The Cornell Family Cemetery, now officially designated the Richard Cornell Graveyard, is located on Gateway Boulevard (formerly Greenport Road and Greenwood Avenue). According to
NYC Parks
The New York City Department of Parks and Recreation, also called the Parks Department or NYC Parks, is the department of the government of New York City responsible for maintaining the city's parks system, preserving and maintaining the ecolog ...
Department, the Cornell Burial Ground is on the west side of Caffrey Avenue north of New Haven Avenue in
Far Rockaway, Queens
Far Rockaway is a neighborhood on the eastern part of the Rockaway peninsula in the New York City borough of Queens. It is the easternmost section of the Rockaways. The neighborhood extends from Beach 32nd Street east to the Nassau County li ...
in
New York City
New York, often called New York City (NYC), is the most populous city in the United States, located at the southern tip of New York State on one of the world's largest natural harbors. The city comprises five boroughs, each coextensive w ...
.
This was one of many cemeteries surveyed by
Charles U. Powell, chief engineer for the Topographical Bureau, Borough of Queens.
[Kahn, Eve. "Private Cemeteries Of Queens County." Nov. 1987]
Archives at Queens Library
vertical files Powell undertook this task for two reasons. First, he was concerned that the cemetery sites would be destroyed before being documented, and second, his own Dutch ancestors were buried in one of them.
Both Powell and his crews surveyed this cemetery, along with 21 others, between 1919 and 1932.
This private cemetery was found to be one of six cemeteries that have survived in Queens.
Research sources discuss how a shopping mall developer rediscovered four headstones.
Burials
The
cemetery
A cemetery, burial ground, gravesite, graveyard, or a green space called a memorial park or memorial garden, is a place where the remains of many death, dead people are burial, buried or otherwise entombed. The word ''cemetery'' (from Greek ...
contains the remains of descendants of
Richard Cornell
Richard Cornell (1625–1693) was an English Quaker ironmaster and resident of Long Island. He is generally considered the first European settler on the Rockaway Peninsula in the present-day Borough of Queens, New York City. Cornell purchased the R ...
, generally considered the first settler of
European
European, or Europeans, may refer to:
In general
* ''European'', an adjective referring to something of, from, or related to Europe
** Ethnic groups in Europe
** Demographics of Europe
** European cuisine, the cuisines of Europe and other West ...
descent to homestead in Rockaway. In 1970 it was designated a
New York City Landmark
The New York City Landmarks Preservation Commission (LPC) is the New York City agency charged with administering the city's Landmarks Preservation Law. The LPC is responsible for protecting New York City's architecturally, historically, and c ...
.
Richard Cornell Graveyard
NYCLPC Many members of the Cornell family are buried in this cemetery.
* Benjamin Cornell, who died on June 9, 1821, at age 71.[Vertical File. "Description of Private and Family Cemeteries in the Borough of Queens: Part 1 and Supplemented. Compiled by The Topographical Bureau, Charles U. Powell, C. E. Engineer in Charge and Edited by Alice H. Meigs. Jamaica, New York. 1932.]
* Abegil Cornell, who departed on April 20, 1762, at age 57.
* Thomas Cornwell, whose widow erected his bluestone grave monument signifying her attraction and his age. He served in the Provincial general assembly of New York for 27 years; he died at the age of 61 on March 24, 1764.
See also
* List of New York City Designated Landmarks in Queens
The New York City Landmarks Preservation Commission (LPC), formed in 1965, is the New York City governmental commission that administers the city's Landmarks Preservation Law. Since its founding, it has designated over a thousand landmarks, clas ...
References
External links
*
{{Coord, 40, 36, 0, N, 73, 44, 58.3, W, region:US, display=title
Rockaway, Queens
Cornell family
Cemeteries in Queens, New York
New York City Designated Landmarks in Queens, New York