Inscriptions in St. Paul's church yard
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Abstract
Gravestone inscriptions from the churchyard of St. Paul's Chapel, Manhattan, copied by Robert H. Kelby in 1875.
Historical note
St. Paul's Chapel, completed in 1766 as a "chapel of ease" for Anglicans who lived beyond walking distance of its parent Trinity Church, stands today as the oldest surviving religious structure in Manhattan. Its graveyard, surrounding the chapel on three sides in the block bounded by Broadway, Church, Fulton, and Vesey Streets, holds the remains of such notables as Thomas Addis Emmet (1764–1827), Irish patriot and Attorney General of New York State; John Holt (1721–1784), printer The New York Gazette; and George Frederick Cooke (1756–1812), a renowned British character actor.
Robert H. Kelby, who copied these inscriptions, served as librarian of the New-York Historical Society in 1908-1921.
Arrangement
The collection is housed in eight folders.
Scope and Contents
This collection consists of transcriptions of the data on the gravestones in St. Paul's Chapel churchyard, Manhattan (in the block bounded by Broadway, Church, Fulton, and Vesey Streets), as copied by Robert H. Kelby in August 1875. The earliest stone is dated 1767; the latest, 1868. Kelby wrote his transcriptions on slips of paper measuring 3 by 6.5 inches, and numbered them 1 through 936 (or 937). As an aid to access, he created an alphabetical index to names, as well as list sorted chronologically by gravestone date and keyed to inscription number. See the container list for details.
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Access Restrictions
This collection is stored offsite. To arrange to consult it, please go to www.nyhistory.org/library/visit.
Use Restrictions
Taking images of documents from the library collections for reference purposes by using hand-held cameras and in accordance with the library's photography guidelines is encouraged. As an alternative, patrons may request up to 20 images per day from staff. Application to use images from this collection for publication should be made in writing to: Department of Rights and Reproductions, The New-York Historical Society, 170 Central Park West, New York, NY 10024-5194, rightsandrepro@nyhistory.org. Phone: (212) 873-3400 ext. 282. Copyrights and other proprietary rights may subsist in individuals and entities other than the New-York Historical Society, in which case the patron is responsible for securing permission from those parties. For fuller information about rights and reproductions from N-YHS visit: www.nyhistory.org/rights-and-reproductions.
Preferred Citation
This collection should be cited as "Inscriptions in St. Paul's church yard," MS 3234, The New-York Historical Society."
Location of Materials
Immediate Source of Acquisition
Probably the gift of Robert H. Kelby.
About this Guide
Processing Information
Archivist Joseph Ditta arranged and described this collection in July 2023.