The Underhill Burying Ground is a cemetery located within the Village of Lattingtown, in the

Town of Oyster Bay The Town of Oyster Bay is the easternmost of the three towns which make up Nassau County, New York, United States. Part of the New York metropolitan area, it is the only town in Nassau County to extend from the North Shore to the South Shore o ...

in Nassau County,

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 * '' ...

. The cemetery has been in continuous operation since the burial of

Captain John Underhill John Underhill (7 October 1597 – 21 July 1672) was an early English settler and soldier in the Massachusetts Bay Colony, the Province of New Hampshire, where he also served as governor; the New Haven Colony, New Netherland, and later the Pro ...

in 1672. The Underhill Burying Ground is governed by the Underhill Burying Ground, Inc., a non-profit organization, incorporated under the laws of the State of New York.

Origins and history

The Underhill Burying Ground is located upon a portion of approximately that was granted by

Lenape The Lenape (, , or Lenape , del, Lënapeyok) also called the Leni Lenape, Lenni Lenape and Delaware people, are an indigenous peoples of the Northeastern Woodlands, who live in the United States and Canada. Their historical territory includ ...

Native Americans to English colonist

in 1667. This area was originally called Matinecock, after the village of one of the Lenape bands. Today it is within the Village of Lattingtown. Captain John Underhill was buried here on his own land in 1672. Family descendants in 1843 created an organization to manage and protect the family burying ground for their continued use. The

Underhill Society of America The Underhill Society of America is a non-profit family genealogical society that was organized in Brooklyn, New York, on June 16, 1892. The Society was incorporated in 1903. The purpose of the Underhill Society of America is to perpetuate the memo ...

commissioned an imposing obelisk and monument, which was erected on the burial site of Captain John Underhill on May 18, 1907. The Society paid $6,000 for the monument. They arranged to reinter the "fighting captain" in its foundation. Made of white polished granite, the obelisk is topped by a bronze eagle with extended wings and perched on a bronze ball. On each side of the square base are four bronze tablets depicting the life of Underhill. Colonel John T. Underhill, then president of the Underhill Society of America, invited President

Theodore Roosevelt Theodore Roosevelt Jr. ( ; October 27, 1858 – January 6, 1919), often referred to as Teddy or by his initials, T. R., was an American politician, statesman, soldier, conservationist, naturalist, historian, and writer who served as the 26t ...

to attend a formal ceremony to dedicate the monument. A letter from Roosevelt on April 3, 1908, accepted the invitation and agreed to "say a few words." At the dedication ceremony on July 11, 1908, Roosevelt gave an address on "A Good Soldier and a Good Citizen". The President talked about the duties of citizenship as exemplified by the Underhill family. He denounced

socialism Socialism is a left-wing economic philosophy and movement encompassing a range of economic systems characterized by the dominance of social ownership of the means of production as opposed to private ownership. As a term, it describes the e ...

and expressed his views on the proper regulation of private business fortunes. Theodore Roosevelt at Underhill Burying Ground

The main bronze informational plaque on the monument has the following inscription:

Captain John Underhill John Underhill (7 October 1597 – 21 July 1672) was an early English settler and soldier in the Massachusetts Bay Colony, the Province of New Hampshire, where he also served as governor; the New Haven Colony, New Netherland, and later the Pro ...

Statesman Soldier
Born
Baginton, Warwickshire Baginton is a village and civil parish in the Warwick (district), Warwick district of Warwickshire, England, and has a common border with the City of Coventry / West Midlands (county), West Midlands county. With a population of 801 (United Kingdom ...
, England, Oct. 7, 1597
Died
Matinecock Matinecock is a village located within the Town of Oyster Bay in Nassau County, on Long Island, in New York, United States. The population was 810 at the 2010 census. History Matinecock incorporated as a village on April 2, 1928, in order to ...
, Long Island, July 21, 1672

Coming to America in 1630, Underhill became prominent in the government of the colonies and achieved a high reputation as a soldier in the war with the Indians. To his memory this monument is erected by the Underhill Society of America as a tribute of respect and esteem to the founder of the family in America, May 18, 1907.

Also included on the plaque were names of the Underhill Society of America members at the time of the monument dedication. These included Col. John Torboss Underhill, President;

Walter Lispenard Suydam Walter Lispenard Suydam (May 20, 1854 – August 10, 1930) was a prominent member of New York society during the Gilded Age. Early life Suydam was born on May 20, 1854 in New York City. He was the son of Anna White (née Schermerhorn) Suydam (18 ...

, First Vice President; Edward King, Second Vice President; Daniel Oscar Underhill, Third Vice President; David Harris Underhill, Cor. Sec. & Family Historian; Mrs. Marianna Underhill Cocks, Asst. Cor. Secretary; Silas Albertson Underhill, Recording Secretary; Edward DeLacey Underhill, Asst. Rec. Secretary; George William Cocks, Honorary Secretary;

Irving Underhill Irving Underhill (1872–1960) was one of the most notable commercial photographers in New York City during the first half of the 20th century. He produced work that was featured in postcards and numerous publications while he was still alive, an ...

, Treasurer; Reuben Howes Underhill, Counsel. Names of members of the Monument Committee were also included on the plaque. These included: Colonel John T. Underhill, Chairman; Hon. John Quincy Adams Underhill; Francis Jay Underhill; Charles Munson Underhill;

; Caleb Fowler Underhill; William Anderson Underhill. Patrons who supported the erection of the monument were also listed on the plaque and included Mrs.

Robert Ogden Doremus Robert Ogden Doremus (11 January 1824 – 22 March 1906) was a United States chemist and physician. Biography Doremus was the son of philanthropist Sarah Platt Doremus and her merchant husband Thomas. He studied at Columbia, and graduated from Ne ...

and Mrs. Lydia Greene Lawrence. The Underhill Burying Ground, Inc. was incorporated under the laws of the State of New York in 1909. Myron C. Taylor, a descendant of Captain John Underhill, was instrumental in assuring perpetual maintenance of the Underhill Burying Ground by establishing a fund whose interest is used to maintain the cemetery. Descendants of

may purchase burial rights by submitting an application to the Secretary of the Underhill Burying Ground, Inc.

Records of burials

The research document ''Historic Cemeteries of Oyster Bay'' lists 124 known interments at the Underhill Burying Ground. Surnames with multiple burials follow by order of prevalence: Underhill (42), Feeks (17), Cocks (15), Golden (9), Cox (8), Parish (4), Udall (4), Feekes (3), Latting (3), Fekes (2), Heley (2), Fisher (2), and Secker (2). The following surnames have only one known burial: Cashow, Cock, Cozzens, Dickson, Hicks, Miller, Sweet, Thorne, Weeks, Wilbur, and Wilbus. The Underhill Burying Ground, Inc. has kept extensive records of all burials. Detailed surveys have also been completed, including one by Mary Jane Layton Lippert in March 1998. The Lippert report documented 310 burials, several of which were listed simply as "Unknown".

Footnotes

{{Reflist Oyster Bay (town), New York Cemeteries in Nassau County, New York 1672 establishments in the Province of New York