CEMETERIES of OLD WANTAGH
Long Island, New York

JACKS0N CEMETERY

The oldest cemetery in Wantagh, the Jackson Cemetery, 
which lies just north of St.Frances de Chantal Church on Wantagh Avenue.  
Sixty-three graves are recorded in this cemetery, about half of those 
are Jacksons, while most of the others are the graves of Seamans & ALTHAUSES.
Not far from the Jackson Cemetery stands one of the oldest houses
in Wantagh, that being the home of Captain Richard JACKSON, who 
commanded the Jerusalem Company of the Queens County Militia in the 
Revolutionary War.
From that house is told the story of a Revolutionary War romance,
that of Richard's daughter Jane falling in love with a Hessian soldier
named John ALTHAUSE & eloping with him.  The story says that a black
slave carried Jane on his back across the Jerusalem swamp in the back
of the house to a spot where ATthause waited with two good horses.
Jane's father pursued them towards East Rockaway & he caught them
just after they were married there but before they could hire a boat
for a honeymoon on the bay.  Her father forgave them on the condition
that John would give up his Hessian uniform & become an American
patriot.  John agreed to do so, & they all returned to Wantagh.
Is this story fact or fancy?  Many believe that there were no
Hessian soldiers in this area, & that John ALTHAUSE was a Tory of
German descent.  The ages of the John & Jane ALTHAUSE who are buried
in the Jackson cemetery (if they are the same John & Jane) do not
confirm the story: they were too young.

Another Revolutionarry story -- which is probably based on fact 
is that of a raiding party from a British man-of-war anchored in
Great South Bay forcing its way into the home of Parmenas Jackson in
1781, demanding money.  Jackson refused to tell where the money was,
and the British tortured him until his wife gave the British the money
to save his life.  But her efforts were in vain, because he died
shortly after.  Although there are no records to show it, he is 
believed to be interred in the Jackson Cemetery.

The only authenticated burial of a Revolutionary War soldier in
the cemetery is that of Thomas JACKSON, who served in the 4th Line and
the Second New York Regiment.  Just before the Battle of Long Island,
he received bounty money for his men to guard the stock of Queens
County so that the British, who were about to invade & occupy Long
Island, would not capture & slaughter the stock.  He was also en-
gaged in the capture of Fort St. George on November 30, 1780.  Jackson
was born in 1754 & died in 1842.  He owned the property where the
Wantagh Public Library now stands & lived on the east side of the
Jerusalem River.

Most famous of those buried in the cemetery is General Jacob
Seaman JACKSON, who served in the War of 1812 as a Brigadier General.
Many of the other Jacksons prospered with the good farm lands of
the area, although hard times followed the Revolutionary War, as the
British had depleted the livestock, wood supply, & buildings.  Grist
and saw mills were built, employing many in the area.

The local families gradually began to use other cemeteries in
which to bury their dead, with the last recorded burial in the Jackson
Cemetery being that of Jackson A. Seaman, who died January 20, 1921,
although there are reports of later burials.

JACKSON CEMETERY

PRESERVATION OF JACKSON CEMETERY The Town of Hempstead fenced in the cemetery some yrs ago and mows the grass. The Wantagh American Revolution Bicentennial Committee has discussed wording for an historical marker & has asked the neighbors of the cemetery to make suggestions concerning this wording. With all opinions taken into consideration, the Town of Hempstead has been requested to erect this sign: JACKS0N CEMETERY IN THIS HISTORIC CEMETERY ARE BURIED EARLY RESIDENTS OF THE AREA, INCLUDING DESCENDANTS OF ROBERT JACKSON WHO SETTLED HERE OVER THREE CENTURIES AGO. SIGN ERECTED 1976 BY THE TOWN OF HEMPSTEAD AT THE REQUEST OF THE WANTAGH AMERICAN REVOLUTION BICENTENNIAL COMMITTEE (NOTE-As of the summer of 2001 the marker has NOT been erected & the cemetery itself is overgrown with weeds & rubbish. A rusty, torn cyclone fence does little to keep the cemetery from 'party-goers' & vandals) JACKSON CEMETERY BURIALS ALTHAUSE, John, born Nov. 29, 1765, died Dec. 12, 1850 ALTHAUSE, Martha, born Dec. 23, 1768, died Aug. 11, 1826 (wife of John) ALTHAUSE, Jane, died Feb. 15, 1798 age 27 yrs (wife of John) ALTHAUSE, Rachel, born March 13, 1797, died Jan. 4, 1850 (wife of John) ALTHAUSE, John, born March 19th, 1797, died Jan. 4, 1850 ALTHAUSE, John Jacob, born Dec. 25, 1829, died Feb. 16, 1894 ALTHAUSE, Freddie, son of Wm. & Sarah, born Oct. 17, 1879 (died Aug. 26, 1882) ALTHAUSE, Willie, died Jan. 8, 1875 age 4 yrs. 7 mo. 24 da. ALTHAUSE, Johnnie, died Jan. 12, 1875 age 3 yrs 5 mo. 8 dy ALTHAUSE, Elizabeth Eliza, daughter of Samuel & Helen, born Jan.26, 1839, died Jan. 24, 1840, age 11 mos. 25 dy ALTHAUSE, John JACKSON, son of John J. & Sarah M., died April 1,1853 age 6 mos.6 dy ALTHAUSE, Richard J., died Dec. 28, 1868 age 82 yrs 16 dy ALTHAUSE, Elizabeth, wife of Richard J., died Oct. 9, 1865, age 80 yrs I mth 29 dy ALTHAUSE, Elwood, son of John & Martha, March 29, 1859, age 66 yrs 9 mths 3 dy ALTHAUSE, Sarah, wife of Elwood, died Feb. 16, 1873 age 80 yrs, 4 mos 16 dy ALTHAUSE, Thomas, son of Elwood & Sarah, died March 16,1863, 32 yrs, 4 mos 11dy ALTHAUSE, Adelia, died Jan. 19,1886, age 55 yrs ALTHAUSE, Charles J., born Dec.5 1852, died April 3 1887 DOWNING, Hon. Coe S., died Sept,12 1847, 56 yrs, 5 mos 5 dy DOWNING, Rozetta, wife of Coe S. Downing, daughter of Henry 0. and Almy Seaman, died Sept. 6, 1824, age 28 yrs, 1 mth 1 day DOWNING, Thomas B., M.D., son of Coe S. & Rozetta J. Downing, died Nov. 29, 1839 age 27 yrs 28 dy DOWNING, Rozetta, daughter of Thomas B. & Marle Downing, died June 9,1838, age 2 yrs, 9 mths DOWNING, JACKSON, Micah, son of Richard, died July 21, 1767 age 21 yrs DOWNING, Thomas, born Dec. 24, 1754, died Nov. 23, 1842 DOWNING, Elizabeth, born May 6th, 1762, died Sept. 18, 1828 DOWNING, Gen. Jacob S., born May 22, 1763, died Jan. 28, 1829 DOWNING, Phoebe, wife of Jacob Seaman JACKSON, born Nov. 22, 1764, died Dec. 27, 1818. 55 yrs of age DOWNING, Thomas Jones, son of Jacob S. JACKSON, died Oct.11,1802 age 11 mos 8 dy JACKSON, Benjamin C., born Nov. 30, 1794, died May 10, 1857 JACKSON, Hannah, wife of Benjamin, born June 15, 1814, died July 12,1851 JACKSON, Richard, died May 7, 1845 age 51 yrs 2 mths, 13 dy JACKSON, Parmenas died Feb. 8, 1835 age 42 yrs JACKSON, Micah, died Nov. 26, 1859 age 91 yrs, 8 mths, 4 dy JACKSON, James, born July 21, 1803, died April 5, 1874 JACKSON, Noah, died May 12, 1882 age 82 yrs, 8 mths, 9 dy JACKSON, Mary Jane, wife of Noah JACKSON, died May 16, 1838, age 29 yrs JACKSON, Elizabeth, wife of Micah, daughter of Parmenas & Elizabeth JACKSON, died May 27, 1847 age 71 yrs, 8 mths, 23 dy JACKSON, John H., died July 6, 1852 age 18 yrs JACKSON, John, 1780-1862 JACKSON, Emma A., died Sept. 16th 1934, aged 70 yrs JACKSON, Margaret Cornell, 1782-1866 JACKSON, Parmenas, died April 12, 1866, aged 61 yrs, 4 mths, 23 dy JACKSON, Isaac, died Nov. 24, 1893 age 90 yrs, 2 mths, 24 dy JACKSON, Mary, wife of Isaac, died Dec. 17, 1898, age 87 yrs,1 mth, 7 dy JACKSON, John, born Nov. 26, 1844, died Dec. 10, 1905, age 64 yrs,15 dy JACKSON, Jacob S., died Sept. 11, 1877 age 74 yrs 19 dy. JACKSON, Coe D., died July 18, 1888 age 77 yrs, 9 mths, 8 dy JACKSON, Sarah, wife of Coe D.JACKSON, died Jan. 8,1886,age 64 yrs,7 mos,18 dy JACKSON, Elbert, born Jan. 15, 1807, died June 23, 1884 JACKSON, Elizabeth, born July 14, 1814, died March 20, 1895 JACKSON, Kezia, died April 12, 1866, age 61 yrs 4 mths JACKSON, Edgar, M.D., son of Noah & Mary Jane, died April 10, 1864,age 28 yrs JACKSON, Mary, daughter of Noah & Mary Jane JACKSON, died Aug.19,1851, age 20 yrs JACKSON, Jane P., daughter of Jacob & Catherine JACKSON, died Feb.10,1863, 78th yrs JACKSON, Sarah, wife of Capt. Edmund S.JACKSON, died March 10,1835,age 76 yrs,9 mos,12 dy SEAMAN, Alexander Warren, son of Henry 0. & At my Seaman, died May 19, 1814, age 65 yrs, 4 mths SEAMAN, Henry 0., died Dec. 2, 1826, age 57 yrs, 8 mths, 10 dy SEAMAN, Ann, born Feb. 25, 1808, died Aug. 2, 1854 SEAMAN, Richard J., died Aug. 11, 1852, age 51 yrs, 9 mths, 7 dy SEAMAN, Jackson A., died Jan. 20th, 1921 SEAMAN, Almy, wife of H. 0. Seaman, died Jan. 2, 1852, age 58 yrs SEAMAN, Valentine, Mary Almy, wife of Wm. M. Valentine, daughter of Henry 0. and Almy Seaman, died May 28, 1858, age 21 yrs, 4 mos.21 dy WHITMORE, Martin, son of Alfred & Lucy Whitmore, died Nov.11,1864,age 29 yrs 21 dy Copied from tombstones by Florence B. R. Smith Mrs. S Ruth Floyd Woodhull Chapter, NSDAR, 1929. Revised and from New York Genealogical & Biographical Record 26 by Jerusalem Chapter NSDAR, 1975. Source: Old Burying Ground Oakfield Avenue, Wantagh, N.Y. By: Karl F. Pfeiffer Wantagh American Revolution Bicentennial Committee (Bellmore Library, Bellmore.N.Y.) Transcribed by Nancy E Lutz Back to CEMETERY INDEX Back to BROOKLYN Page Main