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 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).