditions of Sale of Lots to Churches

Item #287: Conditions on the Sale of Lots in the Green-Wood Cemetery to Churches and Congregations, New York, February 10, 1840

            In this publication, the Green-Wood Cemetery Association has printed a report on how these conditions were decided upon by the Association, what the conditions are in detail, and an abstract of these conditions.  There are eight conditions if churches or congregations want to buy burial lots in the Green-Wood Cemetery: 1. Each church or congregation will be sold lots in groups of seventy-five or more lots, $70.00 per lot, bought buy a bond issued by the church or congregation that is payable for five years at five percent per year; 2. These lots are held by the Cemetery Corporation until used by the owners; 3. That if lots are sold, they can only be sold to people of the same Congregation or Parish or to other Churches in groups of a minimum of fifty lots, and the bond, if not paid by the sale, will be transferred to the new owners; 4. To protect the Association from incurring land debt, all money paid or to be paid for these lots will be placed with the New York Life Insurance & Trust Company, and any money taken out of these trusts by the Association for expenses on the lots purchased will not exceed half of the trust funds deposited, or one-fourth if there is unpaid liens on these lots; 5. That these church or congregation owned lots will all be in the same area of the cemetery that will not interfere with its general plan, and not be collectively enclosed, but bordered by walkways and avenues; 6. That if by May 1, 1840, one thousand lots are taken by the churches and congregations, the subscription books for lot sales will be closed, not reopened until the churches and congregations determine the location of their lots, and the terms for reopened the books for subscriptions are discussed; 7. That the Trustees of the Green-Wood Cemetery are responsible for the supervision and management of these lands  (considered private burial grounds) and to make by-laws, regulations, and rules to manage these lots; and 8. That these conditions are not binding to subscribers until one thousand lots have been sold to churches or congregations, and that interest on these lots will not start to accumulate until a wooden fence is built around the borders of the Cemetery and a caretaker appointed to maintain it.

            This document is important because it outlines the specific terms of churches and congregations for buying lots in the Green-Wood Cemetery, and also reveals the motives behind allowing this sale.  The cemetery wanted at least one thousand lots sold, indicated that they wanted to make these lot sales to churches and congregations to both profit off a substantial sale of these lots, and to help grow the portion of the cemetery that is developed for burial purposes.

Folder 22: Newspaper Clippings Related to Green-Wood

Item #288: News Article from the New York Express *(Undated – ca. 1839?) about the opening of the Green-Wood Cemetery

            In this article, it is explained that the Green-Wood Cemetery is now open for burials, and celebrates that New York finally has a rural cemetery like the one at Mount Auburn for the secure burial of the dead.  It states that this solves the problem of overcrowded church burial grounds in Manhattan, providing a secure place to bury the dead outside of the city.  The article also describes how the lands of the cemetery have no burials yet, how it is covered with woods, lakes, and streams, but does have almost four miles of roads cut through its woods.

Item #289: News Article about the Auction of the “Schermerhorn Farm” *(Undated)

            This article states that there will be an auction of a tract of land called the “Schermerhorn Farm” and that the Green-Wood Cemetery will be included in the mortgage.

            This news article is important because it documents the auction of the tract of land belonging to Mr. Schermerhorn, which the cemetery bought to expand the size of the cemetery.

Item #290: News Article about the Opening of Lots in the Green-Wood Cemetery for Inspection and Purchase to Families and Churches, May 6, 1839

            In this article, the Trustees of the Green-Wood Cemetery announce that they are opening the lots of the Green-Wood Cemetery for inspection and purchase to both families and churches, and that the proceeds from these sales will be used for the preservation and maintenance of the cemetery grounds.

            This news article is important because it is the first time that the cemetery is advertising in the newspapers about opening the cemetery for business, less than a year after they have obtained their charter of incorporation in April of 1838.

Item #291: Sheet of Paper: “Re Incorporation, Purchase of land, Subscription to stock, etcetera *(Undated)

            Piece of paper – no significance.

Item #292: News Article about Land Auction Schedule for September, 1841, by David Codwise, Master in Chancery, from the Brooklyn Evening Star, Wednesday evening, September 1, 1841

            In this news article, Mr. Codwise announces that there has been a decision in the Abraham Schermerhorn vs. Parmenus Johnson and others case, in which three tracts of land belonging formerly to Jacob Bennet (a plantation or farm), Abraham Bennet (a tract of woodlands), and Garret Bennet (a “salt meadow”), that is now owned by Mr. Schermerhorn, will be publicly auctioned in September of 1841.

            This news article is important because it announces the auction of the lands belonging to Mr. Schermerhorn in Gowanus, Brooklyn, which the Green-Wood Cemetery Association would purchase to significantly expand the size the cemetery.

Item #293: News Article about Visitors to the Green-Wood Cemetery and the Opening of Subscription to lots in the Cemetery *(Undated)

            In this news article, the writer states that over a hundred carriages have visited the Green-Wood Cemetery on some days since it opened to the public for inspection and the sale of burial lots.  The writer does not doubt that this subscription system will be successful, but wonders why the sale of these lots to churches has been delayed, and hopes that this delay will end soon.

            This news article is important for two reasons: the first is that it reveals that the cemetery was a popular place to visit when it was first established, with hundreds of carriages of visitors coming to the grounds; second, it reveals that during the founding years of the cemetery, the sale of lots to churches was not immediate, but was delayed, indicating debate on this issue between the cemetery administrators and the churches.

            This article is important both because it shows the public reaction to the opening of the Green-Wood Cemetery when it was first opened and what its grounds were like around 1839.

Folder 23: Major David Bates Douglass’ Circular for the Sale of His Library

Item #294: “Maj. Douglass circular – Sale of his library” *(Undated)

            In this circular, Major Douglass announces that he will be selling his library in January.  This library has many valuable editions in good condition, which are being sold by Major Douglass due to private and personal reasons.  The books are printed in both English and French editions and mainly cover the topic of civil engineering, as well as some other miscellaneous topics, including natural philosophy and mathematics.

            This circular is important because it reveals that Major Douglass, the first surveyor of the grounds of the Green-Wood Cemetery, is experiencing financial hardship, if he has to sell his library, a library which could also have been significant since the engineering books in this library may have been referred to by Major Douglass when he first surveyed and laid out the grounds of the cemetery.

Folder 24: Notice to Subscribers on the Selection of Burial Lots

Item #295: Notice to the Subscribers to Burial Lots at the Green-Wood Cemetery, by J. A. Perry, Vice President, Office of the Green-Wood Cemetery, No. 40 Broadway, September 1, 1842

            In this notice, Mr. Perry explains that the present surveyor of the Green-Wood Cemetery, Mr. Hotchkiss, will be at the cemetery from 10 am-6 pm to help potential lot buyers chose lots, and suggests potential subscribers to take this opportunity.  In addition, he states that the deeds for these lots are created and numbered based on the subscription under which they were ordered.  He states that potential lot subscribers should obtain this deed, both to be able to choose the location of the lot(s) the subscriber buys, and to let the surveyor know when the lot should be laid out on the map of the cemetery according to its deed(s).

            This notice is important because it shows that the Green-Wood Cemetery in 1842 provided the services of their surveyor to help subscribers chose lots to buy, revealing how the cemetery worked with potential buyers of burial lots during their first founding years.

Folder 25: Invitations to Land Proprietor’s Meeting on June 25, 1838 (5 copies)

Item #296: Invitation for Land Proprietors’ Meeting, June 25, 1838

            This invitation states that there will be a meeting of land proprietors who are interested in the Green-Wood Cemetery in Brooklyn that will be held at the City Hotel, located at No. 163 Fulton Street in Brooklyn on Thursday, June 28, 1838 at 8 pm.

            This invitation is important because it is inviting potential subscribers to come to the first meeting where the subscription books for the purchase of burial lots in the Green-Wood Cemetery will be opened.  This represents the first meeting where the cemetery was open for business and began to sell lots for burial in the cemetery, and also provides the details about the meeting’s location.  At this meeting, twenty-seven proprietors attended, where the plans of the cemetery were presented to them, and they (including some of the largest landowners) agreed to sell the lands at a fair price that were within the boundaries of the cemetery, with these proprietors and commissioners formalizing this arrangement by signing an agreement on June 28, 1838 (Cleaveland, 1866, page 10).  It is important to note that in this final arrangement, the average cost of the ground was very much below the values laid out by the appraisers on September 24, 1838, and the owners agreed to be paid for this property in cemetery company stock (Cleaveland, 1866, page 11).  The board of appraisers appointed to determine the value of these tracts of land was C. P. Smith, Henry E. Pierrepont, Major D. B. Douglass, and Judge Hammond (Cleaveland, 1866, page 10).

Folder 26: Circular on Subscriptions of Burial Lots (May 6, 1842)

Item #301: Circular about the Opening of Burial Lots for Internments at the Green-Wood Cemetery, signed by Zebedee Cook, Jr. Office of the Mutual Safety Insurance Company at No. 44 Wall Street and Cyrus P. Smith of Brooklyn, New York, May 6, 1842

            This circular announces that since the Trustees of the Committee of the Board of the Green-Wood Cemetery have received enough subscriptions from potential lot buyers to open up the first one hundred acres of land at the cemetery for burials.  They would like to commence internments as soon as possible, so they state that they want subscribers to pay the signers of this circular in order to get the deed(s) to their lot(s).  In addition, they state that a fence enclosure is planned for the cemetery by the spring, and that any information on selecting further burial lots should be referred to either the signers of this circular or J. A. Perry of No. 1 Hanover Street.

            This circular is important because it documents when the cemetery finally had enough subscribers to start developing land within the cemetery for burials.

Folder 27: Blank Template for “Cemetery Bond G”—Lot Deed

Item #302: Blank Form for the G Bond for the Lot Deed of a Lot in the Green-Wood Cemetery *(Undated)

            This G bond form lays out the conditions for bonds offered to let subscribers to burial lots in the Green-Wood Cemetery obtain the deeds to these lots, such as that the bonds has a rate of seven percent interest per year.

            This bond form is important because it is the type of bond offered to the first lot subscribers for lots in the Green-Wood Cemetery.

Item #303: *Same as Item #302.

Folder 28: Template for “Cemetery Bond R”—Bond for Private Loans to Cemetery

Folder 28: Template for “Cemetery Bond R”—Bond for Private Loans to Cemetery

Item #304: Form for the R Bond made out to Russell Stebbins of New York City for $1,000.00 to the Green-Wood Cemetery Corporation, 1839

            In this R bond form, Russell Stebbins is loaning the Green-Wood Cemetery Corporation $1,000.00 in a bond to be paid back at seven percent interest per year, and that if the cemetery corporation pays back this loan, the conditions of the loan will be void.

            This bond form is important because it not only documents a financial transaction of a large amount of money to the Green-Wood Cemetery during its first year of operation, but it also gives an example of the terms at this time for a private loan to the cemetery to be offered.