Brooklyn Daily Eagle
THE OLD DUTCH CEMETERY IN EAST NEW YORK
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A Landmark Which Has Almost Disappeared
Its Grass Grown Graves and Its Defaced Headstones--
The Hands of the Vandal and of Father Time Have Been Busy.
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SOME OLD TRADITIONS
One of the oldest and most interesting landmarks of Long Island is rapidly disappearing,
and until now there is but a small corner of it left. It is the cemetery of the aristocratic
Dutch and their slaves, who lived nearly a century ago in what is now the vicinity of the
Twenty-Sixth Ward. There is something about the obliteration of a cemetery that inspires us
with regret that we do not feel when any other landmark is demolished. But those who are
responsible for the construction of public schools and streets seem to be persons of extreme
callousness, for these operations are guilty of the demolition of the old Slave cemetery, as
it is commonly called, although the proportion of slaves buried there is small.
The extent of the obliteration is considerable, and it needs but the erection of one
more building to make it compplete, for the remnant of the cemetery covers only one fair
sized lot. If approached from two sides, it would be wholly impossible to know that there
was a cemetery in the vicinity. The few tombstones that remain standing are so overgrown with
wild cherry bushes and sumac that they are invisable until one is close upon them. For some
years there has been no care whatever taken of the graves, and the mounds that once marked
them have settled and disappeared. The only indication that the remains of a person rest
there is the stone, which in many cases is faced and fallen.
Where Public School No. 72 (New Lots road & Barbey street) now stands was formerly the
burial place of the slaves, and concerning what the school covers, little can be learned. On
the side opposite the school there was a street put through some years ago, and it being
necessary to cut down some depth, many of the graves with their contents were removed. That
is, the graves were removed, but in many cases the bones were left lying on the side of the
bank. Some residents of the neighborhood say that the bones might be seen there until within
the last five years. If this be true, it shows on the part of the responsible persons a lack
of veneration amounting almost to vandalism.
In many cases the bushes have so overgrown the tombstones that the vegetation has formed
a little arbor over them. On entering these the sunlight is nearly excluded, so that a visit
to this place even in the day time is not entirely devoid of grewsome and ghostlike aspects.
To sit alone with a tombstone in a hole barely large enough to accomodate one person and
covered with damp and dark foliage, is productive of anything but hilarious emotions. Some of
the inscriptions are so suggestive of terrors here and hereafter that little tremors are sure
to creep up one's spine and cause one to llok about in apprehension of seeing something unusual
and unpleasant.
In a slave burying ground we should expect to find a plethorn of names such as WASHINGTON,
JOHNSON, or JACKSON, but this is not true. On the other hand they nearly all amck of Dutch
aristocracy. It must be remembered that the slave names with which we are commonly familiar
were taken from southern masters, while these were given to them by the Dutch masters, who freed
their slaves so long ago that they have ceased to be known, as colored names. It is owing to
this fact that it is impossible to distinguish the graves of the masters from those of their
slaves. It is probable, however, that for the remains of the masters have been moved in many
instances to the cemetery across the street.
The oldest extant in the cemetery id that of:
Catherine I. SNEDIKER who died in 1796. On it reads:
"In memory of Catherine I. SNEDIKER
who departed this life September 9, 1796
aged 56 years 7 months and 22 days."
It is noticeable that the expression, "departed this life," is used on all the older stones,
while that of, "died," appears on the more recent ones. Near this stone is another one that
has fallen and is marked 1796. It is over the grave of Uraham SNEDIKER, who died at the age of
28 years. There seems to have been a whole faily of SNEDIKERS buried in this vicinity, but
most of the inscriptions on the stones are nearly indecipherable.
Near the fence seperating the school grounds from the cemetery is a stone marking the grave
of Johannes CORNELL--a good old Dutch name. Accepting the testimony of the stone, he departed
his troubles so far back as October 19, 1803. This i9s a long time ago, nevertheless, the following
is a perfectly legible on the tombstone:
His flesh shall slumber in the ground
Till the last trumpets joyful sound
Then burst the chains with sweet surprise
And in his Saviour's image rise.
An instance of the unkept condition of the cemetery is found in the position of,
Stephen VAN BRUNT'S tombstone. The lower portion of the inscription is wholly defaced, but the
upper part reads:
"In memory of Stephen VAN BRUNT
who died May 20, 1817
aged 36 years."
The stone is broken in the center and lies directly in the path that is traveled daily.
Probably a hundred people pass here every day, and it is impossible for them to get by
without trampling on the stone. Where the grave is, it is not possible to say, for the
stone has evidently been moved from its original position. That a name so respected as
VAN BRUNT should be so carelessly used, seems very distressing.
An incident that may appear amusing to some, but that will be deeded a contemptible piece
of vandalism by nearly all, is connected with the tomstone of Joseph HOWARD. The original
inscription on the stone reads:
"In memory of Joseph HOWARD
who departed this life August 2, 1812
aged 52 years 3 months and 7 days."
then follows this excellant verse:
Behold and see, as you pass by:
As you are now, so once was I.
As I am now, you soon must be,
Prepare for death and follow me.
Nothing could be finer than this, had not someone
added, in chalk:
To follow you were not content
Until we know which way you went.
It is difficult to conceive of one so lacking in veneration and so rich in ill-timed
facetiousness as the writer of the last verse must have been. Most people entertain some
respect for the graves and the tombstones of the dead, and the person who could compose
so despicable a doggerel must be pitable indeed.
There is a weird and improbable story told by some of the old residents in the vicinity of
the cemetery, and although it is not entitled to full credence, doubtless parts of it are
sufficiently substantiated to be true.
In the latter part of the eighties following the Revolution there was a wealthy slave
owner by the name of VAN PATTEN, who lived on what ids now known as New Lots road. He owned
a slave, among others, who was a West Indian, and educated beyond the ordinary class of slaves.
Nothing was known of his antecedents, and the only name that he could give was Carlos. While
the slaves of the old Dutchman were well treated, Carlos was shown more consideration than
his fellow servants, and held the position of manager. He was the recipient of especial
kindnesses from Mr. VAN PATTEN'S daughter, Alma. Their relations grew from a kindly feeling
to intimate friendship, and finally, on the part of the slave, to love.
Alma was engaged to the son of a neighboring farmer, hence her friends looked with little
favor on her growing intimacy with her fathers slave. However, the gossip of the neighbors
nor the reprimands of her parents did nothing to dissuade Alma from pursuing the course
that she chose. When the marriage was but a few days distant, Alma had expressed no
intention of not fulfilling her engagement, but the conduct and manner of Carlos was moroose
and despondent in the extreme. Through fear of the welfare of his daughter, Mr. VAN PATTEN
was pursuaded to dispose of his manager, and he was sold at some distance from his present
home. His removal he regarded as a great injustice to himself, and a loss to his master.
The evening appointed for the marriage ceremony arrived, and with it the bridegroom and
his friends. The home of the bride was decorated for the occasion, the minister was in
attendance and everything in readiness for joining the couple in matrimony, but when the
bride was wanted she could not be found. Her sister stated that she had gone out to get a
breath of air, and upon her return to the bride's apartments she was not there.
A thorough search for the missing woman was made, but it failed to reveal her whereabouts.
There were many conjectures regarding the cause of her disappearance, but they were all improbable.
The bridegroom returned home in grief and the guests in disappointment, and it was not until
daylight the next morning that the mystery was explained.
Some men passing through the cemetery at an early hour had discovered her body lying by
the side of the path. There were no marks upon her body nor any clues that pointed to the
manner in which she had been killed. A severe storm in the early morning had washed away any
tracks that there may have been. Mr. VAN PATTEN made everyeffort to unravel the mystery, but
without success. Carlos was suspected of having some hand in the death of his mistress, but
as he had been at home on the night of her murder nothing could be proven against him.
About a month following this some young people who were returning from their evening revels
passed through the cemetery. They arrived at the village inn in a state of consternation
and reported that they had seen Alma walking ahead of them. They were too frightened to speak,
but one of them, summoning up courage, called to her, whereupon she disappeared. After this,
on the monthly anniversary of her death, she was reported as walking in the cemetery. Carlos
heard of this and determined to see her, even if it were nothing but her spirit.
When the proper night cames he repaired to the scene of her nocturnal walks. Whether he
saw her or not is unknown. If he did it was his death, for in the morning he was found in
precisely the same condition as his mistress had been. There was absolutely no clues to
the means of his death and inquiry failed to reveal any. Indeed, not many inquiries were
made, for the simple people had ben so frightened by the dire events that they had begun to
ascribe supernatural agencies to them. Following this the spirits of Alma and Carlos were
said to be seen to walk side by side every night on the thirteenth of the month.
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