BRIARCRIER
Dec. 6,
Friday, 12:15, The Briar's Restaurant, Briarcliff Manor Rotary Club.
TODAY
IN HISTORY
1790:
Congress moved to Philadelphia from New York City.
MEETING
LEADER: President Anne Cargill
PLEDGE:
Anne Cargill SONG: Sy Yuter
PRAYER: Paul Rosen
HAPPY
THOUGHTS: Sy, sent to Brian Lehrer talk show a summary of his
distant cousin, Dr. Percy Yutar of South Africa, who was the state's
prosecutor of Nelson Mandela and who said he saved Mandela's life by
charging him only with the life-conviction of sabotage rather than
the hanging-conviction of treason; Eric, that Mike Risko donated the
mike and amplifier for use at the Saturday Auction at Briarcliff
Library. Other happy thoughts but not correctly recorded.
ROTARIAN
PRESENT AND ANNOUNCEMENTS: 22 Rotarians present. Ernie,
grapefruits will be in and each member responsible for at least five
cartons.
GUESTS:
None.
SPEAKER
AND SUBJECT: Patrick Raftery on Westchester Cemeteries.
SUMMARY OF
TALK
Patrick
is the historian for the Westchester County Historical Society. The
earliest cemetery in Westchester was created in the 1600s when
there were few residents of county. Early on, mostly with morbid
thoughts and represented by embedded rocks. Fire and brimstone were
reminders of mortality. Later on, positive ideas of going to heaven
became popular. An early burial site was St. Paul's Church in now
Sleepy Hollow, where the Dutch settled. Then the cemetery at St.
Peter's Church in Mount Vernon. Tombstones were carved in sand stone
which deteriorated with rain. Today, granite is more popular.
Headstones and footstones gave dates of birth and death.
Sometimes the time of death was reported. Words were not always
spelled correctly. Family cemetery plots were popular but families
moved away and no one took care of the grave sites. Children's
tombstones of all religions tend to show lambs and angels. There is a
small Jewish cemetery in Mount Vernon. Candelabra's were carved into
the stones. The Frenchman known locally as "The Leatherman"
was buried in the Sparta Cemetery in Ossining. In Ferncliff is Judy
Garland, Lou Gehrig and Babe Ruth. Gravesite genealogy is popular
with many looking for birth and death dates. The deceased from the
Ossining Prison were buried nearby if the relatives did not pick up
their bodies. The gravesite was later moved and only shoes remained.
This
Friday, Bill Sharman on Old Briarcliff.
Elinor
Yuter, Reporter
Rachel
Leihbacher, Expediter
