Flushing Cemetery is a cemetery in Flushing in the borough of Queens in New York City,

New York New York most commonly refers to: * New York City, the most populous city in the United States, located in the state of New York * New York (state), a state in the northeastern United States New York may also refer to: Film and television * '' ...

History

Flushing Cemetery has several predecessors. In the year 1789 (64 years before the cemetery was founded),

George Washington George Washington (February 22, 1732, 1799) was an American military officer, statesman, and Founding Father who served as the first president of the United States from 1789 to 1797. Appointed by the Continental Congress as commander of th ...

had crossed the East River on a personal mission aboard his barge.Stuart, Schuyler Brandon. "The Story of FLUSHING CEMETERY". Published for the Tri-Centennial of Flushing 1645-1945. page 3 Washington, like other noted landowners, journeyed to Flushing: The community was a center of scientific horticulture. The cemetery's floral and arboreal beauty have become a memorial to Flushing's status as a center of horticulture to this day. During the year of 1853 in which the Flushing Cemetery was founded, the population of Queens County was around 20,000. The land the original site for Flushing Cemetery would rest was the 20-acre John Purchase farm, which was selected by committee. A select number of individuals who attended the founding meeting:

Reverend The Reverend is an style (manner of address), honorific style most often placed before the names of Christian clergy and Minister of religion, ministers. There are sometimes differences in the way the style is used in different countries and c ...

John Gilder, Henry Christie, William Leonard, Caleb Smith, and Robert B. Parsons.Anonymous. "Flushing Cemetery: 100th ANNIVERSARY". Flushing, New York, 1853-1953. page 10 Civic-minded citizens like these people had also organized the Flushing Cemetery Association.Stuart, Schuyler Brandon. "The Story of FLUSHING CEMETERY". Published for the Tri-Centennial of Flushing 1645-1945. page 7 The day these founders received their charter was May 5, 1853 was the same day in which the World's Fair in New York Crystal Palace was scheduled to open. Civil engineer Horace Daniels was responsible for plotting the grounds. In 1875, the Whitehead Duryea farm, which measured 50 acres and adjoined the cemetery, was purchased and added to the site.Anonymous. "Flushing Cemetery: 100th ANNIVERSARY". Flushing, New York, 1853-1953. page 11 The Bayside Quakers and some of their relatives and neighbors, in about 1860, brought a half-acre within this cemetery in the western half of section I.Brierly, J. Ernest. "Long Ago On Long Island". LONG ISLAND DAILY PRESS. 20 AUG. 1967. Section I, which is also referred to as the Quaker Burial Place of Flushing, is where 43 people (the largest in one group) are buried, while 109 were buried in Flushing Cemetery. The Flushing Cemetery, where 41,000 bodies are buried and thousands more with reservations, has flowers, trees, and greenswards.Welsh, Frederick J. "He Has Made Flushing Cemetery A Place of Botanical Beauty". 5 AUG. 1951. Roland Schultheis, a scholarly man, became the keeper of the Flushing Cemetery and took great pride in caring for it. The preservation of the cemetery has also been regarded as a significant task. Individuals with both intelligence and distinguished family backgrounds have preserved its unusual beauty.Brierly, J. Ernest. "Long Ago On Long Island". LONG ISLAND DAILY PRESS. 10 APR. 1966. The cemetery's manager Roland Schultheis was a descendant of the Schultheis Brothers who were internationally famous with their nurseries in Frankfurt, Germany, the largest in Europe: It is possible that Shultheis' ancestors were buried in this cemetery.

Burials

Louis Armstrong Louis Daniel Armstrong (August 4, 1901 – July 6, 1971), nicknamed "Satchmo", "Satch", and "Pops", was an American trumpeter and vocalist. He was among the most influential figures in jazz. His career spanned five decades and several era ...

(1901–1971), musician and singer *

Bernard Baruch Bernard Mannes Baruch (August 19, 1870 – June 20, 1965) was an American financier and statesman. After amassing a fortune on the New York Stock Exchange, he impressed President Woodrow Wilson by managing the nation's economic mobilization in ...

(1870–1965), financier, after whom Baruch College is named * Laurie Bird (1953–1979), a film actress and photographer * Eugene Bullard (1895–1961), the first African-American military pilot * Ellis Parker Butler (1869–1937), author of '' Pigs is Pigs'' *

Adam Clayton Powell, Sr. Adam Clayton Powell (May 5, 1865 – June 12, 1953) was an American pastor who developed the Abyssinian Baptist Church in Harlem, New York as the largest Protestant congregation in the country, with 10,000 members. He was an African American com ...

(1865–1953), cleric *

Charles S. Colden Charles Senff Colden (June 3, 1885 – September 14, 1960) was an American lawyer and judge from New York. Life Colden was born on June 3, 1885, in Whitestone, New York, the son of David Colden and Harriet Brian. His father was a farmer who own ...

(1885–1960), lawyer, Queens County District Attorney, and

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Justice * Joseph Fitch (1857–1917), lawyer, assemblyman, and city magistrate *

Dizzy Gillespie John Birks "Dizzy" Gillespie (; October 21, 1917 – January 6, 1993) was an American jazz trumpeter, bandleader, composer, educator and singer. He was a trumpet virtuoso and improviser, building on the virtuosic style of Roy Eldridge but addi ...

(1917–1993), jazz trumpet player * Hermann Grab, writer * Johnny Hodges, long-time Ellington band sideman and soloist * Thomas Birdsall Jackson, United States Congressman * Jan Matulka, Modern artist *

Lemuel E. Quigg Lemuel Ely Quigg (February 12, 1863 – July 1, 1919) was a United States representative from New York. Biography He was born near Chestertown, Kent County, Maryland to a Methodist minister. He attended the public schools of Wilmington, Delaw ...

, United States Representative from New York * May Robson (1858–1942), actress *

Aris San Aris San ( el, Άρης Σαν, ; January 19, 1940 – July 25, 1992) was a Greek-Israeli singer and nightclub owner who popularized Greek music in Israel in the late 1950s and 1960s. Biography Aristides Seisanas ( el, Αριστείδης Σεϊ� ...

, Greek singer who spent most of his life in Israel and United States. *

Vincent Sardi Sr. Vincent Sardi Sr. (December 23, 1885 – November 19, 1969) was an American restaurateur. He served as the original founder of the restaurant Sardi's for more than 50 years. Sardi was honored the Special Tony Award at the 1st Tony Awards. He die ...

, founder of Sardi's restaurant. * Hazel Scott (1920–1981), musician and singer * Charlie Shavers, jazz trumpet player * Battling Siki (1897–1925), boxer, remains repatriated to Senegal *

Frederic Storm Frederic Storm (July 2, 1844June 9, 1935) was a United States representative from New York. Born in Alsace in the Kingdom of France, he immigrated to the United States in 1846 with his parents, who settled in New York City. He attended the publ ...

(1844–1935), US Representative for New York (1901–03)

References

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External links

Official Website

Cemeteries in Queens, New York Flushing, Queens