Deeds for Land Acquired by Green-Wood, 1852-1897 | The Green-Wood Cemetery

By Emily Chapin, Pratt School of Information Intern

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Collection Overview

Scope and Contents of the Materials

Subject/Index Terms

Administrative Information

Box and Folder Listing

Series 1: Land deeds and conveyances, 1849-1897

Henry E. Pierrepont, inspired by established rural cemeteries such as Mount Auburn and Père-Lachaise, helped to found Green-Wood in 1838 with the acquisition of 178 acres in Brooklyn.  As the cemetery’s popularity grew, the grounds needed to expand as well.  In his Green-Wood Cemetery: A History of the Institution, Nehemiah Cleaveland describes 1852 as a memorable year for the cemetery, “it witnessed the largest accession that had been made to its territory…The addition was one which had been regarded as desirable from the first.  It consisted of a densely wooded strip, hemming in the eastern border of the cemetery, and extending from Martense’s Lane to the foot of Ocean Hill.  The land belonged to several individuals, and some of it had been in the same families for two hundred years.  This valuable annexation added 85 acres to the ground, and cost from $500 to $600 the acre.”  This was followed by an accession of 23 acres from the heirs of George Martense in 1859, and another large tract from Robert Martin in 1862.  The cemetery, with the help of Pierrepont, continued to acquire land into the 1890s.

Much of the land acquired by Pierrepont and Green-Wood originally belonged to the Martense family.  The Martenses were descendants of Dutch settlers, who had been granted land in the Flatlands section of Brooklyn by Peter Stuyvesant and the Council of the New Netherlands.  The Martenses owned one of the largest farms in Flatbush, part of which was inherited by George Martense in 1817.  Eventually the land was split up, some sold by the family to Green-Wood, and some sold to fellow Brooklyn-ites.  Much of the land ended up as part of Green-Wood, and descendants of the Martense family, some of whom are named in the deeds in this series, are buried in the cemetery.

The folders in this collection are labeled with the names of the involved parties, land lot numbers, and date of transaction.  The collection is anchored by two major conveyances from Pierrepont to Green-Wood in June and October of 1875, and one describes each section of land and names its original owners.

Box 1: 1849-1872

Folder 1: List of Deeds, 1886

Folder 2: Map of Woodland of Heirs of Garret Martense, May 1852

Folder 3: Martense Lot List, 1868

Folder 4: Eliza and Henry Story to Green-Wood Cemetery, October 20, 1849

Land lots #793-805, 843-847

Folder 5: Deborah Martense, Rachel Martense, Maria and William Story, Elizabeth and Henry Crabb to Green-Wood Cemetery, June 1, 1852

20 acres, 1 wood and 5 7/10 perches

Folder 6: Eliza and Jacob V.B. Martense, Gertrude and John Prince, Esther Jane Martense and Helen Martense to Thomas Hyland, November 7, 1868

Land  lots #26-28

Folder 7: Eliza and Jacob V.B. Martense, Gertrude and John Prince, Esther Jane Martense and Helen Martense to John Hedden, November 7, 1868

Land lots #276 and #305

Folder 8: Mary and John J. Blair to Sylvester J. Monaghan, April 28, 1870

Land lot #228

Folder 9: Frances and John Bliss to Alexander M. White, June 28, 1871

South side of 20th Street along 8th Avenue

Folder 10: Ella and Joseph Collins to James How, July 17, 1871

Land lots #284-286, 295-297

Folder 11: Bridget and James Curry to James How, July 27, 1871

Land lots #277 and 304

Folder 12: James Pratt to James Degrauw, August 1, 1871

Land lots #40, 41, 66 and 67

Folder 13: Rebecca and Robert Turner to James How, August 17, 1871

Land lots #258-262, 319-323, 280 and 302

Folder 14: Rebecca and Robert Turner to James A. Degrauw, August 17, 1871

Land lots #17-25, 249-255

Folder 15: Rebecca and Robert Turner to Andrew S. Wheeler, August 17, 1871

Land lots #265-275, 306-316

Folder 16: Emma and Robert G. Goodall to Christopher R. McClellan, October 18, 1871

Land lots #247 and #248

Folder 17: Ellen and Michael J. Murphy to Christopher R. McClellan, November 14, 1871

Land lots #237-242

Folder 18: Michael Conway to Jane Ann Barker, February 12, 1872

Land lot #278

Folder 19: Mary and Robert Topping to John Drake, March 1, 1872

Land lot #231-233

Box 2: 1872-1897

Folder 1: Ida and Louis Anson to James A. Degrauw, June 20, 1872

Land lots #1-7

Folder 2: Thomas Hyland to James A. Degrauw, July 15, 1872

Land lots #26-28

Folder 3: Sarah and James A. Degrauw to Henry E. Pierrepont, October 1, 1872

Land lots #1-7, 17-25, 26-28, 40-41, 66-67, 249-255

Folder 4: Nancy B. and Andrew S. Wheeler to Henry E. Pierrepont, October 1, 1872

Land lots #265-275, 306-316

Folder 5: Aleshea and John J. Drake to William H. Hallock, January 21, 1873

Land lots #231-233

Folder 6: Julia and William H. Hallock to Henry E. Pierrepont, March 20, 1873

Land lots #231-233

Folder 7: Jane A. Barker to Henry E. Pierrepont, June 19, 1874

Land lot #278

Folder 8: Frances Eleanor and Cornelius R. Payne to Henry E. Pierrepont, November 7, 1874

Land lots #37 and 39 (?)

Folder 9: Bridget and Sylvester J. Monaghan to Henry E. Pierrepont, November 19, 1874

Land lot #38

Folder 10: Ann and John Burke and Catharine and Michael McMahow to Henry E. Pierrepont, January 20, 1875

Land lots #256-258, 324-327

Folder 11: Ann Duffy to Henry E. Pierrepont, February 12, 1875

Land lots #38, 69-73

Folder 12: Mary Ann and Timothy Kyker to Henry E. Pierrepont, February 17, 1875

Land lots #34-37

Folder 13: Anna Maria and Henry E. Pierrepont to Green-Wood Cemetery, June 17, 1875

Land lots #1-33, 237-255

Folder 14: Catherine Curry to Henry E. Pierrepont, July 28, 1875

Land lot #303

Folder 15: John Hedden to Henry E. Pierrepont, September 4, 1875

Land lots #276 and 305

Folder 16: Anna M. and Henry E. Pierrepont to Green-Wood Cemetery, October 12, 1875

Land lots #34-73 (not #44, 45, 62 or 63) and #246-327 (not #283 or 298)

Folder 17: Frances Elizabeth and John Bliss and Jane and Samuel W. Bliss to Alexander M. White, January 17, 1877

Land lots #821-827

Folder 18: Daniel L. Jones to Green-Wood Cemetery, April 2, 1883

Land lots #2, 23 and 322

Folder 19: Gertrude and John D. Prince, Eliza A. Martense, Adrian V. Martense, Helen Martense and Mary Martense to Green-Wood Cemetery, May 20, 1884

Land described in deed

Folder 20: Alexander M. White to Green-Wood Cemetery, May 4, 1897

3 lots described in deed