By Alex Vastola, Intern, Pratt Institute, School of Information
Title: Founding Documents, 1837-1899
Predominant Dates:1838-1842
Extent: 4.0 Boxes
Arrangement: Arranged by Series.
Subjects: Abstracts of Title, Act of Incorporation, Bergen, Cornelius, Business--Records, Cemeteries--New York (State)--New York--History, Cemeteries--Recording--New York State, Cemeteries--United States--History, Cemeteries--United States--History--19th Century, Cemetery Development, City Council of Brooklyn, Deeds, Douglass, David Bates, Fences, Gates and Railings, Green-Wood Cemetery--New York, N.Y., Henry Evelyn Pierrepont, Land contracts, Land Development, Land Sales contracts, Landscape architecture--New York (State)--New York--Designs and plans, Legal Documents, New York (N.Y.)--Politics and Government--to 1898, New York State Senate, Real estate transactions--New York(State)--Brooklyn--History
Forms of Material: Correspondence, Newspaper Clippings
Languages: English
By the 1830s, New York City and the surrounding area had a pressing need for a large, rural burial ground. Before 1838, burial procedures were carried out various churches, which caused unsanitary conditions for the city’s water supply and its people. Most churchyards were terribly overcrowded by this time, and there were few regulations to ensure sanitary and respectful disposal of human remains. In late 1837, a committee was formed to seek land that could be developed for a large burial ground. An area of Gowanus, Brooklyn was soon identified, selected for its beauty and for the availability of the land. The committee turned its attention to the organization of Green-Wood Cemetery, and crafted the first regulations and procedures under which the cemetery would operate.
In 1838, the New York senate passed an act of incorporation granting Green-Wood Cemetery the status of a corporation. The cemetery had been in planning for some time, largely under the direction of Henry Pierrepont and Major David Bates Douglass.
The Founding Documents collection contains a large array of documents related to the founding of Green-Wood, including rare correspondence, legal documents, financial records, and minutes and resolutions of the founding committee, detailing the process by which Green-Wood was developed as New York’s first large rural cemetery. Also included are maps, charts, and news articles relating to the incorporation and development of the Green-Wood Cemetery between the years of 1837 and 1899.
This collection is divided into eight series: Legal Documents, Land Development, Financial Records, Committee Reports and Resolutions, Committee Minutes, Henry Pierrepont Correspondence, Miscellaneous Correspondence, and Printed Materials.
The Founding Documents collection and its contents are important for providing insight into the proceedings of the physical and legal establishment of the Green-Wood Cemetery and how such developments have had a lasting effect on the policies of the cemetery in the present day. This collection is contained within four boxes, most of which are designed for oversized materials. Many documents are in embrittled condition, and the worst have been encased in Mylar. All materials are organized by subject and are original to this collection. Please refer to the container list for further information.
Researchers may also wish to consult the following collections: The Henry Pierrepont Papers, which contains more information on Pierrepont’s role in the founding of the cemetery; Farm Conveyances and Deeds, for information regarding the purchase of the land that would become Green-Wood Cemetery; Cemetery By-Laws and Act of Incorporation, for later information on committee procedures and changes to the charter; Minutes of the Standing Committee, for information on later committee procedures; and Reports of the Board of Trustees for more records regarding the development of the cemetery and its early operation.
Abstracts of Title
Act of Incorporation
Bergen, Cornelius
Business--Records
Cemeteries--New York (State)--New York--History
Cemeteries--Recording--New York State
Cemeteries--United States--History
Cemeteries--United States--History--19th Century
Cemetery Development
City Council of Brooklyn
Deeds
Douglass, David Bates
Fences, Gates and Railings
Green-Wood Cemetery--New York, N.Y.
Henry Evelyn Pierrepont
Land contracts
Land Development
Land Sales contracts
Landscape architecture--New York (State)--New York--Designs and plans
Legal Documents
New York (N.Y.)--Politics and Government--to 1898
New York State Senate
Real estate transactions--New York(State)--Brooklyn--History
Repository: The Green-Wood Cemetery
Original/Copies Note: For more information please see http://thegreen-woodcemeteryfoundingdocumentsexhibition.weebly.com/.
Related Materials: For more information please see http://thegreen-woodcemeteryfoundingdocumentsexhibition.weebly.com/.
Processing Information: Accession #: 009-2013
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.
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.
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.
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).
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.
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).
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.
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.
