Flushing Cemetery is a

cemetery A cemetery, burial ground, gravesite or graveyard is a place where the remains of dead people are buried or otherwise interred. The word ''cemetery'' (from Greek , "sleeping place") implies that the land is specifically designated as a buri ...

Flushing Flushing may refer to: Places * Flushing, Cornwall, a village in the United Kingdom * Flushing, Queens, New York City ** Flushing Bay, a bay off the north shore of Queens ** Flushing Chinatown (法拉盛華埠), a community in Queens ** Flushin ...

in the

borough A borough is an administrative division in various English-speaking countries. In principle, the term ''borough'' designates a self-governing walled town, although in practice, official use of the term varies widely. History In the Middle A ...

Queens Queens is a borough of New York City, coextensive with Queens County, in the U.S. state of New York. Located on Long Island, it is the largest New York City borough by area. It is bordered by the borough of Brooklyn at the western tip of Long ...

New York City New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the most densely populated major city in the Un ...

, New York.

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 ...

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 Horticulture is the branch of agriculture that deals with the art, science, technology, and business of plant cultivation. It includes the cultivation of fruits, vegetables, nuts, seeds, herbs, sprouts, mushrooms, algae, flowers, seaweeds and no ...

. 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 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 New York Crystal Palace was an exhibition building constructed for the Exhibition of the Industry of All Nations in New York City in 1853, which was under the presidency of the mayor Jacob Aaron Westervelt. The building stood in Reservoir Squar ...

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 Frankfurt, officially Frankfurt am Main (; Hessian: , " Frank ford on the Main"), is the most populous city in the German state of Hesse. Its 791,000 inhabitants as of 2022 make it the fifth-most populous city in Germany. Located on its ...

, the largest in Europe: It is possible that Shultheis' ancestors were buried in this cemetery.

Burials

* Louis Armstrong (1901–1971), musician and singer * Bernard Baruch (1870–1965), financier, after whom

Baruch College Baruch College (officially the Bernard M. Baruch College) is a public college in New York City. It is a constituent college of the City University of New York system. Named for financier and statesman Bernard M. Baruch, the college operates unde ...

is named *

Laurie Bird Laurie Bird (September 26, 1953 – June 15, 1979) was an American film actress and photographer. She appeared in three films during the 1970s. Two of them were directed by Monte Hellman. She was romantically involved with Hellman and Art G ...

(1953–1979), a film actress and photographer *

Eugene Bullard Eugene Jacques Bullard (born Eugene James Bullard; October 9, 1895 – October 12, 1961) was one of the first black American military pilots, although Bullard flew for France, not the United States. Bullard was one of the few black combat pilo ...

(1895–1961), the first African-American military pilot *

Ellis Parker Butler Ellis Parker Butler (December 5, 1869 – September 13, 1937) was an American author. He was the author of more than 30 books and more than 2,000 stories and essays and is most famous for his short story " Pigs Is Pigs", in which a bureaucratic ...

(1869–1937), author of '' Pigs is Pigs'' * Adam Clayton Powell, Sr. (1865–1953), cleric * Charles S. Colden (1885–1960), lawyer,

Queens County District Attorney The District Attorney of Queens County is the elected district attorney for Queens County in New York State, coterminous with the New York City borough of Queens. The office is responsible for the prosecution of violations of New York state law ...

, and New York Supreme Court Justice *

Joseph Fitch Joseph Fitch (August 27, 1857 – April 7, 1917) was an American lawyer, politician, and judge from New York. Life Fitch was born on August 27, 1857, in Flushing, New York, the only child of businessman Joseph Fitch and Avis Leggett. Fitch atte ...

(1857–1917), lawyer, assemblyman, and city magistrate * Dizzy Gillespie (1917–1993), jazz trumpet player *

Hermann Grab Hermann Grab (6 May 1903 – 2 August 1949) was a Bohemian German-language writer. Early years Hermann was born into a wealthy aristocratic family of Jewish origin in Prague, Bohemian Kingdom (an old name of today's Czech Republic). Although ...

, writer *

Johnny Hodges Cornelius "Johnny" Hodges (July 25, 1907 – May 11, 1970) was an American alto saxophonist, best known for solo work with Duke Ellington's big band. He played lead alto in the saxophone section for many years. Hodges was also featured on soprano ...

, long-time Ellington band sideman and soloist *

Thomas Birdsall Jackson Thomas Birdsall Jackson (March 24, 1797 – April 23, 1881) was an American lawyer and politician who served two terms as a U.S. Representative from New York from 1837 to 1841. Biography Born in Jerusalem, Long Island, New York, Jackson att ...

, United States Congressman *

Jan Matulka Jan Matulka (7 November 1890 – 25 June 1972) was a Czech-American modern artist originally from Bohemia. Matulka's style ranged from Abstract expressionism to landscapes, sometimes in the same day. He has directly influenced artists like Doro ...

, Modern artist * Lemuel E. Quigg, United States Representative from New York *

May Robson Mary Jeanette Robison (19 April 1858 – 20 October 1942), known professionally as May Robson, was an Australian-born American-based actress whose career spanned 58 years, starting in 1883 when she was 25. A major stage actress of the late 19t ...

(1858–1942), actress * Aris San, Greek singer who spent most of his life in Israel and United States. * Vincent Sardi Sr., founder of Sardi's restaurant. *

Hazel Scott Hazel Dorothy Scott (June 11, 1920 – October 2, 1981) was a Trinidad-born American jazz and classical pianist and singer. She was an outspoken critic of racial discrimination and segregation. She used her influence to improve the representat ...

(1920–1981), musician and singer *

Charlie Shavers Charles James Shavers (August 3, 1920 – July 8, 1971) was an American jazz trumpeter who played with Dizzy Gillespie, Nat King Cole, Roy Eldridge, Johnny Dodds, Jimmie Noone, Sidney Bechet, Midge Williams, Tommy Dorsey, and Billie Holiday ...

, jazz trumpet player *

Battling Siki Louis Mbarick Fall (16 September 1897 – 15 December 1925), known as Battling Siki, was a French light heavyweight boxer born in Senegal who fought from 1912 to 1925, and briefly reigned as the World light heavyweight champion after knocking ...

(1897–1925), boxer, remains repatriated to Senegal * Frederic Storm (1844–1935), US Representative for New York (1901–03)

References

{{reflist

External links

Official Website

Cemeteries in Queens, New York Flushing, Queens