Soldiers' Lot 13536, 1863-1888 | The Green-Wood Cemetery

By Alexandra Farrugia, Pratt School of Information Intern

Collection Overview

Title: Soldiers' Lot 13536, 1863-1888

Extent: 1.0 Boxes

Arrangement: This series is arranged by soldiers name, document type, and date. Folders that contain more than one item are listed with letters (e.g. 2A).

Abstract

This series contains burial orders for Civil War veterans to be interred in Soldiers' Lot 13536 of Green-Wood Cemetery.

Scope and Contents of the Materials

Green-Wood Cemetery established the Soldiers' Lot May 28, 1862. In July 1862, lots 13533-13536 were assigned to soldiers lost. The Soldiers' Lot was reserved for soldiers who fell in battle, or died from wounds received, or illness/disease related to their duty during the war. Approximately 130 Union veterans are interred in Green-Wood Cemetery’s Soldiers' Lot. Throughout the cemetery, Civil War veterans account for nearly 5,000 grave sites (including 75 Confederate soldiers). Some of the dead were also brought home from distant battlefields, including those who died at Shiloh, Antietam, Gettysburg, and other battlefields. Of those interred in the Soldiers' Lot is “Our Drummer Boy,” who served with Brooklyn’s own 13th Regiment, and is buried on the west slope of the hill. Other memorials dedicated to individual Civil War generals, officers, and soldiers are located in the Cemetery.

This series relates to lot 13536, one of those donated to the Soldiers' Lot. Within the series are documents relating to burial orders of Civil War veterans. Most of the burial orders pertain to volunteer soldiers of New York. Some documents are official orders and/or requests, while others contain detailed information on the soldier, where they were injured, etc. The series also includes a disinterment form and a formal request that a widow be buried with the remains of her veteran husband.

Subject/Index Terms

Administrative Information

Repository: The Green-Wood Cemetery

Processing Information: Accession #: 015-2014

Box and Folder Listing

Browse by Folder:

[Folder 1: Adam Geyer, August 4, 1876],
[Folder 2: William H. Lake, October 17, 1874],
[Folder 3: John T. Lewis, May 26, 1874],
[Folder 4: Francis A. Morrell, November 1905],
[Folder 5A: James Decatur Potter, October 25, 1888],
[Folder 5B: James Decatur Potter, October 24, 1888],
[Folder 6: Frank Salles and Widow, March 8, 1884],
[Folder 7: Frederick Schroepfer, April 17, 1875],
[Folder 8: Philip A. Seel, April 7, 1877],
[Folder 9: Morits Soyer, October 1, 1873],
[Folder 10: George Werner, August 1, 1878],
[All]

Folder 1: Adam Geyer, August 4, 1876

Testimony of George H. Moeser, Commander of J.L. Riker Post No. 62, that Adam Geyer served as a private in Company F, 62 Regiment of New York Volunteers during the Civil War and received an honorable discharge.

Folder 2: William H. Lake, October 17, 1874

Letter dated October 17, 1874 requesting the interment of William H. Lake, signed by J. A. Perry, Green-Wood Cemetery Comptroller. Also on the letter, written in a different hand, is information pertaining to Lake's age (38 years, 2 months, 25 days), his marriage, and his grave number (Lot 1356, gr 74).

Order dated October 18, 1874 requesting the re-opening of grave 74 in lot 13536 for William H. Lake.

Folder 3: John T. Lewis, May 26, 1874

(A) Testimony of Charles T. Trowbridge that John T. Lewis was a member of the 48th New York Volunteer Regiment, served two enlistments in the Civil War, and was honorably discharged. (B) Order to open a grave in the Soldiers' Lot for the remains of John T. Lewis. Information pertaining to his places of birth and death, his late residence, his marriage status, age at death, and cause of death are included on the order.

Folder 4: Francis A. Morrell, November 1905

Authorization to remove the remains of Lieutenant Francis A. Morrell, who died February 8, 1863, from Lot 13536, grave 13 and from Green-Wood Cemetery by his surviving son Joseph B. Morrell, who was departing for Europe. Signed by Francis's widow, Mrs. C. F. Morrell.

Folder 5A: James Decatur Potter, October 25, 1888

Testimony of J.E. Kerrigan that Col. James Decatur Potter served as a soldier with the 4th Regiment New York Volunteers in the Civil War and was wounded in the battle of Bull Run, and then taken prisoner. Kerrigan states that Potter's wounds were directly and indirectly the cause of his death. Kerrigan also mentions Potter's service in the 1st Regiment New York Volunteers during the Mexican-American War, during which Potter was wounded on April 18, 1847 in the Battle of Cerro Gordo.

Folder 5B: James Decatur Potter, October 24, 1888

Order to open a grave in the Soldiers' Lot for the remains of James D. Potter. Information pertaining to his age, place and time of death, coffin size, and funeral date are included on the order.

Folder 6: Frank Salles and Widow, March 8, 1884

Testimony of Susan Flynn, daughter of the late Frank Salles who was buried in the Soldiers' Lot 13563, grave 129 (on July 10, 1882). Susan states that Frank's widow is critically ill, and expresses wishes for her remains to be interred with those of her husband in the Soldiers' Lot.

Folder 7: Frederick Schroepfer, April 17, 1875

Testimony of J. Gray Boyd, Senior Vice Commander of J.L. Riker Post No. 62, that Frederick Schroepfer served as a volunteer soldier during the Civil War. He was a private in the 45th Regiment of New York Volunteers.

Folder 8: Philip A. Seel, April 7, 1877

Testimony of George H. Moeser, post commander of Riker Post 62, that Philip A. Seel served as a soldier during the Civil War, where he sustained wounds and contracted the illness that led to his death.

Folder 9: Morits Soyer, October 1, 1873

Interment order for the remains of Morits Soyer in the Soldiers' Lot.

Folder 10: George Werner, August 1, 1878

Testimony of John Werner saying that his brother George Werner enjoyed good health before serving as a soldier in the Civil War, and that the disease he contracted during the War led to his death. George Werner served for three years in the war and died at St. Francis Hospital on July 30, 1878.