Green Hill Cemetery is a historic
rural cemetery
A rural cemetery or garden cemetery is a style of cemetery that became popular in the United States and Europe in the mid-nineteenth century due to the overcrowding and health concerns of urban cemeteries. They were typically built one to five ...
located at
Amsterdam
Amsterdam ( , , , lit. ''The Dam on the River Amstel'') is the Capital of the Netherlands, capital and Municipalities of the Netherlands, most populous city of the Netherlands, with The Hague being the seat of government. It has a population ...
in
Montgomery County, New York
Montgomery County is a county in the U.S. state of New York. As of the 2020 census, the population was 49,532. The county seat is Fonda. The county was named in honor of Richard Montgomery, an American Revolutionary War general killed in 17 ...
. It was established in 1858. Unitarian Minister
Amory Dwight Mayo
Amory Dwight Mayo (31 January 1823 - 8 April 1907) was a Christian clergyman and educator.
Biography
Amory Dwight Mayo was born in Warwick, Massachusetts, the son of Amory Mayo and Sophronia Cobb. He enrolled at Amherst College in 1843. During his ...
delivered the dedication address, which explained the role that cemeteries played in creating a "Christian Republic." It encompasses 14,860 individual interments marked by imposing mausolea, elaborate monuments, family plots, decorative markers, and simple stones. It includes four contributing structures: Church Street entrance gate, upper pedestrian gate and path,
receiving vault
A receiving vault or receiving tomb, sometimes also known as a public vault, is a structure designed to temporarily store dead bodies in winter months when the ground is too frozen to dig a permanent grave in a cemetery. Technological advancement ...
, and Sanford mausoleum.
It was added to the
National Register of Historic Places
The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the United States federal government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures and objects deemed worthy of preservation for their historical significance or "great artistic v ...
in 2005.
Green Hill land purchases
In November 1857 the citizens of
Amsterdam, New York
Amsterdam is a city in Montgomery County, New York, United States. As of the 2020 census, the city had a population of 18,219. The city is named after Amsterdam in the Netherlands.
The City of Amsterdam is surrounded on the northern, eastern ...
, convened to form an Association for the purpose of procuring and holding lands to be used exclusively for a cemetery.
At the meeting John J. Schuyler was appointed Chairman and Samuel Belding Jr. Secretary. It was then resolved to form the Green Hill Cemetery Association. It was also resolved that the affairs of the Association were to be managed my a 9-member Board of Trustees. By ballot were elected John J. Schuyler, Derick W. TenBrook, Stephen Sanford, Hoel S. McElwain, S. Belding Jr., John McDonald Jr., Leonard Y. Gardinier, Charles Devendorf and Joseph W. Sturtevant. The Trustees immediately examined several localities in the vicinity for the lands of the cemetery. Days were spent surveying, digging pits to test the quality of soil, opinions were sought and weighed. All of the results were submitted to Burton A. Thomas, Esq./Civil Engineer “a man of cultivated taste and large experience”. As a result, the cemetery was located.
A contract was then drawn for the purchase of of land and 36 people advanced money to the Association for the purchase and ornamentation of the grounds. The funds were to be refunded from the avails of the subsequent sales of lots. Early in the spring of 1858 the premises containing were conveyed to the association from Joseph Cornell for the sum of $2,800. On October 31, 1865 the second parcel of land was sold to The Green Hill Cemetery Association again from Joseph Cornell. The property containing 22 and 87/100 acres of land was purchased for the sum of $7,218.
Notable burials
Notable people include:
*
Bruce Anderson (1845–1922),
Medal of Honor
The Medal of Honor (MOH) is the United States Armed Forces' highest military decoration and is awarded to recognize American soldiers, sailors, marines, airmen, guardians and coast guardsmen who have distinguished themselves by acts of valor. ...
recipient
*
Mary Duncan
Mary Duncan (August 13, 1894 – May 9, 1993) was an American stage and film actress. She is best known for her performances in F.W. Murnau's '' City Girl'' (1930) and ''Morning Glory'' (1933).
Early years
Duncan was born in Luttrellville ...
(1895–1933), actress
* US Congressmen:
**
Benedict Arnold
Benedict Arnold ( Brandt (1994), p. 4June 14, 1801) was an American military officer who served during the Revolutionary War. He fought with distinction for the American Continental Army and rose to the rank of major general before defect ...
(1780–1849)
and his grandson Lt. Benedict Arnold Leonard (1840–1864).
**
William Barclay Charles
William Barclay Charles (April 3, 1861 – November 25, 1950) was an American politician from New York.
Life
Born in Glasgow, Scotland, Charles attended private schools and high schools in Stirling and Glasgow, Scotland. He immigrated to the ...
(18861–1950)
**
Clark Betton Cochrane
Clark Betton Cochrane (May 31, 1815 – March 5, 1867) was a U.S. Representative from New York.
Born in New Boston, New Hampshire, Cochrane moved to Montgomery County, New York.
He was graduated from Union College, Schenectady, New York, in 18 ...
(1815–1867)
**
John Sanford (1803–1857)
**
John Sanford (1851–1939)
**
Stephen Sanford (1826–1913)
**
John Knox Stewart
John Knox Stewart (October 20, 1853 – June 27, 1919) was a Representative from New York.
Stewart was born in Perth, Fulton County, New York on October 20, 1853. He moved with his parents to Amsterdam, New York in 1860 and attended the publi ...
(1853–1919)
**
Samuel Wallin
Samuel Wallin (July 31, 1856 – December 1, 1917) was a U.S. Representative from New York.
Born in Easton, Pennsylvania, Wallin moved with his parents to Amsterdam, New York, in 1864. He attended the public schools and Amsterdam Academy. H ...
(1867–1917)
References
Further reading
* Deeds are recorded in the
Montgomery County Clerks Office: Book 70 page 78 and Book 79 page 163
External links
*
{{Authority control
Cemeteries on the National Register of Historic Places in New York (state)
1858 establishments in New York (state)
Cemeteries in Montgomery County, New York
National Register of Historic Places in Montgomery County, New York
Rural cemeteries