Recent Discoveries

One of the most rewarding aspects of our Civil War Project has been the information we have gotten from descendants of Civil War veterans who are interred at Green-Wood. Sometimes they contact us with bare bones information: my great grandfathers name is ---- and he served in the Civil War. Can you help me find him? Other times pension records and photographs follow.

 Just last week, I heard from Jane, the second great-granddaughter of Leon Javelli (or Giavelli). Jane had done a great deal of research on him, and she generously shared that with me. It turns out that Leon is interred at Green-Wood Cemetery. And, just as good, he has a very interesting story.

I have been a collector my whole life. I started with baseball cards, then moved on to stereoview photographs of New York City. In fact, that's how I wound up at Green-Wood the first time. Like all collectors, I would sometimes go to a show and not find what I was looking for. It then became a question of going home empty-handed or slightly expanding the scope of what I was collecting.

 One of the best sculptures at Green-Wood Cemetery is the Valentine Angel by Adolfo Apolloni (1855-1933). I've taken many photographs of it, and it is still an honor to do so. It never fails to impress, front or back.

Just a few weeks ago I led a tour of Green-Wood Cemetery for the Woodhaven Historical Society. At one of the stops on the tour, a very nice woman asked me if I knew of a monument at Green-Wood that had a flag pole.

About fifteen years ago, I visited Louisiana with my family. I wanted to see a few special things down there: New Orleans streets, restaurants, and cemeteries, of course. I wanted to eat crayfish. And I wanted to visit Morgan City, Louisiana. Why Morgan City? Well, Morgan City is named for Charles Morgan, a shipping and railroad magnate.

I just wanted to share this with you. We have many wonderful workers at Green-Wood, and many good people also. Yesterday, one of our employees got this e-mail from an acquaintance:

About ten years ago, I purchased a copy of Nehemiah Cleaveland's walking tour of Green-Wood Cemetery, written about 1860. Cleaveland was Green-Wood's first historian; I am its second. Now, I learned a few things from his walking tour about Green-Wood. I also learned some things about writing a walking tour.

The Medal of Honor has been awarded only 3,446 times since it was first given in 1863. 

A few nights ago, I was working my way through forms that have been filled out several months ago by our Green-Wood Historic Fund Civil War Project volunteers.