Green-Wood Cemetery Land Acquisition - Legal Documents, 1812-1935 | The Green-Wood Cemetery

By J.D. Arden, Steph Diorio, Nik Dragovic, Dana Hart, Pratt School of Information Students; Emily Chapin, Pratt School of Information Intern

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Collection Overview

Title: Green-Wood Cemetery Land Acquisition - Legal Documents, 1812-1935

Predominant Dates:1830-1860

Extent: 6.0 Boxes

Arrangement: The collection is arranged into 9 series, based on material type.

Subjects: Cemetery Development, Land contracts, Legal Documents

Abstract

The materials in this collection were found in a safe deposit box owned by the Green-Wood Cemetery. The majority of the materials pertain to legal transactions, and include abstracts, indentures, contracts, reports, bills, maps of cemetery plots, and correspondence between involved parties and legal counsel.

Scope and Contents of the Materials

These records reflect the years of consolidating property in the City of Brooklyn, in an area then known as Flatbush, for the land and building rights of Green-Wood Cemetery. The collection also includes some records of the purchase and sale of burial plots, as well as business correspondence.

Collection Historical Note

Green-Wood Cemetery is an historic and famous cemetery located in the borough of Brooklyn in New York City. The brainchild of Brooklyn social leader Henry Evelyn Pierrepont, the cemetery was officially founded in 1838, although land was acquired prior to that date for its construction. The cemetery was a popular tourist attraction throughout most of the nineteenth century due to its park-style landscape, an idea inspired by the preexisting Mount Auburn Cemetery in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Many famous New Yorkers (and some famous non-New Yorkers) are buried within Green-Wood’s 478 acres, and in 2006 it was declared a National Historic Landmark, cementing its status as a cultural treasure.

Subject/Index Terms

Cemetery Development
Land contracts
Legal Documents

Administrative Information

Repository: The Green-Wood Cemetery

Processing Information: Accession #: 010-2015

Box and Folder Listing

Browse by Series:

[Series I: Abstracts, 1834-1877],
[Series II: Indentures, 1849-1915],
[Series III: Contracts and Agreements, 1872],
[Series IV: Reports, 1847-1854],
[Series V: Letters, 1873-1934],
[Series VI: Documents Relating to 519 Madison Avenue, 1893-1899],
[Series VII: Receipts and Bills, 1854-1871],
[Series VIII: Maps],
[Series IX: Miscellaneous, 1812-1872],
[All]

Series I: Abstracts, 1834-1877

This series contains 17 abstracts for lots of land in Brooklyn, and one abstract for a lot in Manhattan. The bulk of the abstracts include maps and diagrams depicting the location and size of the lots.

Box 1

Folder 1: Abstract of Title: Green-Wood Cemetery, 20th St. and 10th Ave., Block B
Folder 2: Abstract of Title: Green-Wood Cemetery, 20th St. and 10th Ave., Block E
Folder 3: Abstract of Title: Green-Wood Cemetery, 8th Ave., between 20th St. and 21st St., 1835
Folder 4: Abstract of Title: Green-Wood Cemetery, 8th Ave., between 21st St. and 22nd St.
Folder 5: Abstract of Title: Green-Wood Cemetery 10th Ave. and 22nd St., Block S
Folder 6: Abstract of Title: Green-Wood Cemetery 11th Ave., between 17th St. and 18th St.
Folder 7: Abstract of Title: Green-Wood Cemetery 8th Ave. and 20th St.
Folder 8: Abstract of Title: Green-Wood Cemetery, 10th Ave., between 21st St. and 22nd St., Block 4, 1836
Folder 9: Abstract of Title: Green-Wood Cemetery, 20th St., between 7th Ave. and 8th Ave.
Folder 10: Abstract of Title: Green-Wood Cemetery, 7th Ave. and 20th St.
Folder 11: Abstract of Title: Green-Wood Cemetery, 7th Ave. and 21st St., 1876
Folder 12: Abstract of Title: Green-Wood Cemetery, 8th Ave. and 21st St., Block 31, 1876
Folder 13: Abstract of Title: Green-Wood Cemetery, 10th Ave. and 20th St., Block E
Folder 14: Abstract of Title: Green-Wood Cemetery, 10th Ave. and 20th St., Block E, 1871
Folder 15: Abstract of Title: Green-Wood Cemetery, 10th Ave. and 21st St.
Folder 16: Abstract of Title: Green-Wood Cemetery, 8th Ave. and 21st St., Block 27
Folder 17: Abstract of Title: Green-Wood Cemetery, 21st St., between 8th Ave. and 9th Ave., 1834
Folder 18: Abstract of Title: Green-Wood Cemetery, 37th St. and Madison Ave., 1847
Folder 19: Abstract of Title: Green-Wood Cemetery, 8th Ave. between 20th St. and 21st St.